From fall-themed dishes with sweet potatoes and summer salads with strawberries, a crispy and crunchy salad always hits the spot. These nutritious and delicious dishes come in all shapes and sizes and can cater to a variety of dietary restrictions like gluten-free, dairy-free, and plant-based. Read on for a list of the best salad spots in the Montclair and Essex County area.
Blue Hippo Verona | 662 Bloomfield Avenue, Verona
Photo Credit: @bluehippocoffee
Verona’s Blue Hippo is known for its breakfast foods from Egg Pimento Sandwiches to Nutella French Toast, but they also serve an assortment of lunchtime entrees. Their Crispy Chicken Sammy is served with slaw, BBQ mayo, and of course a pickle. That wrap trend you may have seen on TikTok, well they have it here! The Tik Tok Tortilla Wrap allows one to pick a protein base like soy ginger chicken or black beans, cheese, sauce, and up to three add-ons like tomato, avocado, and red onion. If you’re looking for something a little more veggie-heavy, Blue Hippo also has salads. Their Smoked Salmon Salad features a mix of arugula, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, goat cheese, and salmon drizzled with vinaigrette.
Read More: Where to Find Vegan Food in Montclair
Chit Chat Diner | 410 Eagle Rock Avenue, West Orange
Not only does Chit Chat Diner have some pretty epic views of Manhattan, but it also has hearty and fresh salads. Transport yourself far away from the Garden State and sample their Italian, Greek, Hawaiian, Poncho, Mediterranean Quinoa, and Asian Salads. If you’re a fan of yucca, we suggest trying their Churrasco Salad. This dish is served with baby greens, avocados, and asiago cheese tossed with creamy chimichurri vinaigrette and topped with sliced skirt steak and yucca sticks. If this isn’t enough yucca for you, you can even order a side of it.
De Novo European Pub | 275 Bellevue Avenue Montclair
Located in the old Upper Montclair Train Station, De Novo European Pub dishes out flatbreads, salads, sandwiches, pasta, and tasty seafood dishes. Salads at this fine dining restaurant include the Watermelon and Tuscan Kale. We suggest ordering the salad featuring heirloom tomatoes, burrata, pistachios, red onions, honey, mint, and chili flakes.
Dutch’s | 16 Church Street
Dutch’s arrived on the Montclair food scene earlier this year, but the bodega-inspired sandwich shop has already become a local favorite — and sandwiches are only half the story. This spot has an expansive selection of salads on its menu, each of which is a unique blend of greens, proteins, and (necessary) extra toppings. The Popeye N’ Olive Salad is a personal favorite, which features a spinach base topped with artichoke hearts, cucumbers, olives, and hummus in the middle of mixed greens. Read the full menu here.
Jackie’s Grillette | 55 East Main Street, Little Falls + 614 Valley Road, Montclair
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Crunchy veggies and savory meat are staples at Jackie’s Grillette. This restaurant serves up numerous types of pita sandwiches, wraps, salads, and grain bowls. Salads here include Greek, House, Garbanzo Chopped, Tuna Platter, Grilled Chicken Cobb, and Caesar. We suggest the Grilled Chicken Cobb for all its toppings. This dish comes with lemon zest grilled chicken, avocado, tomato, bacon, and hard-boiled egg served over romaine with a side of balsamic vinaigrette.
Mercado | 605 Valley Road Montclair
Photo Credit: @mercadomontclair
Since 2021, Mercado has been dishing out salads, sandwiches, and more at their Upper Montclair location. The salads here include Kale Caesar, Edamame Crunch, Mercado Fish Taco, and three others. The Kale Caesar, might just be the best, because who doesn’t love a good Caesar salad? This dish comes with shredded kale, chopped romaine, free-bird grilled chicken, shaved parmesan, crispy chickpeas, and Caesar dressing.
Montclair House Grill | 12 Church Street, Montclair
This local spot serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner items, but the salads are hard to miss with an entire menu page dedicated to specialty salad options. There are 14 salads to choose from, ranging from a classic Chicken Caesar to a Tex-Mex with beans, corn, tomatoes, and more. On a recent visit, The Montclair Girl ordered the Avocado Quinoa salad — which features romaine lettuce, avocado, quinoa, grilled vegetables, black beans, and grilled chicken — and it was every bit as fresh and delicious as the name suggests.
Salad House | 343 Millburn Avenue, Montclair, + 18 Fullerton Avenue, Montclair, + 639 West Mount Pleasant Avenue, Livingston, + Others
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The Salad House grew from the origins of the Cioffi family deli in Springfield, New Jersey. With passion Joey Cioffi followed in the footsteps of his father and created, The Salad House, a dining concept with one single purpose: to provide a fresh fast-casual experience that was both healthy and family-friendly.
You can create your own salad or order one of their crafted dishes like Apple Waldy, Buffalo Jack, Greek Out, Open Sesame, and Stay Classy Caesar. They offer several types of protein like grilled chicken, grilled shrimp, crispy tofu, falafel, and salmon. The toppings here are numerous and include feta, pepperjack, sunflower seeds, pretzels, honey mustard, apples, smoked bacon, and hummus.
Samba | 7 Park Street, Montclair
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Montclair’s go-to gluten-free restaurant, Samba serves up Brazilian salads, soups, paninis, and meat dishes. Their salads include the Mista, Kale, and Beterrabas. We suggest ordering the Salada de Kale which includes kale, candied walnuts, apples, and gorgonzola drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette.
Sweetgreen | 460 Bloomfield Avenue, Montclair
Since 2007, Sweetgreen has been dishing out some of the freshest salads out there. This company, which started in Washington, D.C., made its way to Montclair this year. Here you can make your own bowl or order one of their crafted salads like the Italian Chopped, Elote Bowl, and Charcuterie Cobb.
Sweet Kitchen | 533 Bloomfield Avenue, Montclair
Since 2000, Sweet Kitchen has been serving the Montclair community with its baked goods, toast dishes, sandwiches, salads, and burgers. We suggest ordering their Sweet Salad which includes arugula, goat cheese, fresh berries, and lemon white balsamic dressing. Sweet Kitchen also has a Caesar Salad and Pasta Salad.
The Corner | 115 Grove Street Montclair
Famous for their chocolate chip cookies, The Corner, is a stylish gourmet cafe in Montclair. This Instagram-worthy spot has old-school aesthetics with a colorful interior and sweet and savory dishes. The menu features two salads: Mixed Greens and Kale. They also have their Daily Specials which feature a salad option like the Blackened Shrimp + Avocado Salad served with spinach, oranges, grape tomatoes, lime, and the two main pieces of blackened shrimp and avocado.
See More: The Best Salads in Hoboken: A Definitive List
Verona Inn | 624 Bloomfield Avenue, Verona
The Verona Inn is in its 4th generation of serving the Verona community delicious dishes and drinks. Salads here include the Hillbilly, Buffalo Chicken, Wedge, Caesar, Avocado Caprese, and Greek options. You can add chicken, steak, shrimp, salmon, or ahi tuna to any of these salads.
