Tender Greens

I had seen Tender Greens on a list of places to try while on a business trip to San Diego. Not just salads like the name might lead you to think, but other plates and a large selection of seasonal specials too, all of which are portioned well. Everything was fresh and tasted great. The line is long during lunch time so expect to wait at least 20 minutes during prime hours but, it is worth it!
I could compare Tender Greens to In-​N-​Out as a west coast staple, but hope it expands!

I don’t write reviews often. But I find when I do, it’s because a business hits the sweet spot: great product, great service, and great price.
Now…Tender Greens isn’t cheap in price, but I am willing to pay for a salad that’s delicious, fresh, healthy, and one I cannot just whip up at home. They must massage their chickens and call them «beautiful» every day, because their salt and pepper chicken is out of this world!
I’ll admit you can find great salads and delicious salads across San Diego. But where else does everyone at the restaurant know your name, care about your experience, and treat you like a friend and not just another paycheck? No where like Tender Greens (Broadway).
Keep it up guys.
See you tomorrow.

What a great place for lunch. I had the salt and pepper chicken with the mashed potatoes and baby spinach salad with green monster to drink. Everything was deeelish, the chicken was so tender. This place is on a corner in downtown San Diego and its a pretty big building. They must get busy at lunch because there are at least 12 people behind the counter but that’s good for me cuz I was early and the service was great.

I stopped in here for dinner before seeing a musical downtown. You order your food kind of like cafeteria style. I got the marinated steak and the chicken soup with hibiscus tea. I LOVED their hibiscus tea, it was the perfect sweetness. Although the food was another thing. Everything was luke warm, like it was not fresh. My soup was almost cold, the steak cold, and potatoes a little warm. That isn’t fresh for me especially when I pay 12 $ for three thin slices of steak. I did like my arugula salad though that was delicious. I just don’t like the concept either having to get up every time I needed a refill was annoying because I had to stand in line for it. Flavors were good but please give the food hot.

A great place for lunch but you are going to wait a bit, and it’s a bit pricey. Great salads with good variety of flavored, good location right near the courthouse.
Last time I was there I had the falafel salad and it was so good! Crunchy well-​seasoned falafel, fresh greens, and delicious bread!

I was in San Diego for work and Tender Greens became one of my favorite lunch places. The place fills up really quickly though, so my coworkers and I only went when we were let out earlier (~11:15 — 11:30AM). The system was confusing at first but it cleared up quickly: although it looks like the type of place where you customize as you walk along (a la Chipotle), they really just take your order and you make your way down to the end to pay and pickup your order.
The first time, I had the daily special (Beef and Cilantro) and my coworker ordered the tomato soup, both of which were good. We supplemented our soups with a simple salad, which I personally think aren’t worth it because they’re mostly just lettuce with dressing (little to no additions) for $ 6. My coworker liked her Butter Lettuce salad but I wasn’t pleased with the Tender Greens salad (needed more dressing for it to taste like anything).
The second time around, we ordered big salads, which were definitely worth the price. My coworker ordered the Southern Fried Chicken salad and ate most of it (she had a small appetite while we were there) and really liked it. I got the Tuna Nicoise, which I LOVED, and which was comprised of the ingredients from the Tender Greens and all the additional ingredients I was missing/​craving for only $ 5.50 more!
Overall, I’m definitely a fan. Would love for them to open a location in San Jose! ⁴⁄₅.

This is a great location for a tender greens. I had jury duty and it was nice having a familiar healthy option so close to the court house. Less than a block away.
The line was pretty long and didn’t move too fast. Even though they offer their menu very early, it seemed like people didn’t understand it. The room was also really smoky. Some smoke was okay but there was enough where the beams played off the lights.
I ordered and got my usual, albacore hot plate with spinach salad. It was pretty good today. Protein portions looked a little larger than the one in Liberty station. Even though this place is a little pricy, it’s worth it.

Taste– ***
Ambiance– ****
Service– ***
Parking– **
Meh, don’t really see what all the hype is about. I’ve been here a few times and I think I’ve finally decided to stop coming after this time. It’s not that anything went terribly wrong, it’s just not that great in my opinion. This time around I got a chicken bbq salad, it was not that great. Got a side of the veggies for about $ 5 and got maybe 6 florets of cauliflower, also not that great. A tomato soup, really thick, also not that great. I understand the whole concept of eating healthy, and I eat fairly healthy, but I really regret coming here each time. I make much better things in my own kitchen, without paying $ 12 for a salad.

