Sweet Tomatoes

Has been closed, unknown when, maybe last moth. Had to go to Boston Market around the corner. Good Egg is closed too.

Closed? Someone tell the Sweet Tomatoes Marketing department. I got the flyer in the mail today 12÷31÷14, and that location is still listed. Sad…

Very upset this place has closed. Please come back! One of the few places in town where you can get healthy take-​out.

Unfortunately this place lost their lease and tomorrow is their last day :(Guess I’ll have to check out the Metrocenter one.

Closing at the end of November? WTF?
Will there be a new CenPho location opening, i hope?

I love salad bars. I am a huge salad fan, and I enjoy variety. Sweet Tomatoes always delivers on lots of fresh ingredients to pile atop my lettuce mountain, and a myriad of salad dressing from which to choose. In regards to the main event, everything I selected was tasty except the cauliflower – yuck. I don’t think it was rotten, but it definitely tasted like it hadn’t been rinsed. I also found it strange that there were no bacon bits or pieces. Bacon’s not a requirement for my salads, but I still thought it was odd.
The whole buffet was like going from one let down to a great find. The pasta selection was terrible, as was the quinoa, the pizza was unpalatable, but the cornbread, sweet potatoes, and strawberry lemonade were divine. And, the blue cheese dressing was out of this world.
If I return, I may go later in the day, because it was moron central. My friend and I actually moved tables because the chucklehead behind us was trying to seem intelligent to her May-​December date, spouting random statistics about crime in other countries that wasn’t really applicable to anything she was saying loudly in her valley girl accent. Next, we were next to a guy obviously on his lunch break and trying to initiate a hookup with his coworker. Gross. But the guys who saved the day, crowd wise, were the two construction guys, stoned off their bums, laughing up a storm. Maybe we should have sat next to them.
No Mensa members here, avoid the cauliflower and quinoa, but get seconds on the cornbread. Maybe bring some headphones and listen to a podcast. You won’t regret it.

Everything is always fresh and yummy! I eat here monthly and I am never disappointed!!! Great food! Great service!!!

There has been a hefty Price Increase on the Dinner Prices! It went from $ 10.69 to $ 11.29! Ususally when their prices go up, it’s like .10 or .20 cents, but .60 cents! …Whoa! We always use the coupons that we get in the mail! …PLEASE bring back the red bell peppers!!! :(

I am normally not one for buffets, but Sweet Tomatoes came highly recommended by some family members for a healthy place to go have some soup and salad quickly. We stopped in one night and really liked it. The homemade soup selection was plentiful and made it hard to decide which one to try. The salad bar was huge, fresh and a really nice selection of veggies. There were many options of pizza, pasta, breads and desserts too. You certainly shouldn’t leave this place hungry!

Sweet Tomatoes on Central got a much needed re-​do on the décor. I don’t know when because it had been that long since I’d been. I really do enjoy Sweet Tomatoes when I’m hankering for a salad & just can’t pick a place I want one from. The prices have gone up substantially over the years & it’s priced like a single high end salad would be now but with median ingredients. Kind of a bummer when you look at it that way vs. that you’re paying for which is variety & a full meal. So if you’re wanting a bunch of diff salads options go for it. It’s tasty, clean & updated.

It’s Sweet Tomatoes, so you know what you’re getting:
A nice mix of premade salads, build your own salads, along with soups, breads, pastas and some frozen yogurt.
This particular location is a little weirdly laid out, and somehow seems like it has fewer options (although I know it doesn’t). It’s also the oldest Sweet Tomatoes I have seen in the Valley and might be a little worse for wear.
Last but not least: I am not into the Elementary School cafeteria flavors as of late. Maybe I didn’t notice before? I still LOVE the salad (can’t really mess that up). But the pastas are bland, as is the «pizza bread».
So here’s some Level up Hacking advice for you — Use the salad bar to up the taste quotient of your food. Mac and Cheese? Head over to the potatoes and dump some of that tasty shredded cheddar in there (you’ll thank me). I think if you come up with ways to jazz things up, it’ll do just fine.
So this spot is A-​OK, if you want to stop in for something a little healthier for lunch/​dinner. Meh C+

The salad bar lacked all kinds of meat for the salads. When I asked where the basic meats were (ham, chicken, bacon, ANYTHING) the cashier said that too many people would get too much meat, so they stopped serving the meat… uhhh okay? Isn’t it a buffet? Because that’s kind of the point.
That obviously wasn’t the only place where they were cutting corners in regards to cost; the ice cream cones were the smallest I’ve ever seen in my life, as well as their ice cream bowls. So, I got a basic soup bowl, and filled it with ice cream, and was able to fit almost ten cones around my ice cream, they were THAT small. For the price they charge for consumers to eat only lettuce and soup, they should at least have some salad meat and ice cream cones bigger than my pinky nail.

