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An avocado and Shinko pear salad on a plate from Yangban restaurant in Los Angeles, California.
Avocado and Shinko pear salad from Yangban Society.
John Troxell

17 Fantastic Salads Worth Ordering in Los Angeles

It’s easy to up your vegetable intake with these gorgeous salads

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Avocado and Shinko pear salad from Yangban Society.
| John Troxell

Outsiders often think of Los Angeles as a land of chronic salad eaters and juice cleansers. That’s hardly the case for LA County’s nearly 10 million residents, but there’s no denying that the region’s abundance of stunning produce is something to celebrate. Local chefs utilize the bounty of what’s in season to create some of the country’s most iconic and crave-worthy salads. Whether the avocado and pear salad at Yangban to the fermented green tea salad at Mírame, here now are 17 salads worth ordering in LA.

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Papaya salad at Bua Siam

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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.

A wooden table holds a white plate with fresh papaya salad on top.
Papaya salad from Bua Siam
Bua Siam

California chicken salad at California Chicken Cafe

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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.

The chop salad at Pizzana Sherman Oaks

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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.

A chopped salad in a bowl at Pizzana restaurant in Sherman Oaks, California.
The chop salad at Pizzana.
Amy Neunsinger

House special sautéed salad at Paper Rice

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For a salad that satisfies, look no further than the sautéed salad at Paper Rice. Heaps of romaine hearts are topped with shrimp, beef, hard-boiled eggs, and sweet onion. And best of all, the salad’s tangy, savory, and Vietnamese-inspired dressing is laced with beef and shrimp drippings.

House special sauteed salad at Paper Rice in Pasadena.
House special sautéed salad at Paper Rice in Pasadena.
Cathy Chaplin

Dianne at Green Street Restaurant

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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.

Charred cauliflower salad at Tesse

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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.

The charred cauliflower salad from Tesse
The charred cauliflower salad from Tesse
Mona Holmes

McCarthy at Polo Lounge

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The iconic Beverly Hills Hotel’s Polo Lounge is synonymous with people-watching and the legendary McCarthy Salad. Named after polo player Neil McCarthy, a frequent hotel guest in the 1960s, the remixed classic Cobb winds up on nearly every table, with nearly 600 salads sold in the hotel each week.

The McCarthy from the Beverly Hills’ Polo Lounge
The McCarthy from the Polo Lounge
The Beverly Hills Hotel

Mango, cucumber, and mint salad at Bé Ù

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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.

Mango, cucumber, and mint salad at Bé Ù.
Mango, cucumber, and mint salad at Bé Ù
Wonho Frank Lee

The fermented green tea salad at Mírame

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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.

Indoor outdoor seating at Mirame Beverly Hills.
Mírame.
Rich Marchewka

Croft Alley Beverly Hills

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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.

Kale sea salad at Âu Lạc

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As a key DTLA vegan spot, Âu Lạc takes its salads seriously. The lacinato kale and sea vegetable salad is full of flavor with spiced almonds, cucumber, kimchi, a macadamia “cheese” kale crisp, and teriyaki dressing. If salad cravings are still present and in the OC, there’s a Westminster location.

Chopped salad at Milo & Olive

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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.

Avocado and Shinko pear salad at Yangban

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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.

An avocado and Shinko pear salad on a plate from Yangban restaurant in Los Angeles, California.
Avocado and Shinko pear salad on a plate from Yangban.
John Troxell

Mixed chicories and arugula salad at Playa Provisions

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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.

The interior dining area at Playa Provisions in Playa Del Rey, California.
The dining room at Playa Provisions.
Playa Provisions

Kale salad at Jame Enoteca

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South Bay Italian powerhouse Jame Enoteca constructs one of the meanest — and tallest — kale salads in town. Every sweet and spicy serving includes plenty of fresh herbs, parmesan, avocado, cilantro, scallions, and an almond vinaigrette.

Italian Farm salad at North Italia

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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.

Italian farm salad at North Italia in Torrance, California.
Italian farm salad at North Italia in Torrance, California.
Matthew Kang

Taco salad at Salads 2000

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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.

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Papaya salad at Bua Siam

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.

A wooden table holds a white plate with fresh papaya salad on top.
Papaya salad from Bua Siam
Bua Siam

California chicken salad at California Chicken Cafe

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.

The chop salad at Pizzana Sherman Oaks

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.

A chopped salad in a bowl at Pizzana restaurant in Sherman Oaks, California.
The chop salad at Pizzana.
Amy Neunsinger

House special sautéed salad at Paper Rice

For a salad that satisfies, look no further than the sautéed salad at Paper Rice. Heaps of romaine hearts are topped with shrimp, beef, hard-boiled eggs, and sweet onion. And best of all, the salad’s tangy, savory, and Vietnamese-inspired dressing is laced with beef and shrimp drippings.

House special sauteed salad at Paper Rice in Pasadena.
House special sautéed salad at Paper Rice in Pasadena.
Cathy Chaplin

Dianne at Green Street Restaurant

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.

Charred cauliflower salad at Tesse

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.

The charred cauliflower salad from Tesse
The charred cauliflower salad from Tesse
Mona Holmes

McCarthy at Polo Lounge

The iconic Beverly Hills Hotel’s Polo Lounge is synonymous with people-watching and the legendary McCarthy Salad. Named after polo player Neil McCarthy, a frequent hotel guest in the 1960s, the remixed classic Cobb winds up on nearly every table, with nearly 600 salads sold in the hotel each week.

The McCarthy from the Beverly Hills’ Polo Lounge
The McCarthy from the Polo Lounge
The Beverly Hills Hotel

Mango, cucumber, and mint salad at Bé Ù

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.

Mango, cucumber, and mint salad at Bé Ù.
Mango, cucumber, and mint salad at Bé Ù
Wonho Frank Lee

The fermented green tea salad at Mírame

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.

Indoor outdoor seating at Mirame Beverly Hills.
Mírame.
Rich Marchewka

Croft Alley Beverly Hills

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.

Kale sea salad at Âu Lạc

As a key DTLA vegan spot, Âu Lạc takes its salads seriously. The lacinato kale and sea vegetable salad is full of flavor with spiced almonds, cucumber, kimchi, a macadamia “cheese” kale crisp, and teriyaki dressing. If salad cravings are still present and in the OC, there’s a Westminster location.

Chopped salad at Milo & Olive

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.

Avocado and Shinko pear salad at Yangban

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.

An avocado and Shinko pear salad on a plate from Yangban restaurant in Los Angeles, California.
Avocado and Shinko pear salad on a plate from Yangban.
John Troxell

Mixed chicories and arugula salad at Playa Provisions

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.

The interior dining area at Playa Provisions in Playa Del Rey, California.
The dining room at Playa Provisions.
Playa Provisions

Kale salad at Jame Enoteca

South Bay Italian powerhouse Jame Enoteca constructs one of the meanest — and tallest — kale salads in town. Every sweet and spicy serving includes plenty of fresh herbs, parmesan, avocado, cilantro, scallions, and an almond vinaigrette.

Related Maps

Italian Farm salad at North Italia

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.

Italian farm salad at North Italia in Torrance, California.
Italian farm salad at North Italia in Torrance, California.
Matthew Kang

Taco salad at Salads 2000

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.

Related Maps