Leahi Health may sound like the name of a hospital or medical clinic but that hasn’t stopped the tide of customers eager to throw back its green smoothies, mock tacos and vegan rice bowls.

While they may initially come for the healthy-living aspect, they keep on coming because the food is filling and the smoothies addictive.

Owner Jason Coleman calls his model “made-to-order plant-based grab-and-go,” and his mission is to make healthy, delicious, vegetarian local food that’s fast and accessible. Like a McDonald’s but with kale and Tambor Acai instead of hamburgers and milkshakes.

In fact, one of Coleman’s first jobs was at a McDonald’s, which he credits for his strong work ethic.

ABOUT THE BUSINESS

Leahi Health is the result of Coleman’s own journey toward a sustainable plant-based diet. Raised by a vegetarian mother who instilled in him her values but never pressured him to adopt them, he knew he would never eat meat again after witnessing a cattle slaughter on a ranch in Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands.

However, he initially found himself replacing animal protein with junk food.

“Your body stays hungry when it doesn’t have nutrients,” he said. “If you fill up with all this junk food, you’ll be hungry all the time while you gain empty calories.”

Coleman opened a restaurant in Kaimuki in 2012, followed by a second location in Kailua in 2014 and a third in Aina Haina in 2016. He is hoping to open a fourth soon.

Coleman expresses his values through his restaurant — whenever possible he sources fruits and vegetables from local farms, including his own, and encourages customers to bring their own utensils, containers and cups by offering rewards and discounts to those who do.

ABOUT THE FOOD

“We try to create our own flavors and try to give it a local flair,” Coleman said. “Take, for instance, the beet poke, which is our newest offering. It’s steamed beets cut up poke-style with sesame seeds and furikake and our own sauce. So it’s something healthy, but it’s also got a local touch.”

He also recommends that customers use chopsticks so they eat slowly. A single serving here can easily be stretched into two meals.

The menu is built on variations of mock tacos and rice bowls. There are four types of each and all rely heavily on kale as the base, with different ingredients on top for variety.

“We de-stem, wash and massage the kale by hand then run it through the food processor to get a confetti-like consistency that makes it easier to eat,” Coleman said.

The mock tacos use naan in place of the traditional tortilla, and the bowls replace the naan with brown rice. There are also more than a dozen fresh smoothies to choose from.

WHAT TO ORDER

A customer favorite is the Surfer Bowl — kale salad with red cabbage, green onions, carrots and Japanese cucumbers tossed in ginger tahini dressing, served over brown rice and topped with grape tomatoes, avocados, chopped almonds and furikake ($10).

As for the smoothies, the Green Monster — almond milk, greens, apple banana, almond butter, maca root and coconut nectar ($6-$7) is popular. Coleman swears by the Morning Mana — cold-brew coffee, coconut milk, apple banana, maca root, cacao, cinnamon and coconut nectar ($7).

The King Green ($5-$7) incorporates fresh kombucha, made in small batches in-house.

HOW TO ORDER

Because none of the Leahi Health locations has a phone, you can’t call ahead, nor can you order online. Customers must order in person.

GRAB AND GO

In Kailua, street parking is limited, but there’s a municipal parking garage on Aulike Street. In Kaimuki, a few stalls are in front of the restaurant; if you can’t score one of those, metered street parking and paid parking lots are in the area.

Aina Haina Shopping Center has plenty of free parking. All the locations have a few tables for those who want to eat in, but most customers opt to grab and go.

Grab and Go focuses on takeout food, convenience meals and other quick bites. Email ideas to crave@staradvertiser.com.