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Sarah Cook, reno.com
May 26, 2008

Where - oh where - is the best salad in Reno? Considering that you can get a salad at almost any restaurant in this town, let’s narrow it down to five of the better ones.


No. 5
Chili’s
5090 Smithridge Dr.;
10340 N. McCarran Boulevard

Resorting to naming a chain restaurant’s salad as one Reno’s best stinks, but I can’t ignore the tastiness known as the Chili’s Southwestern Cobb Salad. It truly is a godsend. Not only is it large in size, but it’s mixed with some of the best and healthiest things you’d want to find lingering around in your lettuce. It’s got eggs, beans, chicken, cheese, corn, salsa, and lots of other ingredients that come together nicely, making this one of the more original salads in town, and one that, thankfully, isn’t overloaded with too much dressing. It’s a party salad, fiesta-style.

No. 4
Cheeseboard & Wine Seller
247 California St.

The Cheeseboard & Wine Seller isn’t open half as often as it should be. Usually, the doors are only open for lunch or an early-afternoon glass of wine. However, this place is by far one of the best restaurants in town, and eating here doesn’t make a huge dent in the wallet when all is said and done. The salads are unique and mouth-watering, and go perfectly with one of their awesome half sandwiches. Aside from Caesar salad and your other commonly served restaurant salads, the Cheeseboard offers fun salad creations that lie over a bed of mixed greens and include ingredients like pine nuts, feta, blue cheese, squash, heirloom tomatoes, and more for you to choose from. This is no dull salad, folks.

No. 3
The Atlantis Salad Bar
3800 S. Virginia St.

The Atlantis is a prime place to chow down on salad, as they have an incredibly large salad (and soup) bar for $5.99 for all the greens you can eat. Here everything is fresh, which is something I pay attention to when going for food that’s been sitting around in the open. The greens are always crisp and clean, and the peppers and veggies you have to choose from look just as untouched as the ones you’d grow in your very own backyard; all in all, a very safe and scrumptious salad.

No. 2
Pneumatic Diner
501 W. First St.

It’s only obvious that Pneumatic Diner would offer an amazing selection of salads, being that they are, after all, a vegetarian establishment. Pneumatic offers a wide selection of salads and salad creations, which also include fresh fruit salads, pasta salads, and garden salads, with a great variety of dressings to choose from. My personal favorite is the dill yogurt; it’s creative, thick, and oh, so tasty. The tahini dressing is also a delight. Whatever flavor your taste buds choose, you won’t be disappointed. Pneumatic knows no icky salad.

No. 1
Buenos Grill
3892 Mayberry Drive

Buenos Grill has, and always will be my favorite place to get a salad in Reno. Their famous Caesar salad is absolutely off the charts. They fix you with enough lettuce to fill your stomach for a week, and atop it, a large amount of fresh, tender chicken. The dressing is tangy and sweet, and the lettuce is crisp and juicy, just as it should be. Although the price for this awe-inspiring creation is a little high, at about $8, it really is worth a try. I assure you, I’ve never tasted better. Plus, this salad goes perfectly with a fish taco and cold Bohemia. It doesn’t get any better. Three cheers for Buenos!