The Granola Bar Opens In Westport: Great Coffee & Good Eats

Get your highlighter out and start counting how many times I drop the G bomb in this article. Some things cannot be avoided.

The Granola Bar at 275 Post Road East in Westport has created a lot of caffeinated buzz, as well a bit of traffic congestion in the parking lot of Playhouse Square, right in the heart of Westport. 

Julie Levitt and Dana Noorily, two local Westport moms with years of combined business experience and a passion for food, first co-founded Oats Granola, currently sold at Whole Foods, Stew’s and other select markets around the area.  The success of their product was not enough for these two entrepreneurs who had their eyes on the prize. Continuing down the foodie path with a vision to create a happy place where good, clean food and a little schmoozing can take place, they launched The Granola Bar.

Despite the fact that it feels like “the” it place to be seen at the moment, it has a warm, organic feel to it.  It has a downtown NY meets LA kind of vibe, designed in natural grays with soaring open industrial like ceilings. Waiting to greet you wearing the team’s cute The Granola Bar baseball t-shirts, are Julie and Dana themselves, happy to seat you, answer questions or just chat.

The menu features, what else but, Oats Granola, in fun, fanciful ways, but also has so much more to offer. There is something for everyone’s palate. Breakfast items include a “tasting” of 3 of their very own granolas, served with yogurt and fruit, or YOATmeal, in which your warm oats are adorned with yogurt and two toppings.  

More breakfast options include an egg souflee of the day as well as some very creative Greek yogurt creations. I really liked their Hold the Goat, an interesting and tasty bowl of their luscious Greek yogurt topped with beets, pistachios, and orange slices, finished off with a balsamic drizzle.

Their Afternoon Delight features their Oats vanilla almond granola and yogurt combined with strawberry puree and dark chocolate chunks. I would surely find delight in that, anytime of the day. For lunch there are a plethora of sandwiches, wraps, paninis, and salads to choose from.  

Their avocado toast is simple but tasty. If you like avocado, I needn’t say more.  If you are feeling indulgent, the Challahback beckons you. Nutella, sliced banana, Oats cinnamon honey granola on Challah… make it a Jewish holiday every day!  

I ordered the Jewel, a panini with chicken, brie, fig jam, apple and caramelized walnuts. Savory and warm, perfect for a cold winters day! Their sandwiches, wraps and paninis are all served with either greens or house made sweet potato chips. I saw several people eating the Naughty Cobb which playfully includes maple bacon granola for that special added crunch factor.

A  bit of good “Karma” also came my way in the form of  a simple combination of kale, shaved parmesan, cherry tomatoes and sea salt, served with their house dressing. Special mention goes to their own house cured salmon, which is buttery delicious and not too salty. It can be found on on a number of their items including the Upper West Side salad. All of their dressings are also made in-house!  

With 3 barristas, Toby’s Estate small batch coffee from Brooklyn, and 1 kick-butt double head purple La Marzocco coffee machine, coffee is serious business at TGB! Choose from an extensive list of coffee creations or flavored lattes.

If “Joe” is not your type, they also have an impressive selection of smoothies! I tried the Matcha Monster. A perfect blend of matcha, banana, vanilla and almond milk, it was spot on in flavor and thickness. Others to try include The Good Date, a yummy mix of dates, banana, almond milk, almond butter and cinnamon or for your beta carotene serving of the day, there is The Creamsicle, with orange, sweet potato, banana, almond milk and vanilla. At the front of the restaurant while ordering your take out and coffee, you can drool over their daily selection of amazing, healthy baked goods, again, all made in da’ house. They make a variety of fresh granola bars. Try the PB&J granola bar. It’s fresh, super moist and not overly sweet. Mini pretzel croissants with just the right amount of salt and flake, are the perfect after school snack or accompaniment to a late day latte! There are cookies, mini cupcakes and muffins as well, that look too good to be sitting behind the glass. For my sweet tooth to be satiated with these healthy, no guilt items I do declare, “No baked goods left behind!” 

I have been to TGB several times now and have actually seen a few repeat offenders each of those times. As the space isn’t terribly big and there is currently a lot of hoo ha, there is a bit of a wait during lunch, but the wait is never long. I can see myself making a habit of dropping by to grab a smoothie and granola bar. Whether you like to be seen or just enjoy a happy food experience, TGB is calling your name, naturally!

The Granola Bar, is open 7 days a week!

275 Post Road East

Westport

203-349-5202