The Best Salad Bars For Lunch In London
Mae Deli | Image courtesy of @sarah_leigh Instagram
Forever on the quest for a lunch that’s healthy but not bland? Our list of the best salad bars in London will put the joy back into ‘eating clean’.
The Detox Kitchen
Cafe, Healthy, Salad Bar$$
Perhaps one of the city’s most widely known salad bars, The Detox Kitchen is loved for its modern approach to clean eating. The largest branch is positioned on Mortimer Street but we favour the cosier alternative on Kingly Street in Soho. It’s the kind of place you could sit all afternoon with a laptop, but one thing to note is that they don’t serve coffee here, so caffeine fiends may want to keep reading.
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Good Life Eatery
Restaurant, Cafe, Healthy, Vegan, Vegetarian, $$$
The Good Life Eatery, Sloane Avenue | © Jeremy Keith / Flickr
The Good Life Eatery has established a name for itself amongst West London’s most fashionable, with the likes of blogger Camille Chariere frequenting the store for her daily dose of veg. It’s easy to understand why once you take a look at the variety of options on the menu. It’s not only a salad bar, it specialises in smoothies, hot dishes and raw cakes as well. There’s something to suit all tastes.
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Wholefoods Market
Greengrocer, Healthy, $$$$
Healthy meal options don’t come much more varied than in the flagship Wholefoods store by Piccadilly Circus. Make your way around the hot and cold food stands and top up your own take-away box before taking it to the counter to pay.
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Ottelenghi
Restaurant, Cafe, Middle Eastern, $$$
Ottolenghi serves both sweet and savoury options for breakfast | © Neil Setchfield / Alamy Stock Photo
Dotted around London in affluent areas such as Islington, Notting Hill and Northcote Road, Ottelenghi is more than just a salad bar. The stores serve coffee and freshly cooked bread in the morning, switching their offering to mixed salads, frittatas and soups at lunch. You’ll find something a little different with regards to recipes here, so it’s a chance to get inspired when creating your own at home.
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Meal service:
All DayDaylesford
Cafe, Restaurant, Farm Shop, Healthy, Salad Bar, $$$$
Daylesford Farmhouse Interior | © The Daylesford Farmhouse
Originating as a farm shop in the Cotswolds and now firmly settled in West and Central London, you can trust the origins of the food from Daylesford. A dine-in restaurant with a take-away salad bar to boot, it’s a lunch-break paradise. Get there early on a week day to benefit from the choices on offer – it’s a popular haunt with the locals.
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Ethos
Restaurant, European, Asian, Middle Eastern, Vegetarian, Japanese, $$$
Ethos is a self-service buffet with many tantalising options | © Ethos
Everything about Ethos is enticing, from its colourful salad bar to its unique, nature-inspired interior (they’ve placed faux birch tree trunks in among the tables). They price their dishes by weight which could be incentive enough not to go overboard on the freshly-prepped recipes on offer, but you couldn’t be blamed for wanting to try a little of everything.
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Meal service:
All DayAtmosphere:
RelaxedMae Deli
Cafe, Deli, Healthy, $$$$
You might have heard of owner and founder of Mae Deli, Ella Woodward, as Deliciously Ella, the food blogger and entrepreneur behind Mayfair’s most instagrammed all-day dining spot. Where salads are concerned, Mae Deli pulls out all the stops, with colourful, nutritious recipes changing almost daily to ensure the offering is something delicious. It’s a make-your-own affair, with salad boxes ranging in size and price depending on your combination.
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Aki Poke
Restaurant, Fusion, Salad Bar, Asian, $$$
Aki Poke is the newest addition to Victoria’s new dining and drinking complex NOVA and it offers an Asian riff on healthy eating that will add variety to your salad bar options. The concept is simple; fresh, sustainable food layered high and served in biodegradable take-away pots. Menu examples include variations of quinoa, salmon, ahi tuna, kimchee cucumber and sriracha mayo.
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Farmstand
Deli, Restaurant, Healthy, $$$
Founded just last year with a commitment to producing reliable, sustainably-sourced food designed to nourish, Farmstand gets our vote with regards to healthy eating establishments in Covent Garden. Design your own plate by choosing from a main and two sides for a set price, adding a glass of their house wine if you’re not feeling completely virtuous. 78% of the menu is vegan but there are meat and fish options available.
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Meal service:
Takeaway, All DayAtmosphere:
CasualChop'd, Selfridges
Restaurant, Healthy, Salad Bar$$
The epitome of a build-your-own salad bar in the heart of the food hall at Selfridges, Chopp’d is rarely without a queue. Choose your base, veggies and protein, and the staff will make it for you there and then in a conveyor-type system that’s fast and efficient. Perfect for professionals on the run, this grab and go establishment tops our list for a nutritious work-day lunch.
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