There are countless fantastic Thai restaurants across greater Los Angeles, but Valley diners know to trust longtime Thai expert Bua Siam for its spicy take on, well, just about everything. That includes the rockin’ papaya salad, served simply and with lots of zing.

With 11 locations throughout Los Angeles, California Chicken Cafe is a convenient stop for a salad that truly feels like a full meal. Order the California chicken salad, a hearty, protein-packed behemoth of rotisserie white meat, avocado, feta cheese, carrots, bell peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, lettuce, croutons, and fusilli pasta, all topped with a choice of dressing.

Pizzana’s chop salad starts with hunks of salami and provolone with a combination of kale, green leaf lettuce, and frisee. Also included are cucumbers, chickpeas, avocado, Gaeta olives, and a Calabrian chile vinaigrette.

This iconic salad in Pasadena mixes crunchy Asian noodles, chicken, toasted almonds, and sesame seeds over shredded lettuce for an addictive lunch. In fact, it's become so popular that Trader Joe's now has a "Pasadena" salad inspired by the Dianne at Green Street.

It can be challenging to get excited about cauliflower, but chef Raphael Francois utilizes his wood-burning stove to lightly char the main ingredient, then carefully adds harissa, cucumber, almonds, and pomegranate for a beautifully plated and delicious salad.

Who says salads need greens? This sweet and spicy creation from chef Uyen Le includes chunks of mangoes, a smattering of cucumbers, and plenty of fresh mint, all tossed in a well-balanced dressing. Crushed peanuts and sesame rice crackers add a satisfying crunch to the mix.

At Mírame, Joshua Gil’s inventiveness as a chef is on full display. In addition to his large platters of modern Mexican dishes, he also prepares a flavorful fermented green tea salad with cabbage, peanuts, tamarind, and a shrimp vinaigrette.

Croft Alley’s burrata salad exemplifies the restaurant’s style — simple, comforting, and elegant — with baby kale, tomato jam, olive oil, and a mustard vinaigrette, served with a baguette from Bub & Grandma’s bakery.

Santa Monica’s enduring California Italian restaurant serves a sizeable chopped salad with pickled chiles, pepperoni, fresh mozzarella, and garbanzo for a modern take on the classic Italian salad. Good enough to have as a mild lunch, or big enough to share with the table as an appetizer.

Yangban’s pear and avocado salad is stunning to look at as it is to eat. Shinko pears and avocados are dressed in a hot mustard vinaigrette with toasted almonds, and a proprietary rice seasoning filled with toasted nori, yeast, fried garlic, and fried shallots.

King Beach is directly in front of Playa Provisions. The mixed chicories and arugula salad is available for dine-in or takeout and is a flavorful blend of chicory from the dandelion family, arugula, crumbled blue cheese, and a lemon shallot vinaigrette.

North Italia might have multiple outlets across the country but it can still make a mean salad. The Italian Farm salad comes with a generous portion laid across a large platter, with thinly sliced coppa and salad crowning the array of lettuce. There’s also olive, pepperoncini, tomatoes, cucumbers, and roasted red pepper to round out the veggies, with breadcrumbs and an oregano vinaigrette bringing it all together.

Salads 2000 is Compton’s spot for powerful, do-it-yourself salads and pre-picked options like the taco salad, which naturally comes with cheese, chips, avocado, sour cream, black olives, and more.