Salads can often be the least appealing menu items and the absolute last thing you want to order in a restaurant. But Edmonton has some fantastic salad offerings that won’t just please your palate but will have you coming back for salads again and again. [Image credit: iStock.com/Sarsmis]
This Whyte Avenue hotspot is known for their sumptuous, savoury burgers, but they’re no slouch in the salad department. Their classic Caesar provides a well rounded, perfectly dressed familiar option for the less adventurous types, but their house salad is truly where it’s at. Packed full of strawberries, grapes, almonds and pea shoots, this gorgeous salad is complemented by a house-made honey vinaigrette; order it with grilled chicken or as a side to your burger or sandwich.
Located near Churchill Square just off Rice Howard Way, Woodwork is infamous for their wood-fried fare and cocktails, but it also serves two deliciously designed salads: the mustard green salad with burnt shallots, peas, pecorino, concord and cured yolk and the duck confit salad with crunchy walnuts, soft gorgonzola and a tarragon vinaigrette.
The Upper Crust Café has, hands down, the best potato salad in Edmonton. Pop in for lunch and pair your salad with a delicious homemade salad. They also always have an amazing salad feature every day in which they pair a savoury protein with their lush salad topped with fresh fruit (melons, pineapple, strawberries) and candied pecans.
One of downtown’s most unique restaurant and bars, The Common is known for their hip vibe and gourmet pub fare. They’re no slouch in the salad department either, offering five fabulous gluten-free salads that you can add fish, chicken or steak to, depending on your taste preference. Try the prosciutto, nectarine and honeydew salad with a mint and white balsamic dressing (perfect with chicken) or the smoked pork salad with lychee, grilled scallions, tangerines and oranges.
With three killer salads on their dinner menu, Whyte Avenue’s Ampersand 27 combines amazing flavour profiles with crisp greens in their kale and spinach salad (ricotta and apricots anyone?), Asian duck salad (bitter radishes, tangy slaw and sweet hoisin), and their floral and farro salad with smoked Fior Di Late, farro, edible flowers, grapefruit, apple, cucumber and pine nuts.