Salad Spinners

Had a horrible experience here last year.
First off, the prices were all over the place. The menu said one thing, the sign said another, and then a flier taped on the wall said a third. Of course, they charged me the highest amount possible for each component.
So, on to the order. It took about 20 minutes to get me my salad to go, and it was a late lunch, so I was the only one in the store.
They were out of some of the ingredients, so they decided on their own substitutions, and only told me after I had paid.
I was rushed for time, so I just paid and went back to my office to eat. Wow, was I surprised when I opened my salad. There was basically nothing but wilted lettuce. The toppings were either heavily limited (one small shrimp, two prices of calamari) or missing (like my dressing). I had no time to go back to complain and wait for another lunch, so I took the signs in the store to heart that say if you have a problem, email Rich, and he’ll fix it for you.
No surprise, I never got a response.
I will never eat here again, and I make sure to let everyone know just how bad it is.

I have only had salad here and I think it is one of the better places to get a customized salad quickly in the loop, made fresh to order. Ordering your salad on-​line and having it ready to pick up is brilliant. The only drawback is the salads can get a bit pricey, which is why I do not go as often as I would like. The «temperature priced soup» is a great concept and can even get us cheapies out there on a cold day. And the soup is tasty to boot.

I’ve had Salad Spinners about 5 times for salad and 3 of those 5 I had a terrible stomach ache after. What on earth is in their salad that gives anyone a stomach ache. It’s a salad!
Everyone goes on and on about how healthy their salads are… My experience has been they either have pretty bland healthy salads, or good tasting salads that are really bad for you if you actually counted the fat/​calories.
I do like their steak, blue cheese, peppercorn sandwich occasionally, though it’s inconsistent in what comes on it depending on who makes it (or I’ll tell them I want it just like it is listed on the menu, but they still ask you «do you want this and this and this?» while making it?). They don’t seem to read their own menu always. And last time i passed by their menu seems to have changed (not sure if they even that sandwich anymore?). I just went by and confirmed they no longer seem to have sandwiches! :(
I also used to go there for breakfast to their omelet station thing… they’d make an omelet in front of you to your liking. but I don’t think they have that anymore.

I work in the Aon Center and have for four years– I’ve lunched frequently at Salad Spinners, though more so recently due to a new pricing structure put in place– I am cheap, and absolutely hate spending more than $ 5 – 6 on lunch. I won’t do it, as a matter of fact.
So now, their «Baby Dream», at $ 4.99 with any 4 toppings, is a perfect fit for me. It doesn’t include any meat, but a decent sized tasty salad with 4 toppings and a dressing is perfect. Add a «temperature soup» (prices at the high temp of the day– I would HIGHLY recommend the French Onion!) and the free slice of pita bread, and I’m set! Healthy lunch, $ 5 – 6. Thats what I want.
Added bonuses include occasional email coupons and the breakfast omelettes are very good– also, a special shout-​out to Liz at the cashier– she’s always very nice, and the guys behind the counter are extremely efficient.

I discovered Salad Spinners several years ago when I started working in the Loop and have been in love with it ever since. They have a fabulous assortment of toppings and lettuce (despite some other reviews I’ve read, they do, in fact have iceberg, spinach, mixed greens, and romaine). And, although they are occasionally out of some toppings it is all around a great place. I have always found the staff to be delightful. One of my definite favs is the applenut.

I finally tried this place today, and did the make your own salad. Since I’m boring and never change my ways, I made a chicken caesar salad. The ½ pita bread they give you was good, and the grilled chicken was pretty tasty. But I thought the salad as a whole was pretty average. I still think Cosi is the best in the Illinois Center area if you are looking for a salad.

Salad Spinners… hmmm… yeah. It sucks. Great concept, the worse execution I have ever witnessed and unfortunately ate! Horrible! I had the «greek» salad, who the hell puts beets on a greek salad? There were cucumbers on it, in one huge chunk… not even sliced, just a big chunk of cucumber… The «lettuce»: I’m sorry but if you’re a salad place shouldn’t you have a variety of lettuce? Like say some mixed greens, romaine or spinach??? They just have nasty, watery, completely lack-​of-​nutrition iceberg. Blah! Worse lunch since my highschool cafeteria days!

I used to work in the AON Center and would go to Salad Spinners a couple times a month. I couldn’t afford to go any more than that, as it costs about $ 10 for my favorite salad, a seared ahi tuna salad with wasabi dressing. Delish, but WAY overpriced for something I could make at home, and the tuna quality isn’t really good enough to be served seared. It’s veiny and chewy. The staff can be kind of snarky at times, and you’ve really got to watch the guys when they’re making your salad — otherwise you’ll find things missing from it, but it really is one of the only options for getting a good salad in the area. Great pita, outstanding wasabi dressing, and healthy, but if you find another alternative, hit that instead — and message me to tell me where it is!

