Eat healthy at lunchtime might save you money, since you’re probably packing your own food, but exciting it is not. Well, that is, until you meet Proper Food in NYC. The newcomer to Wall Street is making eating well fun again with a wall of options that will make the health-conscious diners feel like kids in a candy shop.
You’ve heard chefs, cookbook authors and food bloggers tell you how exciting healthy food can be. But honestly, when you’re prepping it yourself, life gets in the way. You start packing the same meal day after day and soon it’s just, well, food. It might nourish your body, but it’s not giving your senses anything to work with. Let Proper Food help you rekindle that fire for health food done right. Skip the Tupperware, grab a coworker and head down to Wall Street once this week instead. You can thank us later.
You’ll get proper food at Proper Food in NYC
You remember what it was like as a kid trying to pick candy. All the options seemed so appealing, it was easy to be overcome by the choices. Be warned: you will experience a minor case of decision paralysis your first time in Proper Food. But maybe this will help shake you loose sooner: there really is no wrong decision. Metro has tried almost everything on the menu at this point, and nothing is even close to average. Each time we choose something new, we discover a new favorite dish.
Even if you do get stuck, you’ll find the staff more than ready to help you out. They know the ins and outs of each dish, how it was prepared and from where the ingredients were sourced. That’s because Proper Food is dishing up, well, proper food. There’s no shady additives, questionable sources, or stale merchandise. And the quality will give any sit-down restaurant in the area a run for its money.
The salmon on my Salmon Teriyaki Hot Plate, which they also make gluten-free, was the best cooked salmon I have had in the city, hands down. The fresh poached salmon was just the right texture and temperature, despite the fact that I picked it up from a shelf on the run. I’m not sure how they did it, but I enjoyed scarfing down the magic results. It was so good, in fact, that I’ve mostly shifted from one salmon-based menu item to another each time I’m there.
But another Metro staffer swears by their tuna. “As I’m #alwayshungry, the seared lemon pepper ahi tuna over a salad of kale, lentils and basmati rice actually keeps me full through the afternoon slump to dinner, so I’ve been able to stop turning to bad snacks to keep me from being hangry,” she told me.
Don’t forget to swing by for breakfast
This same Metro staffer, equally-enamored with the grab-and-go chain, also takes advantage of their delicious offerings at breakfast. “To say I’m addicted to Proper Food since it opened in New York City is an understatement,” she told me. “Its turkey sausage breakfast sandwich is a great way to fuel myself for a busy day without feeling guilty (or gross) afterward, and the overnight oats are a delicious, filling option as well.”
They even boast dishes you’d expect from a sit-down brunch, like croissant sandwiches with runny egg yolk and an open-faced smoked salmon sandwich. Anything intended warm, they’ll heat up for you as you check out, so you leave with your meal perfectly toasted.
What to expect at Proper Food
Although there is some seating against one wall, expect to grab your meal and find somewhere else to eat if you’re headed to Proper Food. That’s not a problem since the Financial District is filled with indoor public areas and gorgeous parks, two of which are just blocks away from this casual eatery.
Breakfast items will run you from $4.95 (Overnight Oats loaded with almonds, raisins and cinnamon) to $9.95 (Breakfast Burrito with free-range scrambled eggs, cheese, avocado and carne asada to keep you full until lunch). Grab a 12-ounce coffee for just $2.50 (where else do you find that?) or cold brew for $4.50. Lunch items start at just $6.95 (a seriously grown up Proper Food PB&J on walnut bread with coconut peanut butter and bananas) and go up to $15.50 (the Salmon Teriyaki Hot Plate, which is very much worth the cost).
Everything is labelled clear if it’s gluten-free, dairy-free, or nut-free, and they offer gluten-free versions of many of their dishes. You’ll also find clear notes about which dishes should be heated before you enjoy them, and staff members ready to help you out with that. But, most of all, you’ll find healthy food how it’s supposed to be done, how it’s exciting again. And, yes, you’ll find proper food.
Find Proper Food in NYC
