Salad Creations

This place made one of the best ceasar salad I can recall, even when comparing among fine dining Italian or Greek restaurants. If you are a DePaul student (or any student) you get a 15% discount at checkout.
Sadly I think this location closed. :(

I liked them quite a lot but this location is closed. Went by today and they were taking the equipment out. So… no more salad creations.
Just an update: I wanted to double check it before I called a time of death. And, yeah, the place is totally empty inside. RIP Salad Creations.

SOOOOO UNHEALTHY!
I have eaten here many times and just found out how absolutely fattening and unhealthy their food is. I am shocked and greatly disappointed. I thought I was making good choices to lose weight but instead probably contributed to my weight gain. One would think a salad place would have plenty of healthy options. Their healthiest non-​sweet dressing still has 12 grams of fat. A seemingly healthy wrap I have been getting has 1000 calories and 57 grams of fat. I would be better off eating at McDonald’s. Go to their website to see the horrific nutrition information I am talking about.

I can’t really focus on the food here, when I’m so jaded by the fact that I had to stand in line for 20 minutes before getting my food. Now, as a lunch spot in the loop, I would think it’s common sense to have enough staff, dishes and food in place to serve a crapload of people in the short 11:30 — 1 p.m. timeframe. Yet, at Salad Creations they seemed especially ambivalent to the fact that a line of people 20 or so deep were standing there waiting to be served.
If that wasn’t irritating enough, the Greek salad with chicken that I had was just subpar. You can also create your own (thus the name, salad creations, I guess), so maybe that was the route to go. Hmmm, unfortunately, I don’t plan on returning any time soon to figure that one out.

Stopped in here on my way to class one day and was very happy that I did. I decided to ‘create my own’ and was a bit intimidated at the process that everyone ahead of my seemed to have down pat. Luckily, the staff is extremely friendly and helpful. I ended up with a great salad for a decent price. I’ll be back.

In my desperate attempt to find a half way decent salad during lunch, I’ve given this place another shot. I was not impressed when they first opened, and I can’t say I am impressed now. It’s «OK». Certainly not the same quality as either Salad Spinners or Cosi, yet about the same (over) price. The staff is «forced cheerful» (a company-​wide memo must have gone around to make sure that they enthusiastically greet customers upon entering the store.) It caught me off-​guard and I nearly jumped out of my skin when I walked in and was shouted at with «WELCOME TO SALAD CREATIONS!!!» The salad is just ok. Nothing to write home about, not horrible… but not worth going back for.

I am a vegetarian and I HATE SALAD.
(Actually, that’s not true. I like salad, but not when it’s my only choice at restaurants. I just wanted a dramatic opening.)
One day I had a rare hankering for salad. Salad Creations sounded promising. If I wanted fresh salad, it would be wise to go to an eatery specializing in salad, no? How often have you ordered salad somewhere and the greens were wilted and old? Yeah, exactly.
Upon entering, the staff YELLED at ME! They said «hello!» and «welcome!», and actually smiled. Who DOES that? I love it!
I don’t remember what salad I ordered, but upon paying one of the employees offered a student discount. WooHOO! I happily showed my ID and devoured my gigantic, massive salad. It wasn’t anything particularly special. It was a salad with loads of toppings (I prefer a high topping to greens ratio) in a big metal bowl.
But, if I ever 1. want a salad (Salad Creations’ menu isn’t limited to salads) 2. a LARGE salad 3. in the Loop 4. using a student discount 5. in a warm, friendly environment then Salad Creations is that place. For sure.
I chose «Good for Kids» because they’re not eating enough vegetables.

The price is the #1 reason for this 2-​star review. $ 12 for their Jr. salad, soup that was advertised as rosemary chicken but had no chicken, and a bottle of LifeWater that I could’ve gotten at the Walgreens on Jackson and State for almost $ 2 less.
#2 reason is their setup. They boast that they have 40 different options available, but unless you’re six-​feet-​tall and can tower over the glass, its impossible to tell what anything is. Subway got the right idea: put the vegetable choices lower so the customer can see what their choices are. Or put them on a menu so it can be read, that’d work too.
I will admit, the Jr. salad was rather big for a salad, I wound up taking half home for dinner later that night and it tasted great. But that still doesn’t justify the price or the inconvenience. Never mind the poor layout of the store, everyone has to cluster at the register area for several different tasks, which blocks the seating in the back too.
And the people that work there? Its like you and your salad and the biggest inconvenience they’ve ever encountered. How dare you ruin their day by making them assemble a salad. You’re such a pain in the backside, take your overpriced salad and get out, assuming you can make it through the throng of others clustered at the front.