I’ve been to Tender Greens a number of times (this location and one other) and I want to like it more, but it’s just A-​OK for me.
Pros:
— a variety of protein options, including veg friendly ones
— the mint lemonade is yummy
Cons:
— REALLY expensive for what you’re getting — the last time our bill was for $ 32 for two salads and two non-​alcoholic drinks.
— why are the tables so dang small?
— service has been iffy during most of my visits
So far I’ve only tried the salads and maybe the way to go is with the plates/​sides. I’m sure I’ll go back because sometimes you just want something that feels a little healthier than a burrito (yes, even in SD), so maybe I’ll have to go with one of the plates next time instead of a salad.

this is your typical tender greens restaurant, maybe a bit larger. fresh, reasonably healthy food using good ingredients prepared to order and consistent in quality. usually fast and friendly service in a comfortable setting. good for a casual lunch or dinner… order at the counter, watch your food being prepared, pay for and grab your food at the end and choose a seat!
i already had parked in a lot for another meeting when i noticed this place was here. otherwise, i’m not sure what the parking situation would be if you just came to eat here… i’m assuming most of the patrons work, live nearby or are just in the neighbourhood.
the service was quicker than at the utc and point loma location, but not quite as super friendly. probably because it was busy and they wanted to concentrate on speed and quality of food.
they did both very well.
there was lots of room to eat, both indoors and outside on the patio. we sat on the patio for a long time and the staff bussed our tables and offered us drinks/​waters several times throughout which was nice.
i had my favorite tender greens meal, the roasted roma tomato soup (basil oil, without croutons but with crostini) for $ 4 and a simple salad (half tender greens, half butter lettuce with balsamic vinegar instead of the dressing) for $ 6. yummy as always. the soup is the best tomato soup i’ve had and is consistently delicious with a deep roasted somewhat sweet taste; its pureed for creaminess without actually having cream in it which is nice. the meal is a little on the pricy side for what you get, but that’s really the only thing you can complain about.
my guest had a large plate for $ 11.50 which was a flat-​ironed steak sandwich on a ciabatta, roasted red peppers, aioli plus a side baby spinach salad with goat cheese, hazelnuts, cabernet vinaigrette. he really liked it. the meat was cooked perfectly medium. this meal is a much better value, i feel.
we also shared one of the sides of the day, roasted butternut squash with pomegranate seeds. this was beyond delicious. i love squash already, but it was roasted with a bit of the sweet tangy pomegranate flavour and not at all oily (which can sometimes be a problem with the tender greens veggies). it had some very well done pieces and a nice mix of different sized chunks. according to the server, all the squash and pumpkin in the windowsills of the restaurant were being used to make the sides of the day. i think they were all locally sourced and its nice to know they’re using products in season which are at their peak in taste. that’s why its always best to check out the specials of the day… its the part of the menu that varies and uses the in-​season ingredients.
overall, i’m impressed with this tender greens. its not «wow» worthy enough for me to go out of my way to come here instead of a location closer to me, but definitely a good recommendation if this is the closest tender greens to you… cause you gotta go to tender greens at least once (and you’ll be hooked)!

Tender greens is acceptable for a semi healthy, sometimes tasty lunch. There have been several things that I have very much enjoyed. On the whole, though, it is a bit overhyped for what it is. They do have a large selection of salads and sides, entrees and soups, desserts and drinks. However, the quality in preparation of certain dishes is lacking somewhat. On several occasions, I have ordered the chicken and found that it was pink on the inside. On other occasions, I have found the entrees to be tepid. On a different note — it has the illusion of all being very healthy. However, many of their salads have upwards of 1200 calories.
A tip — it gets very very crowded at lunch. Either go early (11am), late (2pm) or order online to pick up. It’s not worth a 30 minute wait in line.