This loc8ion has made some nice improvements 2 their interior in the last year which make it a more pleasant dining experience (dimmer lighting & earthy toned walls). My light~sensitive eyes used 2 squint, straining against the harsh bright lighting ricocheting off the white walls which used 2 give me a bit of a headache & felt more like being in a hospital cafeteria setting. (Sunglasses indoors r’nt cool). Even b4 these upgrades, I still preferred this central loc8ion over the I-​17 North Black Canyon Access Rd 1 in atmosphere & service.
I do enjoy the selections & most items I’ve tried have looked, smelled, & tasted of fresh ingredients & good 2 the palate. I don’t eat much pasta or breads so I can’t provide much input in that regard other than the gluten~free coconut muffins which I couldn’t get enough of. My dinner companion mentioned their pasta didn’t have much flavor, leaving over ½ of it 2 b taken away. I always luv their sweet potatoes w/​a li’l brown sugar/​cinnamon.

Most Xs their soups r flavorful & deliciously appealing w/​a nice selection 2 choose from (potato/​leek a personal fave) & usually their tapioca pudding is perfect w/​the right consistency. My companion really enjoys the foccacia bread (s) & the servers r always very nice & accomod8ing which is not always the case other loc8ions. I’d steer clear of the caramel topping as it tastes like some1 puts salt in it & isn’t complimentary in passing 4 what it’s supposed 2 b w/​bit of a funky after~taste, but overall this was an enjoyable place 2 go this wk~end (& whenever I’m in Central Phx).

Fresh salad buffet, with soups, pasta, breads and desserts.
The salads ingredients are always fresh and tasty with a lot of great varieties. The soups can be hit or miss, however the chili is consistently good. Freshly baked breads and focaccia complement your meal. Round out your meal with soft serve ice cream, a variety of baked goods or sugar free desserts.
Join «Club Veg» for updates and coupons via e-​mail.

I’ve only been to one other Sweet Tomatoes and this one is above par to the usual one we go to. I like their layout and tables, the food is delicious as usual and they just seem to be run better. If we are in the area, I’d definitely come here again. YUM!

3.5 Stars
When I am building the perfect salad bar buffet in my mind, Sweet Tomatoes comes pretty close. I understand that this is a chain and can not expect them to cater to my likes 100%. As you walk in they have a few pre-​made salads and in my made up place they would make your salad with the items you like and mix it along with your dressing selection in a bowl for you. They have enough toppings to make your salad and a good variety of salad dressings. They offer hot pasta items, muffins, bread, focaccia bread, soups, fruits and frozen yogurt. I may have missed a few items but am painting a decent enough picture for the folks who never been to a Sweet Tomatoes. I would like to see smaller batches of ingredients out on the salad bar with more frequent replenishment to ensure the freshest items are out all the time, again this is a item I would do in my made up salad bar. The price is a bit high as well but usually are able to find coupons online to offset the cost a bit.

I’ve been wanting to try Sweet Tomatoes for a long time. I didn’t know what to expect. A co-​worker raves about it yet a good friend refers to it as «her dirty little secret.»
Here is my take on Sweet T’s:
I don’t eat meat which one would venture to guess that I would have a field day here, not so much. While the salad bar is extensive, the soup bar fell short. There are no vegetarian/​vegan soups. They did have a black bean soup and when I asked if they used chicken/​beef/​veggie broth no one could tell me so I just avoided it. So you feel like you get your money’s worth there are lots of bread, baked potatoes, mac & cheese, pasta dishes desserts, etc. to fill you up. The best part of my meal was a brownie and a chocolate chip cookie.
Will I return to Sweet T’s? Magic 8 ball says probably, the people watching is unbeatable.

I really like Sweet Tomatoes. The salad bar is extensive, with a good variety of vegetables and some premade salads that are tasty. The soups are pretty good, the breads are nice, and the other sides, like mac and cheese, are fine. I do like their soft serve ice cream and warm desserts a lot. I eat more dessert than I should!
The food isn’t the best I’ve ever had, but it’s a good concept, the price is fair, and it’s easy to find coupons so the cost is more reasonable. Sweet Tomatoes is a good way to eat a little more healthy if you’re dining out.
Don’t go in expecting the meal of your life; go in because the food is lighter and healthier and pretty reasonably priced.

Meh.
That really sucked comparatively. What happened to this place?
When I came here a few years ago before my wife and I were married, I thought this place tasted great – similar to Fresh Choice in California. When my wife and I landed in the Phoenix area last July, we came here for dinner and I was struck by more of a sense of mediocrity than before.
After coming here a week ago, we found that it has gotten worse. We all really had a hard time finding something here we liked. The salad was mediocre, the panini was a doughball, and the mac and cheese might as well have been syrup of ipecac as far I’m concerned.
Only the senate bean soup was good out of all of the things I tried. The woman clearing the tables was nice, and we at least left her a tip.
This used to be my daughter’s favorite restaurant. Now, she doesn’t even want to come here again. That says a lot to me.

This is by far the best Sweet Tomatos I have been to, well looked after and clean.
They make a great effort to clean away empties fast! Even when the place is busy it doesnt seem busy and the food is replenished fast.