Tender Greens

$ 12 Cobb salad: Under Seasoned, underdressed large amounts of dark meat fat. Bland tomatoes. I had to order a side of balsamic vinegrette just to give it some taste. Would have returned it if I hadn’t been in a rush & very hungry. Funny, still tasted awful even though I was starving
Update!!! There is no update no manager called to try to make it right! I can see that they don’t care about customer service! A local burger place (next door) had a huge order at lunchtime and made me wait for my burger 30 minutes but the management made it right apologized and sent me a gift card great customer service!
No update, still Tender Greens doesn’t give and a dam about quality control ! Pay the $ 12 and get the hell out!

Over the last two years we have lived in the neighborhood, I’ve had a love/​hate relationship with TG. I love that is a relatively affordable and has a great selection of healthy options. I love that you can customize your orders and there is a fair amount of variety and good quality proteins. The salads are also HUGE and I never feel hungry afterwards.
Where I struggle is with the customer service. To go orders never seem to be ready on time, and often I’ll call in an order and have to wait an additional 8 – 10 minutes after arriving (meanwhile watching people walk in and order and leave with their food). There are definitely some ways their whole process could be optimized…
Also, compared to other TG locations, this one seems to have less variety of desserts and daily specials. They are also notoriously bad about posting the specials in advance.
That said I’m still there once or twice a week for the delicious dads and hot plates…
I recommend:
The hot plates (get the mashed potatoes, worth the calories)
The Cobb, BBQ and Steak salads
The chocolate chip cookies

I love this place! Me and my girlfriend eat here a lot. Whenever we visit Santa Monica or in the area we never fail to stop by. Tender Greens is amazing. We usually order the steak plate with mashed potatoes and romaine salad. I grab eithrr a mint lemonade or the hibiscus tea. Both are really good. Also try the mac n cheese, its crazy good!
This place never fails me. The food is really good and the service is as well. Friendly workers who always greet you when you come in and help you when you need help choosing food.
If I can eat here everyday I would. The environment is perfect. Noise is average, clean place, workers walk around to ask how the dining is, if you want a refill or just to take out those plates you have used. I highly recommend this place. It is absolutely amazing.

Nearly the perfect restaurant, if you like healthy food that tastes good and isn’t super-​expensive.
Interior has lots of windows and light and plenty of space. There’s often a line out the door to get in but don’t worry, there’s a lot of seating. You order and pay at the counter, then sit and wait for your food.
Prios:
— Healthy food
— Without sacrificing flavor
— Options for both vegetarians and meat-​eaters
— Spacious, bright interior
— Relatively quick
Cons:
— A bit pricey
— Seating could be more comfortable
— Long lines sometimes
Tasty healthy food that’s a little bit pricey but worth it, in a laid-​back atmosphere.

Ah finally! I had this place bookmarked (both in Unilocal and in my head) for years! I finally got to try it a few weekends go and I’m so happy I did.
My bf and I were in the area and decided to try this place on a whim. I thought the ordering system was a bit interesting. When you walk in, you’re greeted by a long line of hungry people who are waiting to order. Once you get to the front, you get to choose between a plate or a sandwich, type of protein and side (salad, potatoes, etc). I chose to go with steak, tender greens salad and mashed potatoes! The bf chose chicken, tender greens salad and mashed potatoes! You also get herbed garlic toast as well! After ordering, you do not pay.
You follow the long line of food, on the other side of the glass, and drool (pretty much) while they put together your plate. It’s like ordering at chipotle, except you’re not ordering down the station. Once you get to the end, the cashier repeats the order back to you and you pay then. Aside from food, they have beer, wine and lemonade. But we opted for water.
The total came out to be $ 27~28. Pretty pricey for protein and sides! Since they have open seating, it’s pretty easy to find a table.
On to the food, I thought the steak was kind of dry? I expected a little bit better since the steak plate overall was $ 12~13. However the salad and mashed potatoes were good. I liked the light vinaigrette that the salad was tossed in. My bf enjoyed his chicken, salad and potatoes. I thought the chicken was cooked better than the steak. Portion wise, I thought it was bit small. They could’ve offered another slice or two of steak or chicken. However, altogether it was good!
For customer service, the guy at the front that we had ordered with, was super friendly and nice however the cashier at the end didn’t come off too nice. I wish she had smiled a bit more — she seemed a bit cold.
All in all, the food was good, the portion size was a bit small and the customer service could’ve used some work. However, I’d probably come back if it was in the area but I don’t think I’d come out of my way to eat here.

Craving something simple for dinner!
Located right along the busy streets of Santa Monica Promenade, Tender Greens has a good selection of simple meats for dinner or lunch. I usually go for the hot plate which includes a choice of meat, choice of salad, and their heavenly mash potatoes.
I usually go with the Salt and Pepper Chicken but decided to go with their Fried Chicken this time. Their steaks are cooked medium rare for the buttery soft tenderness. You can taste the buttermilk skin on the fried chicken and inside was really moist, unlike other places. The creamy buttery mash potatoes is enough to come back wanting more!
Stop by after a bit of shopping if you’re hungry!

