FAMILY-OWNED EST. 2009

Sweet Leaf is more than just an upscale cafe and smoothie shop; it’s a locally owned, digitally-enabled neighborhood gem where everyone feels welcome. Our space is designed for versatility—a place where you might find yourself enjoying breakfast, lunch, and dinner, all in a day. We’ve infused every aspect of your visit with thoughtfulness and creativity, creating a vibe that’s both warm and familiar. Whether you’re in a rush or looking to relax, Sweet Leaf is your go-to spot.

Start your day with our breakfast offerings like hearty sandwiches, burritos, and toast, including the fan-favorite avocado toast on local, organic multigrain bread.

Come lunchtime, choose from a variety of sandwiches and bowls. Favorites include the Spicy Avocado Bowl drizzled with our zesty cilantro-lime vinaigrette and the So Cali Club, packed with thick-cut bacon, turkey breast, and creamy avocado..

As evening settles in, savor our dinner selections like tender steak topped with Mom’s chimichurri or the roasted Norwegian salmon paired with a wild farro bowl. Everything is freshly made in our kitchen—no pre-made, fridge-stored meals here. Just fresh, honest food that’s as delightful as it is nutritious.

Locals of Mclean

In 2009, founders Arita and Andre Matini opened Sweet Leaf just a couple of miles away from their high school. They made a deal with the owner of the local ice cream shop they lived near to take over the location while still offering their ice cream. They bought an oven, a few fridges, a couple of blenders, some patio tables, and set up their first Sweet Leaf just a few months later. They spent a lot of time educating customers on the benefits of eating healthy and supporting local businesses that help local farmers. As word spread about this creative spot, more and more people would get in line to see what Sweet Leaf was all about.

Impacting a Community

Seemed like a pretty simple idea back then, but that single idea gave us the chance to work with our family, partner with chefs, farms, local businesses, help thousands of team members make ends meet for their families, serve a couple million lunches, all while working to foster a healthier and happier community.

Our Mission

Grow Sweet Leaf based on our family values — integrity, honesty and dependability.

To provide our community with honest food made with real ingredients and a lot of love.

Core Principles 

We are a all-day cafe that combines simple preparations with global tastes.
Our passion for freshness drives everything we do. We are serious about our sourcing choices and exceptionally committed to maintaining quality.
Sweet Leaf uses local growers, farmers, ranchers and producers whenever possible.

We push ourselves every day to find new ways to better serve the interests of our community, our partners, and our planet.

We strive to create a community gathering place where friends, families, and coworkers can come together over a healthy and hearty meal.

We don’t add any artificial flavors or fillers. We know that nothing is better than the real thing. We serve food from farms, not factories.

Family-Owned Est. 2009

Being family-owned allows us the freedom to be more employee-friendly and socially responsible. We source locally, work with local charities and have a commitment to quality. We know Sweet Leaf is associated with our family and we don’t want to let you down. 

Let’s Work Together 

We believe nourishing your healthy lifestyle goes beyond the kitchen. We are dedicated to providing an exceptional experience to our guests. This extends beyond our chef-crafted dishes on our scratch-made menu and includes our high standard of service, our unwavering authenticity, and our passionate commitment to our community. We have one of the highest employee retention rates among all restaurants in the area, with an average team member tenure of 3+ years.

careers

Values

To stay true to our roots and continue to uphold our family values. We want to grow our family business in ways that are sustainable for the benefit of our staff, and community. We are committed to quality, service, respect for employees and giving back to the community.

Our Partners

We care about where our ingredients come from. Growing up working at our mom’s farmers market on weekends, we had the opportunity to learn what ‘farm-fresh’ truly means. We know the importance of supporting local, sustainably run farms. We contribute to safeguarding your health and our local economy. See how we’re making choices with farmers, animals, and our community in mind. 

Richardson Farm

Richardson is a fifth-generation family farm located in White Marsh, Maryland. They are committed to providing you with the best tasting and freshest locally grown produce available.

Jayleaf

The next generation of organic farmers, wholly committed to their products and our planet. Their calling is the cultivation of delicious, premium super greens available as individual varieties and premium lettuce mixes, custom-tailored to our customers.

Bear Mountain 

A family owned & operated partner who provides local apples and pears for our seasonal salads and sandwiches. They keep our produce fresh, local & safe, as a Primus GFS Certified farm.

We Love Hearing From You

Send us your questions, comments or suggestions.

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