Simply Salad

Salad is good for lunch, pretty pricey. I got basic greens with chicken, 6 veggie options and croutons. $ 9.25… Big portion though. They charge extra for any type of meat.

I dream about the Simply Salads!
–The ingredients are fresh
–Although there is always a line out the door, the workers work very efficiently
–Huge portions (I’m always beyond full)
–I like that you are able to see them make your salad in case you need to correct them
–I would recommend the Cali Comfort
–It’s a bit pricey but totally worth it

So disappointed. Rip off! I went again this morning since I live so close to this place. I got my salad, a quarter of the salad bowl are empty and I paid $ 15 with extra toppings. Never coming here again.

I have been wanting to stop in and try the salads here for a while now. I finally decided to get one of their salads New Year’s Eve. While everything seemed fresh and looked tasty, I can’t say I was blown away by the salad I bought. I ordered a mixture of romaine and baby spinach, candied walnuts, two boiled eggs, pearl olives and cucumbers. I didn’t know they chop everything and then mix the chopped pieces together. I prefer my salads with the egg simply cut into two halves placed on top of lettuce that has not been diced and shredded. I would like to actually taste the olives, cucumbers and walnuts instead of only tasting a hint of them. But because these are all sliced and diced into tiny bits and pieces, that’s all I got; a mere hint. So I ended up eating some of the salad which costs me almost $ 10.00 and throwing out the rest. I tried it, wasted my money and won’t be back.

I was very surprised by how good their salads are. They have tons of choices for mixing which are diverse. Ever since the first time I tried it I’ve been going back frequently. At first I kept getting the salad with candied walnuts and Granny Smith apples. They definitely have something for everyone whether you’re a salad lover or prefer wraps. There are many choices for dressings as well the quality was excellent this is a very good choice for healthy light lunch or if you’re craving a saucy wrap. I used to get my salads from Ralph’s but found that it takes forever and I would prefer this place to whole foods down the street.

I worked several blocks from Simply Salad last summer and found myself a recurring customer. I would usually get the Caesar with chicken (one of the cheaper salads). I tended to like the salads, but there were definitely some problems.
First, there was no consistency. Sometimes my salad would be large, sometimes noticeably smaller. I think it varies based on who assembles and chops the salad. But this could make a huge difference in whether I was very full or still hungry.
Second, on at least 2 occasions, when I ordered on the phone, they did not make my order until I was already there waiting; this leads me to believe they either want to wait for people to come in (which defeats the purpose) or forgot my orders until I arrived (more likely).
Third, they would forget essential ingredients, like croutons in my Caesar salad, which is a huge no-​no when those toppings cost extra money.
Fourth, the prices tend to be unreasonable for simple chopped salads, in my opinion. I mean sure, I would get full, but I do not want to be paying $ 10 for a simple salad. Just no. The price was the main reason I diversified my lunch choices. It costs to be healthy.
Fifth, the meat was sketch and skimpy. One time I got a chicken Caesar and there was an inedible hard piece, which I spat out. And when I would opt for the shrimp Caesar, they only gave me two or three measly pieces, no sir. I eventually just ordered plain Caesar salads without meat.

Call your order in ahead of time, if you can. The line can get pretty long during lunch hours. I’m totally addicted to the El Paso salad! Service is quick and pleasant; they have gotten my order correct every time I’ve called it in even though they are super slammed.

It’s like the soup nazi kitchen in Seinfeld. Don’t hold up the (loooong) line! Know what you want by figuring it out clever fast because they are very efficient here.
The throng of salad prepperistas work like mad conveyer belt style and it’s quite impressive how they throw HUGE bowls of fresh ingredients into these tiny dense pods of healthy eatin’.
Everything is CHOPPED finely so I learned that my hard boiled egg was destroyed into tiny slivers in my salad. I did a create your own for $ 6.50 with five mix ins and an extra for 50 – 75 cents more, still loved it tho!
Didn’t love the 25 min line, it goes very fast though eats up your lunch period.

Now a days with so many salad places popping up you use this place as the gold standard. They set the bar very high and as much as the copy cats try. There’s no comparison. They need to expand to the west side.

