20 places in Tampa Bay to get a great salad

Two new salad options are slated for St. Petersburg later this year, bringing a welcome addition of healthy fare to the area: Greenlane, a drive-thru salad spot, is opening on Fourth Street North, while build-your-own-salad eatery Sweetgreen will land on Central Avenue.

That got us thinking: Where else can you get a solid salad in the Tampa Bay area? Here are 20 suggestions.

Columbia Restaurant

There is hardly a more Tampa experience than getting the award-winning 1905 Salad tossed tableside at the Columbia Restaurant. Crisp iceberg lettuce is layered with julienned baked ham, Swiss cheese, tomatoes, olives, grated Romano cheese, Worcestershire sauce and garlic dressing. According to its website, “the signature salad, named for the year the restaurant was founded in Tampa’s Latin district of Ybor City, was inspired by immigrants to the Cigar City: Romano cheese from the Sicilians and the famous garlic dressing used by Cubans.” Try it at one of these locations: in Ybor City, 2117 E. Seventh Ave., Tampa, 813-248-4961; at the Tampa Bay History Center, 801 Water St., Tampa, 813-229-5511; at Tampa International Airport, 4100 George J. Bean Parkway, 813-947-7264; on Sand Key, 1241 Gulf Blvd., Clearwater, 727-596-8400; and at 411 St. Armands Circle, Sarasota. columbiarestaurant.com.

Mickey’s Cafe and Organics

This downtown St. Pete cafe has the tagline, “we believe in salad that tastes incredible.” On a recent visit, they lived up to the hype. The Raw Power salad features shredded carrots, cabbage and beets over romaine with sprouts, cucumbers, tomatoes and hearts of palm. Add the warmly spiced jerk chicken or egg or chicken salad and you can get two meals out of it, plus the virtuous feeling of getting that many veggies in for the day. 318 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. 727-851-9833. mickeyscafeandorganics.com.

Cassis

The salads at this downtown St. Pete spot definitely won’t leave you hungry or feeling like you missed out on great flavor. The signature salad features roasted tomatoes, burrata, avocado, basil pesto and balsamic glaze. The watermelon heirloom tomato salad has feta, arugula, pomegranate seeds and white balsamic, while the house cured and cold hickory smoked salmon features fennel, grapefruit, red onions, radish and pistachio with a Champagne-Dijon dressing. 170 Beach Drive NE, St. Petersburg. 727-827-2927. cassisstpete.com.

Wild Child

Tampa Bay Times Life & Culture assistant editor Michelle Stark recently discovered the popular St. Pete eatery’s spin on a Caesar salad. “I need you to know that not one, not two, but three different people asked me about the salad,” she wrote. ”That’s how good it looked. And guess what? It tasted even better, with sturdy yet pliable gem lettuce coated in a housemade Caesar dressing and topped with brown butter croutons, cotija cheese, cherry tomatoes and avocado.” 2710 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. 727-954-7425. wildchildstpete.com.

Sweetgreen

This national chain specializing in fast-casual customizable salads and bowls is expanding across Tampa Bay, with two Tampa locations and one set to open in St. Petersburg. Build your own from scratch or try one from the menu, like the surprisingly low-calorie Hummus Crunch, with romaine, kale, basil, cucumbers, red onions, cabbage, tomatoes, za’atar breadcrumbs, chickpeas, olives, hummus and pesto vinaigrette. 301 W. Palm Ave. (813-680-2010) and 722 S. Village Circle (813-680-4050), Tampa. sweetgreen.com.

Toss Salads & Wraps

Build your own salad (or wrap) at this busy downtown St. Pete spot. Pick your base, proteins and toppings, which get chopped up and tossed with your choice of dressings. With dozens of toppings, the possibilities are nearly endless. Or go for one on the menu, like The Burg, which has iceberg lettuce, steak, tomatoes, cucumbers, blue cheese crumbles, fried onions, blue cheese dressing and a splash of balsamic vinaigrette. 600 First Ave. N., St. Petersburg. 727-291-0070. tossdtsp.com.