I’m trying to be healthier.
This place is a great option if you, like me, find yourself having lunch in the loop daily. I get soooo bored of the usual Corner Bakery — Potbelly — Au Bön Pain routine. Not to mention that these places are making me fat. Tons of healthy choices here, the lettuce is very fresh and most importantly, (what’s cooler than being cool?) ice cold! Very friendly staff, and the price is right for lunch.

I have rarely had a salad that was able to challenge my appetite.
I was very impressed not only with the portions, but also the freshness, selection and overall taste and value. I wish I lived in Chicago so I could be a regular!
I also appreciated that I was not limited to a certain number of toppings or the weight of my gargantuan salad. The only thing I was charged extra for was tofu (premium topping). My total huge salad came out to $ 9.99. And did I mention it was served in a big metal mixing bowl? Yeah. Bonus points for that one.

What I have to say:
— Salads and Wraps, enough said
— Friendly workers who helped me and were patient
— Pricey for salads (except I had a coupon)
— Tasty and got to sample the dressings
Not much to say; I won’t be salivating to return that quickly, but will return eventually.

For $ 5 I got a Jr sized veggie salad. They let me swap the types of lettuce without any extra charge, which is always a plus in my book.
Tip: get the dressing on the side like I did, then you can decide how much you want to use yourself.
I was very full and felt like I had something quite healthy, so I’m happy to have this alternative in the loop.
It is a bit more expensive proportion wise compared to a McDonald’s salad because they include chicken, but honestly the chicken at McDonald’s is kind of weirdly textured and wafer like, so it doesn’t matter to me. and I got plenty of protein in the chickpeas in my salad so I’m happy.

I have probably been here at least a dozen times since they opened. I have only ever had salads there, never a wrap.
The staff is pretty nice. The manager Chad, used to be around a lot and he was very chatty. I haven’t seen him lately so I’m not sure if he’s still there.
I have had a couple different salads, and they’re mostly been pretty good. One time they screwed up my order pretty bad, but otherwise things have been right. As others have said, they can be a bit overly generous with the dressing. I usually ask them to go easy on the dressing.
This is home to one of my two favorite salads (the other being the Samantha salad at Sopraffina): the Chinese Chopstick. I get it modified slightly, as suggested by Chad; it’s best with a mix of the spicy peanut and sesame ginger dressings. It’s delicious!
The portion on the Full creation is very large. The Jr is smaller, but a reasonable sized lunch for someone without a huge appetite. Their prices are pretty reasonable, especially if you get one of their creations, instead of making your own. If you do make your own, they have a lot of options and dressings, so there should be something here for almost everyone.

PORTION SIZE: The full salad is HUGE. I think it’s about four salads worth. If you get it «for here.» They just hand you the huge metal mixing bowl. Let me stress how HUGE it is.
THE FOOD: I got the «chic to be greek» full salad. Romaine Lettuce, Peta Cheese, Red Onions, Black Olives, Tomatoes, Pepperoni Peppers and Croutons. It was very light on the croutons. Very heavy on the dressing. The girl who made it asked me something about dressing, and i just said, «yeah.» Maybe she was asking me if I wanted extra dressing. Be careful.
THE AMBIANCE: There’s not much seating. But for a 1:45pm lunch, there was barely anyone there. Nobody sitting at the long barstool seating at the window.
SERVICE: The salad makers and cashiers were all VERY nice. The most overly nice people I’ve ever seen at a fast food joint. Almost obnoxiously nice. And I’m a very optimistic person, so for me to say someon is obnoxiously nice, that’s something.
PRICE: $ 6.99 for a HUGE salad
SUMMARY: They have a bunch of salad options, so I’d say this fits within my lunch options. Not a super cheap fast food place. But if you consider that one salad is actually like four salads, the place starts becoming very thrifty.

