GREENBELLY
Hoppen Hierarchy: ★★
District: Central Omaha
Casual Sandwiches, Salads, & Pizzas
Perfect For: Lunch; Casual Dining
Standout Dishes: BBQ Chicken Pizza; Greek Wrap; South of the Border Taco Salad
Much of the history of American dining is defined solely by flavor. Restaurants happily inject each dish with oodles of calories and fat, and for good reason: fat = flavor. So they infused butter into every dish, slathered every sandwich with mayo and deep fried everything under the sun. And Americans didn’t care. It tasted good, so what was the problem?
There’s been a shift in recent years as science has shown us just how destructive these eating habits are. Americans are now eating less, making healthier choices and working out more.
The shift led to some restaurants experimenting with the balance between flavor and health. Was it possible to create dishes that filled restaurants without expanding customers’ waistlines?
Greenbelly, with locations in Omaha and Elkhorn, is one of the spots testing that hypothesis. Based on the crowd during my several visits, people are taking notice.
The Omaha location sits in a humble strip mall off 114th and Dodge and isn’t very noticeable from the street. But both the inside and pleasing patio area are often packed during lunch. This doesn’t slow the restaurant’s production; orders are placed at a counter and generally arrive within five minutes. Greenbelly is speedy and efficient.
Sifting through the menu is an arduous process. Greenbelly offers 20 salads (as well as create-your-own options), 19 pizzas, 16 whole wheat wraps, 10 lettuce wraps, 15 grilled sandwiches, and a few specials such as mac n’ cheese and tacos. There are 85 entree options. I definitely recommend checking out the menu ahead of time so you’re not sorting through this dictionary while in line.
Of everything I’ve tried, the pizza is the true standout. These pies can be ordered on traditional crust or crispy flatbreads. The cracker-like flatbread is healthier, but I recommend the traditional. It’s firm but has a nice chew. The toppings are loaded on, infusing each bite with tremendous flavor, and even a small (10″) is enough to tackle a large appetite.
The BBQ Chicken Pizza is a home run. The strips of chicken breast are tender and savory, and there are plenty of jalapeños to add some spice. The stars, however, are the cheeses. Each bite births a brilliant cheese pull, that glorious view of stretching dairy that looks nearly as good as it tastes. The sharp cheddar plays well with the tangy mozzarella, but it’s the cream cheese dollops that take the cake. The soft, mild cheese adds bursts of fresh creaminess. The BBQ sauce and bacon get overpowered and lost, but it’s still a good pie.
The same cannot be pizzas ordered on the flatbread crust. Though a good idea in theory, it stands no chance of holding up to the heapings on sauce and cheese Greenbelly applies, and the poor crust quickly dissolves into a floppy mess. There is way too much cheese on the Italian Stallion Pizza, and the application of the salami is embarrassing. Greenbelly lazily tosses a few slices across the pizza, but only about five or six bites get any at all.
The wraps are excellent, but they’re quite small, maybe six or seven inches in length. Greenbelly stuffs each to the gills with fresh, flavorful ingredients, but the current size won’t satisfy most appetites. The tortilla is solid and doesn’t tear at all. It’s finished on the grill, producing beautiful grill marks and adding a bit of smoky flavor.
If you choose the wrap route, I recommend the Greek Wrap. The gyro meat is well-seasoned and tender, and it pairs perfectly with the garlic, tangy tzatziki sauce and the punch from the feta cheese. The onions, lettuce, and plump tomato slices are all incredibly fresh and pull the meal together.
Greenbelly’s salads are truly massive, and there’s a wide variety to match different palates. However, I’ve found the flavor in both the toppings and the dressing to be pretty muted, and Greenbelly doesn’t provide enough dressing to cover the huge portion.
Greenbelly is fairly expensive. The sandwiches and wraps are $10 or above, a hefty price for a small offering. A small pizza cost $15, and the salads are all about $8-9.
As someone who carefully monitors his health, I really appreciate what Greenbelly is trying to do. They’ve managed to create some really flavorful offerings without loading them with calories. The service is quick, making it a great spot to grab lunch on a workday. If Greenbelly could iron out some of its mistakes, it could be a really great restaurant.