Tender greens is a great restaurant, but the service at this location is hit or miss primarily because it’s a prime spot for downtown. If you go to close to noon, you’ll be in line forever. I have also gotten take out from here on more than a few locations and had my order messed up. One time, I got a hot plate with chicken, and they forgot the chicken!
That being said, if you get the right order, the food is reliably good here. I’ve had the steak, ahi tuna, salt and pepper chicken, and BBQ chicken in salads and hot plates here before. My favorite is the ahi tuna because it’s flavorful without making me feel disgusting or just tired like the steak and BBQ chicken does. The salt and pepper chicken is just too bland. I prefer getting the hot plate with sides here, but that’s because you can often get to smaller and different salads or veggies as sides! Way better to me than one salad.
The tomato soup is good here and doesn’t have dairy, which is great. I also like the grilled bread that comes with the soup. The tomato soup comes with pesto on top that makes the soup richer, which is nice given the lack of dairy.
I recently had the power bowl breakfast here. I posted pictures last time I checked in. It had avocado, quinoa, toast, poached eggs, and salsa. It was delicious, but pricey at $ 8. Mind you, it is one of the healthier options around if you want something savory but not coated in a thick layer of cheese.
Dessert is also good here, especially the carrot cake. Sadly that is the downfall of tender greens. Everything from the steak, to the mashed potatoes, to the sweet drinks, to the dessert looks amazing. But it will pack on the pounds of you don’t make smart choices. Well, at least most of the time.

Alright, other than the chicken, that was really the only great part of my salad. I love that it came with a tarragon dressing because it’s definitely lighter and healthier than the usual blue cheese or ranch dressing that comes with a cobb salad.
There are plenty of places in San Diego, especially in downtown, that you can get a great salad, basically similar ingredients and have it be $ 4 cheaper. I’m not frugal when it comes to food, because I’ll throw down money for good food, but not when things are overpriced.
My coworker ordered the kale side salad and it was literally pieces of kale thrown into a container with parmesan sprinkled on top and a container of dressing. Like… what? IT WAS $ 6.00! I get that it was a big container, but not for $ 6.00. You know you can get organic kale at Ralph’s for $ 0.99 a bunch, right? Yeah, not impressed. Her kale was also not cut up or torn up into smaller pieces. It just wasn’t a good experience overall.

I’m not sure if I went on a bad day or what… but does anybody know what usually is the cause of a green film on a seared ahi tuna? So I got the tuna nicoise to go like any other time. I come back to the office and start munching down, they gave like 3 – 4 slices of tuna. The first one was good, the second one had this green film on one end… The one you can see in the light, I’m sure it’s old tuna or bad tuna. I ate it and it had this weird aftertaste… Verrrrrrry fishy. Not good fishy. The third one same thing, and the last piece was okay. I googled green film on fish and got mixed answers… Some say it’s because of the seasoning or if they use garlic… Others say it’s a bad piece of tuna that has been sitting out awhile. I like to believe it’s a bad piece of tuna because like 30ish minutes later came the aftermath in the restroom…
You can see my pic with the green film, the picture doesn’t capture it all but you can still part of it. Needless to say, I will not be getting the tuna again and stick with a safer option– chicken or steak. And probably won’t be coming back for awhile… Will go to Nosh or make my own salad at Ralph’s with fresh ingredients. Just be careful when you bite into that tuna!!!

So it was a Tuesday night with the gals and they decided on Tender Greens Downtown. It was my first time at that location. I arrived and found princess parking just outside the door (after 6pm). They parked at Horton Plaza and walked.
When they arrived we each ordered at the cafeteria style restaurant. They ordered:
Fried Chicken Plates (one with mashies & one with the steamed veggies & the butter lettuce salad)
I ordered the Salt & Pepper Chicken Plate (with mashies & the kale salad with dressing on the side) and a glass of Pinot Noir
So don’t let the name fool you… the Salt & Pepper Chicken is not «Salt & Pepper Chicken» like RM or CS… it’s grilled chicken with salt & pepper lol. It was tender, as the name of the establishment implies and it was well seasoned and the potatoes were, as well. The kale salad and the grilled bread were my favorite so that being said I personally wouldn’t return for dinner. It felt more like lunch to me minus the mashies & the wine. I tasted the fried chicken and it basically tasted like a chicken strip to me but I don’t love fried chicken (unless my gma makes or if it’s from RM or CS lol).
The customer service was awesome though (thus the 4 stars).

Finally got to try this place for lunch. It was really really good. Everything on the menu pretty much is $ 11.50, which makes ordering super easy and worry free. You have your choice of a «hot plate» with a protein and 2 sides or a big salad with a protein on top. I got the tuna sashimi with the squash and roasted tomatoes, and the arugula salad. At first, I though $ 11.50 was a little high for lunch until I saw the quality of the ingredients.
Everything they serve is organic and tastes incredibly fresh, so I am certainly willing to pay for quality ingredients. Can’t wait to go back!

