Tender Greens

Along with True Food, Tender Greens was the other place my friend from SD said I’d love, and she wasn’t wrong. Although I do like True Food better, Tender Greens is an interesting concept; it has a cafeteria-​style vibe, but offers fresh and healthy food, mainly salads, though they do have «hot plates,» which come with mashed potatoes. You order at the front, which is a little overwhelming, since I had zero idea of what I wanted and felt immensely pressured. I last minute decided to go with the weekly special of tuna, orange, and fennel on mixed greens, which was ok, but I wished I’d gone with something else, because I’m sure it’d be better.

I love tender greens! (that’s usually how I feel I generally start things these things off when I really like them but oh well!).
No seriously! I can’t believe how many times I’ve been here and always settled for something else thinking this place was weird or anything that it was. And, after trying Urban Plates I was skeptical it wouldn’t live up to their standards (it didn’t but it was a very close second).
I’m definitely coming back again. The chicken bbq salad was to die for and that mint lemonade did the trick. Oh, and their green juice here is better! Than most places I’ve had it at! ;)

I love this place! Everything we had was great. My husband loved his fried chicken sandwich and mashed potatoes. My tender green salad and tomato basil soup was delicious. The sweet kernel corn and the roasted vegetable side was good. We will definitely be back to try more menu items!

I love this place!
First of all, service is incredible. There aren’t waiters but there are incredible staff members walking around helping clear plates, get you drink refills and help you out in general. All of the counter workers you’ll talk to are also so friendly, and welcoming. A special shout out to Cody, who saw that my fiancée and I were drinking a lot of lemonade, so he got us a to go cup filled with it! Little touches like that make a place truly exceptional.
The service is fantastic, but the food is also incredible. They have great rotating specials, and the basic menu items are really delicious! I highly recommend taking the time to come eat here, because even if you arrive during a busy period, you’ll get served pretty quickly!
Love it!

I love this place. I would love to come here every single day if I don’t take the price into account. This place literally changed my view towards salads. I used to hate salads because they are all raw vegetables: D Why not steam/​boil your vegetables if you have the chance? (soy sauce and salt would make yummy Asian dishes). Then, I found Tender Greens.
My favorite one is the Tuna Nicoise. It has my beloved potatoes, quail eggs, and tuna in there! This big salad only has two pieces of Tuna, but it is enough to make me full. The salt level is just above right, and the sauce is amazing!
If you are still hungry, you can try the (daily) soups or cookies. Ohhh, a side of salt and pepper chicken is also a great choice!
Parking is not a issue because this restaurant is located in UTC (the shopping mall).
TIP:
Download app POSTMATES on your phone, and Tender Greens will be delivered to you after you order it online!

Not sure exactly what the hype is about here. Sure, the food is fresh and they prepare everything in front of you, but that’s about it. It’s way too expensive for something with only like 5 ingredients, especially for a salad.
I got the chipotle barbeque chicken salad ($ 12). I didn’t really think it was that great. The dressing was this sort of lemon-​y greek yogurt or something, but I thought it was way too sour to be pouring all over my salad. So I had to forego the dressing and eat my salad plain. The piece of toasted bread that it came with was also very tough. I had a hard time chewing through it. The bread actually tastes decent, but it’s just stale. I didn’t really see or taste much of the chipotle or barbeque flavor in the chicken either. There was a little bit, but not a lot. The chicken was also lukewarm, though it was probably the best tasting thing on the plate. The greens were average, nothing really special. They give you huge chunks of lettuce so you’ll have to cut it even more with a knife if you don’t want to look like a barbarian while eating it.
I’ve had salads that were worth $ 12, and they actually tasted like they were worth $ 12. The salads that I’ve had here, not so much. Nothing special about it, nothing to really make your mouth drool. It’s actually kind of tough to eat, and the combination of flavors that they put in there doesn’t really suit my taste buds.

I love coming here. It is never a disappointment when it comes to the food. It is always cooked well and the mashed potatoes are to die for. The only thing I really suggest when it comes to the food is to cut the salad in smaller pieces.
I got my food To-​Go here once and it was just as good as eating right when you get your food. Plus they separate it for you nicely so nothing can get soggy.
The location is right next to the general food court/​ice skating rink in UTC mall. The overly hyped Lemonade is around the corner and Tender Greens is still better. Based on the crowd, Tender Greens know how to keep their customers. The line/​wait gets pretty long during lunch and dinner times as expected.
The odd thing is that the work flow is a little off here. Many times I have came here, when it is my turn to pay, there are a few customers ahead of me who are waiting for their food. So it makes that awkward stretch of handing my money to the cashier in front of others who are just waiting for their food. Where your food is ready by the time you finish paying. It would be helpful if the cashier just doesn’t keep making customers pay one after another just so customers as myself don’t have to keep adjusting ourselves for people who are about the pay, it is not like the food is going to come faster.

