Very nice customer service. Juan came by and asked if we needed anything at our table. And to not hesitate to call. Great job.
(4)
Lizz G.
Love it! Great food/place that gives u the opportunity to have portion control. Everything is yummy! Get coupons online, there's always some :)
(5)
Lili P.
Great tasting . Never run out of food. Our bus boy "Don" an older white man was very attentive and friendly . He asked us if we are ok twice. So that was very nice and professional. Good times.
(4)
Jason W.
What else can be said about this place? Food is always fresh, so much variety and very affordable price. My favs are the broccoli salad, pineapple coleslaw, Chinese chicken salad and the assorted soups & baked goods. Been coming here (not this paticular location) years and still will.
(5)
Mike M.
Food and service are always good here. Sign up for the email club and get some great discounts.
(4)
Ticha B.
POOPLANTATION!!! I love it! This location is ok, they're always packed so you kind of always have to wait for a table for dinner. PLUS I think they displays, food stations are usually messy. I don't blame the company for this, just the customers. BUT then again management needs to send the peeps with the wet industrial towels out to clean the counters. You can't go wrong with the foods...except for the Alfredo pasta and mac n cheese here. SO BLAND and SO WATERY! Everything else was pretty good. I still love my blueberry muffins! Remember De Niro in Casino when he was counting the blueberry muffins in his casino? Classic! I think of that part everytime I munch on my 3-4 muffins a visit! Service good, slippery restrooms, they could be a bit cleaner overall at this location. I will be back though....nothing better than the poopies after visiting Pooplantation on the softball field! YIKES!
(3)
Kris I.
Really impressed by this Souplantation! Everything was uber fresh, clean, and neat. But what made this experience stand out from the rest was the staff. It made a big impression to see the manager walking around to greet people and take away empty plates as he went and also offering to help an elderly woman with her tray. I overheard another staff member ask the guy at the table next to us if he wanted some water, ice or no ice, and then she actually went to get it for him. Normally Souplantation is a serve yourself kinda place so I know this was beyond her job description. It was very refreshing to eat at a restaurant that not only serves yummy food but also makes you feel like they genuinely enjoy what they do and care about their customers.
(5)
Janice P.
Food fresh and that's what I expect going there. Coffee tasty.... everything is perfect! Love it!
(5)
Michael P.
I haven't eaten here in almost ten years and was curious if things were still just as yummy they were then. Just one of those things, my place was getting it's monthly cleaning and I needed to be gone for an hour or so. So what do I crave Soup Plantation, with all of it's healthy vegan options and some of it's I'm gonna have to call Jenny options too. I arrived at 11:30 AM and the place was pretty busy. Also, after reading most of the 1-3 star reviews I was curious as to why they were still in business. I mean we are talking both salad lines moving like the Lucy and Ethel's Bon Bon skit but organized and, plenty of customers too. I grabbed a tray, a plate and opted for the Cesar Salad out of three other salad offerings. Fresh green Romaine Lettuce hand torn,( not cut with salad scissors ) crunchy seasoned croutons and that sparkling Cesar Salad Dressing. I then moved down the line adding little bits of shredded carrots, radishes, cucumbers, olives, peas etc. You get the idea, a nice variety of condiments that made for a nice fresh green starter. Oh yes I had to add some of that delicious Creamy Cucumber dressing just to top things off too. When I reach the cashier I hand her a $20 bill and my AAA card (they always gave AAA member's 10% off last time I was here). "I'm sorry honey, we stopped taking those cards and giving a discount 2 years ago". " Oh I haven't been here in 10 years and I just had to come back, with that as part of the reason". The cashier comes back and gives me a coupon discount just because. The lady next to me says jokingly "what cologne do you have on today or do you practice witchcraft"? I said "nothing must be the fairy dust". Her reaction 0_0, hey I was in Lakewood not LB! I found a table amongst the bustling lunch crowd and then proceeded to get me some clam chowder, splash some Tabasco, (no Tapatio-BASTARDS!) added some Mini-Gold Fish crackers and grabbed some sort of cheese/garlic bread slices. Then of course a glass of milk-Oh Boy! Chocolate syrup for chocolate milk ( live a little once in a while I always say ). I didn't do the desserts or muffins because I was pretty well sated and, I knew after OG time later tonight I was going to get a cookie fix on so I passed. So let me break it down: Lunch Combo-$8.39 Milk (unlimited refills)-$2.39 Lunch Coupon Discount-Minus 90 cents Merchandise ST-$9.88 Tax-96 Cents Total-$10.84 SWEET! This location was clean, organized, being cleaned constantly, attentive staff removing trays and dirty dishes. Every employee IMO was doing their thing and doing it well. All in all a nice lunchy dining experience and, I'll be back to create more salad concoctions and maybe just 1 Muffin with honey butter. Get a grip people, remember where you are eating and know what to expect before you go and diss the place. Soup Plantation-The Sky Room, big difference. 'As Chelsea Handler would say" 'Ya got that girl"?
(4)
Steve S.
This is our go to lunch Souplantation spot. I've been coming here for years, years I said. They recently renovated the place and I have to say, it's looking pretty darn good now. The service is always good. We've been coming here so long, we know the lady that clears our plates (Rosa) and she always has a smile on her face. Basics: All you can eat salad. Sounds healthy right? It can be, but I don't do healthy to good. lol. Yes, I eat the veggies, but if you put a cup of thousand island dressing on your salad, is it really that healthy? lol Good thing they have a couple of pre-made salad at the beginning of the line. Usually a Chinese Chicken Salad (not a lot if any chicken) or a Greek inspired salad. Both are good. Soup: 7 to 8 different soups to choose from. They have the regulars, Clam Chowder, Chili of some sorts and a veggie (split pea soup, my favorite and yes I know it's a legume, not a veggie. hahaha) soup to chose from. Tip: Oyster cracker, tobasco and pepper are all at the end of the soup line. Baked items: Who can't resist a fresh baked blueberry muffin, Yum yum yum!! They also have cornbread, flat bread pizzas, baked potatoes and a lot more. And of course you need the butter or whipped honey for that extra calorie. lol Pasta: Mac N Cheese please. Yes, they're not good on their own. lol. so head over to the ice cream station (don't ask me why, but that's where the cheese and onions are, lol) Add more shredded cheese, that will improve it 50%. Then add pepper and salt when you get to your table. lol You'll end up with a half way descent mac. (I'm wierd, so I add a little butter, sour cream and green onions on mine, hahaha) Desserts: I don't do dessert here, that's because I already stuffed my self silly and there is absolutely no room for dessert. lol. But if you have room, they have soft serve ice cream, fruits (canned), pudding and jello =) When you want a healthy meal, this is the spot. Just don't do what I do. hahaha. 2015 Review #64
(4)
Ana B.
If you've been to one Souplantation, you know what the food is about so I'll comment more on the location itself. Service: The service was lacking and it wasn't until we were ready to leave that someone came by to pick up our used plates. We eat slow and were there for close to an hour so the service definitely could have been better. Organization: The organization of both the food and exit are a bit of a mess at this location. The food is oddly organized and we never did figure out where certain items were location. The exit was along the side but took some hunting to figure out the correct path to take between all of the tables. It gets very busy at lunch so good luck finding your way out. Food: Most things were kept well stocked but I was surprised that there were popular items that never seemed to be ready. This was before the rush so I don't know how they kept up after that. Overall, ok. I would come here again. Tip: Look for coupons before coming here. It makes paying for mostly salad worth it.
(3)
Javier L.
I love coming to this establishment. I do not believe the price is worth the value or quality. I usually use coupons when I come here. That is the only way I bring my family here to eat. The soups are delicious. They have a selection of many types of salads. This is a great place to come eat when you have coupons. The staff is friendly and nice.
(3)
Jessica G.
Too many people love souplantation. I can't understand why because on average their food is mediocre. Some pastas are tasty and some are dry. Some soups are just salty broth and some soups make you reach for seconds. Some of the breads by the bakery are just warm empty carbs and some breads are addicting (I'm looking at you blueberry muffin). This is what I mean by averagely mediocre. Some foods are bad and some are good. Their attempt at breakfast was bad, they should stick to lunch and dinner. Eggs were dry. French toast was crunchy on one side and soggy on the other side. Waffles were limp and weren't the light yet crisp Belgian waffles you'd expect. Service is always good. But that doesn't make up for the dishes that are bad or the fountain water that was a little dirty with little specks of black on the bottom of the glass as if it's not filtered. The tables/chairs are designed weird as if they were for little kids. Either the table tops are short or the chairs are too high but this leads to your food being too low so you sort of have to crouch to eat and not make a mess. Also their cones for the soft serve are a joke.
(3)
ardria c.
The quality of food is not the same as 25 years ago. The soup was watered down & the salad selection was not very good. 2nd. I had to wait to be seated approximately 10 minutes to be seated. The dinning area is too small and needs to be expanded.
(2)
James M.
I must have been spoiled by the Sweet Tomato's in Tigard, OR, because I found my experience at the Souplantation in Lakewood a disappointment. Shawn H. Is absolutely right -- never pay full retail! We used the coupon sent out every Thursday, so paid $8.99 per person for the Adult Lunch Combo, plus tax. Don't get me wrong ... our visit wasn't bad, it's just that 1) the building is so tired, I do not believe it has been updated in thirty-plus years. 2) When I picked up trays from the stack at the door, there was food stuck to the first two trays -- brownie in one case, lettuce and something else on the second. I do appreciate convenience, but I will get my own food, thank you! 3) Locating a clean tray, I reached for plates, and found one with a big chip out of the edge, a second with food stuck to it, and a third with a big crack in it. Come on, guys! So, with clean tray and plate, I move through the line, loading up like, as my mother would say, a man with a hollow leg. Arriving at the register, coupon in hand, it is time to stop eating with my fingers, and pick up a spoon and fork. 4) Yes, I had to sort through several to find a spoon and fork that didn't have schmutz on them. The cashier was visibly embarrassed! This just darkened my whole visit. Three Stars.
(3)
Jay B.
They've recently upgraded their trays and plates, and seating that better matches the restaurant and is way less tacky. Soups and salads here are always delicious and the right temperature. Was hoping to find broccoli cheddar but I'm guessing it's seasonal? Cashier was great and honored the coupon that was being passed down the line. Definitely will be back! (Visited 04/28/2015 7:25PM)
(4)
Adrian A.
I like this place especially if they have my favorite mushroom chowder, but occasionally they don't :( but I don't mind because they have great customer service especially this location. The staff always check on us. I like their salad bar cause so much to choose from. I always get their wonton salad because you it's crunchy and packs a lot of flavor. I basically fill up my plate of salad goodness! My only concern that their salad bar is not unlimited and just limited to one plate; I wish it's included to their buffet bar. I cannot complain cause the soup and bread bar is amazing. I always get 6 to 8 servings of soup and 2-3 servings of bread because it's that good.
(4)
Covar R.
I love this place. We usually come here about times six times a month. Food excellent. Service fast. I just worry about frequent water spills on the wooden floors. Alot of older people with canes. I've been on a safety co mitte for a long time I see a slip and fall getting ready to happen. Supervisors need to be more vigil. Just saying.Dont was anyone hurt
(5)
Shawn H.
First time visiting this location. It seemed to have really fresh food. It was a lot cleaner and more spacious than other locations. It also didn't appear to be as crowded during the dinner rush hour. They didn't have any unique food items, but the food did taste better than usual. The garlic focaccia cheese bread was really yummy. I think it tastes a lot better than the normal pizza bread that they always offer. A lot of their soups are really salty, so I would suggest mixing in some of the broth from the chicken noodle soup. It helps to neutralize the high sodium concentration in the tastier soups and it still tastes really good. Never pay full price! If you sign up with your email they send you electronic coupons every Thursday! This one is in a really nice location. There are a lot of shops and other restaurants surrounding it. Enjoy your soup!! Bye bye.
(4)
Julia B.
All you can eat buffets are generally a time to be a fat ass. At Souplantation, you can do that with a 'healthy' kick! The selection of food here are all vegetarian and/or vegan friendly, even a lot of them were gluten-free. Of course, there was plenty of salad, which were already prepared or you had the option of customizing your own salad bowl. While I'm not a vegetarian myself, I really liked their Broccoli & Potato Chowder, as well as their House Chili (they also had a vegan Chili). A good place for a light yet filling lunch and when you have vegetarians in your group!
2/9/15 It was my first time here and I L-o-V- E-D it !!! plenty of parking since its at the lakewood mall. Very clean dining area, super friendly staff. It's a holiday today so I expected it to be overcrowded but it wasn't. Thank goodness cause I hate crowds and lines when I am hungry. So there's only one thing to say - U MUST COME TRY THIS PLACE ! Soups & Salads galore ! From traditional chicken noodle to onion soup, to southern style chili beans & corn bread. Feel free to bring friends that want a satisfying meal too because they have a bakery with fresh baked focaccia breadS..garlic cheesy bread, blueberry muffins baked potatoes and some hot pastas. Make sure you leave room for desert cause they have soft serve ice cream too! With sprinkles or brownie chunks ! HEAVENLY ! ; ) Bon appetit !
(5)
Elise I.
Walked in here around lunchtime and it wasn't very busy. All of the salads were restocked so we didn't have to wait for anything to be made. My friends and I had a coupon that didn't really impact the amount we paid, but it came with a drink so we were satisfied. The restaurant was clean and there were many options of food to choose from. The people who were working were really nice. Always had a smile on their face and such. The man who waited our table was really nice and came by often to take our plates away. Notes: If you're more of a meat lover, you will not be satisfied because this place is all about vegetables
(4)
Johnny O.
