Ranking Restaurant Chain Salad Bars Based On Reviews

The traditional American salad bar carries a nostalgia for people of a certain age. Long before anyone had concerns over passing germs around while sharing the same salad tongs, the salad bar was in its heyday. There's nothing quite as fantastic to a hungry person than to walk up to a gleaming clean salad bar full of crisp lettuce, freshly chopped vegetables, crispy toppings, rows of dressings, and all the sides. While we can't pinpoint the exact origin of the salad bar, the now-closed Steak and Ale restaurants offered salad bars as early as the '60s. By the '70s, it was common to see salad bars in steakhouses and other full-service restaurants to help tide diners over until their main course arrived.

Even before steakhouses offered hungry diners a pre-meal while they waited, the salad bar buffet concept may have come from the 1939 World's Fair in New York when Americans got their first look at a Swedish smorgasbord. Salad bars are mostly found in grocery stores today. But if you're wondering where you can still grab a plate to pile high with salad offerings, we've searched for chain restaurants offering them. We then narrowed it down to ones where the online reviews were the most positive over the salad bars, even when reviews for other aspects of the restaurants may not be nearly as high.

You may not think about vegetables and salad greens at a restaurant that brings unlimited cuts of meat to your table, but Fogo de Chão has a surprisingly large amount of options at its market table. This popular Brazilian Steakhouse has a salad bar, which it calls a "market table," with a wide variety of dishes. According to the restaurant website, the market table has a "colorful palate of fresh and flavorful ingredients inspired by Brazilian farmlands." Some dishes offered include a Crispy Chickpea Kale Salad, Quinoa Tabouleh, and a Roasted Apple & Butternut Squash Salad.

Reviewers rave about the market table, with many saying the ingredients were fresh and delicious. People like the large variety offered from salad greens to smoked salmon to soups. The few negative reviews we found complained of long lines during busy times and being overwhelmed by the number of choices. One reviewer recommends if you are on a budget, head to Fago de Chão for lunch when the unlimited market table costs less. For an extra fee, you can even add one or multiple meats.

Ruby Tuesday has long been known for its extensive salad bar. You may have noticed many Ruby Tuesday restaurants have closed in the past few years. In 2009, Ruby Tuesday had 840 locations, down to 451 by 2019. Today, there are 216 Ruby Tuesday restaurants across the country, mainly in the eastern states. If you can find a Ruby Tuesday open near you, it's still a great place to get a salad. Ruby Tuesday's website says their salad bar offers "fresh garden salad greens, crisp vegetables, and premium cheeses and toppings."

Many diners praised Ruby Tuesday's salad bar for being full of fresh and tasty ingredients. Reviewers say the salad bar is clean, with one person appreciating the designated employee who was there to clean and refill salad bar ingredients. Some reviewers say they only go to Ruby Tuesday for the salad bar. However, the freshness of the salad bar may be related to location, as a few negative reviews said the salad bar was unappetizing and the food seemed old.

Texas de Brazil opened its first location in suburban Dallas in 1998. Since then, the Brazilian steakhouse has been serving up Brazilian-styled cuts of meats cooked over an open flame to diners around the country. Aside from the meat, the steakhouse also offers an extensive all-you-can-eat salad bar. The "salad area" has a large variety of offerings, some of which include fresh salad greens, cucumber salad, hearts of palm, shrimp salad, and stuffed green olives. What is offered in the salad area can vary and depends on location.

What sets Texas de Brazil's salad bar apart from your average salad bar is the sheer amount of choices that are offered and the interesting take on a traditional salad bar. Reviewers enjoy the unique dishes that can be found like pickled vegetables, roasted jalapenos, or warm pineapple carpaccio. However, while some people rave over the salad bar, others describe it as mediocre or lacking flavor, leading us to believe the quality of the salad area may be subject to location.

Golden Corral is an all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant serving an abundance of dining choices to America since 1973. Admittedly, recent reviews for Golden Corral may be mixed, but they have an extensive salad bar that tends to get high ratings from diners. At Golden Corral, you pay a fee for the full buffet, which includes entrees, sides, desserts, and a salad bar. The salad bar has many items including greens, chopped vegetables, cheeses, olives, croutons, bacon bits, and other toppings. There is also a wide variety of salad dressings to choose from. 

Unlike some of the more unique options you may find at a salad bar in a Brazilian steakhouse, for example, Golden Corral offers traditional salad greens and toppings, but they do have a lot of them. Most reviewers agree the salad bar is fresh with lots of options. Even people who complained about other areas of the buffet tended to enjoy the salad bar. If what you want is a traditional green salad with lots of toppings and choices for salad dressing, Golden Corral is the place to be.

Jason's Deli was founded in 1976 in Beaumont, Texas. Although the company had to close stores during the pandemic, there are still 243 locations in the U.S. Jason's Deli is known for offering a variety of deli sandwiches, soups, and salads. Not only can you build your own sandwich, but you can also head over to the salad bar and choose from a wide variety of items. The salad bar includes salad greens, chopped vegetables, cheese, sides and dips (such as potato salad, hummus, and more), and other toppings. There are over a dozen salad dressings to choose from, and you can add either garlic toast, crackers, or a corn muffin.

Many diners agree that the salad bar is well-stocked and fresh. Other reviewers feel the salad bar is a good value for the money because you can stock up on high-quality food. People love that Jason's Deli has whole hard-boiled eggs at their bar and uses real bacon for the bacon bits. People also like the variety of nuts and cheeses. However, some people are disappointed that at some point Jason's Deli stopped allowing unlimited trips to the salad bar, and only allows one plate.