I’ve been hearing about this place for months from one of my coworkers but i hate malls. But this weekend I happened to be at UTC and figured now’s the time. Keep in mind I’m a huge fan of Urban Plates at Delmar Highlands so I’m familiar with the concept.
I ended up getting the steak, mixed veggies and simple salad with a side of tabbouleh. They let you sub out starches with veggies for low carb enthusiasts. Half way down the line i saw the special, the bacon, and was sorry i didn’t order the bacon, the line workers told me i could change it, but they were busy and i said i was OK.
While i waited everybody else’s food in front of me looked amazing. By the time my food came out there was a surprise waiting! The server gave me an order of the bacon special in addition to what I ordered at no extra charge! Both meats tasted incredible!
I’m now a staunch advocate of this fine establishment. Dieters and health conscious individuals rejoice!

Underwhelming at best. I’ve heard such rave reviews of this place, perhaps I had way too high of expectations prior to my visit today.
Arrived early to miss the lunch rush. It’s true, come before noon, otherwise the line is out the door.
I got the big plate with the backyard marinated steak??, Cesar salad, and Yukon mashed potatoes. First off, the meat is medium rare, which I’m totally fine with; however, it is cold when I taste it a few minutes after sitting down. Also, If it’s marinated, I can’t tell. The taste is bland and just okay. The Cesar salad is also not super tasty. The croutons on the salad are so hard they’re hard to eat.
The absolute star of the plate: Yukon mashed potatoes!!!
I give them 3 stars. Service is excellent, love the «home grown» feel, but overall, I wouldn’t come back for the cost $ 13.00 per plate. Not worth it.

Wow oh wow this place is good! I came in on a Wednesday around 1pm and the place was packed! Although they were super busy they still managed to get through the line really quickly. I had a steak sandwich and side of mashed potatoes. The steak sandwich was delicious, but the mashed potatoes were to die for! So so good. All of the employees were super friendly and had great recommendations. I will definitely be back and hopefully soon!
Pro tip: Don’t get your money out when you order at the first register… You pay at the end of the line. ;)

First time eating here! We were outside in front of the door looking at their menu. One of the employees a gentleman who was super sweet helped us out and suggested what to try and notified us the specials. Its a cute place in La Jolla!
So you go in and walk up to register and order and after that you walk through their aisle/​line and you will see diff stuff they have and sell and reach to a diff register where you pay and they ask you what drink you want and they give you that and then you seat yourself and they deliver you your food!
3 employees, first the guy who helped us out outside is very helpful. I forgot his name :(I think it was Jack? Im not too sure but shoutouts to him.2^nd the waiter with glasses always checking up on us if we needed anything! Shoutouts to you! And lastly this guy was wearing a black shirt and I heard him say he works near the grill. Im not to sure if hes the chef but he always checked up on us too.
Amazing staff and very friendly! I know they opened a Tender Greens in Mission Valley where it’s closer to me distance wise but if I ever stumble around La Jolla or anyong check them out’
I ordered the Chipotle BBQ Chicken sandwich with simple baby arugula salad with lemon vinagrette and agua fresca drink!
Super delicious. The chicken had awesome flavor and the salad was good!
My friend got the snowpea fettucini? I think that’s what it was called but it had so much flavor and not to saucy which was a good thing! She also got the Roasted Tomato Soup. I myself am not a fant of tomato soup but this tomato soup changed my mind! And she got the green monster driink!

Food quality is pretty good, but umm… NEARLY $ 12/​$ 13 FOR A PLATE OF FOOD THATS 80% LETTUCE?! Highly questionable… I know this is La Jolla, but hello people!
Don’t get me wrong, the food is delicious but nothing THAT special where they can charge so much. They recently changed their menu and raised their prices (yet again) so the cost is just ridiculous at this point.
I usual always order the big plate with herb-​brushed albacore (all meats used to be the same price but now they charge an extra $ 0.50 for this and a couple other meat options) with either roasted vegetables or mashed potatoes with romaine hearts for the side salad, and it comes with a slice of grilled bread. The roasted vegetables are decent (can’t really go that wrong with roasted veggies), mashed potatoes are pretty decadent but sometimes they come out overly buttery, bread is hit or miss: I’ve gotten it where its perfectly crunchy, and sometimes its chewy and borderline stale. They also have soups, which are actually pretty delicious, but $ 4/​$ 5 for a small cup is kind of pushing it.
I gave them 3 stars because the service is amazing, everyone there is super nice and helpful, but food cost for what I’m getting is a bit ridiculous. I usually leave there still feeling hungry and not sure I’m okay with that after paying nearly $ 13 bucks.
OVERALL: nice service and food quality is decent but not that «worth it» for how expensive it is. I’ll only go if I feel like I’m in the «TREAT YOSELF GIRL» kinda mood

I always walk by this place at UTC. It’s always crowded, and now I understand why. I always avoided it because of the line, but one time it was fairly clear so my boyfriend and I decided to give it a try. He got the steak, and I got the fried chicken. We are both in love with this place now. Food is a bit pricy, but the quality of the food is really good. Portions aren’t too small that you won’t be full either. The only downside is that every time I’ve gone, you wait to pick up your food by the cashier, and it’s such a mess. There is always a giant crowd of people waiting to get their food, and it’s just too cluttered and messy. My friend told me that when she went they gave her a number, but I’ve been here 3 times already and had to do the awkward waiting at the counter with everyone else.

