Hu Kitchen Asks if New Yorkers Are Ready to Go Paleo

Human food

By James Mulcahy

You could call the new Hu Kitchen the Chipotle of pre-industrial food - and we think it's safe to say that the new concept that was rolled out near Union Square last night is the first of it's kind. Combining elements of the paleo diet, which eschews modern foods in favor of the more natural stuff that cavemen used to eat, the fast-casual eatery is trying to lure health-conscious patrons with cuisine that it's calling "pre-industrial."

The idea is to "get back to human," according to materials from the restaurant. The dishes sold throughout the space are all made with unprocessed ingredients, there's grain-free chicken tenders that are dusted with organic-almonds and non dairy creamed spinach. We're not gonna lie - we thought it sounded a little too granola for us (and yes, they serve that too) but from the bites we tried last night everything was surprisingly good and didn't seem like it was in the healthy category.


There's as snack bar (dubbed the mash bar), a juice bar, a made-to-order section with sandwiches and burgers and an area with prepared foods. If it does catch on, the concept seems easy to replicate - there's already a line of branded products that can be sold in upscale markets (78 Fifth Ave.).