First time here the food was pretty amazing but the service was awful. The cashier taking my order knew nothing about the recipes of their food. If you happens to be your first time here avoid Teirra or something like.

Food is AWESOME. So awesome, in fact, that my clients are constantly requesting Tender Greens for lunch. Yes, I understand that the Santa Monica location is busy, but so busy that they won’t take an office order 2 hours before pick-​up?
I’ve run into this problem with this location MANY times. I’ll order hours (approx. 2 hrs) in advance for pick-​up at noon, and 45 mins or so before (11-​ish) I’m supposed to get it… THEY CANCEL THE ORDER AND SAY WE CAN’T HAVE IT DONE BY THAT TIME! I don’t know if you’ve ever ordered for 20+ people before, but if you are in the entertainment business and have to feed that many clients per day, you know that 45 mins is not enough time to order from another restaurant! Tender Greens is CONSTANTLY putting me in a pickle of a situation.
I cannot tell you how frustrating this is, especially since we (…try to) order from this location 3+ times a week. Something really needs to be done about this. You try telling Hollywood Big Wigs that they won’t be receiving their requested TG salad… It’s uncomfortable and usually ends in foul language.
I hope something

Employees close up shop early here. Parked and ran to make it before closing (9:26pm) with four minutes to spare– just to have the door rudely locked in my face with a maniacal smile from the staff like he took pleasure in it.
The last time I was here, they messed my order up… twice. Bad experiences.
Frequent the Marina Del Rey location all the time and the employees there are great.

Love eating at Tender Greens and this is such a great location.
I get their tuna every time, either on a salad, plate or sandwich and it is such great quality and a feel good meal.
Prices are a bit high at around $ 12 a plate, but I feel satisfied every time.
Portions are on the small side, making this a light meal, not ideal if you are starving, just something to fuel to through the day without weighing you down.
Service was nice and the restaurant clean with plenty of seating, great lunch in the area!

Mi favorito! Such great quality/​service/​ambiance at this location. I never even knew there was a location here in SM. It’s a very warm and welcoming place to eat; I felt like I was hanging out in someone’s home. It was a cold cali day (well, as cold as it gets here) and we were on the hunt for soup! They give you a pretty generous size bowl for $ 5. I had the chicken noodle/​vegetable one and my sister had the tomato soup, which had a surprising drizzle of pesto + croutons on top… yum! It was too acidic for me, but she liked it. We also shared a small plate of roasted veggies (carrots + asparagus) and both were very good. I felt satisfied and happy to eat a light healthy meal!

I have been here several times! Love it! Very clean restaurant with lovely environment. Good variety of choices, greens are fresh, prices are reasonable and affordable with that high quality of food!
This time, I ordered the Big Plate ($ 11.50) with albacore, kale salad and mashed potatoes. There were three big slices of albacore. The outer layers were grilled and inner parts were rare, great albacore! Good portion for a meal and I like having different types of items on a plate.
I like this place better than Lemonade! Affordable price with great quality! :)

I was walking by this place and saw a decently sized line out of the door, which piqued my interest. They had good menu options, but I had already eaten a little while before this so I chose to get something small to-​go. Of course, the macaroni and cheese was all I wanted, so I bit the bullet and ordered it. I saw them making it fresh on the stove, which was special for mac’n’cheese. I will admit that they used some odd cheese for this that actually wasn’t to my liking. The herb flavoring was good though. As I was in line watching other people’s food being made I knew that this place had really good main dishes that I wish I had space in my stomach for at the time. If I am ever here again I would absolutely dine-​in.

Lots of hype regarding tender greens from friends I’ve met in the fitness world, so figured this was a great idea for lunch after yoga at Exhale nearby.
Biggest plus that I’ve found about the promenade area is 90 mins of free parking in the structures off Arizona.
Today’s special was the Beef Phở. It was your typical, run of the mill phở. Tasty but nothing special. The cooks on the line here are a WELL-​OILED machine so I’ve got to give them a shout out for working in an exposed kitchen and doing it damn well. This is the way «fast food» is supposed to be made! With organic ingredients, right in front of you and at or around a «$$» price tag.
I was jealous about every dish coming out of that kitchen prior to my bowl being served and plan on coming back. 4-​stars for being solid AF but just not really impressed by the food yet. I shared a dessert with my friend, the blood orange upside down cake, which looked delicious but was BITTER (instead of tart). Either the blood orange was a little past its prime or there was a glaze missing on this dessert. I knew I should have gone with the boston cream pie cupcake… there’s always next time.
Also a nice surprise to see Stephen Moyer (True Blood’s Vampire Bill) sitting next to me enjoying a sandwich. Silver fox fosho.