Simply Salad is a good healthy option in downtown LA on a block where there’s not many other options for a quick meal. Everyone at my school raves about it since it’s right across the street from campus and when I tried it, I didn’t understand the hype.
They have a lot of salad options or you can choose to create your own. I created my own salad and I felt like they really only offered basic ingredients. I basically just created a simple garden type salad that was just ordinary because of the lack of options. The balsamic dressing was fine but nothing to be excited about.
It’s cool that it’s convenient and healthy and I like the idea of a create your own salad, if they had better toppings I would come back.
My salad wasn’t bad but it was just average so that’s why I’m giving this place a two.

Every once in a while I walk to Simply Salad with my coworkers since we work in a building not too far from this location. I always get either «The Buff» or «Downtown Cobb» wrap. They are both really delicious and big enough so that I am full after eating half and can save the other half for another meal. It can get pretty crowded during peak lunch hours and there are only about 3 tables inside and 5 tables outside to sit, but I have come with a group of 7 before and we were all able to push the tables together outside so we could eat together. If there are no tables available there is a small park that is about a 3 min walk away that has tables as well. The employees are friendly and I have never had a bad experience.

I started going to Simply Salad about four years ago whenever I wanted to eat something healthy, but still tasty. Back when I first went, the employees were consistent, but there does seem to be a higher turnover rate now so I don’t see familiar faces anymore. I must have tried every single salad on the menu, but the manager back when I first went recommended the El Paso with a dash of Tapatio… I’ve been hooked ever since.
My favorite that I’ve grown to love over the years is the EL PASO SALAD WITH KALE/​ARUGULA and ADD MANDARIN ORANGES.
For the dressing, I recommend MEDIUM LEMON JUICE AND MEDIUM OLIVE OIL (this softens the kale and is a lighter, healthier option to the chipotle dressing). I also ask for a dash of TAPATIO, which is key, just like I learned from the old manager. I once asked for too much and got heart burn, so be sure to ask for just a small amount! Depending on your salad, you’ll get a toasted pita or a baked pita quarter. Both are tasty, but I like the hard baked pita better.
If you want a fresh, healthier alternative, I highly recommend Simply Salad. Just be sure to keep an eye on what ingredients are added to your bowl! I always got pretty sad whenever I to-​go-​ed my salad only to discover that they forgot to add my avocado… so don’t be looking down at your phone and watch your order being made :)

Another bookmark scratched off the list. I’ll give this place a solid 4 stars on the salads/​wraps because that’s about all they have going for them. The customer service on the other hand is 2 stars.
Located across from FIDM, this «healthy eats» spot looks like a local «hipster/​business man trying to not eat a burger» type of place. The restaurant is small, with only a hand full of tables and chairs inside, but they also have some al fresco dining as well. The salad counter is long full of fresh ingredients, pretty much anything you can think to put in your salad is there.
The ease of ordering, not too smooth. There was 2 people in front of me but they had already ordered, so I waited at the «order here» sign and out of the 6 people that were behind the counter nobody smiled, said hi or asked if I had been helped. Finally an employee came up to me and asked me if I had ordered. She took my order, I ordered the hipster wrap with pomegranate dressing, the girl was fast with helping me out, but polite.
Next is the show, so there must be about 6 or so salad stations (cutting boards) that the employees use, they put all your ingredients in a bowl and chop it up right in front of you, they have these double blade knives that look like a teeter-​totter. The only bad thing about that is there seemed to be a lot of cross contamination, so if you are allergic to something (fish or nuts) or if you are sensitive to a certain taste then I’d suggest asking them to wash the knife. They only wipe it down with he same wash cloth only to spread everything else on the knife, not too sanitary.
After the salad show I went ahead and proceeded to pay, only the guy at the register decided to look down and walk away to the back to eat. I didn’t get a «someone will be with you», I just kind of stood there like «uuughhh??» Well when he was done doing his thing and the line was super long he decided to come back to ring me up. Oh, heads up they charge a 9% tax if you ask to eat in, is that even legal? Cheap bastards are already making a killing out of salad, I paid $ 9.25 for my wrap, it was good but nothing I couldn’t do at home.
The wrap was surprisingly big, with a large wheat tortilla stuffed with lettuce, cold chicken, cranberries, feta cheese, green apples and crushed walnuts. I did like how they asked if I’d like the dressing light, medium, heavy or on the side. I also liked how they had a lot of fat free dressings to choose from.
I would try it again, but with all the places in downtown It won’t be on the top of my list.

