Assembli: Pick from over 50 toppings for one price at new pizza and salad spot

We all want our food customized and suited to fit our personal taste.

And let’s be honest, there’s nothing worse than sifting through your pre-made salad and picking out those little chunks of red onion, or taking a bite of pizza and thinking, “This would be great if it just had peppers on it.”

This is exactly how Canadian entrepreneur Deanna Embury felt during her never-ending search for fresh and healthy options for quick, counter-service food. Now, Embury has solved this problem for us Vancouverites, with the opening of new Cambie Street eatery, Assembli.

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Located in the former digs of Hubbub’s Cambie Village store, Assembli aims to take care of this all too common foodie predicament by giving customers the ability to build their dream dish without surprising them with pricy add-on fees at the register.

With a selection of house recipes and over 50 toppings options to choose from, there is no way you can go wrong with your salad or pizza from this joint.

Colourful and fresh, everything from Assembli is made to order with non-GMO, hormone-free, antibiotic-free, and local and organic ingredients.

The build-your-own pizzas go for $12.99 for an 11-inch pie – one size, one price. Choose from original or gluten free crust, six kinds of sauces, over a dozen varieties of proteins, and a mammoth list of veggies, cheese, and finishers like BBQ drizzle, kosher salt, and balsamic drizzle.

There is also the option to choose one of Assembli’s house recipes – vegetarian, meatatarian, and a mix of both – these pizzas are all $12.99, and you’re free to add on protein free of charge to anything listed on the menu.

For the little ones, or those with a smaller appetite, opt for the $6.99 six-inch classics which include cheese, pepperoni, and Hawaiian pizzas.

The salads here are $10.99 for a regular size, and 12.99 for a large – and by large we mean you can definitely split it between two people – if you’re not overly ravenous, that is.

Choose from eight varieties of salads on the menu including the Full-Time Cobb, the Kale Caesar, and the O-Mega Brainiac, and just like the pizzas, customers can add any protein free of charge.

If you’re making your own salad get ready to make decisions, because the selection here is plenty.

Pick from six salad bases including kale, brown rice, and quinoa, and then it’s onto cheese, protein, toppings, salad dressing (13 varieties), and salad extras like blueberries, avocado salsa, and walnut home-style croutons.

In addition to salads and pizzas, Assembli offers Calgary-based Fiasco Gelato and sorbetto, and will soon be blending up delicious smoothies too.

Seating about 30 people in the 1,000 square-foot space downstairs, Assembli is prime spot for quick lunch meetings or a serious work sesh fuelled by the restaurant’s pizza, small selection of craft beer and local wines, and free Wi-Fi (there’s also a phone charging station and many outlets scattered around the space).

Patrons can also get their meal to go, and starting on May 23, they will have the availability to order online in advance and grab and go on a jam-packed day.

If you feel like staying a while and not doing work, check out Assembli’s happy hour Monday to Sunday from 3:30 to 5:30 pm: 10% off salads and pizzas, $5 craft beer and wine, and $10 specials.

In the future Assembli will offer a catering service for offices and events, making use of the 300-or-so square-feet of additional kitchen space on the upper level of the Cambie eatery.

With a second Vancouver location already confirmed at 1066 West Hastings set to open this fall, and eventual expansion plans for Toronto, it seems like Assembli is filling a gap for quick, healthy, and reasonably-priced grub.

Assembli is open weekdays from 10 am to 10 pm and weekends from 11 am to 10 pm. 

Assembli

Address: 2325 Cambie Street, Vancouver
Instagram: @myassembli