After hearing about this & really wanting to see what the difference between each «create-​your-​own» salad place in the city, I trekked the many city blocks through Taste of Chicago pedestrian traffic to Salad Creations.
To say I was disappointed is an understatement.
I got a «Jr. Creation,» which is to say, a smaller portion (good lord, i’m scared of what they call a regular portion), with only 4 toppings included.
They mixed up my ingredients (carefully chosen in advance through their online menu) in a silver bowl. A few comments:
— Chopped does not mean chopped. Chopped means smooshed up in the silver bowl with some crazy contraption that really, all it does is smoosh up the middle ingredients, still leaving you with gigantic pieces of lettuce, but only faint remnants of any other ingredient.
— Ask for light on the dressing. Great googly moogly! I could barely taste anything else with the heap of fat-​free raspberry vinaigrette that was slathered on there.
— I was the only one who was made to eat their salad in the same silver bowl in which they mixed (& smooshed) it. I don’t know why, if it was a mistake or standard for people who say they want it «for here» as compared to «to go,» but it was weird. Better for the environment? Yes. Weird? Also, yes.
— The risk of cross-​contamination is huge. They have one pair of tongs that they use for your whole order. Which means that they reach into the egg with the same tongs they reach into the tomatoes with the same tongs they reach into the ham, etc.
— The greens selection is behind the counter in these big vats, which, in theory are kinda cool. In reality, I see a guy change a vat & it looks like there’s a garbage bin of lettuce they’re sticking in there. Weird.
Don’t think I’ll be going the half mile down there again when there are so many better options closer to me. Sorry Salad Creations!

1, This place is now closed on Saturdays… thought some of the college and grad students studying downtown on the weekend would want to know that
2. The «menu» salads are pretty underwhelming, especially when compared to the other salad joints downtown. Sure you can make your own salad, but than you have to do math if you want to add things like chicken or avocados… besides, I like seeing what combinations various eateries come up with.
3. The «Thank You» for tips is a bit much, I don’t like to feel guilt for not tipping counter workers on a $ 9 salad
All that being said, I’m glad the place exists and the Florida Cobb Salad is good, although I don’t understand what is Florida about it, and I’ll continue to frequent this place until Salad Spinners moves within the immediate area

Humongo salads! Tried this for lunch on a weekday and was pleasantly surprised. I was hoping for better menu salad combinations, but it was actually more fun to create my own combo. I went for greek style — tomatoes, feta, artichokes, other veggies, greek dressing and grilled chicken; it was fabulous!!! (I recommend passing on the grilled chicken — it tastes like fake boiled chicken with fake grill marks on it.) Overall a great new lunch place. Next time I’ll split it with someone… they literally mix the salad for you in a huge metal mixing bowl… and they GIVE you the whole bowl! The staff is excellent.
Extra points for being able to chop the salad for you! Really mixes it up well.
Negative points for the whole staff yelling «THANK YOU!» every time someone drops in a tip at the register. How long can they keep that up?

Horray! Ive found the lunch mecca to feed your soul.
For the fist time I can get someone to glob on loads of weird salad toppings without judging me on their obvious incompatibility…
They have 4 different leaf options, about 25 different ingredients, 15 dressings, all at 6.99, add an extra 2.25 for meat (luckily im a veg before 5pm =) And the salads are HUGE. Seriously, whatever your picturing in your head, go bigger.
Forget sandwiches and their simple carbs, eat sunshine.

Just okay. Good points: very friendly customer service. No more than two employees asked me how I was doing and then offered to clean up my bowl as I left.
And I have no complaints about the portion size or quality of food. Nay, my complaint is with the dressing: I had raspberry vinaigrette and it was disgusting. Although it appears to use real raspberries, there was little to no balsamic in the mix and it had the effect of pouring breakfast syrup over my salad. I am very sad.
I can’t in good conscience recommend going back to this place because it’s pretty hard to fuck up a vinaigrette dressing.

I absolutely loved this place. I used to go to Au Bön Pain to fill my salad cravings. No more. Salad Creations has a friendly atmosphere, a plethora of choices, and a great price to boot. The size of a salad tops Au Bön Pain or any other salad place you go to. I am (almost) confident that you can split the salad between two people. Yes, it’s that large.
You get a choice of 4 different salad greens and an unlimited amount of veggies. Avocado is $.90 more and meat is extra as well (eggs are included w/​the veggies). For $ 6.99 you get a huge salad that will fill even the largest of all stomachs. Most places charge by ounce, not Salad Creations.