All you can eat fresh buffet. Not a typical casino or Golden Corral type. They serve really good health conscious ingredient food. Not healthy but good quality ingredients. And the best part is the soft serve ice cream. My favorite place to go when I'm staving.
(5)
Leslie E.
This is by far the best soupplantation. Service is excellent at this lication. Fresh good food. Very Service fast. I think they where picking up dishes do fast because they where busy and needed the dishes. Very busy sunday at 1:00 but 2 minute wait for table, but what was the only wait. Table person was wonderful fast, polite, observant, her name was Vivian. I have eaten here a few more times and all the servers are great.
(5)
Jonathan W.
This is one of the best places to eat at after a good workout, and not feel guilty. The food is always fresh and they have great customer service.
(5)
Fernie G.
Awesome place. But the worker Cody seemed pretty arrogant. Reason why I took off one star
(4)
Summer M.
First, let me start off by saying I LOVE SOUPLANTATION!!! The reason for only 4 stars is the hostess kept asking us every 10 minutes if everything was OK. She actually was in such a zone she didn't realize what she was doing. Aside from that, it was a great experience.
(4)
Dee R.
Love the Brea location but hate this place because it is dirty and the bussers are loud and unprofessional. You have to ask the cashier for a tea bag for hot tea...are you kidding me? Back bussing area was filthy (it's by the restroom) and the bus staff is so obnoxious yelling in the back room and bad-mouthing customers, esp. the girl busser. Ugh!! Just don't sit by the restrooms and kitchen because there is no sense of consideration for the guests trying to eat and visit. Won't be back to this location, ever! Also, check your plates and bowls. We had a dirty bowl and a dirty coffee mug. Yuck!
(2)
Rachel G.
The only reason I am giving a 5-star rating is because my family and I received the best customer service we've EVER received here. I have been going to this particular location for many years now, and I've never received such kindness from any of the other employees. CODY, I want to thank you for for making my family luncheon a nice experience. Not only were you highly attentive to my table but to every single table as far as my eye could see. Every time I looked up you were working hard. Picking up tons of dishes, trays, sweeping, greeting customers! And you did everything with a smile on your face. It was nice and refreshing to have such a nice experience. I wish more people in the restaurant business were as kind as hard working as you.
(5)
Irene P.
The (partial) renovation is nice, however, does not extend to the bathrooms. Otherwise this is a Souplantation like all others.
(4)
Nathan C.
I love eating at the supplantation that was a great selection. Really good food sometimes it gets pretty crowded but most the time it's nice. I love how different months they have different themes. I highly recommend everyone try the brownie bites of the muffin station they are delicious.
(5)
Ignacio M.
Food was great. Just a shortage on forks. Terrible. I'm finishing up my meal and one of the bidders walks over as I'm watching a video on my phone, and asks me to lower the volume on my phone because they have music playing for the guests. He didn't mean it in a rude way and I understand he has a job. But, never have I ever gone to a restaurant and be asked to lower the volume on my phone. It honestly wasn't even all that loud. If anything, the background music in the restaurant was louder than my phone. Might as well ask parents to mute their kids, right?
(2)
J G.
I usually find something good when I go to a place but this place is not for me. It was my 1st time coming here expecting to find different types of soups but that's not the deal here. It's like a buffet but with no carbs in it. No steaks, turkey or anything that makes you fat. This place is literally a place you go if you're on a diet.
(1)
Erika L.
I was here for the first time in 7/2/15 at around dinner time. I was pleased to use one of their coupons. I got dinner and a drink for 10.59 (I think that's what it was). The food tasted fresh! I really liked this location, There are some waiters walking around cleaning off tables to give u enough space to clear up. It wasn't bad at all! Only downside was the ice cream machine. Wasn't really working, was too "mushy." Other than that, I really enjoyed eating here! Location wasn't too bad, Parking was easy to find.
(4)
Lynn J.
Souplantation has a marvelous salad bar and very nice soups. The foods are are simply laid out and easy to access. I confess to being a little underwhelmed by some of the soup flavors after a considerable amount of hype but I enjoyed my dinner and the reasonable price. All you can eat places are often more about volume than quality but there is a nice balance here. The space is utilitarian but if you need to eat and do not need an upscale place this is a good one to try.
(3)
Valerie B.
The restaurant changed its format for the better. I just wish that they would change up the breakfast menu a bit. The worst thing is seeing an employees butt while eating. Very unprofessional!
(4)
Kimberly P.
I enjoy going here when I want a light lunch or dinner! You can't go wrong here with the variety! I love the different toppings you can add to your salad and the different pastas! They have a bakery and soup station that has good selections as well. I would highly recommend signing up the the Veg Club because they send coupons every week offering discounts.
(3)
Charlie C.
I always enjoy a healthy meal! Been to this location a few times and it was always decent. This last time we went because of a $25 gift card. After I handed the gift card over I noticed that it was taking a very long time for the transaction. I was beginning to wonder if the card had a balance. There was obviously a line behind me so I was getting impatient and embarrassed as well. The cashier did not look like she knew what she was doing. She first mentioned that this is the first time this has happened to her. Then when her manager came and asked if she had this problem before, she said "yes with gift cards". If you have a problem with gift cards, the manager should know asap and get the problem fixed asap. Or you should post something at your door, not after everyone gets their food. Also I felt they should have taken the time to call the card balance feature and honor the card. Yes it's an inconvenience but most people that go to a restaurant because of a gift card, wouldn't have gone (at least that night) without the card. I was embarrassed and their lack of concern or apology so I just ended up using my credit card. Unfortunate!
(1)
Jose C.
Struggling to decide what to eat between East Side Mario's or Soup Plantation, my friends went with the latter and so began my food expedition! Upon entering this place I couldn't help but to notice that this place looked like a plantation.. of soup! Hehe, just kidding. It actually had a lot of interesting salads, all which where tossed vigorously. Never has tossing salads been such a good thing :) oh yeah! One of my more carnivorous friend was a bit reluctant to go here. Surely, his beef with this place was the lack of.. beef. So, if you're coming here expecting to eat meat, you won't find that much here besides chicken salads and pizza. Just a few items, really. Personally, I didn't mind. I'll come here, but probably not suggest it. Nevertheless, great place! So if you're into greens, and wouldn't mind a healthier alternative to "all-you-can-eat" come here. Pros: +Great Staff +Nice atmosphere +Good Food Cons: -Lack of meats -Restock on food is a bit slow
(4)
Scarlett Z.
This place was cool until it went through its recent changes. Growing up, their chicken soup was always my favorite. Now that they went through their recent changes, their traditional chicken soup is now....nasty. The noodles and broth are the same, but the chicken now has fatty, tendons in it. Other than that, everything else is pretty good as always
(3)
Frannie B.
Went here today for lunch with my sister. Really didn't want to go because I hate buffets. My sister had a coupon that offered your lunch with a drink. She said she would pay, so I said what the hell. I was pretty surprised when we went in. I thought we would be eating with a bunch of senior citizens and the place would smell like hospital food. The restaurant was very clean, the staff friendly, a mix of clientele, and the food wasn't bad. Well how bad can a salad be! All the salads and topping were fresh and they offered a wide variety of salad dressings. I didn't have any soup because I didn't care for the selection. Even though they offered a big selection, none of them seemed appealing. The one thing I was disappointed with though, was the dessert bar. They only offered soft served ice cream with two types of syrups and sprinkles. I'm a big dessert person and was looking forward to a piece of cake or pie. If Souplantation would build up their dessert bar, it would be so much better!! That's why I'm giving them 2 stars.
(2)
Shelley C.
I can't help it -- I'm a huge fan of Souplantation! Friendly staff, delicious food, amazing strawberry lemonade, buffet style, you simply cannot go wrong. This location is one of the smaller ones that I have been to, however. The salads are perfection, I love how you can quite literally add anything as a topping on your salad! My favorite soups are the clam chowder (I add crackers), chicken noodle soup (I add green onions), and the chili soup (I add cheese and green onions). All so hearty and filling! I admit, I am not a big fan of their pastas and pizzas. Their mac and cheese just isn't that good, and their pizza is fine. I do like how the pizzas are cut up in tiny little strips so you can get a couple of each. I love their bakery though! The blueberry muffins are perfection, and that cornbread is heavenly. Their frozen yogurt machine is delicious too! In conclusion: I love Souplanation and have yet to have a bad experience at one.
(4)
Lina F.
I have always passed this place but never went inside, I honestly just thought they sold soup for years. A friend said it was awesome so I signed up for emails on there website to get discounts as she suggested. I used the 2 for 17.99 for lunch today and really enjoyed it. Its seriously like a hometown buffet for healthy people or older people watching there cholesterol. As soon as you walk in you pick up a plate and tray and starting making your salad and its endless amounts of options. So many damn veggies its crazy. I choose a mountain of salad and veggies. It has some already made but its easier to make your own, you hold the power. Then you pay after your down going down the line and you get to choose your seating. They have a soup and pasta station and a bakery station. Also soft serve for dessert. In my opinion I loved it, would definitely go back again. They have baked potatoes and I added the honey whip butter next to it and GOOD LORD it was the best butter I've tried in my life. I wanted to take some home no lie. Down side they charge for beverages so I would just bring my water bottle and only pay the 7.99 for all you eat. Nothing beats that. Attire is causal or whatever pleases you and there's plenty of parking outside.
(4)
Breanne I.
IF you're craving a good soup or salad, this is the place to go. It's a self serve salad bar with a wide variety of toppings that you can add to your meal & if you come on a Sunday, they offer a brunch menu that's worth trying! The staff at this particular location is very friendly. Whenever I come here with my family for dinner (a group of 10 or 12) we've always received exceptional customer service and one particular server always brings us freshly baked chocolate chip cookies for dessert! Overall, I really do loOove this restaurant and visit quite frequently (: (:
(5)
Mari H.
The four stars is for the staff. I'm big on customer service and I feel safe to day this place has got it. It's clean and quick when it comes to seating and arranging. The food is a hit or miss. We've had a couple of issues with some dishes but they are always taken care of as soon as I let them know. All in all, pretty happy with this location.
(4)
Marjorie J.
Doing a 30 Day-Vegetarian/Vegan Diet...yep, this place hit the spot! Yum!
(4)
XConciergeLB X.
5 stars for all the greens you can eat. I always forget how to make a proper salad, what types of veggies and etc to add to greens. I know there's no set rules but sometimes it's better to buy a prepacked salad. I came here on a Sunday so it was quite loud, lots of families and kids around, running around the place, etc...go slow walking with the trays full of food or else watch it go flying off! The selection is great and the staff quickly replaces whatever needs refilling. You grab a tray, plates and get going. Some plates were washed too quickly and saw some with still some food on it (yuk!) but I found some that were spotless... then you just wait in line until they have clean tables and then you pay. Great selection of soups, breads and soft serve ice cream. The hearty chili with the focaccia bread was my favorite! All the beverages you can drink too. Parking outside of here is hit or miss, we scored a parking spot right outside the restaurant.
(4)
Rose C.
I love Sweet Tomatoes/Soup Plantation. Love love love love love it. If I could, I would go once a week and stuff salad down my throat every time. That being said, most Souplantation's are the same. They have the same stuff consistently, it's organized very similarly, and I've never had a single complaint about their customer service. However, when I visited this souplantation on 2/16, I was amazed. It was a huge one--located near the mall and whatnot, and the line was OUT THE DOOR! This usually doesn't happen in the one in Garden Grove. So yes, there were tons of people. Also, they have signs everywhere that says to not sample food in the salad line, which makes sense, cause that's kinda unsanitary. I literally watched a mother feed her baby various pastas while waiting in line, all the while the baby was dropping uneaten pasta on the floor and it was getting stepped on by every body. Several times, the ladies making the salads watched the baby drop food, but didn't say anything to the parent about not eating in line. Ah, well. Finally we got seated, and the lighting was so low. I hate eating in low lighting. It ruins my appetite, which I guess is the point, anyway...not being able to see your food = not eating more? That's one way to lose weight! Hah! Anyway, we were also kinda far from the food which is saying a lot because you should never be that far. We must have come on a crazy busy night because they had two employees designated for seating people. That's great and all, but oh my gosh, these people were stressed out and rushing! The young lady who was in charge kept running around talking into her little mic. She looked tired, hustled, and never walked calmly or smiled, she just ran around taking people to tables. I appreciated her quickness, but it made dinner kind of awkward because she ran by our table like more than 10 times! It made the whole dining experience feel very rushed. Next, the soup. Can't go wrong with the soup. Oh but you can! The clam chowder was lukewarm. I hate lukewarm soup--it's so wrong. Soup should be HOT and steaming! Not cold. I let the chef know and they apologized and said they'd re-heat it or add hot water below, but it didn't happen, so I was sad. Red Velvet Cake = Yuck. Tasted like buttered popcorn. No blueberry muffins, but they did have chocolate chip muffins which were good. Ran out of honey butter. Noooo! Overall, not happy with this experience. I'll definitely be heading back to the garden grove location.
(2)
Will M.
Souplantation or Sweet Tomatoes in the South is an all you can eat salad/soup/breads bar. Nothing to get too excited about. I frequent the location in Lakewood a few times a year. The place can get very busy during dinner hours. The salad bar is always fully stocked with lots of options. The soups (typically 8) are all ok. The bakery area is pretty awful. they are supposed to have an assortment of flat breads, muffins, and a desert of the month. I can honestly say every singly time I go they are out of a 'fresh baked item' and you have to wait 10 min +. To me this is unacceptable. You are a buffet, it cant be that hard. I give em 3 stars. The food is catered to meet the general publics palate. Its almost bland. Any salad or soup with meat is like trying to find a needle in a haystack to find said meat. Ill go back but I'm not in a big rush.
