Herban Quality Eats

This is a fast casual place like Chipotle. Pick your base (noodles, rice, or greens), protein, sauce, and sides. On the pricey side, but you do get a good amount of food. Not enough for leftovers though. I’ve had the backyard steak twice. One time, the meat literally came right from the grill to my plate. I was very impressed: it was perfectly medium and well seasoned. The second time, the steak came from the prepped area and it was well done. Disappointing in texture, but flavor was there. If they could keep it medium every time, it’d be five stars.

The food is pretty good. Sauces are good as well. My co-​working asked me if I wanted lunch from here I looked up the menu and notice it was healthy food and thought it was just going to be blah but the food is pretty good I came back multiple times since my first bite.

Been working across the street from this place for 3+ months and just now finding out about it… truly a shame for my mouth, a blessing for my wallet.
Everyone that worked there was very friendly and greeted me with a smile. Didn’t have to wait in line because I went in the late afternoon. Did however have to wait a few minutes for the steak because it was MADE TO ORDER? It came out perfectly (medium rare) and I had it over mixed greens, with broccoli and sweet potato mash on the side. Tried both the walnut coriander and herbed tomato sauces. Everything was terrific. Slightly preferred the walnut coriander, but that’s not saying much since I drank the little cup of herbed tomato afterwards… Sweet potato mash was heavenly and I don’t even normally like sweet potatoes, I just tried it because everyone else on Unilocal seemed to like it.
Thrilled to have found a healthy, yet delicious place that’s right near where I work. It’s slightly expensive, but right on par for city lunches and honestly it’s worth it knowing that the food is responsibly produced. Bonus point for providing nutrition info online too!
Also on the way out I heard Trophies by Drake playing so if they didn’t have me hooked by then, that was certainly the nail in the coffin.
Only qualm is that I would’ve liked even more food in ma belly but honestly that happens almost anywhere I go so… can’t be considered a legitimate complaint.
HAD HIT RECORDS ON MY DEMO
DID Y’ALL BOYS NOT GET THE MEMO

Went here when it opened a couple months ago and it was pretty good. Only bad thing I would say is that it is not open on the weekends. And closes a bit too early during the night. And I wish the portions were slightly bigger. Its enough to fill content, but wish I had a bit more to feel full.
The food itself is good and seems fresh. I got a plate before with wheat noodles, grilled chicken and sweet potato mash. It was delicious. It can be a bit pricey tho which does make me hesitant in picking this place.

HUGE fan of Herban Quality Eats. Have been a fan of this place since it opened, and can’t wait to see how it evolves and transforms over time. Though it is a little out of the way, I definitely would recommend stopping by. An open, sunny space boasting healthy + clean eats, customizable, etc. it definitely is for everyone.
I always opt for the greens base, and have tried the chicken and vegan jawns protein offerings, the sweet potato and brussels sprouts (my favorites!), and all of the sauces. All are so tasty, and taste healthy as well. I love that you really can curate your own menu offering depending on dietary restrictions, taste preferences, etc.
Looks like they are also experimenting with seasonality in their menu offerings, so you can also expect some menu rotation to keep things interesting and dynamic. Keeps ya coming back!
Overall, LOVE this place for a healthy meal. Expect to pay $ 9-​$ 11 for your healthy food, but hey — healthy is still expensive. At least you can spend these dollars knowing you’re getting high quality, consciously cooked food.

If you’re in the area that is clearly a fabulous food place to go! The food is so tasty, so authentic, well balanced! I only regreted having discovered it at only 800pm as i would have returned later on for a secound round of food, if it did not close at 9pm…
The staff is super nice and friendly, attentive and respectful. The place is super clean and nice and relatively comfy (though still more of a food court ambiance than a restaurant)

Decent food. Reasonable option if you want something quick, casual and reasonably healthy.
Portion size of the salmon was quite disappointing considering the price. Salmon was nothing exciting just tasted like a baked piece of fish.
Overall food in my opinion deserves about a 3.5. Staff was pleasant. The set up feels very similar to a chipotle.
Not worth a special trip in my opinion but if you are in the area and want a healthier fast food alternative this is not a bad choice.

A health-​conscious fast-​food eatery called Herban has opened in a new building rising off of Market Street in University City. It’s hitting a lot of right notes. This is another restaurant where there are no set menu items — you order at the counter and decide how to put things together. The difference here is that the sides are not mixed in with the base and protein. Rather each plate has compartments to separate the protein and base from the two sides you order. Sounds confusing? It actually isn’t. Let me describe my recent meal here. I ordered as a base the perfectly cooked Himalayan Red Rice, grilled chicken for my protein, and sides of quinoa and cheese and another side of quinoa with parsley and tomatoes. It was all very tasty.
There are two other plusses here. Water is free — just help yourself … and even more important — the sauces are free. The sauces are very delicious and I have a tip — mix the Herban hot sauce with the walnut coriander sauce and you have a totally flavorful addition to your meal!