I didn’t want anything heavy for lunch today, so decided to try this place out. it’s basically a Chipotle-​style create-​your-​own salad place.
I made my own with mix of greens, some toppings, grilled chicken, and lemon juice/​olive oil/​salt/​pepper as dressing. tasted very fresh with no veggies turning brown. def will be coming back if I want something light.

The salads are fine to good. They will make you a salad anyway you like it. The pita with the salad is a nice touch. Service is quirky in the best way possible. I live downtown and it’s a perfect fall back for a meal at any time of day between lunch and late dinner.
The price is fine and can be cheap if you keep your salad basic without meat.
If you don’t like your salad chopped into tiny little pieces, make sure to tell them you’d like a light chop. If you like your salad in the smallest pieces possible, you’ve come to the right place.
I recommend the Steak Out with light horseradish dressing.

The ingredients they use are always fresh. There’s a wide selection of vegetables, grains and proteins. — Simply Salad also have vegetarians/​vegan options (vegan cheese, tofu and fake meat)
Even if there’s a line, the service is always fast. — Perfect lunch spot for busy people,
If you’re in a rush, just call ahead to place your order for pick-​up.

Came to Simply Salad to get a salad to go on the way to a Lakers game because I don’t like the restaurants at L.A. Live. I made a custom salad. Although I was next in line it took a long time for my salad to get made and for me to pay. Turns out there was a backlog of salads to be made in front of mine and only two people on staff. The salad ingredients were fine, what you would expect for a $ 6.50 build your own salad.
They chop up all the ingredients on this board. I was not expecting finely chopped lettuce but since I ended up being late to the game I was happy to have my food already «partially chewed». They pour the ingredients onto a chopping board, chop them all up and then scrape them back into the bowl. They don’t actually wipe down the board between salads– I saw two made ahead of mine and there were remnants from each previous salad’s ingredients being scraped into the next salad so if you have a strong allergy I would take precautions.

It pains me to order it, but I really like the hipster salad… which is their salad mix with goat cheese, candied walnuts, green apple, dried cherries and waldorf salad dressing. I opt for no chicken and like orange mandarins and fried wonton on top.
It’s a lot of salad for $ 10 and I’ve been grazing on it for the past 3 hours and it’s still there in the bowl.

Honestly, I’m ambivalent to healthy eating and salads, but I decided to give this place a try because it is so close to where I work and something new! Cool thing is you can order online and pick-​up!
I customized my own salad my first time: romaine lettuce, jalapenos, cucumbers, olives, mandarin oranges, buffalo chicken (nice chunks, btw), and balsamic vinaigrette. Honestly, it was pretty awesome. The wait can sometimes be long if you order on-​the-​spot, but I have to say this was worth it. I spent $ 8.50 on my salad (it comes in a very generous-​sized bowl), and you can add other types of meats and veggies into your salad, or order a pre-​customized salad or wrap!
The people who work here are also very nice and patient (I have trouble deciding what I want, honestly, especially when it is my first time). I am glad that I did not hold up the line, and I was able to grab my salad not too long after I ordered. They also serve freshly-​made refreshments, but I did not have any of those.
I would recommend this to friends, and advise them to do a combination of ingredients in their salad. (:

I came here for lunch today, opting for something healthy, so I walked over to Simply Salad. I ordered one of their signature salads ‘The Hipster.’
‘THE HIPSTER’
— Tofu (typically Chicken, but I subbed it out)
— Simply salad mix & romaine
— Goat cheese
— Dried cherries
— Candied Walnuts
— Celery
— Granny Smith Apples
— Sweet Waldorf dressing
I subbed the chicken out for tofu which was probably a horrible decision because it made my salad super soggy and wet. The Sweet Waldorf dressing (i asked for medium) paired well with the creamy goat cheese. I love the combination of fruits and nuts in my salad so ‘The Hipster’ seemed promising. First off, let me say that the salad is MASSIVE. Shit, it better be since it cost me $ 10! But quantity didn’t win me over with this salad. The salad was underwelming and they were super skimpy with the walnuts and dried cherries – i was basically eating soggy lettuce with pieces of apple and tofu.
I love salads. They are usually very satisfying and enjoyable to me, but Simply Salad didn’t hit the right notes. On top of that the service was very unprofessional. The staff (consisting of mostly young teenage dudes) are all joking around, making random outbursts, screaming across the kitchen, playfully nudging each other while making salads. I’m all for a relaxed and fun work environment, but as a customer it makes for really sloppy, non-​engaging, and inconsiderate service.