(3)
Virginia H.
My boyfriend and I tried this place a few months ago. The salads were delicious and we were feeling pretty excited about finding a possible place to take his family. So we decided to move on to trying the soups. Bad decision. I'm not sure about the rest but the noodle soup was tasteless. I thought soup was supposed to be the specialty? Maybe other locations know how to make it? Fine, I went on to try the Mac n Cheese. I don't mind a non creamy sauce for the pasta and I have tried this in low calorie form before, but this wasn't very appetitizing. So I moved on to dessert. The chocolate cake dish taste like it was diet, the chocolate muffin was merely editable enough to finish, and the ice cream was the most watered down soft serve I've ever had. I'd rather get a bowl of soup some place else, regardless of how unhealthy it is. Aside from the salad and wonderful staff, I was extremely disappointed.
(2)
Cathy N.
I don't know what beats a decent buffet. Such a bang for your buck! This particular restaurant was pretty clean, and continued to stay well-stocked. The servers and bussers were always on high alert, so our table never became to overcrowded with dirty dishes. I loooove their variety of cornbreads and soups. Having the variety is so much fun. Parking is plentiful, as the restaurant is on the Lakewood Mall property. We came on a Sunday night around 7pm, and there wasn't much of a line. Wooh! I'll be back if/when I'm in the area, and craving more than one type of food :)
(4)
Marlena B.
Been coming here since I was a kid. Love this place, I come here almost every Sunday after mass. Their soups, salads and pastries are delicious & guilt free! I'm actually considering hosting my wedding reception at this place ... Whenever that'll happen
(5)
Benny S.
We've all been here before the food is decent I just like creating my own salads. This trip was different they had chicken and wild rice and it was delicious it's should remain as a permanent item
(3)
Heather N.
Although the salad bar itself had a great and tasty selection, I was disappointed in the other offerings. There was only two pasta offerings and they didn't really have any flavor--Kraft Macaroni & Cheese tastes better than the Mac & Cheese they were offering. I also was disappointed that the only hand sanitizing station was by the front door. I would have liked to have seen a sanitizing station by the other food selections or in the dining room (everyone has their hands all over the serving utensils so there is potential for picking up a lot of germs). Both the drink station and the ice cream stations were dirty and there was no ice for the fountain drinks. The ice cream and the chocolate molten lava cake didn't have any flavor--it was like eating mushy card board!
(2)
Ricardo A.
I always wanted to try this place so after 3 years from when I first heard of this place I gave it a shot. This place was so confusing from the beginning I felt like a animal let loose in a barn with a lot of trofts with a bunch of confused cows the soups were room temperature the pastas bland the salads were ok . The only thing that was good was the chocolate cake with ice cream but then again how can you mess up dessert anywAy I asked the cashier if the soups are supposed to be room temperature or hot she said there suppose to be hot but did nothing about it. Definitely I won't be coming back.
(1)
Monica M.
No no no. This place is way overpriced and for what? Some salad and a few soups? I was excited to come here because I figured there would be a lot of variety but this place was a huge disappointment. They didn't even have pizza like they used to. I honestly felt like I was ripped off. I could've paid less than half the price elsewhere to eat a salad and been more satisfied. Another thing that irked me was this place is so loud. That's not necessarily the restaurant's fault, but I couldn't think or hear myself talk. Overall just bad experience.
(2)
Demee M.
Always clean and fresh when I come in here. Im a frequent, I always get my salad and soup Togo, and lately I have been noticing that souplantation has been catering to the vegetarian and vegan community! Which I just appreciate so much! I'm a vegan, so it makes it more exciting to see what they have each time I go. It would be super awesome if they had a vegan dressing as well! All of it is so fresh and great, definitely always coming back for more yumminess
(5)
Rodney P.
Good food. Plenty of options. Fast and friendly staff. The COFFEE is exceptional here!
(5)
Karina V.
Came here last night for dinner around 9:30, everything was great until 10 min. in one of the waiters kept loudly saying how tired she was and how it was almost time to go home. We had just about finished our salad and we were told to hurry and get our food before it was put away. Never before had I been rushed out of one of these restaurants just because it was almost 10pm. From my understanding the closing time of a restaurant is the time that new customers are not allowed inside, not the time to tell people who are still eating that they need to speed it up. I'm very unhappy with the overall service last night, I will have to drive to a different location.
(3)
Amy L.
Always great food and great customer service. Michael, the waiter (not sure his title), is quick to get anything you need. He's there after 6p.. The only other one we experienced was pretty good, but not as good as Michael.
(5)
Steph T.
Never a long wait to get seated. Their soups are maintained to perfection and the staff at this location does a wonderful job of re-stocking all items as soon as portions run low
(5)
Lesly R.
Couldn't get enough of their Asian Ginger Broth and finally they put out the Apple cinnamon glutn free muffins. They are so good.
(4)
Miguel A.
This place is good and healthy selections as we'll staff are nice location is great there chili Beans and pizza are super.
(5)
Chelsea C.
Really love the food here. It has veggies drenched in dressing for those who don't like salads all that much and soups that are so deliciously warm. It also has pretty fresh vegetables so you can make your own salad. So yummy, I'm a fan.
(4)
Angie A.
I think Souplantation is pretty underrated. They have a huge salad bar and if you use a coupon the lunch is only $8! I am not a huge fan of the soups and pasta but occasionally try what they have out. The pizza and foccacia is not half bad for a buffet, and they have these delicious chia berry muffins! I come once or twice a month and the employees are usually pretty friendly too.
(4)
Juanmanuel F.
Can never get enough of this place.....however....they need to clean tables and take of care of business faster as people come here faster than speedy Gonzalez! Lol
(4)
J. T.
I always come to this location. Its very fresh and love the soups. Service is friendly. Everything is good except the fact that they are so strict w coupons. If its expired by one day they wont tk it. Other locations are more lenient. Esp when i signed up w them. O well.
(4)
Kristi H.
I'm upset the Chinese chicken salad no longer comes with chicken in it. It's just a Chinese salad. Also the muffins are much smaller. I used to love this place and I worked at this location many moons ago, but I'm good if I never eat here again.
(1)
Moses P.
This is the best souplantation I've been too so far really clean I came at the right time it was empty so I felt really special . The soups were great and the desert muffins and cake were good too I recommended this place.
(4)
Chloe C.
Souplantation is good every damn time! The lettuce and veggies for the salad are always crisp. The soup is always hot and plentiful. If the run out of something it is replaced within minutes. It is not your typical buffet. There is so much to choose from! Me and my daughter love coming here because there is so many different things to eat. I do not know the managers name but he is always very lovely.
(5)
Jeff P.
This is a well kept and clean Souplantation. Never had any trouble using coupons here either, even with a large group. The staff are attentive and clean up used plates quickly and efficiently. Also, all the soup and salad are promptly restocked and always seem to be available. My favorites at souplanation: chicken noodle soup, cornbread w/ honey whipped butter, and of course the blueberry muffins. The salad is totally customizable so that's always good as well. I sign up for their weekly emails so I always have coupons. The price has gone up over the years, but the food is still great.
(4)
Yaya C.
I went there once with my friends, i am not a vegetarian but one of my friends was a vegetarian. So i was like okay, let me try foods from that place. everything mostly is vegetables, so i tried salads, it was okay but i didn't like much,so i mostly ate pizza. After that day, I am not going there again because that place is not my favorite. But i think maybe it is a good place for a vegetarian because my friends alway went there. So you might give a try if you are a vegetarian.
(2)
Brian F.
My favorite place to get lunch when I'm hungry but feel kinda fat already. I just let the salad and soup do the talking. This location is well kept. Employees are friendly. The line moves fast (except on the weekends). The food is delicious and constantly updated. Aside from the usual salad, I like to pick through the line. My favorite food in the whole dang building is the Tuna Tarragon. It's amazing and I usually take a whole plate of it. DELICIOUS. Their salads are always spot on and made in front of you if you're lucky enough to be there when one is empty. Fresh ingredients are always used. Then my other favorite - the Chicken Noodle Soup. It's great. Needs lots of salt, but I'm assuming they make it blander for the wide variety of clientele spanning the centuries (or decades) lol. Lastly, they are a Coca-Cola serving company. They have my respect. Even moreso, they have Cherry Coke. Rare and delicious.
(4)
Misaki T.
Horrible. I wish there is "no star" or negative star option. Found a dead fly in the chicken noodle soup while eating it. Spoke to manager about it and asked her to empty the whole chicken noodle soup..in order to save other customers from eating the FLY soup.....(most likely many people ate the same soup..since the soup pot was already half empty when i was getting it...) The soup was replaced soon but the manager did not apologized about it. Only thing she said was OMG..Very disappointed with food quality and the service. Never ever going back to the FLYplantation again..
(1)
Niki W.
I feel like it's only been a couple months or so since I was last here, but they've definitely improved the place! The exterior appears to have gotten a little bit of a face lift, and as soon as you walk in you can see big changes. The trays, plates, silverware, and glasses are all new. There are new tables and a new layout as well. Even small things seem to have gotten a nice update! I've always enjoyed soup plantation, but it's even better now. & I know the menu is always changing, but it definitely seems it has been improved as well! Yum yum yum!
(4)
Jay L.
Salad is great! Soup is a 9.0/10 The bread is great! I just love how dynamic this place is! Clam Chowder is muy deliciouso! Their chocolate mousse is pretty good but after 10 spoons it'll start to taste bitter since it is sugar free. The garlic flatbread thing they have is really good too with their butter whips! They have a ton of dressings and condiments, theres about 6 soups to choose from, they have macaroni and cheese and pasta and little ice cream so cute! I used to think? A buffet of salads? Haaaail no sister, this place offers more and you'll leave with a great chance of waning to go back for more! $9 lunch! This place is soooo worth trying!!!!
(5)
Kevin B.
This was the last dining experience, the "last hurrah" with a few Japanese guys before they board a plane back to Japan today. As with other groups I've played tour guide to, these guys liked meat (beef), but they also leaned toward eating more salad and veggies, so I thought this was a very good option. Souplantation is not the fancy, gourmet dining experience many of you look for by any means, hell it's a buffet after all! But being salad and soup, at least it's generally healthy, right? Souplantation is also a double edged sword of sorts. I enjoy coming here on occasion because eating all the salads & veggies makes me think I'm eating healthy. But I also don't like coming here often, because as an all-you-can-buffet, I always eat too much. The guys REALLY enjoyed the numerous salad options, as well as discovering new flavors in the 7 or 8 different soups offered, fresh baked muffins, corn bread, etc. There are always 3 different hot pastas available too, but most of the time, two of the three are pretty flavorless. The mac n cheese for example LOOKS like mac n cheese, but the flavor is watered down and bland. I always add some of the available shredded cheddar cheese to the mac and melt it in for a 75% improvement in flavor. Souplantation has a featured ingredient or flavor each month and this month must have been strawberries. They had a "strawberry delight" salad with strawberries in it, as well as muffins, lemonade, etc. SERVICE: Being a buffet it's pretty much a "serve yourself" deal. But there are a lot of friendly and helpful staff wondering around picking up your empty dishes, clean tables and occasionally refilling your drinks for you too. OVERALL: Yes it's a buffet and I always eat too much, but at least it's soup and salad. The salad ingredients are always fresh and the soups, muffins, etc are all fresh made in house too. 3.5 stars rounded up.
(4)
Alan S.
As good as it gets for the price and healthy (sit down / buffet ) restaurant. This place has yet to let me down since 2001. Always clean, amazing service, the food is always good and the lines are not that bad. If you go on a friday, get there before 5pm though.
(5)
Angie G.
I always come here with friends , family or both. The food is always fresh and the restaurant is always so clean and organized! The staff always makes small talk today we were taken care of by frutoi s. (I know because I asked his name) major props to him I was impressed by how he was able to multitask and still deliver great customer service. I don't know if he was the manager but he had great confidence that was contagious :) yey for a nice souplantation! !!
(5)
Jay H.
Went for lunch today. Just what I expected. All the salads were fresh and well stocked. Soups were hot and the muffins and breads were fresh and hot. Well managed store with efficient service. Very healthy and fast.
(4)
Tristan G.
Summary: -Been going here since I was a legitimate baby. A frickin baby! So I am gonna rock the 5 star vote here. -Always has left me satisfied, because of that damned New England Clam Chowder!! -I love the non-traditional buffet style approach that incorporates a more healthy tone than what you are generally used to seeing in a buffet. -Good location. 5 Stars???: I am usually very picky in my handout of a 5 star'er, so bare with me for a minute. This place is a special exception because it has been with me for as long as I can remember. From the time my bum was placed into a high chair to the time I paid for my family's dinner as a grown man, I have continuously come back to this place. This location is clean and keeps the food stocked until late into the night. The staff has treated my family well over the years and I think as far as this kind of place goes it is a solid and legitimate pick. I find it to be a comforting family setting where I can be allowed to be leisurely and waste my time. I have in recent years found other Souplantations and eaten there. I have yet to eat at one I did not approve of. This place is my favorite buffet, and if I want to have a no-constraint dinner and not feel too bad/unhealthy after eating then this is where I go. If salad, soup, and awesome bread is your thing, come here. -Tristan
(5)
Ryan H.
Really like the new layout and changes they made! Food was great and service is always top notch!
(4)
Olja P.