Ever since I first had an early preview of Herban during the Fall Elite Event at Drexel, and got to sample even more of their food during the Holiday Elite Event, I had absolutely been looking for an opportunity to walk in and check out their storefront. So when this popped up on the event threads I saw good opportunity to indulge upon that moment with fellow Unilocalers. And in the end I got a good sampling of the deliciousness that they have to offer.
First off a full disclosure that overall the whole fast casual concept has kind of jumped the shark for me. But in Herban I’ve seen a concept that actually manages to do it for the better while delivering a solid variety of foods and a healthier mindset. The concept of being able to choose a base like rice or kale, 2 sides like cheesy couscous and brussel sprouts, and a base protein like perfectly spiced chicken or their falafel based vegan jawn adds on so much interesting possibilities. especially when you add in as much mild or spicy sauce as you please!
For my event portion the chicken and rice portion I had added up to being one of the best variations of chicken I’ve had. and the brussel sprouts and swwet potato mash both managed to provide a satisfying kick. Add in the cool kids table that I was a part of, and bumping into a fellow Clark Park Music Fest volunteer working the register, and it added it up to being a damn good event. And it also provided enough of an experience to have me craving more Herban to come!

A little late of a review — but this event was awesome. The meal I got at Herban Quality Eats was truly the best I’ve had in a long time. I got the «vegan jawn» on Himalayan rice with the mashed sweet potatoes and the quinoa and cheese. If I could eat this every day, I would. The vegan jawns were similar to two giant falafel on top of delicious rice (also, a cilantro sauce I almost filled my bag with). I loved that even though I totally binged on this meal, it was all good stuff so I didn’t have an ounce of guilt! It was extremely filling, and it could have easily been two meals but I am greedy.
I work at 34^th and Market and would definitely shell out the ~$ 8 for the meal again. It’s awesome to know I can treat myself to a hearty, delicious meal that isn’t outrageously expensive.

I remember Herban from the Unilocal Holiday Party! There was an impressive line ending with delicious food — and I was excited to sample the goods at Herban’s home turf!
Vouchers were handed out for the Grilled Chicken ($ 8.80) or Vegan Jawn ($ 7.87) options:
Base:
* Himalayan Red Rice
* Organic Seasoned Greens (varies: a seasoned kale with a lemon vinaigrette this day?)
Yes, I got two! I was indecisive, so the nice staff let me go half/​half! The rice is on the dense side (get it if you’re starving), but the kale was delicately refreshing!
Protein
* Grilled Chicken: Tender and flavorful! Wish I went half/​half to try the Vegan Jawn!
Sides:
* Sweet Potato Mash: hint of honey with the natural sweetness
* Roasted Brussels Sprouts: slightly heavy on mustard, but sprouts are super healthy!
Sauces:
* Hot Sauce: Tame heat, good flavor. I mixed it with walnut-​coriander!
* Walnut-​Coriander: refreshing and paired well with chicken! Amp up with hot sauce!
* Tomato: tasty, on sweeter side — alas, didn’t complement with my selections
This event had a slightly different format — being a cafeteria tray-​style sit-​down dinner. While I got a seat at the community table (seats 8), the smaller tables of 2 and 4 made it a bit tougher to socialize — but perfect for an intimate meal!
Thanks to Michelle/​Drew/​YELP and Herban, I now have another (healthy!) lunch date option with spouse in UCity!

Causal, free food with friends and fellow Unilocalers. What’s not to like?
Herban Quality Eats provided us all with a few options for dinner, starting w/​chicken or veggie and including any of their fresh sides and even a canned beverage. I chose chicken on kale with the sprouts and quinoa. The portion was enough to fill me up. The sampled each of the sauces on the side as well which sort of helped ‘mix things up’ while eating. The hot sauce wasn’t too hot, the tomato was probably a bit too sweet, but the walnut-​coriander hit the spot.
Thanks Drew & Michelle, along with the Herban staff. I enjoyed my quick, causal dinner and can recommend them from experience!

The event was casual (perfect after work on a pre-​spring Tuesday), but the portions were serious. The entire meal was well-​seasoned, but the three optional sauces were very complimentary – the walnut-​coriander sauce was especially delicious.
Thank you for hosting this event and introducing me to tasty, healthy food near my work.

Dang, if I still went to Drexel I would be at this place all the time. I really try to eat healthy and manage what I am eating. To find a place that serves delicious healthy meals makes my heart flutter with joy.
I sat at one of the large tables with a group of Unilocalers so we could chat and discuss the meal as we chowed down. The set up was that you were allowed to either get the vegan jawn or chicken with 1 base and 2 sides. I went for the vegan jawn on red rice with a side of mashed sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts. I also went for the walnut coriander sauce (the green sauce). I thought everything was delicious. I especially like the brussel sprouts — they had little raisins in them and were just tasty. I think next time I might pick up a side to take home and split it between my packed lunches for extra flavor.
The decorations at Herban are very «on trend» with a farm to table type of vibe. Everything is organic and local (if it can be grown locally). Overall, I really like the vibe of this spot and can’t wait to come back for another meal!

