Sweet Carrot

If you’re looking for a healthy, family-friendly dinner spot when you’re in a time crunch, I encourage you to check out one of the many new Sweet Carrot locations throughout Columbus. I have to admit — restaurants with a fast-food-type atmosphere are not always my favorite. I automatically get that panicked feeling like I need to rush, that I am in a hurry. I prefer sitting down at a table and while it’s a rare occurrence, just relaxing. Restaurant ambiance is pretty important to me. However, I’ve realized that this isn’t always possible with a one and three-year-old so I’ve learned to compromise more often these days. I am happy to say that Sweet Carrot is a pleasant mix of both – you still get that cozy, relaxing atmosphere paired with delicious comfort food, but you’re also in luck if you’re on a tight timeline.

The four of us ventured off to their Polaris Parkway location and walked right up to the counter to place our order (no wait – win!). The menu is pretty large and I like the fact that you can customize your meal by adding one of their various topping options — and they even have a Special Diets menu for patrons with specific dietary needs. They also have a variety of beverages (including wine and beer) so my husband was able to enjoy a local IPA while I, of course, went with a crisp glass of Chardonnay. 

My meal choice, the organic baby kale salad, was impressive. The ‘off-the-hook’ corn salsa perfectly complemented the nuttiness of the kale, and the smoked turkey with white barbecue sauce (which was an added topping) was icing on the cake. Overall, a delicious, healthy meal that surprisingly was pretty filling. 

My husband went with the tasty griddled corn cake topped with Ohio chicken meatballs smothered in sesame ginger sauce. I had a bite (or two) and we both concurred that it was pretty good (and unique!). Keep in mind that you can also choose other main dishes such as mac and cheese or a sweet buttered roll sandwich (yum) and customize with other toppings such as beef brisket, pulled pork or fried artichokes.

We also decided to share a bowl of the chicken sausage, kale and black eyed pea soup, which comes with a cute corn muffin. This was a winner as well.

My kids typically don’t venture off course so mac & cheese was their meal of choice. They both ate it  — so that equals success in our book. Added kudos to the sweet server for giving us a complimentary cookie (specifically, a roasted carrot and coconut oatmeal cookie) which made my three-year-old’s night.

In addition to mac & cheese, kids can choose from quite a large variety of options including grilled cheese, mini corn cakes, mini sandwiches and more. Bonus – every Tuesday, kids 10 and under eat free! Check out https://www.sweetcarrot.com/ for more details and to find a location near you.