Before I start a review I would like to say this is sort of positive experience for me. ...but..I'm pretty sure I wont be going back to this place....unless I need a master cleanse again. I would highly recommend chicken noodle if you need to lose weigh...fast. We used to go to other locations and decided to try this one since it's in our new neighborhood. My husband loves thousand island dressing which they didn't have that day. I had a big plate of salad and chicken noodle soup. I tasted soup and right off the bat I know this that it was luke warm (not hot) and had a sour taste. I thought maybe because I still had some salad in my mouth so I took another spoonful to make sure. Sure enough, it tasted different so I didn't eat it anymore of it. We were going grocery shopping after that to which we never made it.15- 20 minutes after Souplantation my stomach started growling and rumbling and soon I started feeling bloated and cramps beyond my nightmare and urge to go to bathroom. Chicken noodle MASTER cleanse. It went on for hours. I guess we should always find positive in negative situation which is in my case I get to wear my old jeans now( 2 sizes smaller). Rewind to when we got home and when I was stuck in the bathroom I told husband to call the Souplantation and tell them how thankful I am for the fast weigh loss the day before my trip to Vegas . I would give this place a 5 star for quick weight loss but only because manager refuse to take credit for that I take away 3 star.
(2)
Rosie S.
I love it here great service love the whole place the salads that are pre made are to die for I love making my own salads
(5)
Griselda V.
So this was my first time coming here and I was not impressed. First of all I didn't know that it was a buffet and there was no one tht I could asked questions to when I walked in the door. You basically walked in and had to guide yourself to the salad bar and then get trapped on to purchasing your meal. You would think tht this place would be with many different varieties of soups because of the name, but sadly it wasn't. There was not a big selection of soups. The choices they had were not all that great except for the albondigas locas. That was probably my only favorite. And the other thing that was pretty delicious was the horchata muffin since I'm a horchata fanatic! Other than that I would most likely not come back.
(2)
Ophelia N.
Lovely array of food with ever changing regulars, this Souplantation is a common favorite of ours! The staff is super friendly here and the place is kept very clean. I'm so full though, thank you/darn you Souplantation!
(4)
Carla Lee H.
I love this SP location. The managers (as they are at all locations) are very helpful - I came in here with my infant son and young daughter and the manager rushed over to help me carry my tray and find me a table that could accommodate my stroller. And, the girls that "work the floor" here are awesome. I have been to other locations where they won't fill your drinks and some times they don't ever stop at your table beyond the initial hello, but here they kept stopping by the table to make sure we were okay, offering to refill our drinks, and kept clearing our plates as soon as we were done with them. The food was good and fresh - My favorite thing was the CAULIFLOWER soup. I know how that sounds, but trust me it was ridiculously delicious. The vanilla soft serve here was not good the last time that I went (but, the chocolate was... and the vanilla has previously been good, so maybe it was an off day). Oh, and the brownie muffins (or whatever they are called) actually have GOOEY, melty chocolate in them!! (oh-my-I-was-in-heaven). Go getcha self some!
(5)
Eric C.
I'm down for the salads and I'm not so much a fan of the soups. I don't like super busy places nor do I enjoy eating at large businesses that have to wash their plates, forks, spoons, and cups in bulk -- I'm a little bit of a germophobe. And this is one of those places for me. They did improve their vegetable selections for their salads which I appreciate. I also like the the fact that there are coupons in the newspaper and online that you can use to make your meal cheaper. In this case, it's worth it. But I don't like the crowds, I'm not a fan of the mess that's all over the place (I know the staff is doing their best though), and I think they could use a little bit more selection. I am a fan of the following and I always get these when I'm here: - cornbread + honey butter - cheese sticks + ranch - apple cobbler + vanilla ice cream in a bowl, when in season I went here last Sunday (04/21/13) with my family and we had about 20 people in our group. I did appreciate the fact that they did their best to reserve a table for us which was nice. Thank you for doing that.
(3)
Lindsay V.
my boyfriend and i ate here today for lunch. it brought back a lot of childhood memories. for me, i would have to say i enjoyed about half of the things i ate. the caesar salad was really good but the asian salad was waaay over dressed, the pizza and cheese bread was good but that brownie was nasty. it didn't seem to have any sugar. i was really disappointed because i love brownies! next, i explored the pasta and soup bar. I grabbed some mac n cheese which is always yummy and some of their lemon pasta with asparagus. my boyfriend and i agreed the lemon pasta was waaay to lemony and kind of cold but there was definitely potential to make that dish a lot better. last, i got some of their soft serve vanilla which has always been my favorite. I'd say this place has a lot of potential.
(3)
Jinny S.
I love souplantation in general so I can't complain. The people working there were nice, the place was clean and the salad bar was well stocked. You can't really get any more exciting when it comes to soup, salad and some mini muffins.
(4)
Erin H.
Came here tonight and experienced a very long wait. I understand it was crowded but I was peeved when the cashier just walked away and didn't come back- no explanation. Eventually the other cashier came over and rang us up. The food tonight was not at its freshest. The tomatoes seemed water logged, the vegetables were not in the least being refilled. The pizza and foccacia looked super greasy. I know it was busy but the food was just off tonight.
(2)
Elijah R.
i have never been disspaointed coming to this location. i find the staff, wait service, servers and every member of the team always up beat, friendly, and willing to go the extra mile for you in regards to service. Huge buff for salads, and fresh ones at that. Never came across anything that would make us leave and have frequented this place for quite a while. I will contintue to return Cheers
(4)
Senia G.
not sure what to think of this place, when hometown buffet is next door with a Huge Selection Of SALADS. I came here months ago and have never thought about returning. soup and salad :/ We need Meat. lol
(3)
April P.
I end up going to this location due to the convenience from my house. I really enjoy eating at souplantation, but this location doesn't seem to be the cleanest.
(3)
Evelina A.
My boyfriend and I tried souplantations last night for the first time and we had the best experience. Since it was our first time we didn't know what to do first. The lady at the salad bar was super helpful, she explained where to start and when we got to the register the girl there already knew it was our first time so she was very kind as well and she even gave us cookies. The guy at the dessert bar was also really nice, gave suggestions on what to try and offered freshly baked cookies. We tried so many different things but our table was always clean thanks to the busboy that kept coming back to pick up the used bowls. Overall it was a great experience and will definitely go back soon.
(5)
Kristine D.
I'm a fan of Souplantation. Always check online for coupons before you go. My favorite here is the clam chowder, strawberry lemonade, warm cornbread topped with honey butter -- Heaven!
(5)
Jenn H.
Tried to enjoy a Sat. evening with family tonite (6/21/14) 7 pm. The cashier Victoria (TTID# 2268778) apparently was careless & threw my Platinum Visa in the trash. When i asked for it back after the transaction she tried to deny it & was brushing me off; obviously trying to save herself from embarassment because she had a long line. She kept insisting she had given it to me; making me believe I had lost it. Her face changed once I got the manager on duty, Frudo, who was very helpful. He looked all over her work place, inside her register, & finally found it inside the trash of all places. she tried apologizing, but there are NO EXCUSES for carelessness & poor customer service.... its a credit card for crying out loud! Half and hour later I saw her getting an earful....well deserved
(1)
Alice T.
We always love going to this buffet. We never feel groggy after we eat here and can take our time talking. The variety is endless! I like to mix the ice-cream with coffee. A little tip is that there are bacon bits for the baked potatoes and soups. You will have to personally ask the soup chef behind this counter. Sundays make sure to beat the crowd before lunch or after 3 or 4. Cheers!
(5)
Jessica M.
The soups and salad bars are awesome. The hard part is staying away from the Breads..... Omg soooo good. For my first time there I thought it was good. Pricey but good. I would go back very soon. :-)
(4)
Brenda C.
I was disappointed with Souplantation because I had been wanting to try it for so long. The aesthetics are really pleasing, and the service very friendly. But a buffet style restaurant is nothing without good food, and a lot of it. There were tons of choices for salads, which was cool. But I was really hungry last night and I was craving a more substantial dinner. Because it is called SOUPlantation, I thought there would be more soup choices. There weren't that many. And they looked so unappetizing. For the fruit choices they only had apples. At the bakery they had some delicious things set up (like brownies, and blueberry muffins) but I didn't pay to only eat bread or dessert. My plate had an apple, an apple cinnamon bun, a strawberry lemonade, and some Mac N Cheese (YES THE MAC AND CHEESE WAS DELICIOUS.) It was the weirdest meal I've had....I hope you guys understand that after paying almost $30 for two people, I was not happy with the outcome. I just don't see the point of paying for all you can eat if there's hardly anything to eat. Rabbit food doesn't count.
(3)
Andrew P.
This place is amazing! I know a lot of people who don't think of Souplantation as a place to typically eat at and even of some people who think it's gross but that is not the case at all! You cannot beat the prices at this place. I had a coupon and was able to eat as much as I wanted for under $9. They have a great variety of food and it's always fresh. The seating can be a little compact but I never factor that in considering how great of a deal this place is. You can eat extremely healthy or not... It's not only just soups and salads and some people might think. Great place, great food, great price.
(4)
Paul S.
Clean location always a lot of people eating there probably because there's not enough location nearby empty plates were rarely taken out because lack of waiters around I just seen 2 of them handling the whole location during my visit manager was busy sweeping the floor :( should have gone around checking for empty trays and plates on the table helping the other waiters since there's just 2 at that time.
(3)
V C.
I didn't care for the food I chose from the buffet but I loved the soup.. The manager gave me a full refund even though I still ate the soup.. Although I personally did not care for the food and the service was so good that I'll never buy clam chowder anywhere else again!!! Great customer service!! Sergio.. Thank you!
(5)
MJ M.
I really love that they have alternating selections of food from time to time. Their promos are okay. Sometimes, I feel like they force you to purchase drinks with those coupons when all you really want is just a glass of ice, cold water! grrrr! :( PS. They definitely need to add hot/cold chocolate milk (in lowfat, nonfat and soy milk) to their drink menu! Some us don't drink sodas and coffee, yah know!
(4)
Candy R.
Awesome salad and soup selection. The service was good and the staff was friendly. This restaurant looks clean and well kept.
(3)
Xo T.
Love this place. Always has great service and fresh salad with a variety of decent soups.
(4)
Vee P.
Great place for warm and comforting food! Service is excellent. Soup always hot. Quick n simple eating. Grab a plate and serve yourself -- buffet style. P.S. They have neverending mini (very mini) ice cream cones which is super cool and quirky about this place. I always look forward to coming back.
(5)
Natalie P.
I LOVE Souplantation, but I would probably love it more if it wasn't so crazy packed (okay, I go on Sundays, that's MY bad, I know) and didn't have ghetto people trying to reprimand you 'cause you're accidentally blocking the way 'cause you're trying to get pizza bread and you're not aware of them behind you, and then they act all shocked when they say aloud "Some people are so rude" and you fire back at them "I didn't see you, okaaayyyy!!". B*tch don't try to compete with the big mouth competition 'cause I will win, always!!! So with that being said, it's a decent Souplantation, but I have no room to compare, because I have not been to any other one. I must make that a goal for 2014. Be prepared to throw down over pizza bread, and to wait half an hour to go through the line, 'cause people can't decide if they want broccoli or the tuna salad .
(3)
J P.
I could write pages about how wonderful this restaurant is. Basically, the food is terrific, the value for money cannot be beaten and the staff is very friendly and welcoming. The only reason I don't eat here too often is that the food is so good, I always eat too much!
(5)
Leslie N.
Honestly, I didn't really like any of the soups besides clam chowder. Everything was either too salty or too bland for me but I LOVE the salad bar! There are premade salads or you can make your own salad. There are so many different toppings, sauces, and types of greens to choose from! I go JUST for the salad bar! I also really like their corn bread and biscuits too especially with their honey whip! Their honey whip makes everything taste so good! We also got a complimentary bag of cookies because we were first timers [: Pasta's and muffins were just okay. But I'm a big fan of salad so I'll probably come back sometime. They usually have coupons/deals online so look it up before you go! Current one is only $7.29 per person during lunch! garden-fresh.s3.amazonaw…
(3)
Joseph P.
They seriously need to check their utencils and dishes as well as their soup bowl. Foods still stick in the dishes and bowl. Most of them are like that and so dirty. And specially this place... when you go here during the weekday lunch table is way too dark. Their management seirously need to take care of there problem.
(2)
Kim O.
Always good for a good dinner. Been here a few times and their clam chowder is delicious! Their Irish Basil soup would be my second option. Overall, I enjoy this good healthy buffet style when I want to eat out but not get anything greasy.
(5)
Kathy A.
I love this place's salad options (very fresh ingredients) and their lemonades are really good too. The soups are lacking in favor and variety although the clam chowder is pretty good. I know that this place is promoting health but they could have a better fresh fruit bar. The bakery department is always freshly baked. I especially like their cornbread. My nephew enjoyed this place and kids eat extremely cheap. I am giving this place a 3.5 but only because they can improve on the soups and deserts.
(3)
Nathan F.
So we've been coming to Souplantation for years. We're part of Club Veg (sign up and get coupons for your next visit) and enjoy the buffet style eatery they provide. This evening we were enjoying dinner when, after finishing our first trays, we left for seconds. While our "I'll be ripe back" placard was placed prominently on the table we returned to find our table spotless with a cleaning towel atop. Immediately, I spotted the manager of this establishment and spoke with him as it pertained to the situation. Apologizing for ordeal, he handed me two glasses without hesitation. Two glasses for any beverage! Score! Upon sitting the waitress who mistakenly cleaned our table brought us a bag of cookies and also apologized for the misunderstanding. This is a bag of cookies that retails people! For us, loyal Souplantation customers, this was service. Above and beyond what we expected to receive. In a time where corporations are losing identities to turn profit for shareholders, Souplantation has managed to retain their customer base with absolute service. Thank you!
