A toast to healthy eating
Siblings put an organic spin on Mexican at Brooklyn’s Salud
There are no greasy tacos or sauceladen enchiladas at Midwood’s Mexican-American eatery Salud.
Instead, the family-run shop, located on a mostly residential stretch of Avenue H, serves up organic bites with a Latin twist.
The restaurant’s name, which means “health” in Spanish, is often used as a toast.
“We wanted to do something different, to show that Mexican food is great and yummy, but it can also be very healthy for you,” says store manager Arakaren Gonzaga.
Salud brings a different casual dining tradition — the juice bar — from the streets of Mexico to Brooklyn.
Brother and sister Eduardo and Beatrice Larios opened Salud in 2008.
It was originally meant to serve as a production kitchen for Beatrice, an organic chef, to make granola bars and other healthy snacks for wholesale.
But since the space was so big, the Larioses decided
to convert the front into a sit-down sandwich shop and juice bar.
Everything from the store design to construction to menu planning was a family effort.
“She’s always been so creative and always came up with something different,” says Gonzaga, Beatrice’s daughter. “The menu is full of things we grew up eating.”
Their signature juices, made with organic fruit, have catchy Brooklyn-inspired names like Gowanus Green (a mix of leafy vegetables, apples and spirulina) and Park Slope Pink (watermelon, lemons and aloe vera).
Smoothies consist of many tropical ingredients, including mango, coconut flakes and agave nectar.
The neighborhood favorite, Lucha Libre (bananas, peanut butter, whey protein and rice milk), features Beatrice’s handmade chocolate.
The combination of organic cacao beans and spices, a top secret recipe passed down from Eduardo and Beatrice’s mom, is also in Salud’s Mexican Hot Chocolate drink.
Popular savory fare include a chicken torta with quesillo cheese and housemade mole, corn truffle quesadilla, and a TBLT (with tofu bacon, lettuce and tomato).
“It’s not typical Mexican food,” says Gonzaga about their menu, “but it is traditional Mexican food.”
Salud, 1308 Ave. H between E. 13th and E. 14th Sts., Brooklyn; (347) 295-1191.
Salud’s smoothies and juices are also available at Smorgasburg on weekends.