Grab a healthy lunch in downtown Macon at Harp and Bowl La Bistro
What if you could eat out and eat healthy at the same time? The mission of the new Harp and Bowl La Bistro is to help Macon's downtown workers have at least one healthy lunch or breakfast per week.
We ordered a take-away lunch from this tiny bistro -- but not before noticing how spotless it was inside. This could be a great place to meet after a workout or a run around downtown. Choose between freshly juiced fruits and vegetables, smoothies and organic coffee to keep your metabolism cooking. At $4.50 for eight ounces or $6.50 for twice that, juice combinations like tomato, cucumber and lemon, or apple, ginger, carrot and beet are sure to put some pep in your step.
Smoothies are the same price as the juices but consist of a single flavor: mango, blueberry, strawberry, banana, pineapple or blackberry. One ounce shots of body-healing wheatgrass, coconut kefir and ginger are $2.
They even sell quarts of homemade fermented vegetables with cultured kefir grain and probiotic food to help the flora in your digestive tract.
For our lunch, we tried the tabbouleh salad, the summer salad, the Reuben sandwich and the mango chutney chicken salad. The tabbouleh seemed very heavy on the mint at first, but it evened out with a good stir. Also at $7.50, the summer salad was a little ordinary, with grapes, pecans and blue cheese crumbles.
The Reuben features all natural corned beef, pickled in-house and shaved thin, topped with sauerkraut, thousand island dressing and Swiss cheese on marbled rye for $7.50. The chicken salad is made with their homemade mango chutney, topped with provolone cheese and served with lettuce and avocado on Hawaiian bread. A side of slaw, soup or a small bowl of fruit can be added for just $2 more.
Other lunch offerings include a quinoa bowl with kale and garlic, vegetable strudel with mango sauce, homemade pimento cheese with avocado and grilled pineapple, antibiotic-free slow-roasted chicken, roast beef and falafel. No single item was more than $10.
If you're up early, try their breakfast starting at 7 a.m. They feature kosher bagels from Brooklyn, topped with cream cheese, smoked salmon, corned beef or just fruit, herbs or nuts. If you want strictly healthy, try the acai superfood bowls with organic fruit, granola, local honey and sometimes even kelp or kale, for $8.50 per bowl.
The focus here is on homemade healthy eating. Balance out Monday's fat-laden burger with a healthy salad and an organic juice on Tuesday. Your body will notice the difference and you might even be inspired to make other healthy choices as well.
Harp and Bowl La Bistro
Address: 520 Mulberry St., Macon
Phone: 478-743-8682
Website: www.harpandbowl.net
Hours: 7 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday-Friday
Payment: Cash, credit
Smoking: No
Alcohol:No
Kids Menu: No
Noise Level: Low
Health Rating: 91
Price range: $6.50-$15
Rating: 3 stars
This story was originally published February 4, 2016 at 5:35 PM with the headline "Grab a healthy lunch in downtown Macon at Harp and Bowl La Bistro ."