One of the pleasures of dining out is to be catered to by restaurant staff, and enjoy good cuisine, at a fair value, with good service. This holds true whether you dine in a restaurant, or whether it’s take-​out, to enjoy at home.
Regrettably, my experience with this restaurant was not up to the level as indicated by some of my fellow Unilocalers.
Food Quality= 3.5 stars
Food Value= 2.5 stars (as others have commented on this site… portions were small)
Customer Service=0 stars
I wanted to order dinner to be delivered, as the website says they provide delivery. However, when I called, the staff informed me that I must place my order with a 3^rd party, postmates. I reviewed the menu on the restaurant website, and confirmed with the staff the offerings.
As I have used many local service/​delivery platforms, and had already loaded the postmate app, no problem I thought. It’s only yet another company to use in my new home town.
After placing my order on the postmates app, I again called the restaurant to insure that my «hot» vegetable order would not be placed in the same bag as my two salads, as it would cause the salads to wilt, as I have experienced elsewhere. I was assured that they would do as I requested.
The delivery arrived. All items were in one bag. The «hot» vegetable was ice cold. There was a 10% «Processing Fee» charged by the restaurant, in addition to the regular postmate charges.
When I telephoned the restaurant manager about this the next day, he acknowledged that they charge this 10% fee, as their contract price with postmates is for a reduced price from the menu listing, and they have a mark-​up that they must maintain; thus they charge me an extra 10% to make up the difference.
Mind you, this was never discussed or mentioned anywhere on their website, nor when I spoke with the two restaurant staff members on the phone when reviewing the menu offerings and later verifying the order.
The manager was not sympathetic to my circumstance, and did not make any attempt to rectify the omission made by their staff or website.
So, my food order of $ 28.50 ended up costing me an additional 38%, including ALL fees, before tax and tip.
Needless to say, I won’t be succumbing to delivery orders from this restaurant again!!! And based on the poor level of customer service from staff & management, I may not venture into this restaurant on foot either.

Came here early one Sunday and the place was just opening. Needless to say we were the only patrons.
I totally dig the concept so far. My partner ordered a green veggie smoothie while I went for the Steak sandwich with a side salad. The smoothie was very light and definitely made me feel a lot healthier as I took a sip… think Popeye and Spinach! My steak sandwich and salad was very good in my opinion. Medium rare steak between a ciabatta bread and lightly oil vinaigrette on the salad. I would say a great start to the day if I ate like this daily.
In the end, the green concept is nothing new, but Tender Greens definitely brought it to the table as needed! — Enjoy!

I am obsessed with Tender Greens. That is ALL that really needs to be said for TG but I can continue…
EVERYTHING here is delicious. Seriously, everything!!! I have had every single salad and have loved them all, but my favorites are the Chipotle BBQ chicken, the Southern Fried chicken (add avocado, it’s so much better) and the other salad I love to just ask them to make is a Caesar salad with Albacore on top. The drinks they have and the desserts are also amazinggggg and so worth trying as well.
I like where this location is because it is really easy to get to and even though it’s usually always busy, they move really fast through the line. The staff is also SUPER nice, always friendly and quite helpful. My family loves TG so much that we eat at one of the locations in SD at least 2 – 3 times per week for dinner too.
I have also read that they have breakfast at this location which I really need to try!

This is the place that I go when I want to have a good tasty non-​table service lunch. I can only go like once every couple of months, because I can’t afford to drop the $ 12 plus drinks or dessert (which I typically do not get) on lunch on a regular basis. If I could, I would come here more often. I always get the same thing, the Herb Brushed Albacore plate with mashed potatoes. So Good! The portion size seems to be smaller the last two times I have come here, but the flavor is still delicious.
I really want to try the fried chicken and the steak, but I can’t not get the albacore. Maybe one day I’ll get a friend to go who will want to share with me and I can try theirs. ;)

Restaurant mit Bio Fast Food in der gesunderen Variante. Salate mit Hähnchen, Suppe, Tee. Der Raum ist schlicht und mit urbanen Design gepflegt. Gratis Internet inklusive.
Menu past auf eine A4
Großer Salat um 11 $.