(5)
Jaye H.
I love Souplantation and up until about two years ago I didn't even know they existed. I love their salads and soups, but this time around I wasn't too pleased with the selection. The best thing I ate was the mac and cheese and their blueberry muffins that I covered in honey butter lol
(4)
Sam T.
This has always been on top of their game, clean , efficient and nice. Always pleased when I come back.
(5)
Eric T.
chocolate chip cookie bars! +1 spaghetti with sausage and tomatoes! +1 oranges! +1 vegetable medley! +1
(4)
Tom R.
Salad bar was excellent. Well laid out with many items to build on. Everything was fresh & well laid out. Wide varieties of salad dressings including fat free to choose from. Clam chowder excellent along with the chile. Many choices of soups to choose from. Restraunt very clean, except restroom needed cleaning. Associates very friendly.
(4)
Al C.
i haven't been to Soup Plantation in years. I was trying to get away from burgers and stuff but this place made me want to rush right back to Big mac. First off the place smelled like an old wet mop. Someone did a bad job at attempting to clean the place cuz the smell was killin me. Now as for the food, I think I could have bought the ingredients for my meal for much cheaper. Thing I wish i had for my salad that would seem normal: eggs (not crumbs, hsrdboiled and sliced), meat, you know some chicken, turkey, or ham. Am I asking too much? how about some pepper on my table? Hey, stop being so skimpy on the ice cream goodies. The caramel topping dispenser was empty and I didn't see any strawberry topping. What? No sprinkles? For what it's worth, it wasn't worth it and the booths are friggin tiny. There is all the parking in the world because of the location near the mall. I can say I won't be back ever.
(2)
Martha M.
I find it hard to believe anyone gives this location anything higher than three stars. Unfortunately, it is in bad shape! I haven't been there in a while because it's just so dirty! although I love the idea of a healthy buffet and some of their items are unique and tasty (like their blueberry muffins) I just couldn't get past the state of the establishment, and (unfortunately) I stopped going. I even unsubscribed from their e-mail list, from which I would usually receive great coupons. Souplantation in Lakewood is in dire need of a major overhaul, remodel, or steam cleaning...otherwise, I won't be returning any time soon :(
(2)
Mark C.
It's pretty awesome to see a restaurant just dedicated to soup, but this place had some severe diminishing returns on my taste buds. I felt that the chicken noodle soup was terrible. The other soup items such as the tomato basil and clam chowder were pretty good. But the more I ate, the more it seemed as if the quality of the soup diminished greatly. At the end of the day, Soup Plantation is as average as a veritable plethora of buffets out there.
(3)
Erin V.
Around the World in 8 weeks Aug 1st to Sept 28, not bad. It's still yet to be determined if I got sick from this place or from Creme de la Crepe. But whatever it was it hit me good. I came here last Sunday as wifey was excited about their special options. It was Asian themed this week. Overall, I would say my experience with Souplantation is A-OK. I can't really say I'm a fan but I do every once in a blue moon will come here. I suppose it's the AYCE- tag behind it, I'm not a buffet or much of an AYCE person anymore. What I can say about Souplantation is when they have their Asian week, wifey is excited and I'm excited for her because she is able to have more options when it comes to soup. In this round I actually had more than 1 cup of soup. I had their smoked pinto bean soup. It came with rice, pinto beans and some vegetables. It was really good to my surprise. Usually the food here is bland to the taste just so it can cover the basic palate; but with a little doctoring of my own my soup was decent. I love their blueberry muffins so I know I'll definitely be back.
(3)
Matt E.
It took me a few visits to warm up to Souplantation. My first experience was during a very busy time of the day...feeling like cattle lead down the line of a feeding through. It was loud and I felt rushed as people behind me in line were violating my space by nearly bumping my arms aimed at getting to what they wanted right then and there. Salad bars are a wonderful thing, but when you're forced to line up with impatient hungry people, it can be a frustrating experience. I am more in tune with Northern California's Fresh Choice chain, where you pay...sit down and then go to the free flowing salad / soup / bread bar. Since that first visit I was avoiding this place. But on a day where the temps hit close to 90 degrees in Long Beach, a nice cold salad sounded really good to the wife and I...and being how it's hard to find a good and varied salad bar anymore, I decided to give the 'plantation another shot. Rather than a crowded mess, the place was not too busy...but also not dead either. A nice flow. The key to getting a good experience is to get here at a time when it's not packed. Weekends are almost a guarantee to find a crowd, but I've had luck coming here during the week, around 5:30 PM - 6:00 PM. Then again, if you like standing in lines with a large crowd, you should be good. The food itself is pretty good, especially for the price. Never had an issue with service - especially on point are their table servers who are quick to pick up any finished plates and trays. I would only say I really don't like how high the seats are in the booths...for some reason they are rather hard and have little give or sink. For a salad bar, it's quite good.
(4)
Mayco T.
I really love soups and salads and why not a better place than souplantation ?! They have a wide selection of soups daily and they all taste pretty good to me. I always use my coupon when i come so its 6.29 for lunch ! BLUE BERRY MUFFINS AND BANANA NUT TOP is the BEST HERE ! 4 stars.
(4)
Nicole U.
Souplantation was already tasty and now they made it better by adding a premium topping section that is filled with bluecheese crumbles and mounds of chicken. Oh and they accept coupons!
(4)
Eddie O.
Most of the time this place favors well ... But NOT this time . Crowds can be large at times . But today we went to try this Month's FLAVOR - Thai. Well ... Tried the " THAI SHRIMP UDON NOODLE SOUP " . One word - DISGUSTING !!!!!!!!!!! It had a strange smell from the kettle , but i proceded to grap a cup full. Big mistake , i usually try the broth of any soup before i DIVE IN . That was a smart thing . One sip of the broth had a HORRENDOUS PUTRID TASTE. I have NEVER tasted anything so disgusting. When the server came by to get the plates , he seen my bowl of soup still filled and said he KNEW why i had not eaten it. He was smiling and agreeing that it did not look to good or SMELLED right. Are you kidding ?! He actually knew about it , so we both chuckled about leaving a review . So be aware of this . Bon Appetite !
(2)
Irene L.
I go to souplantation on a normal basis. I have been to the Garden Grove location and the Fullerton location as well and the Lakewood location is by far the best! Their pizza sticks (sorry, idk what it's originally called) are sooo delicious! Ooey gooey with melting cheese....they make the best pizza sticks. Their salad is also fresh and the soups are steaming hot and tastes so good! I'm always completely head over heels satisfied with this location. This is by far the best location I've been to. And I will definitely be coming back :) Next time I will post pictures
(5)
Gail F.
Their salad bar is great! Their Sunday brunch is God awful! Lousy, cheap, low quality breakfast dishes! Sticking to the salad bar!
(3)
Matthew P.
Girlfriend had a craving for some salad the other day, so we went to souplantation. Ive never been this, so this was all new to me. When you walk in, you go straight to the salad bar, where you grab a plate and fill it up. They have lots of different choices, i would say around 20 if i were to estimate it. I'm not big on salads but was able to make an interesting plate with all the choices. It kinda sucks because you have to wait in a line, as you go down the salad bar, so if the person in front of you is slow, you end up just standing there. You can only come to the salad bar once. Once you get that completed you pay, then are seated. We sat down, and i started eating my salad. Killed the salad, which turned out pretty good. From there, i got up and went to get some soup. With a name like SOUPLANTATION, i was expecting a larger variety of soups. I was quite disappointed when i actually saw the selection. There was only about 5 difference soups, but they also had a few different pastas, and beards. I was not impressed by the clam chowder. i mean it was good, and i enjoyed it but it was nothing special. I also got the Broccoli Cheddar Soup. That was pretty good, ate that with some cheese bread. Tried out the mushroom soup but ended up not liking it at all. Dessert was bomb! enjoyed that part haha. Still i would back, whenever im in the mood.
(3)
Lee A.
There was a time when I looked forward to Souplantation, a time long ago when it was a treat to have unlimited scrumptious soup options, breads and other goodies, as well as a well-constructed salad and reasonable pricing. To fill myself on liquid warmth and feel whole for a few hours. That dream crashed and burned in many unrecognizable pieces that would require a team of NTSB agents several months of painstakingly long diagrams and piecing together in a warehouse to figure out what it had been. Maybe they'll find my black box somewhere in the middle of the dressing ladles. Maybe it was a product of dinner time, but many of the fixin's for the salad bar were empty or lacking. There were a few spills. It had been a rainy day, and some odd colored questionable liquid dripped from the ceiling into an empty bin mid-bar. And once, dripped onto my tray because there was no sign warning against the ceiling leak. The salad left much to be desired. The pricing for dinner was a bit up there, for Souplantation, but I was hungry and dammit, I wanted soup. So we pressed on, to our seating and returned to load up on other foodstuffs. The soups were subpar. Several soups that should have been of a creamy nature were watered down or otherwise filled in with a very palatable flour mixture. The Mac & Cheese was bland. The pizza mediocre at best. The potato leek soup tasted vaguely of some sort of vegetable stock, but of nothing else. Their remote saving grace was the corn bread and the honey butter, but even then that was a barely passable bread. The men's bathroom was atrocious. Ominous puddles of water/pee/whatever swirled around the toilets, the smell of pee very strong, and at least one stall was dangerously low on toilet paper. I only fear what the ladies had to suffer in theirs. But, I guess, the fake flowers near the sink was the saving factor of the bathroom. All of the staff, however, was very nice, efficient and courteous. I applaud them. Now, someone fix the food. And the bathrooms.
(2)
Kent M.
It is what it is. Cheap buffet-style salad bar that's relatively fresh. A place where you can tell people that stuffing yourself is ok because it's vegetables, thereby ensuring that you're still on your diet. Meanwhile, you can gorge on fatty soups, carb-filled bread, and all the froyo you want. I love it.
(5)
Coy T.
I love this place! Don't know why it's only 3 stars. My father comes here at least 1-2 times a week! Very friendly staff and prompt table/plate clearing! Tip generously. They work very hard clearing plates/tables multiple times. Everything tastes great and fresh that's vegetarian at least, as I am. TIP: Please don't get more than what you know you can't finish. Such a waste! So easy to just grab another plate and go for more.
(5)
Lana D.
The salad bar is great. All the veggies are nice and fresh and well divided for those in fear of cross-contamination. They have a wide range of dressings and toppings, everything to make a delicious salad plate. I'm not all too taken by the soups, but the baked potato and the baked sweet potato always gets my attention. The fresh fruits add to a nice, and healthy meal.
(3)
Argie M.
came here because someone gave me a gift card lol to much breads and carbs not enough proteins pasta bread soup bread bread bread !!!
(2)
Rob A.
This Souplanation is pretty good. It can get crowded on the weekends especially Sunday afternoon. You have to give the staff credit because they keep things moving. The way the main salad bar is set up with the workers in between is a nice system. It allows them to tidy up and keep the various bowls of goodies full and fresh without getting in the customer's way. And you know how customers don't like people in their way. Not when their hungry. Oh and they now have small signs asking you to NOT eat while at the salad bar. Imagine. The seating is comfortable enough and the atmosphere is pleasant but on the noisy side. That's to be expected and it doesn't detract from your healthy experiences. Now salad doesn't always mean healthy. They do have some nice soups to choose from and a hot section of fresh baked stuff. They do a good job with baked potatoes. Somehow their potatoes are always cooked just right and stay nice and hot. I stay away from the ice cream area so really can't comment on that. I've seen it get sloppy when kids get wound up, but again the staff takes care of it in short order. Overall, clean and satisfying.
(3)
Silvia A.
This is not the best location. They are sloppy with the food and everything is dirty from the forks to the tables. The staff is great but I come for the food and that wasn't good
(2)
Chris M.
I love the French toast here on Sundays!!! The service is good and it is pretty calm until the lunch crowd arrived!
(5)
Walter T.
Lots of vegetables/salads, several kind of soups, pizza and a few desserts. Nice "vegetarian" buffet, nothing outstanding. Very clean place and very good service.
(3)
DK I.
great soups and salads, the breads are good as well..best thing about it is all you can eat but definitely not for meatlovers..but everything is good and try their clam chowder its so good..
(4)
Felicia L.
I've been eating too much fatty food and gained some weight. I saw a coupon from my junk mail and thought I could re-visit an old favorite of mine, Lakewood this time. You get your salad first, see salad toppings that cost extra (really, Souplantation? You couldn't make the chicken pieces a part of the buffet deal? Are you that vegetarian of a buffet? but bacon is free?), a variety of soup, pasta, a baked good section (bread, muffins, pizza, potatoes, not magic but healthy brownies), and a ice cream station. I don't know why, but the layout sucks here. The entryway thorugh the salad bar is like a maze, and I hate the layout of the soup, pasta, baked goods, and ice cream area; It's like a mini food court, and very little space in between the sub-sections. How can you make an orderly line? Makes for a very messy and disorganized crowd. But hey! I like their variety of teas! The apricot iced tea was good, even un-sweetened. That was the highlight of my meal. I used to like the food when I was a kid. It's just too healthy now.. Thank you Yelp for letting me experience such high quality yet high fattening sorts of food. Probably won't go back and stay the fatass that I truly am.
(2)
Amanda M.
Great place to take young kids since you don't have to wait for the food and picky eaters can try a little bit of everything. I'm vegetarian and it is nice to start off with the biggest salad in the world before you indulge in all the sugar that awaits you. The service here is really great.
(5)
Phil B.
I miss this place I use to love going here until we moved: but when I am in the area we stop by: Veg club great price friendly staff great soup fresh salads yummy bread what's not to love ?