To be honest I prefer Urban Plates, but Tender Greens is still a great option, especially if you’re shopping at or just happen to be near UTC.
The food is a little pricey, but it’s quality food and fair portions. I would have liked if they cut their steak into easy to eat pieces rather than the massively long cuts they are served as. They have a handful of drinks including beers (and kombucha!!) on tap; I prefer their mint lemonade when I come here.
Great desserts, meals come with bread, and I especially love their chicken soup. Come here for a quickie!

Met my fellow OG Unilocal friend here for a quick lunch. It was after 1pm no wait or line. Nice service and simple menu. This is the place to go and splurge for lunch once in a while, but not every week, it is pricey.
I went in twice already and just got the same thing! Steak, salad, and yukon mash. Good portion of food and I was full enough to skip dinner. Ha ha
You’re looking about dropping $ 12 – 16 for lunch here.

Tasted the falafel plate for the first time. Had it with mashed potatoes and kale salad. Holy yum. I was surprised their falafel (came with four) tasted authentic, just like many Greek places. Get ready to bite into a green filling ! What a surprise.
The kale salad had this lemon garlic dressing that complemented well with the kale. I could eat kale everyday if I had s jar of this dressing !
My only draw back for this place is the price, though the quantity and quality is above average.
They pride theirselves in excellent customer service and it shows.
Leaves me satisfied but not over the top disgusting. I love it!

Healthy foods, Tender Greens is your place! Lunchtime is always busy but for their delicious, guilt free food, you cannot go wrong.
Salt & Pepper Chicken as a Hot Plate — The flavoring is good but the chicken is dry!
Baby Spinach — I loved everything about this salad from the goat cheese to the hazelnuts to the vinaigrette!
Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes — No wonder this item is highlighted on Unilocal,it is delicious! Just melts on your tongue.
Mint Lemonade — Too sour, I could not even finish it!

It was a red letter day…
I’ve always avoided Tender Greens because the line for lunch is about the same as the Indiana Jones Adventure ride.
On the drive to work this morning I get an email inviting me to a company paid luncheon at Tender Greens. Even better, they planned it for a late lunch to avoid the crowd.
I ordered the Happy Vegan. Basically four scoops or specially salad (wheat with cranberry and hazelnuts, quinoa with cucumber and beets, green hummus, and tabbouleh) all topped with a Tender Greens salad. Seeing I wasn’t paying for this meal, I opted for a green drink too. My Lunch was amazing, all top quality, all fresh tasting. The Happy Vegan Salad has so many fun things to try all on one plate.
— North San Diego is lucky to have three healthy gourmet cafeterias in such close proximity to each other (Tender Greens, Lemonade, and Urban Plates).
— Even though the line is very long, they do have an efficient process. Both Lemonade and Urban plates have slower lines.

Big fan of Tender Greens for a healthy meal in UTC! The space is big, clean and nicely decorated. Service was quick and friendly.
I ordered the chicken cobb salad ($ 12) which was definitely enough to fill me up. It had tons of grilled chicken, egg, tomatoes, bacon, and amazing dressing. I liked that it came with a delicious piece of bread. It’s a little pricey for a salad but I think it’s worth the quality. My boyfriend got the BBQ chicken salad which I didn’t like as much as the cobb salad.

This place will single handedly rid of the trait of he food court options in the mall. It serves delicious and fresh food as well as drinks.
The layout of the store makes it easy to generate cash… You wait in line order and pay them find a place to sit which at times could be a task.
There are several tables inside and more outside but this place gets busy as they provide great tasting food at reasonable prices.
I enjoyed my steak which is served medium rare and that was just fine by me. It was accompanied with delicious mashed potatoes that didn’t need gravy or additional seasoning. The steak was very moist and perfectly seasoned. My spinach salad was very fresh and had just the right amount of dressing and nuts.
My wife had the chipotle chicken with mashed potatoes and salad as well. It looked delicious.
We ordered their green mint lemonade which was so refreshing and refillable! It was so good I asked for a to go cup to take it with us to continue our shopping.
Can’t wait to get back to UTC to drop in here…