7 Restaurant Salad Bars, Ranked From Basic to Best

For decades, salad bars were everywhere, from your local diner and pizza parlours to buffet-style restaurants. However, many salad bars and buffet-style restaurants shut down due to the pandemic (RIP Souplantation, Hometown Buffet, and Old Country Buffet). If you are a sucker for a good salad bar, there are still some places where you can get your fix, although some are better than others. When ranking salad bars, we considered various factors, including freshness, variety, quality, and overall value. Here are 7 restaurant salad bars, ranked from basic to best.

Ponderosa Steakhouse

Ponderosa Steakhouse sparks nostalgia for a lot of people. While few locations are left, the Hot Bar and Cold Bar buffets are still wildly popular. In addition lettuce and veggies like cucumbers, tomatoes, mushrooms, green peppers, red onions, shredded carrots, sliced radishes and broccoli, salad toppers including diced eggs, shredded cheese, croutons, bacon bits, sunflower seeds, diced ham, and crackers, there are also prepared salads, fruits, and sweet treats like Jello and chocolate pudding.

Golden Corral

Golden Corral offers a wallet-friendly buffet experience with 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 enables dine-in customers to create their own salad, which many top with the restaurant's famous croutons. "I go there only for the salad bar. It's awesome.." says one Redditor.

Sizzler

Sizzler's tagline in the 1990s was "Steak. Seafood. Salad. Sizzler," and the salad bar was always a main draw. The restaurant maintains its nostalgic "unlimited salad bar" where guests can make their own salad or choose from prepared options. There is also a hot bar with unlimited wings, a taco bar, and a pasta bar, and a dessert bar.

Jason's Deli

Jason's Deli offers a "Garden Fresh" salad bar where you can build your salad with various ingredients, including 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.

Whole Foods Market Hot Bar

The Whole Foods salad bar and hot bar are wildly popular with shoppers. Unlike other all-you-can-eat salad bars, the grocer opts for a pay-by-weight system, which includes premium greens, superfoods, and globally inspired toppings. There are also hot options, ranging from chicken fingers to Indian food. The food is delicious, but shoppers' biggest complaint is that it can get quite pricey.

Fogo De Chao

One of the best gourmet salad bars in the country is at Fogo de Chão. 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 a 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.