This review is just for SalSpin’s Catering services.
I would easily give SalSpinrrrrs a 4 stars for the catering. And I have. However, I want to take away a star just b/​c of the high price. It is a relegated to «treat» status since it is a little more pricey than corp. accounting likes. They are all about the cheap lunch.
But, price aside! Their salad catering option is really great– I got something called the Aunt Edna’s Basket. I ordered enough for a couple fewer people than we actually had, since leftover green stuff doesn’t keep well. It was great, we had a perfect amount of food. I was nervous that some coworkers would be turned off by a lunch consisting only of SALAD. But, thanks to the very wide and generous variety of fixin’s, everyone loved it!
The delivery guy was on time, and the food was fresh. They only gave the exact number of settings for the # of ppl in the order, so keep that in mind. I would order again, but not often.

I love the variety of salads offered. But it is a bit overwhelming if you want to create your own salad from scratch. I like picking from the options provided like the Tropical Sunsplash. I typically get the Tropical Sunsplash with Chicken, but one time I got the BBQ salad and found it bland. Boo. I better stick to what i know.

You’d expect great salads based on the name, but I’ve tried 3 different salads now and none of them did anything for me. The appeal of Salad Spinners seems to be that it’s healthy, but I’ve found other salads that are healthy and actually taste good.

This place is awesome because you can get calamari on your salad! Yum! I’m a fan because you get to customize everything about your salad! However, the line gets pretty long and the salads are kinda overpriced. For calamari, though, I’ll splurge once in awhile! ;)

Salad Spinners and I have a love hate relationship — sometimes I love it and sometimes I hate it. Your salad is a total «toss» up (lame I know but I had to) depending on when you go, who makes it, and how fresh the ingredients are (to their credit, they are usually fresh). They have a wide variety of options which can be overwhelming but sometimes (and for me this is just SOME times) you can masterfully construct a tasty salad.
I try to get mine without meat because the meat jacks up the price. I can go for the Mexacali salad every now and then if they don’t go overboard on the lettuce. I also appreciate the fact that they have low-​fat Caesar dressing — they are one of the few places to have this. (Jump on the wagon — I LOVE Caesar salad but do not enjoy the fact that sometimes its healthier just to get a Big Mac).
If you go at prime lunch time you may have a wait. Like I said, sometimes it’s worth it and sometimes it’s not!

Great place if you like salads — there are a lot of options and you can even make your own. They have salads, sandwiches, soups and breakfast. My fav is the Mexicali salad with grilled chicken. The honey Lime Vinaigrette dressing and spicy peanut sauce are really yummy. I also like their breakfast selection — the Grand Canyon Omelet is really good, it’s served with potatoes and toast. The portions are big here and the prices are reasonable compared to all the other places in the building.

***Edited — I am keeping my review up, but please let it be duly noted that I will not be patronizing this establishment ever again due to some decidedly unsavory behavior on the part of its owner recently on Unilocal.It saddens me to put the big bad ban on this place, but I must.***
Pricey? Yes, but I like it too.
They finally added a vegetarian protein option (hard-​boiled egg) for all of us who needed a little more substance.
Usually I get the Oriental Salad as it is awfully tasty, but I double-​up on most ingredients, which ends up putting a sizeable dent in my lunch budget for, well, a salad.
The other day I tried creating my own perfect salad. It had a mix of everything I liked, no matter if it seemed like it would go together well. Ends up … it did. It was incredibly tasty & I gobbled it down in what seemed like four bites.
The pita bread is good, too, if you get it & eat it right away at the restaurant. But usually I order delivery (large minimum order, though, so the whole darn office has to be in the mood for salad), so by the time the bread gets here, it has cooled.
Worth a go if you’re a salad fan, though, & are sick of Caesar, House, & Side salads as your only option on the menu.
PS: I will say this, though … some times the lettuce tastes like it was washed in dishwashing liquid, even though I’ve been assured that it’s washed in strictly just good old-​fashioned Chicago tap water.

I really tried to like this place, but definitely don’t like going there. The location is great for a quick lunch but the food is less than desirable. I’ve tried almost every salad in hopes that I’d find one that I like, but haven’t been successful. The lettuce they use is too leafy and it feels like you are eating a mouthful of grass, and everything tastes bland. Even their mexican salad has no taste to it. It’s a great location but unfortunately doesn’t have great food.

My co-​workers seem to love this spot for lunch, but I’m not such a fan. i was excited to find a new salad place at first, but I haven’t been too impressed with anything I’ve ordered. It is definitely healthy so if you are looking for a salad (and aren’t as picky about your vegetables as I am) you may enjoy Salad Spinners.

A restaurant that allows you «to create your own» salad isn’t all that unique. After all, most buffets permit this. But this place has truly good (and clean) ingredients. No wories about finding a hair or fly in your salad!

It’s nice to have a healthy alternative. The only problem is it’s crazy expensive, and it’s never quite enough to fill me up. If they were a little more liberal with the protein and carbs (nuts, meat, pita bread), I’d give them another star. As it is, I only go here when I remember to bring some extra pita bread and hummous to work. At that point, I might as well make my own salad too.

Their salads are delish but try their breakfasts, too — pretty good deal — lots of yummy food — the omelette — I had their cheese, spinach omelette which came with a side of breakfast potatoes and slices of bread.