5 Restaurant Chains With the Best Salad Bars, According to Diners
I love salad bars. Back in the day, one of my favorite chains was Souplantation-slash-Sweet Tomatoes. The buffet-style restaurant was the most exaggerated salad bar I ever experienced, with endless options for soup, salad, pizza, pasta, desserts, and more. The chain shuttered during the pandemic, but there are hopes of a comeback, as another company has purchased the intellectual rights and has already opened locations in Arizona and Florida. Until one opens near you, there are a handful of places to enjoy a salad bar meal. Here are 5 restaurant chains with the best salad bars, according to diners.
Jason’s Deli
Some Jason’s Deli locations offer a “Garden Fresh” salad bar where you can build your salad with greens, toppings, and dressing. Add protein, avocado, or soup for an extra charge. Some locations offer a self-serve salad bar, while others have a full-service alternative where they prepare your salad after you select the ingredients. “Jason’s Deli, has a nice salad bar,” a Redditor says.
Sizzler
When I was a kid, you heard Sizzler‘s tagline constantly: “Steak. Seafood. Salad. Sizzler.” I loved hitting the Sizzler salad bar and dousing my greens with Catalina or French dressing and copious amounts of croutons. The restaurant still offers an unlimited salad bar, where guests can make their own salad or choose from prepared options. It also has a hot bar with unlimited wings, plus a taco bar, a pasta bar, and a dessert bar.
Fogo de Chão
Fogo de Chão has one of the best gourmet salad bars in the country. While the Brazilian steakhouse is best known for its churrasco, which can get quite pricey, the salad bar, aka the “Market Table,” can be purchased à la carte and is surprisingly affordable considering the gourmet offerings. You can make your own salad or choose from composed options, like Caesar, Crispy Chickpea Kale Salad, Greek Salad, Sesame Black Bean Pasta, Beet Tartare, or Quinoa Tabouleh, or also enjoy charcuterie. “Best salad bar in the game is Fogo de cao. 15-20$ at lunch,” a Redditor says. “Fogo’s salad bar is legit. There’s even a few hot entree-ish things. They’re doing a special on weekdays where it’s like $17 which is pretty good if you like smoked salmon & olives,” another says.
Golden Corral
Golden Corral’s wallet-friendly buffet experience has homestyle favorites and an extensive salad bar as part of its lunch and dinner offerings. It offers a “variety of fresh veggies, fresh fruits, meats, cheeses, crackers, dressings, and additional toppings” and “Manager’s Choice of daily featured prepared salads,” including Seafood Salad.
Ruby Tuesday
You can eat at the Ruby Tuesday salad bar every day of the month for just $40. The chain offers an unlimited Garden Bar Pass, which lets dine-in customers create their own salad, often topped with the restaurant’s famous croutons. “I go there only for the salad bar. It’s awesome,” says one Redditor.