Choose from a wide selection of fresh vegetable dishes and prepare your lunch exactly to your liking. This is the concept of the popular Green Bar in the center of Olomouc. Guests have been coming there for tasty, light and quick lunches for over 16 years. Chef Lukáš Janda and his team prepare vegetarian dishes for them all the time.
The operator of the Olomouc vegetarian restaurant Green Bar Jakub Lerch
| Video: Vránová Magda
According to the operator Jakub Lerch, the idea to open a self-service canteen in the city center originated almost two decades ago. During his studies in Prague, he fell in love with the vegetarian canteens there, but there were no similar establishments in the Haná metropolis at the time.
“The very first one, under the name Green Bar, was opened by my mother Jana Lerchová in just two months. According to the well-known motto of Pippi Longstocking, she said to herself: “I’ve never done that before, I’ll definitely do it!” And after sixty she literally “fell” into gastronomy. She was not deterred even by the warnings of her friends that it could end in failure, because Hanáci are said to prefer meat to vegetables,” recalled Jakub Lerch about the beginnings.
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Most customers are not vegetarians
The self-service vegetarian canteen won its fans as soon as it opened in August 2007. The people of Olomouc were not only interested in tasty and light vegetable dishes, but also in the possibility to put them on their plate exactly according to their choice and in the quantity that suits them.
Self-service vegetarian restaurant Green Bar in the center of Olomouc, May 2024Source: Diary/Magda Vránová
The company still adheres to the original concept because it has proven itself very well.
“People here appreciate the flexibility just mentioned, which ordinary restaurants still don’t offer today. The majority of customers are not vegetarians, but guests who want to diversify and lighten their menu. Especially women come to us for lunch. However, I am pleased that lately there has been an increase in the number of men as well, and many come to us for lunch regularly. Thanks to our open kitchen, people have direct contact with the chefs. We are very happy when they come to say that they liked it. Then the work is even easier for us,” described the operator of the Green Bar.
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From the very beginning, the company focuses on local vegetables and avoids artificial flavorings, semi-finished products and preservatives.
“Every morning, all our meals are prepared exclusively from fresh ingredients. For seasoning, we only use spices, herbs and green leaves to bring out the taste of quality ingredients. Our ‘blockbuster’ is, for example, the kulajda. No matter how much we cook it, it always disappears quickly. Fried cauliflower, lasagna, ratatouille, sauces, but also sweet dishes and of course salads are also very popular. We constantly try new recipes from different corners of the world in order to treat our customers to a varied and tasty menu,” described Jakub Lerch.
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Great team and still the same chef
The team of the Olomouc vegetarian restaurant Green BarSource: Diary/Magda Vránová
He took over the established gastroenterprise from his mother in 2016. The interior then underwent a transformation, and the days of international cuisines that are occasionally held there also gradually increased.
“For example, the Italian, French, Balkan or Polish day was a great success, and we are also preparing a Slovak Cuisine Day for the second half of May. We like to promote the vegetarian diet in this way. We are open to a wide clientele, we always think of vegans and celiacs, but we also like to cook for guests who are not vegetarians,” says the operator.
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Most of the staff have been working at Green Bar for many years.
“Chef Lukáš Janda has been with us since the very beginning, more than sixteen years, which is certainly not common in gastronomy. Behind the success of the company is our great team, and I value it very much,” concluded operator Jakub Lerch.