Doc B’s Fresh Kitchen

This restaurant at International Plaza’s Bay Street is a standout for its variety of salads. A personal favorite is the California salad with kale, roasted sweet potato, corn, pistachio, dried cranberries, wasabi peas and tortilla strips with roasted garlic dressing. Add a protein like grilled chicken and it’s so filling that leftovers are likely. The restaurant is also known for fried chicken, which comes as an add-on or as the star of the Knife and Fork Cobb, with bacon, egg, avocado, cornbread croutons and Danish blue cheese. 2223 N. West Shore Blvd., Tampa. 813-498-6200. docbsrestaurant.com.

Bon Appétit

Views of St. Joseph’s Sound in Dunedin — either indoors or out on the large covered patio — are just one benefit of this spot’s dining experience. Its selection of seafood salads is another, with salmon, shrimp or grouper as protein options on Caesar, Greek, Cobb or house salads. Go fancy with the Lobster Wedge with smoked blue cheese crumbles, bacon and Burgundy vinaigrette. And while the Lobster and Avocado stack is not a salad in the traditional sense, the addition of fresh mango, toasted pistachio, cilantro, chive oil and cognac sauce makes it a luxurious alternative. 148 Marina Plaza, Dunedin. 727-733-2151. bonappetitrestaurant.com.

The Left Bank Bistro

Get a taste of France and the ambience of a lovely chateau at this St. Petersburg bistro. Rare tuna is the star of the Nicoise salad, with greens, egg, fingerling potatoes, haricot vert, capers, heirloom tomatoes and lemon caper vinaigrette. The grilled salmon salad features a melange of spinach and arugula, with goat cheese, golden beet, mission fig, toasted almond, shaved fennel and orange vinaigrette. Or go for the house salad, with greens, cherry tomato, red onion, carrot, radish, olive, Parmesan cheese and red wine thyme vinaigrette that can be topped with chicken, shrimp or salmon. 1225 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N., St. Petersburg. 727-256-1691. theleftbankbistro.com.

Alesia

This Vietnamese-French cafe impressed Tampa Bay Times food and dining critic Helen Freund for its takeout game as the state opened up during the pandemic. That was around the time the Burrata Caprese salad hit the menu and is hopefully here to stay. The creamy burrata and nutty olives make the otherwise simple salad feel decadent without the guilt. 7204 Central Ave. N., St. Petersburg. 727-345-9701. alesiarestaurant.com.

Stone Soup Cafe

A rather robust offering of salads is found at this St. Petersburg staple. It has your usual suspects — Caesar, Greek and Chef’s (called Cook’s), to which you can add a chicken breast or a scoop of chicken, egg, tuna or krab salad for just over $5. There are some tasty-sounding combinations too, like the Stone Soup Salad with mixed greens, sprouts, feta, apples, cashews and dried cherries or the Asian chicken salad with grilled chicken, cabbage, red bell peppers, mandarin oranges, rice noodles and shaved almonds. On the fruit salad there’s a choice of cottage cheese or vanilla yogurt topped with sliced apples, bananas, grapes, oranges, melon, raisins and sunflowers seeds with cinnamon and drizzled with honey. 4122 16th St. N., St. Petersburg. 727-526-2975. stonesoupcafe.com.

Streetlight Taco

Tacos aren’t the only thing on the menu at this popular new Mexican joint in South Tampa. The Puebla salad is a healthy option that still feels special, with spinach, apples, plum, walnuts, pomegranate, Manchego cheese and stone fruit vinaigrette. Or try the Oaxaca salad, with homemade Oaxacan cheese called quesillo, beets, tomatoes, watercress, fava, mushrooms and hibiscus passion vinaigrette. Both are pretty as a picture, too. 4004 Henderson Blvd., Tampa. 813-217-9158. streetlighttacos.com.