(4)
Mimi C.
There is some obvious no-lovin' for this Souplantation! Well, have no fear, Mimi C is here! =^.^= Souplantation here works because it's so close to Long Beach Airport. After sitting in a plane for awhile, sometimes all you want is something a little healthy. The sitting area is not the most easy to navigate but it's not rocket science. We came just under an hour before closing time and items were still being made. =) All in all.. enjoyable experience. When I worked / lived around here my coworkers and I would come here for lunch. It's easy to get to and has plenty of parking. ... if you don't have the promo coupon -- go across the street to Starbucks for wi-fi and d/l the promo coupon... unless you have a smart phone hahah. :P
(4)
Lily A.
So I love souplantation...I really do...but last time I came to this particular Souplantation, I was so disappointed. Sure it was a little late, but the place still wasn't going to close for about an hour or so. The food of course was the same...always excellent. But what made me take off two stars??? They had a gigantic cookie that was cut up...I saw it and thought, "I'm definitely going to save room for dessert" Then when I was ready for dessert, they had no more cookie, just the crumbs. I asked if they were going to put out a new one, the baker said NO. Ouch. minus 1 star. The was no more soft serve vanilla flavor...and they weren't going to make some more. And when I reached to grab a little ice cream bowl, it was all sticky and dirty. Ewwww. Minus 1 star!
(2)
Monkey T.
After working out or swearing to a healthier lifestyle, this is a great place to pig out on soup and salad! ...and then ruin all hope by constructing your own unique version of a brownie sundae. Monkey loves the WON TON CHICKEN SALAD. Breads can be irresistible if you look long enough. Awesome CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP. Chili has been better in the past. Having been to other versions of this restaurant, Souplantation remains tops.
(3)
Andrea P.
I've been signed up to their promotions and we FINALLY decided to go. I took my mom and we were hoping for a healthier alternative. We totally found it! TIP #1: Grab your tray and plate FIRST. Load up with food, and THEN PAY. It may seem like an awkward entrance when you're not too sure what to do first. We used the $18 coupon for 2 meals plus 2 drinks and boy were FULL at the end of the day. Beware though, if you're in the mood for meat, you shall not find it here. It's a SOUP, SALAD, and BREAD place. Everything I tried was absolutely delicious. The tables, the chairs and facilities were clean. It was a pleasure coming here.
(3)
Brian C.
I've always wondered what a father who works as a police officer feels like when he's faced with the decision of protecting his criminal son or turning him in. Now I know. And in this situation, I guess I'm turning him in. For years I've loved Souplantation, like a father loves his son. What's not to love? It's cheap (especially when you use their monthly coupons), the food is wholesome, delicious, and the environment is great for having a comfortable, relaxing meal with some friends. My last meal here, however, changed all that. So we get our salad, pay, and find a table. I immediately start eating my salad, while my lady friend sets down her salad plate and heads to the soup and bread bars to get more food. By the time she finally sits down with all her food, I'm about 75% done with my salad. With her fork in hand, she looks down at her salad, and see's a large, black insect in her romaine lettuce, legs still twitching. She immediately points out the insect, and the rest of our table looks at the creepy crawler in disgust. As we're contorting our facial expressions at the spectacle on her plate, two diners at a nearby table overhear us. One of them chimes in and tells us that HE TOO found an insect in his salad earlier. And then...it hit me. The entire batch of romaine lettuce must have been infested with these critters. I looked down at my salad plate. All the romaine was already inside my belly. I felt sick. At one point I got up from my seat to get some soup, took a few steps and had to sit back down because I felt so sick. We called over the store manager to show her the insect, and she apologized. She came back with a free meal coupon for my lady friend and the diner next to us...and that's it. WHAT ABOUT ME? I'M THE ONE WHO ACTUALLY MIGHT HAVE INGESTED AN INSECT. My lady friend urged me to pester the manager for more free meal coupons, but I decided against it. I'll most likely be coming here a lot less from now on, anyway. Souplantation, my son, you have betrayed me. Cuff him, boys.
(1)
Cici T.
I don't usually review chain restaurants since the their food, decor, and service are usually well established such that diners can decide relatively easily if they'd like to eat there. I'm very grateful for Souplantation, and so this is a little "thank you" to them for being there for me in times of need. The "create your own salad" bar is a reprieve for me from pre-made salads with either too little or too much salad dressing. If you like a particular topping, pile it onto your plate, and if you're simply not a fan of carrots (I love carrots) or any other type of vegetable, by all means skip it and find a tastier veggie counterpart. No restrictions, no rules. I love it! There are always the set soups served like chicken noodle, clam chowder, and deep kettle chili, but every month Souplantation will feature a particular ingredient (like potato, for example) and cook up a storm of potato-filled cream or broth based soups. The pastas were never a draw for me, but those also change monthly as well. The muffins and breads are rather delicious (the stars are the blueberry muffin, the cornbread, and recently the whole-wheat buttermilk biscuits), and there's dessert - soft serve ice cream for the indulgent and sliced fruit for the health conscious. When I've had a meat overloaded day, Souplantation is an excellent option for a larger serving of fiber and still even bigger offering on flavor and taste!
(4)
Lisa J.
We used to frequent this place 3 times a week but have cut down on it because of the decline in the food. The Caesar salad bowls are always empty no one paying attention to it we always have to wait for one to be made. The pasta options are always what seem to be the same, tasteless Mac n cheese, bland fetaucinn I and meatless spaghettini. The chicken noodle soup is watered down and noodles often overlooked. The frozen yogurt machine is always malfunctioning , not cold enough or ran out or just plain out of chocolate /out of order. We always order water because the "ades" are horrible ( we don't drink sodas). The worst is the bakery section. It used to be great with everything soft, flavorful and with options. The focaccia's are often over baked or dry as if they are not adding the correct baking /powder/soda. Maybe if they go back to using their original food recipes we might come back.
(3)
Paul C.
I've only eaten at this location once about 5 years ago or so for Mother's Day. I remember I didn't enjoy eating here and once again I found myself eating here again since my family wanted to go since we had coupons. I grab my plate and start loading it up with a couple of different salads already prepared by the salad maker in front. I tried the Chinese chicken, caesar, and spinach salad. The Chinese was the best tasting one not cuz it had chicken but the taste overall. There are several soups to choose from and I tried the clam chowder but I was disappointed in how watery it was. If their aim was to make it soupy then GOOD JOB! Flavor was mediocre but the fact that they called it chowder and not soup will make you disappointed. Their garden pasta with meatballs was boring. But it wasn't as bad as their mac and cheese. I believe they are using Kraft mac and cheese out of the box. Watery and bland just like the Kraft box I only took a bite and stopped. The baked goods section had some muffins, mini pizzas, etc. The mini pizzas weren't that great since there wasn't any sauce but I understand that it's supposed to be just cheese and bread. The taste reminded me of Pizza Hut's crust which is soaked in oil which I hate. If you thought your meal wasn't satisfying then they got a yogurt machine! Now normally I got no problem with this as I haven't had a bad experience with them. Oh how wrong I was. I thought it would taste just fine but NOPE! It didn't taste the same as most places would. I don't find this place worth coming to especially the fact that it's $9 per person for mediocre salad, bland soups, not so tasty baked goods and terrible frozen yogurt. At least the service is decent.
(2)
Jay G.
Awesome food and above all great staff. Special shout out to Mike and Christine...both greet you with a warm smile and enthusiasm!
(5)
Editha M.
I never thought about how kid friendly this place was until I had a child. You can find coupons online which is always a helpful thing. My son loves eating here!!
(4)
Kat C.
I love souplantation, but this review is for this location only. Busboys suck here. I understand you have a lot of tables, but its slow... ! I have dishes piling on dishes for days and they walk right pass my tables :( eh Basically only come here for the lunch buffet...i'll suck it up with the eh service for the food haha
(3)
Sheena U.
Souplantation is Hands Down The Nastiest Place to Eat. I felt Like I was eating straight out of the Convalescent Home Kitchen. My advice, Do Not Eat Here. Way Over priced for the quality of food.
(1)
Gennie M.
GIANT ASS SALAD! CLAM CHOWDER SOUP! THE BEST :) If you wanna have some healthy lunch or dinner.. this is the place to be!
(4)
Zach P.
I used to come here quit a bit with the family when I was in high school at the now closed traffic circle location. I haven't been here since until a buddy of mine raved about their baked potatoe bar. To his defense he goes to a different location. So we came in here on a Saturday night after being hung over all day. The salad bar is about what you would expect and it kind hard to screw that one up. The soups were good, I had the clam chowder and my wife had the turkey chili. Both were respectable. Now to the baked potatoe bar. They give you a tiny potatoe and your choice are butter, sour cream, chives, bacon, onion and cheddar cheese. That sound pretty basic to me. When I think of a good baked potatoe I think of the ones you get at the county fair. The pastas were pretty bad. They were bland, no flaver what so over. The mac and cheese is a joke. Dessert was basically soft serve with a choice of chocolate of caramel. They have three toppings to choose from, granola, nuts and oreo cookie. We were not very impressed with this place. We may give it another chance at a different location if the opportunity presents itself.
(2)
Blu Lotus P.
It's really healthy food... Which I'm not into..... Unless I'm on a diet. Sorta pricy too just for salad
(3)
Tiffany C.
Food: so-so. Ambiance: ok Seating: moderate. So why are there so many of these places all over the place? Walk in, and start building your salad. Well, that probably does it for me right there. I'm not much of a salad person. And with the salad options spread so far apart, I end up putting way too much on my plate of the cheap stuff (salad = vegetables/no protein = CHEAP). Ugh, by the time I get to the cashier, I can't believe how piled up my plate is, and as I slowly eat my salad at my table, I'm regretting every extra I got. Finally finish, or spread the salad around my plate enough so it looks like I ate it, and head for the other food. Hmm ... soups. Clam chowder? I guess. A bit watery, and less clam, more soup and long strips of potato. Pasta usually needs more salt and pepper. I'm usually a fan of cornbread, but theirs was a bit too dry for my liking, and so was their brownie. The apple crisp thing was made with oatmeal, which definitely isn't my first choice. Then, their pizza has a bit of a tang at the end, and I'm not quite sure if it's from the sauce or the cheese, and I think I'd rather not know. Would I eat here again, probably, since I do have friends that enjoy this place. Being a yelper, I have to be open to all food opportunities. The good, the bad, and everything in between. Guess we all know which one this one was for me.
(2)
Shenandoah S.
This was my first time eating at Souplantation, and I LOVED IT!! It's like Hometown Buffet for healthier people! :D All the food was good, the place was clean, and the workers were nice. I suppose if you get on their email list, you can get some good coupons, because for four of us to eat it was under $20. :D I went with that family that paid for me, so that works too, but if you can't do that, it's still a nice place to kick it and there's a good, healthier variety of food, as well as ordinary good desserts. I hope to go back, this place rocks! Oh! And by the way, the coconut and pineapple coleslaw is BOMB!
(4)
Leah D.
One of my favorite examples of DIY Dining - where you pick exactly the ingredients you want, in the proportions you want. There is something for everyone here, and it's all included in the price. Go there hungry. Get a salad with the biggest variety of vegetables that you enjoy all together; get some soup or chili (skip the mac and cheese; it's weak); get some focaccia bread, corn bread, or blueberry muffins; get yourself a soft serve dessert when you're done. Everything is pretty fresh, so really it's just a question of finding the right balance of ingredients and foods for your tastes and diet. Worthwhile once every now and again. My main caveat here is: avoid during the dinner rush or peak shopping times; it can be a little intense when it's backed up. A minor quibble is: they put way too many big pieces of potato in the clam chowder, which is delicious otherwise.
(4)
AJ M.
After visiting this place, I honestly feel like the Hometown Buffet next to it could've been a better experience. What to say, what to say. The only good I found in this locale was the cleanliness and presentation of the buffet itself, and the cashier's friendliness. The salad was good, but I've had better, and their version of Shepard's Pie and Smashed Potatoes was okay. That was when things went downhill. Everything after the salad made me question whether the coupon was worth it. The soups were bland, at best. the flavour was absent, and the potato & cheese dish tasted like my worst nightmare: instant-mash. The pasta was lacking in salt, and the spices were negligible. Hoping to make it all better, I tried my hand at the pastries, when I came to the disappointing conclusion that the brownies were stale and the muffin tops had the consistency of chewy granola. I'd like to also point out the fact that like some of the other reviewers, I felt sick after eating here. My aunt did as well. All in all, the only saving grace of this establishment were the drinks, which were not worth 10.95 and are items that I can make at home. ===== Final Verdict: I'd apply there out of pity, will not be coming back.
(2)
Bernadette H.
What happened to my lovely Souplantation? You used to be $7.99 for lunch and $9.99 for dinner! Now you're $10.75 for dinner with mediocre salad and tasteless chicken soup! Plus I got major food poisoning! If I wanted to pay over $11 for an AYCE-induced colon cleansing, I'd go here. Other than that, I'll just make my own. Or make that nasty cayenne pepper-spiked maple syrup lemonade... Just so disappointed. If I was still a stoner, this place would've been absolutely awesome. But now, eh....
(2)
Maria H.
My kids love this place and service here is always great. They keep the food stocked so everything is pretty fresh.
(4)
Astra W.
I'll admit that I come here with my parents on days we feel lazy and don't want to travel far for food. It's a good salad meal, but what I really only look forward to are two things: - Joan's Broccoli Madness: yummy mix of broccoli, raisins, bacon, cashews, red onion, and a sweet dressing. Super refreshing. My plate is usually half-filled with this. - Zesty Italian Dressing: perfectly tangy and light. I use this to dip any raw veggie...it's delsih! I keep looking for an Italian dressing that's similar to the Souplantation, but I can't find one yet. This location is pretty old and dingy, and the staff is just ok-helpful.
