Attention DC! Britain’s “healthy fast food” chain LEON just opened the doors of their first US location at 1724 L Street NW. Everything on the menu is under $10 and the food comes out in about 30 seconds and is still made to order. Don’t believe me? Try it yourself.
Co-founder John Vincent explains the concept as “If God did fast food” or “what fast food would be like in heaven”. Vincent grew up loving McDonalds and fast food but as he started getting into nutrition he came to the realization that there should be a compromise between what tastes good and what does you good.
Fast food has a high entertainment factor as there is a thrill to ordering low priced food and receiving it before you even leave the cashier. But there also a thrill to eating healthy, and being good to the planet. Vincent’s LEON combines these two ‘feel good’ aspects to reinvent fast food with fresh ingredients creating “Naturally Fast Food”.
The menu is inspired by the flavors and healthiness of Mediterranean cooking as it is proven to be the healthiest diet. There are a diverse variety of spices, herbs oils, seeds and nuts mixed into the dishes. Most (not all) items on the menu are gluten free by not putting bread products where they sometimes are. Menu items are range from Mezze salads, to wraps, hot boxes, sandwiches and all the sides and desserts to add on. From $2.50 sides to a $9.95 Big Hot Box, at LEON you can actually get a healthy meal for under $10.
(It’s fast food, of course there are still fries on the menu. They are just Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Vegan.)
Some fan favorites:
Lamb Kofte
The Lamb Kofte Big Hot Box is filled with cumin and cardamom spiced lamb kofte, pickles, aioli, kale slaw and brown rice.
I am not sure lamb kofte would be my typical choice off of such a large menu, but I’m telling you it should be yours. It was truly tasty in every way. The combination of the spices lamb kofte paired with the fresh slaw is pretty perfect. It is healthy and filling.
Grilled Halloumi Wrap
The Grilled Halloumi Cheese Wrap is filled with avocado, tomatoes, olive tapenade and garlic aioli.
Honestly it is like someone put all of my favorite things together in one wrap. I love halloumi cheese and this wrap was very filled with halloumi and veggies. Finally, an actually interesting and delicious option for vegetarians.
Moroccan Meatballs
The Moroccan Meatballs are hand-rolled beef meatballs in tomato sauce served with aioli sauce, kale slaw and brown rice.
Pretty sure you can never go wrong with classic meatballs, especially when they actually taste mouthwateringly delightful.
Pesto Chicken Meatballs
The Pesto Chicken Meatball Little Hot Box is served with LEON tomato sauce and topped with fresh pesto made in-house.
If you’re a classic chicken lover these Pesto Chicken Meatballs are a little more fun than your typical chicken and deliciously drenched in pesto.
We were the lucky city chosen (but also obvious choice) to launch the LEON chains in the United States, so we should take full advantage of it. From the completely eco-friendly store, to the friendly staff, to the reasonably priced menu and the array of delicious options, LEON is a great new restaurant DC is lucky to have!
Welcome to DC LEON! We hope to be seeing more of you popping up all over!
Check out the MENU.
Join the CLUB.
Visit the RESTAURANT.
Delivery options coming soon.