9 Bangkok Thai and Sushi

Thai “yum” salads are flavorful mixes of meat, herbs and fruit and available for reasonable prices at this downtown St. Pete stalwart. Try the Nam Sod, featuring ground chicken topped with lime dressing, fresh ginger and peanuts. A Thai vegetable salad comes with a choice of ginger or peanut dressing, and tropical fruit is the star of the Papaya Salad, with shredded green papaya and carrot, tomato, shrimp, lime juice, palm sugar, crushed peanut and fish sauce for that umami element. 571 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. 727-894-5990. 9bangkok.info/index.html.

Good Intentions

It’s kind of a no-brainer that this trendy vegan restaurant would have a salad that our food critic recommends. Romaine lettuce is dressed and tossed, then topped with “feta” (it’s not actual cheese — everything is vegan here), red pepper, red onion, purple potato salad (!), roasted and pickled beets, baby heirloom tomatoes, kalamata olives and a piece of golden fried “halloumi.” 1900 First Ave. S., St. Petersburg. 727-202-8441. goodintentionsfl.com.

Dimitri’s On the Water

Greek salads abound in Tarpon Springs, and you can’t beat the view at this restaurant on the Sponge Docks, where the tagline is, “only the love of food can lead you here.” Greek salads are a pretty good value because they’re so filling, given the potato salad, feta cheese and choice of protein including fish, squid, shrimp, chicken, pork or gyro meat. Or go traditional with the Village Salad, which doesn’t have lettuce and lets tomatoes shine with cucumbers, olives, onion, peppers, feta and anchovies. 690 Dodecanese Blvd., Tarpon Springs. 727-334-2902. dimitrisonthewater.com.

Supernatural Food & Wine

This downtown Tampa breakfast and lunch takeout spot is one of six new Tampa restaurants to be added to Florida’s Michelin Guide in February, proof that good food doesn’t have to be expensive. There are four salad base options to which you can add toppings like avocado, chickpeas and bacon. The Thai Crunch salad comes with your choice of sesame-marinated tofu or roasted chicken on top of butter lettuce with toasted peanuts, fresh herbs and a lime and chile sesame vinaigrette. 305 E. Polk St., Tampa. 813-202-3324. supernaturalfoodandwine.square.site.

Lona

The chopped salad at this Mexican restaurant on Water Street was such a hit with Michelle Stark, it was one of the Top 10 dishes she ate in 2023. “Mixed greens are topped in an aesthetically pleasing fashion with very crispy crumbled bacon, roasted corn, chopped veggies and queso fresco. The sweetness of the corn balances out the acidity of the raw onions, and the fatty crunch of that bacon acts like a savory crouton with each bite. I could bathe in the cilantro ranch dressing.” 505 Water St., Tampa. 813-204-6390. lonatampa.com.

The Tides Seafood Market & Provisions

This Safety Harbor specialty market and eatery’s sesame tuna salad made our food critic’s list of top dishes she ate in 2022. “I’m particularly smitten with their sesame tuna salad, a tasty combination of seared ahi tuna and avocado, mango, radishes, onions, cucumbers and tomatoes, all served over a bed of fresh greens from Brick Street Farms,” Helen Freund wrote. 305 Main St., Safety Harbor. 727-699-8433. thetidesmarket.com.

Counter Culture

While the menu changes often at this South Tampa restaurant, the burrata salad is a staple, likely for the unique twist of pairing it with chile-pickled mango and coconut, carambola, jicama, watermelon radish, lime, coconut pistachio granola and passionfruit vanilla bean vinaigrette. 2909 W. Bay to Bay Blvd., Tampa. 813-570-8660. cc-tampa.com.

King State

An exciting addition to downtown St. Pete, King State has a signature salad featuring greens from local Brick Street Farms topped with almonds, goat cheese, squash, haricot vert, pear, mushrooms and a coffee vinaigrette. Take off the cheese, and it’s vegan. 15 Eighth St. N., St. Petersburg. 727-873-0816. king-state.com.