(2)
Matthew R.
The food was fresh, though the selection was limited. For salad toppers I was hoping to see more exotic toppers like goat cheese, dried figs, candied walnuts, etc. For non-salad eaters, there is a mild selection of alternatives: Soup Wannabe Pizza Ice Cream Baked Potato Mac and Cheeze And muffins
(3)
Steven M.
Not sure why ppl are harsh on this place... TONS of salad, decent soups, and ice cream when you're done!! I actually don't like their ice cream since they switched to Dreyers it is too sweet now. But, for $8-$10 per person (not including buy one get one free coupons) how can you rate this place any lower than a 4?? Anyway, good value and good food. Don't let the haters deter you from this place!
(4)
Cynthia V.
I realize that this place has it's down falls, but it's still one of my favorites! So it's a little pricey and they charge you extra for "premium" toppings, but their Asian Chicken Salad is so flipping good, that i'm willing to over look this. Print a coupon, or become a member of their club veg and get monthly deals. Eating out feels good, when I come here (which is at least two or three times a month).
(5)
Lionel F.
I've tried this location the most out any of them and must say I like it. The cesar salad is my favourite plus all the healthy choices there is to choose from. As for soups the chicken noodle is the most popular which is fine but I always tend to go with the unpopular soups and do a mixology with them which in the end is delicious. I rarely get the pastas there due to lack of flavour. For dessert the blueberry muffins I can never pass up. Helpful and friendly staff. I will return again
(4)
Jamie C.
I absolutely love this place, it has great vegetarian selections. All the food have light flavors, which is good, so you don't feel like puking after pigging out. The food is pretty healthy, especially since it is a buffet, and the meals are satisfying. My favorites: -House Ranch; has the perfect flavor -Blueberry Muffins -Clam Chowder
(4)
Jeremy B.
I don't know why everyone is hating on this souplantation. I have been here 5 times now and have never had a problem with any of the food. Prices are reasonable for all you can eat. I do admit it can be a little busy but that is a good thing right? People wouldn't pack the house for bad food and service. I will admit however I have never been to another souplantation so I don't have anything to compare to as this one is within walking distance of me.
(4)
Lauren M.
I had a really bad experience at this location. They didn't have many vegetables (I'm assuming due to the market freeze). So there was no cucumber, no tomato, no this, no that. Made for a boring salad. Also, their plates and utensils were dirty! It's okay if like one fork is dirty, but when I have to sort through all the utensils to find one that isn't dirty.....there is a problem! Also, there was this creepy older man busboy who kept coming up to our table and asking us if we needed our stuff taken away. I've never had a busser come up to the table before while we were sitting down and eating. The empty plates usually magically disappear when I get up to get more food.... I kind of like it better that way.
(2)
Rebecca C.
I love soups and salads, so Souplantation is one of my favorites. Their pre-made salads are pretty good; they usually have two permanent salads, Ceasar and Wonton Chicken Happiness, that are pretty bland with not enough dressing. The third salad that varies each month is always pretty good. The soups are delicious! The red soup bowls are pretty small, so I usually drink around 4-6 bowls. The pizza is very cheesy, just the way I like it, but it doesn't have any other topping but cheese. My mom and I come here every two weeks to a month! Oh, and this place is clean! For you meat-lovers though, Souplantation is probably not the best place for you.
(4)
Maria A.
I LOVE Souplantation restaurants. but this one was just so AWFUL!!!!!!!!!! First of all- your trays, plates, bowls were all WET! You run out of bowls and have us waiting for like 15-20 minutes so you can get a tray full of bowls that runs out in 10 seconds, more waiting. You run out of food-- the wait for the pizza bread/pasta was ridiculous. And to top it off, the food wasn't tasty. it felt rushed, and bland. I will NOT come back to this icky location. Alhambra Souplantation is better!
(2)
Edgar S.
Bomb son!! i love going to this place.. sign up for the news letter and get coupons for lunch and dinner. you must try the crazy albondiga soup its delicious!!
(5)
Vicky Z.
"Meh." is right. This is the second or third time I've been to this Souplantation location and each time, I'm reminded of why it's not my favorite. This visit was my mother in law's choice after a night of birthday drinking (yes, she's 62 and can still whoop it up with the rest of us!). She wasn't feeling like cooking the next day, so we all went to Souplantation for an early dinner. The line was out the door and by the time we got to the salad bar line, I was just about ready to leave. After paying for our meals we then had to stand there by the cashier, waiting to be seated, as there were no open tables in the place. When we were finally seated, the tables barely have room for the trays and the busboys rarely come around collecting things off your table. The salads were good, but all of the pastas, soups and breads are all so bland and boring. It's all "filler" and there's no real substance to anything there. Still, we all left stuffed and didn't have to do dishes either...
(2)
Jeannie B.
I'm here at least once every two weeks! it makes me feel like i'm eating a bit healthier since they do have fresh veggies and salads. I love how they have every veggie imaginable and a lot of dressing choices to make salads yummy. Their soup choices change every month depending on the theme. I think this month is lemon so they had some soups that had some lemon in them. they have the usual soups as well like chicken noodle,clam chowder and chili. they have three pastas usually spaghetti type pasta, mac and cheese and another pasta depending on the month. Their breads are DELICIOUS as well. they have pizza like breads, brownies, muffins etc.
(4)
Anthony S.
This was my first visit to the Lakewood location. The food and service was excellent but the restaurant layout does not make sense. The bread bar is right in the way of everyone and this causes much congestion when going to the various bars around the restaurant. The customer service handled the large crowd well but the layout does need some reengineering.
(4)
alejandra s.
Green Yumminess ;)
(4)
Justin F.
I'm so glad I've discovered this wonderful paradise. As far as I'm concerned, everyone who's giving this place bad reviews and saying they leaving wanting more needs get over their meat fixation. Even if the supposed meaty soups don't have meat in them, who cares! Our society is too convinced that meat makes the meal. Well I challenge you, fellow Yelpers, to appreciate meals that don't contain meat. You CAN live without it, and things STILL taste good. That being said, again, I'm so glad I discovered Souplantation. Even though not everything is vegetarian, they have so many options to choose from. I had a little of just about everything I could, and I left feeling full and very satisfied. They even gave me a coupon without actually having it on me! What a wonderful place it is. Not to mention those cookies. Ooohh, those cookies.
(5)
SoCalSkippy ..
Eh, it's aiight! The selection is pretty weak, the food tastes ok, the service is decent, the restaurant is clean, the lines move quickly, the tables/chairs fill up real fast at night and the prices are good. I think Hometown Buffet is much better, but this place ain't too shabby though!
(3)
Megan S.
Wow...brunch kinda sucks here...what happened to tha advertisements about waffles etc
(2)
Rain F.
This is my sister's second home. Food is pretty decent. -1 for the booth chairs. They feel like a weird high chair. I've been to other locations and this is the only one that has that weird setup. -1 for slow to no water refills at all and slow clearing of the tables.
(3)
Liz R.
First off, I must tell you that my sis and I are avid Souplantation frequenters. I love their grilled cheese focaccia bread and their french onion soup! We usually go to the one in Garden Grove, but we were disappointed with our last visit (I would give GG 3 1/2 stars, but I don't really like writing mediocre reviews because they aren't helpful). So, we tried the Lakewood location. UGH!!! I guess maybe we hit the lunch hour rush at 1 pm on a Friday because it was packed. Maybe they couldn't keep up with the high soup and salad demand.... We'll start with the salad bar. Lettuce was old and brown looking. The condiments were all over the place leaving the whole bar unappealing to the eye. My sis and I both had ranch on our salads. There was hardly any left in the container, which should have been a sign. The dressing was disgustingly warm! Next, the bread... I was so excited to try the grilled cheese bread! It was after all, the whole reason for my visit. But, every time I went over to the bread bar, there wasn't any bread... of any kind. Alas! The bread was presented. I could've waited longer though.... So that they would actually cook it thoroughly. It was doughy and not good. Got some soup.... Bleh! Some sort of Vegetable... Here's the worst part... I was about 6 spoonfuls in, when (not to my surprise) I found a black hair! Ick! I am blonde at the moment so it was not mine. Sorry LW Souplantation, I really wanted to like you and still like your siblings but you need to get in shape! My advice: Save yourself $12 on crappy soup and salad and go somewhere else!!!!
(1)
Billie H.
Sigh, I always tell myself I'll try this place just ONE more time in hopes of liking it. I LOVE soup so the idea of all you can eat soup is amaaazing to me. Unfortunately, this is the only all you can eat soup restaurant I've heard of. After avoiding this place for a few years my boyfriend convinced me to go. The salad selection is mediocre. I got an asian chicken salad and was severely disappointed that I had to do a treasure hunt for this so called chicken and was only able to find about ten pieces throughout the WHOLE salad. The soup selection didn't wow me so much either. To be honest, they sounded better on the online menu than they actually were. The only soup that actually tasted yummy was the shrimp bisque. The chicken noodle soup was horrible. It was completely bland, so it pretty much tasted like hot water with stuff in it. Also, in complete contradiction to the salad, the soup had HUGE pieces of chicken in it. But it wasn't like "Sweet, there's a lot of chicken in my soup!" but more like "Holy crap why is there a whole freakin' chicken in my soup?!". The baked goods were okay and the ice cream section had hot fudge and butterscotch, so the desserts were fine and dandy to me. Oh, did I mention the service wasn't that great? With all that being said, I don't think I'll ever leave this place fully content.
(2)
Pascale N.
This is a buffet with delicious salad, soup, bread and dessert. I came in with a coupon for dinner for $7.99 (usually $9.99). They have great coupons online. The salad was really good. They have specialty salads already mixed. You can also pick greens and add other veggies. My favorite soup was the cream of potato. They also had clam chowder and other kinds of soup. The bread is really delicious. They also have a good variety of pasta. I finished off the meal with an ice cream sandwich. The cookies are usually sold at the counter but they had some out that night. This is definitely a place where you can overdo it with the food. Just come in with an appetite or be prepared for some self control ;)
(4)
Bernice C.
Cleanliness: great. i'd say perfect, but you'll learn that not every plate, bowl, and utensil is washed thoroughly. Service: half&half.. sometimes they have incredible service, other times, they don't. i guess it depends on how busy it gets? & most importantly, Food: DELICIOUS & WONDERFUL. because their food's freshly made and/or cooked, and you can always get a second serving! :) & you're there for the food anyways! I've been coming to this Souplantation for almost 20 years now. It is still one of my favorite vegetarian-friendly restaurants. :)
(4)
Candace W.
My lover and I were blown to bits and I was starvin' like marvin. He had never been to Souplantation and even though it's not *out of this world* amazing, he had to try it just so he could say he did. As soon as we got there I jumped on their Cobb salad. They had Ceasar and Oriental too. Scooting my tray down the line, I added onions, corn, garbanzo beans, hardboiled eggs, tomatos and Italian dressing, which turned out to be the perfect salad. EVER. I kid but it was pretty damn good. They also had plain lettuce if you wanted to make your very own with all the fixins imaginable. Drinks? You have got to try the Blueberry Acai Juice. Not too sweet. Just right. I love the fact that Souplantation has superb alternative options to your typical sodas. This time around, they had about 5 different types of soup. I didn't get too courageous and stayed within my comfort zone. I did my usual cheddar cheese at the bottom and their delicious clam chowder on top. Instant foodgasm!!! I probably could have served myself about ten of those bowls if my stomach permitted. I know, talk about calorie overload but we're at a damn buffet - at that point, all calories were out the window. I had Tony try it too and he went to go get a bowl for himself - uh huh, uh huh....I also tried for the first time, creme of mushroom. How have I never had this before? I felt so out of the loop but I'm up on game now. Another added to my list of favorites. Souplantation also had an array of baked goods from multigrain bread, blueberry muffins to cornbread and apple pie. Grabbed a couple pieces of cornbread, garlic foccacia, and cheesy pizza. No complaints here - that cornbread was so good I'm still craving it. The focaccia was a great dipper for the soup. The pastas were gross. No flavor. Tasted just as bland even when I added salt. Tony and I were totally fooled by the tastebuds of a six year old but we should have known better. This little girl about two tables away ate her food in such a way that it would have you believing it was the best thing ever. So cute. Lastly, we just had to get some soft serve to complete the never ending meal. I added nuts, oreo bits and granola (wierd combo, i know) and honey had his with warm apple pie. Nom nom nom! We were stuffed beyond imagination but at least my babycakes is now a part of the cool crowd.
(3)
Austin B.
Souplantation should be called Waterplantation because their main ingredient is definitely water. I like water, but not as a meal. I can eat a mountain of food here and leave wishing I had something to eat. But seriously, try the water chicken soup. It's really great. Or the water chili. Mmmm. For variety, though, try the air-flavored bread. It's like a breath of fresh air, except here it's passed off as food. Yummy! If I were a specter, I'd eat here all the time.
(1)
Kenji Y.
Tip : Get the coupon for Sweet Tomatoes at spoofee.com/coupons/Soup…
(5)
Jennifer R.
I like it here because it gives me the feeling that I can eat like a hungry hungry hippo but I'm only eating mounds of salad and maybe some soup. They have carbs for days (That means ton o' bread items). I enjoyed it, though my little brother (8) asked where the meat was. LoL. There's not much to say about the service, considering it is a buffet. The food is good though, I fell in love with every bread item in the buffet. Beware the attack of the carbs!