(²⁹⁄₁₀₀)
Thanks to Michelle and Drew for throwing another wonderful event.
The staff tonight were excellent. They really made us feel welcomed. I had never been here before and they had no problem explaining everything to me with absolutely no attitude.
Think Chipotle meets farm to the table dining. We had the option to pick one protein and two sides. I went with the chicken, sweet potato mash, and the Brussel sprouts. I tried all three sauces but the green sauce was hands down the winner. Our meal also came with your choice of beverage; I got the tangerine izzie drink. It was both refreshing and tasty.
Thanks to Herban for hosting us :) !

I love Unilocal events, and events that are walking distance to my home are loved even more so. This event reminded me of my first yell elite event (my first Unilocal event period actually). It too was an open event for any Unilocaler. I love how at events like these non elite Unilocalers get to mix and mingle with elite Unilocalers, many are new but very active community members and it’s delightful to see.
I like how this event took place during regular business operations of the venue, which I believe showed how they truly are, the food we received was specially made for Unilocalers, it was the same food that customers who walked in bought, I like that, a better way to judge a place on whether I’d come back or not.
Honestly, the food wasn’t really my style, but I’m really appreciative to Michelle for allowing me to try out a place in my neighborhood that I had intentions on trying out one day.
I wasn’t able to really socialize this go around as I was sick and coughing every 2 seconds and some ingredient in something I ate set off my allergies and my tongue began to itch terribly. I did ask what was in the food I received but perhaps something unknown was in there that staff wasn’t particularly privy too.
Thanks Michelle for dinner at a place near me !

Herban Quality Eats is the perfect place to go for healthy food that taste good too!
My meal ticket was presented to me as soon as I walked in and guess where my next stop was… YES! I headed right to the counter to place my order: one base, one protein and two sides.
I chose the Himalayan red rice for my base, grilled chicken for my protein, quinoa & cheese and sweet potato mash for my two sides… mmm mmm mmm. Oh and did I mention that a drink (non-​alcoholic) came with the meal? Yea
I think I found my new spot to eat instead of trying to be on all those dumn diets. I can eat clean, be full and lose weight, not to mention feel healthy.
The staff was super nice. That’s nothing new though since we’ve already unofficially met at a few Unilocal events before.
I must say though that this was a bit on the quiet side, very different from all the events I’ve been to thus far but it was nonteless a great night.
Thank you Michelle! See you soon:)

This newly-​opened (for a few weeks) place serves up hearty, filling food that also makes you feel good eating it, since it has a huge emphasis on healthy ingredients and food. It’s a fast casual restaurant similar to the Chipotle model, so you go down the line telling the servers what protein, main, and side you wanted.
I got the chicken, quinoa, brussels sprouts and rice. I was pleasantly surprised by the rich taste of the food — I loved the quinoa and brussels sprouts (I would’ve actually gotten two servings of this in retrospect). My friend got the cold noodles — they were actually kind of bland and slightly disappointing, so I would recommend getting either the rice or salad option.

A bit biased Bc my buddy is head chef here…
But food is awesome. I’m a vegan so I typically get the same thing each time and it costs $ 8.50.
Kale salad w/​2 vegan jawns (quinoa bean burgers on top.
Side of Brussels/​sunflower seeds/​cranberries
Side of sweet potato mash
Everything is flavorful, healthy and light.

Back in October at an Elite Event, I learned about a new-​to-​town restaurant opening down the street from where I worked. Herban Quality Eats is a welcome newbie to the neighborhood of University City which hosts students and employees of Penn and Drexel, employees and patients from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and CHOP (The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia) alike. And, while we do have Subway, Wawa, and food trucks nearby, sometimes you want something fast, something healthy, and something delicious. OR something to fuel a good workout.
Enter: The Bros from Herban. I went the day it opened, and the mood was excited. We waited patiently, salivating as the goods started rolling out. The open kitchen allowed guests to watch the process, and I’ll admit, I eat with my eyes. It was no surprise, then that my tummy began growling watching the lean steak flavored with a house spice rub being sliced on the table. In an area where the only «healthy eats» are salads and… mostly salads, it was awesome to see a hearty and healthy plate loaded with delicious ingredients that didn’t feel like bunny fodder.
I went for the Himalayan red rice as a base, the backyard steak, and sides of Brussels sprouts (roasted in coconut oil and tossed with dried cranberries and onions) and the quinoa and cheese (a high protein/​fiber substitute for the often indulgent mac and cheese).
The Verdict?
GOSH this was good. The steak was fantastic, still pink inside and super juicy. I loved the base of the red rice, full of antioxidants and fiber. Their hot sauce wasn’t quite to my tastes, but I’d put the walnut coriander (the green) sauce on EVERYTHING. Happily. I tried bites of the plantain chips and guac (nice deal for $ 3.70 when you need a quick snack) and the salmon, which was tasty, but the portion was a bit on the small side.
Taste-​wise, this place is off the charts. And I think I could probably see myself grabbing lunch from here once every week or two. I’ll also admit that, truth be told, the prices are a pinch steep for what I typically budget for lunch. Luckily, they’re located in the heart of an area full of doctors, MBA students, and college kids LOADED with disposable income. I’m certain the gang from Herban is going to do very well for themselves.