The Green

Angela Sclavos describes her venue, The Green, as an ecosystem. It’s fitting, given the space is teeming with plants. But what she means is that every aspect of the business – from the all-day Lebanese restaurant and deli, to the plant shop and ceramics store – works together as one.

The concept is an evolution of Sclavos and business partner Chistina Habchi’s popular James Street pop-up nursery, The Green Space, which opened in mid-2020. When the pop-up finished, the duo found a large, airy space just down the street – formerly Redsea Gallery – and paired the nursery with a restaurant that tapped into their Lebanese heritage.

From the the open kitchen, executive chef Warren Turnbull and his team serve breakfast dishes such as green shakshuka with smoked labneh, chilli and turkish bread, and tahini granola with blood orange, cacao, coconut yoghurt and barberries.

The lunch menu features mezze options such as hummus, muhammara and smoked eggplant dip, with Lebanese pita or fried pitta. Shareable mains might include roasted barramundi with saffron, mussels and tomato tagine; and grilled zhug-marinated lamb cutlets with smoked onion puree. A past highlight was the 800-gram, high-marbled Brooklyn Valley T-bone with shatta (a Middle Eastern hot sauce) chimmichurri.

The deli focuses on takeaway Ottolenghi-style salads and falafel. There’s also coffee from Melbourne roaster St Ali and a concise wine and cocktail offering.

A fit-out by Channon Architects and designer Borhan Ghofrani features raw concrete, marble and red accents. There's a cacti-filled outdoor dining space out the front, and inside, the plants and ceramics store is on the right. The deli is in the centre and the restaurant is on the left.