Love this place
It’s one of my favorite lunch places
Some of my favorites Big Plates and Salads
FRIED CHICKEN, BACKYARD MARINATED STEAK
CHINESE CHICKEN, TUNA NICOISE
Those are my 4 goto things.
The location is big so there is seating and they do take out.
The staff is always great and offer free refills — great
Dont forget to save room for dessert
I plan to come back

MY. FAVORITE.
This place is amazing. SO MUCH AMAZING FOOD.
Everything on the menu is delicious and well done. All the meats and veggies are high quality and taste amazing too. This place has nailed healthy and delicious food and I’ll definitely be a regular for life. Anytime I get a chance to come here, I always do!
My usual dish: hot plate — salt and pepper chicken, with kale salad, and mashed potatoes (and sometimes I substitute this with brussels sprouts). So for hot plates, you get to choose the meat (I also like the steak and seared tuna), and you get two sides that go with that, which include different salads and different veggies too. You can also turn this into a salad or a sandwich instead of the hot plate.
Salt and pepper chicken has plenty of protein and tastes great. Kale salad makes me feel healthy and has a delicious vinaigrette dressing. Mashed potatoes are heavenly (probably cause of the butter). So sometimes I get the brussels sprouts, which are the best brussels sprouts I’ve ever tasted.
The portions here are great! There’s definitely a good amount of food, but I never leave here feeling like I’m about to fall into a food coma.
Also, the people here always seem happy and are pretty fast. I’ve never had a bad experience with any of the people. And the place has plenty of seating.
Tip: you can order online and skip the lines! (The lines can get pretty bad during lunch and dinner rushes, but servers are pretty efficient so it’s never that bad).

Overall: It’s a tad pricier than other fast food options, but the portions and quality of the food make it more than reasonable.
Food: 5
Herb Brushed Albacore Sandwich: The albacore was perfectly cooked and very fresh. The ciabatta was perfectly toasted and the roasted red peppers and aioli added a nice touch. I chose a kale salad as my side. It’s super simple. It’s just kale, parmesan, and a roasted garlic vinaigrette, but it’s super tasty.
Side note: My friend got a salad with chicken. The chicken was perfectly cooked and moist, and they gave a very generous portion of chicken that was more than enough for the salad.
Service: 5
You come in and order food. Afterwards, you walk down the line to the cashier register to pay and pick up your food. The staff is friendly and patient while you try to figure things out.
Ambiance: 4
It’s a cozy café that’s bright, clean, and casual. It’s the perfect place to get food with friends or family while shopping or out at the beach.

I have lunch/​dinner at TG’s more often than I am comfortable admitting. If you haven’t tried this place for some strange reason, make it a 2016 resolution and get your life together.
That being said, I normally do not review major chains like TG’s, but the service at this particular location has been so above and beyond in the last few months, I decided they needed some love!
Not only is the food consistently great (obvi), and their rotating menu items impressive (duh), but their entire staff is so genuinely nice, patient and passionate about their work!
For instance, I’ve gotten free drink refills to go (before I even ask), and gotten service while eating my TG’s at the next door restaurant’s patio (yes, I did this). Basically, a prerequisite to working here is to be psychic, because I never have to ask for anything – they just know!
I would eat here everyday for lunch and dinner if it was socially acceptable. Keep up the good work, TG’s!

Surprisingly, this was my first time here. The whole vibe is very me so I wish I had found it sooner! It is laid out so that you order and pay first and then sit down. It was kind of confusing as a first time customer because you order food first and then wait to get to the cashier to order drinks and pay.
I got the falafel wrap which was sooo good. I love the way they do their falafel. Also it comes with a side. I got brussel sprouts which were well done. I think it was around 11.50 for the meal with the side which is kinda on the pricey side for lunch but I think it is worth it. My husband got the butternut squash and steak which he really liked. Friends got a variety of other things which they also were happy with.
The mint lemonade is so good! We also tried their ginger beer which was great. The service was so nice and came around and asked if we needed free refills on drinks. The sitting area is cute on the inside and they have a small outdoor area to sit too.
When you’re done, you leave your plates and they bus it for you. Great location and great healthy food. Will definitely be back!

Santa Monica, CA: tasty healthy!
FRESH, sustainable everything! What more can I add to what others have already said? We loved our dinners of the hot plate Backyard Marinated Steak: four slices of tender, medium rare marinated skirt steak, accompanied by a scoop of mashed Yukon potatoes, and our choice of fresh leafy salads. The Cookies & Cream mini cheesecake was a nice New York style. The Cowboy Cookie was chewy and crunchy, not too sweet delicious!
Parking appears easiest inside parking structure you enter on 2^nd, just a few doors down, north, from the restaurant. 1.5 hours free (just don’t lose ticket card required for exiting).