Rodizio Grill is a Brazilian Steakhouse founded in 1995 by Brazilian native, Ivan Utrera. In addition to serving meats in the traditional churrasco style, this steakhouse also has an extensive (and unlimited) salad bar. According to the menu on the website, diners can choose from over 30 different salads made fresh in the restaurant daily. These range from a fresh strawberry salad to a quinoa salad to a kale salad with lemon. Besides vegetables, the salad bar has seafood selections, cured meats, and cheeses.

Reviewers raved about the well-stocked salad bar with tasty selections. Even a few reviewers who were negative about the rest of the food still enjoyed the salad bar. Diners also appreciate that there is a meal option for the salad bar alone, which includes unlimited visits. The salad bar is so extensive with many protein and appetizers offered in addition to the salads that you could easily make a full meal for a much lower price than you would pay for a full dinner.

This Texas-based restaurant survived its bankruptcy with new leadership and rebranding. Founded in 1985 in Plano, Texas, today there are 277 restaurants in the U.S., with most located in Texas. This fast-casual restaurant is famous for its all-you-can-eat pizza buffet. Aside from having many pizza choices, the buffet also offers sides, salads, and desserts. Like the pizza, you can make endless trips to the salad bar where you will find a base of salad greens and plenty of toppings. Some toppings include chopped vegetables, croutons, olives, and a wide variety of dressings.

Diners appreciate that Cici's all-you-can-eat buffet includes the salad bar. Most people said the salad items were fresh and replenished by employees as needed. However, the salad bar could be hit or miss depending on location or even time of day. Most reviewers raved over the fresh offerings, but a few complained the lettuce didn't look fresh. The general consensus is that Cici's Pizza is a good value for your money with so many things included in the reasonable all-you-can-eat buffet price. 

Shoney's has been around since 1947. Opening its first location in Charleston, West Virginia, today Shoney's can be found located throughout the southeast. The self-described "All-American Kitchen," offers traditional American food including breakfast food, burgers, and a fresh food bar. The fresh food bar has entrees, sides, soups, desserts, and of course, an extensive salad bar. 

Reviewers enjoy the salad bar and appreciate that it's included in the price of the buffet. No longer referred to as an "all you can eat buffet," but rather the "all you care to eat fresh food bar," has a huge variety of choices. Shoney's will also let you add a salad bar and soup trip to any entree. Mentions of the salad bar are positive with people saying it's fresh and well-stocked. The offerings are traditional salad fare with iceberg lettuce, chopped vegetables, shredded cheese, croutons, and salad dressings. 

The California-based Sizzler may be a steakhouse, but it has an impressive salad bar. Sizzler, founded in 1958 in Culver City, California, was one of the early fast-casual restaurants that was made for people who wanted a meal nicer than fast food but less expensive than a traditional full-service restaurant. Although today, Sizzler is often synonymous with lower-quality steak, its iconic salad bar is incredibly diverse. Sizzler's salad bar includes a taco bar, chicken wings, pasta, soft-serve ice cream, prepared salads, and more. 

Sizzler revamped its salad bar in 2024, and reviewers appreciate it. Reviews for the salad bar are mainly positive saying the area was clean and they appreciated the many offerings. Diners were happy to have the many hot food options like the taco bar and chicken wings. Many reviewers said they went to Sizzler just for the salad bar and made a full meal of it. Reviewers also praise Sizzler's iconic cheese toast, which is included in the salad bar order and will be served upon request.

The first Pizza Ranch opened in 1981 in Hull, Iowa. Today, Iowa has the most locations, although there are over 200 restaurants in 14 states, mainly in the Upper Midwest. Pizza Ranch is famous in the Midwest for its Western theme and extensive buffet, which includes pizza, fried chicken, sides, dessert, and a salad bar. Not only are the pizza choices substantial but so is the salad buffet. Beyond lettuce and chopped vegetables, the salad bar also offers items like cottage cheese, pickled beets, whole-boiled eggs, and olives, along with various salad dressings.

Even reviewers who aren't fans of the pizza at Pizza Ranch seem to enjoy the salad bar. Diners say the salad bar is clean and the food is fresh. They also appreciate the other options like fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and biscuits. However, there were a few mixed reviews with diners saying the salad bar was empty despite asking the staff to refill.

New York City-based Just Salad is a slightly different entry on our list. Rather than head to a salad bar to make your own creation, you build your salad through your order and the employees make it for you. Although the chain is testing out drive-thru locations, the build-your-own salad won't be available through the drive-thru. To build a salad, diners can choose one salad green, four "essentials" (which include toppings like dried cranberries, edamame, and sliced cucumbers, and one dressing from an extensive list. For an additional fee, you can add extras like cheese, oven-roasted chicken slices, or "premium" toppings. 

If you're having trouble deciding what items to put in your salad, the chain recently launched an AI salad tool that asks a few lifestyle questions and recommends an order. Though it's too new for us to get customer opinions on the AI feature, we found diners appreciate the many options in the build-your-own salad including the choice of proteins. Many reviews describe the food as tasty and fresh, although several online orders complained that they didn't receive the salad dressing they had ordered.

To find the best restaurant chain salad bars in the country, we poured over online review sites, forums, and food blogs to see where diners like to head for a hearty salad bar. We paid careful attention to people's reports of the salad bar quality. We consider a high-quality salad bar to be clean with fresh ingredients, (no wilted lettuce allowed here.) It's also important that employees monitor the salad bar regularly, cleaning and refilling as needed. 

Aside from cleanliness and freshness, we also paid attention to the choices offered and tried to only include restaurants with robust salad bars. Note that we did break from tradition on one entry and added a fast-casual restaurant in which the employees build the salad for you. We also accounted value for your money and the overall consistency of reviews across locations.