(3)
Jeffery T.
1. Corn Bread muffins make me feel like I being born AGAIN...ugh freakin delicious. 2. Clam Chowder & Chili, will most likely encourage you to slap anyone with in arms distance. 3. ITS FREAKIN CHEAP.. So myself and few friends were starving after tearing up the Lakewood mall, So we jokingly said THE SOUPLANTATION, cause we just figured only "senior citizens" go there. That was the biggest and most dumbest assumption EVER..Nice clean place, salads are crazy bomb, and those little pizza things are like crack sticks covered in marinara..RE-DIC-U-LOUS sauce.
(4)
Ashleigh E.
Sometimes I just want a giant ass salad. I love meat as much as the next gal, but man, nothing beats a well put together, delicious salad. When I get this kind of craving, I head to Souplantation. Not only is it the only place I know of that has salad in the quantity and variety that I want. They have premade salads, like a Chinese Chicken Salad, Caesar Salad, and usually some sort of fruit and nut salad that are usually pretty good. Then they have rows of salad fixings so you can do it yourself. They have all of the standard stuff, which is good, but I kind of wish they had some more "high end" stuff (eg: any cheese other than shredded cheddar, dried fruit, etc). Once you get through the salad bar, there are two other food stations. One has breads, including muffins, cheese breads, corn bread and little brownie things. The other has soups and pastas. If you're coming here to eat healthy, STAY AWAY from these two food stations. The food is tasty, but oh so fattening. The strawberry lemonade is worth mentioning, and one of the reasons I come here. Let me just tell you - it is really good. It has a very authentic strawberry flavor which makes me think they use actual strawberries and not just a syrup. And last, but not least, they have a frozen yogurt station. I have a real love for frozen yogurt, so I always make sure I save room for it. My favorite - I get one of the brownie muffins (which are usually warm from sitting under the heat lamps) and put it on the bottom. Then I cover it with vanilla fro-yo, and then sprinkle some granola on top for some crunch. YUM! Also, just a note, I used to think that you could only go through the salad bar once but I recently found out that you can go as many times as you want! I guess I was thrown off by the fact that they have the POS at the end of the salad bar, so I thought you'd have to pay again. lol what can I say, I'm blonde underneath all the dye.
(4)
Grace A.
Five words to describe my experience after eating at the Soup Plantation: Very Painfully Loose Bowel Movement
(1)
Jenny P.
This place was hard to rate because I've never been wow'd or disappointed by any souplantations. I mean, it's soup and salad, and a buffet, so how could the food or the service be under or overrated?! So, that's my reason behind the three stars. HOWEVER, i bumped it up a star because i discovered really delish peanut butter choco-chip. It was freshly baked and it went well with a swirl of vanilla ice cream. i don't know if that chip is available everwhere else, but i discovered it here so they get the pat on the back. GJ lol. Btw this is my second review and if you've read my first review, well, i'd like to say that the chip's destiny at this souplantation was short-lived as well ;)
(4)
christine m.
Great if you are vegetarian, but I am not. I prefer to have a little bit meat available. The place is clean, always stocked and fresh. Soups are just ok, none of them are close to great . Breads and muffins are good. Salad ingredients are good as well. Dressings are just ok... Souplantation... Is just A-OK
(3)
Charles F.
Perhaps one of the best AYCE deals around. If you beg to differ, please enlighten me. Those that come here thinking that they eat healthy and walk away with two plates with dressing loaded up the wazoo, go starch crazy and pile on the pizza and pasta, and then head over to the dessert area, you're better off somewhere else. Exercise some self control and enjoy this place for its freshness and variety, not like its your last meal and perhaps you will have a difference experience.
(4)
Alice L.
I really do not understand WHY this place only has three stars! I absolutely love this place and souplantation is definitely the perfect place for hot and cold..healthy and not! I've never had a bad experience, and everything is wonderfully made. My salad choices: wonton chicken of happiness is a MUST + extra spinach and romaine lettuce..the corkscrew green and orange pasta noodles + cucumber slices to snack on while in line + carrots + tuna tarragon pasta salad thing + eggs. alll together! YUMYUMM in my tum! i knoww it sounds gross..but i love it! Soups: omygosh..i fell in LOVE today with their turkey stuffing soup! I loved getting chunks of turkey throughout my soup with delicious thanksgiving spices running through the soup. The soup was not too thick and it definitely was not runny..talk about perfect consistency! Topped with freshly made stuffing with the right amount of seasoning = soup of perfection! I also loove their deep kettle chilli as well! Must have at least a bowl whenever I come! Breads: You can never go wrong with the blueberry muffins! They're cornbread & multi-grain muffins are not too shabby as well! Honey whip butter FTW! Dessert: Nothing beats the vanilla frozen yogurt w/ the chocolate muffin!! Sign up for their wonderful coupons that they send out every month! I never spend more than $9.00 whenever I go for either lunch or dinner!
(5)
Tammy W.
I love Souplantation food, however, this location is pretty run down for being near the Lakewood Mall where most big chain restaurants are located in that city. I was there when it happened to be raining outside and the roof had a leak. The management strategically placed a bucket in the middle of the walk way/buffet area to catch the rain. Talk about an eye sore! 1 star because I love the food and another star because it's all you can eat, with a lot of variety and decent pricing (plus, you can always find a coupon somewhere online). One thing this location doesn't have that I love are those mini ice cream cones :( boooo on them. If you absolutely love the food and don't have a plantation closer to you, then go to the Lakewood location, otherwise go elsewhere!
(2)
Carol J.
I love coming here just to load up on all the veggies & soups. There is nothing that really stands out here.....um, let's see...it's right next to the mall and movie theater, so you can eat here after some shopping. I just like to come here after work if I don't feel like cooking. After all the starchy foods from Thanksgiving, I was feeling a little veg deprived. this was the perfect fix. Also, I have never really tried the dessert here (besides the blueberry muffins), so this time I had some of the Cranberry-apple crisp. It was soooo good. I recommend anyone to try this, and if you really love it, they also sell a take home package so you can warm it up yourself. Yum!
(4)
S L.
Dirty trays, dirty plates, dirty soup bowls, sourdough bread still tastes like dough, cramp layout
(1)
Cynthia L.
I am a fan of Souplantation. It is a great place to catch lunch under $10, though I am disappointed that they no longer give the AAA discount! I like the salad, bread, soup, and pasta selection, and I like how I can grab whatever and however much food I want. The food quality and taste are mediocre, but I'm still coming back because I like the variety. I think that the soups and breads are better than the pasta. The pasta can be really bland and tasteless, such as the mac & cheese (it is also on the watery size, yuck).
(3)
Alicia D.
We went for lunch the experience was ok... I would have liked more variety for the price.
(4)
Gina R.
The muffins are the only reason to come. Buy a set and don't bother eating anything else unless you're super hungry and don't really care about taste or quality
(3)
Joe W.
I have read all the negative reviews and completely disagree on all levels. We are all entitled to our opinions..... But give me a break, were else can you go for $10 lunch and get the kind of selection of fresh salad options, speciality salads (Caesar, Cobb). Homemade soups, breads, pasta and desserts for under $10? This particular location has wonderful friendly service that starts with a warm greeting from the Mgr. Debbie all the way down to seating waiters/waitresses. As you can tell, I enjoy eating here! I cannot get into too much bad food trouble and get plenty to eat, lots of options. Food is one the few last vices I have left in my life.... So i love it!!!
(5)
Liz O.
WHO goes here? WHY would anyone sit down and eat HERE??!? I'll tell you who; Me and because it's cheap. And I am cheap. Extremely frugal with the cashola. But just because I am cheap, doesn't mean I am easy -- or easily impressed. Soup Plantation left me wishing I didn't pay the $10 for a semi empty / filthy salad bar that people clearly pick and sample as they are serving themselves. There is a sign that politely asks patrons to NOT sample any of the food in the salad bar and to wait until they are seated to "enjoy". People shove their dirty hands in the salad fixings and nibble as they make their way to the cashier. Animals! I thought very carefully about which items to try and which items to avoid. Needless to say, my selection was minimal compared to those who piled their plates high with all kinds of atrocities. Soup Plantation is a buffet of greens / soup / desserts and pizza. For ten bucks -- you get to gorge yourself on this "healthy" food. In my opinion, ain't nothin' healthy about chocolate fudge brownies, ice cream and chocolate syrup. This is like a Sizzler salad bar free-for-all. I am better off buying a couple bags of ready to eat salad mix and a tub of Ben and Jerrys Chunky Monkey -- for less than $10 bucks!
(1)
Mike P.
I can't even give one star to this place. The most positive thing was the tap water without ice we were given. The staff was sluggish and didn't seem to care about being there. The food was largely bland and gave me thoughts of what they would serve in a nursing home. The food was obviously made in large quantites and very watery. The chicken soup noodles were like I have never seen before. They were very white and thick and looked like dry paste cut into strips. The breads they had were all very gritty and tasted like there was too much baking soda in them. The highlight of the meal should have been dessert. I decided on making a hot lava cake with soft serve on top. It ended up tasting like a gritty wet turd. If you were thinking of a buffet style place this is not it.
(1)
Itzel A.
Love to go there with the family, there is something for everybody there. My favorite is the Clam Chowder and my kids really enjoy making their own ice cream after they have their fill of veggies and mac and cheese.
(4)
Candle m.
First I found a hair in my potato salad, then my gf found one in her salad on her plate too while I was taking my plate to the employee to show him and complain. These hairs were right into the food with our first bite or so. Then the fettuchini was cold, everything that we ate was tasteless except the desserts. The chef must not take pride in his/hers food. What a waste of our good earned money!!!!! We eat at this chain on a regular basis but this lakewood restaurant is terrible com paired to the other locations.
(1)
Sam F.
OK look it has the potential to be healthy. It also has the potential to be 3000 calories in one sitting. The choice is up to you.... BUT I will say this location has great service, food is kept up and nothing looks like it's not fresh, and the bakery is always going at high speed. Nothing like a hot Blueberry muffin. If in the area check them out... it's a buffet so you get what you expect.
(3)
Michael W.
my first time ever coming to a souplantation... great salad and pasta and good carbs of bread...
(5)
Audrey L.
PROS Soups. all of em! Esp. the chicken noodle & clam chowder. CONS A lil overpriced, try to find a coupon in the sunday newspaper. Would I go back? If July-June gloom keeps up like this, im there!
(4)
Heather T.
I will never, NEVER understand how someone whips up a blue cheese/cayenne pepper potato salad and has it come out tasting blander than bland. All the prepared food here is bland. Salt, pepper, meet Souplantation. Souplantation is lucky - I don't come here for the prepared food (and you shouldn't either). The salad bar is lovely and has all the staples. It's clean, it's fresh, it's healthy and it gives me a one-way ticket on the Fart Train the next day. It's worth it. My coworkers may not agree. Special Tip: Instead of those puny black bowls next to the yogurt machine, go get a giant soup bowl. Put a chocolate chip muffin on the bottom, top it with caramel and chocolate syrup, then top that with yogurt. You're welcome.
(3)
Stacey R.
As far as Souplantations go, this one is pretty good. It's clean and well-stocked. The food is always fresh and good quality. I eat at this particular Souplantation in Lakewood regularly. I signed up for the "Club Veg" and get coupons emailed to me each week. You can show the coupon on your smart phone, so you don't have to print them out. It's a good deal, I stay away from the pastas. The soups and salads are so very good. The fresh breads and blueberry muffins are delicious, served with whipped butter (or margarine, or honey butter if you like.) I stay away from the premium toppings too...you don't need them and it keeps the cost down.
(4)
Rachel B.
THERE WAS A LIVE SPIDER IN MY SALAD! Thank GOD I found it before I took a bite! We left the restaurant IMMEDIATELY! Eat here at your own risk!
(1)
Melissa E.
We eat here pretty regularly, but we have found that the time of day we go equals our satisfaction. Lunch is always the best bet because of crowd and seating availability. We have had a few issues at dinner time with staff trying to reseat us after we have already found a table and when you have a kid, its not the easiest of tasks. Eventually I find the manager and let them know what has occurred and they kindly remind staff of courtesy to their guests. I understand the concept of seating people in appropriate areas and not jumping in front of other guests, but if there is no one else waiting, what harm is there in seating us to the left or the right? The food is fresh and the area is clean and for a buffet, this place is way better than the Hometown next door!
(3)
Dave H.
Veggies are always good for you. If you come around 11:30, you'll beat the lunch crowd.
(3)
Richard D.
Sweet! Kids three and under eat free and eat like royalty. Miss Peanut has suddenly turned from toddler garbage disposal to take-it-away-we-doth-not-feel-the-mac-n-cheese-Âtoday pain in the ass. But there's something about being served in a dozen tiny, paper cups that does it for her and she ate until she leaned back, loosened her belt, Al Bundy'd her hand down her pants, and man-burped. Kid's menus generally need federal sanctions for their constant nasty-friedness, but here you got piles of veggies, beans, and greens to choose from and it's all free. For the grownups: It's a Souplantation. Lower your expectations. It's a buffet of salad and icky pasta. Whaddya expect? Be careful, though, on Sundays. Some genius decided to defile breakfast too so if you get there before noon you don't even get what is for me, the one saving grace of the non-salad options, the clam chowder with focaccia. Instead, there are all these nasty egg dishes and muffins. Mmmmm. Salad and gravy.
(4)
John O.
Three words: NOM NOM NOM!!! Place is grub for $7.50 although........bring your appetite. Eat up America! There's a reason we're the fattest country in the world! Great salads, wholesome soups, carbalicious muffins, yummy honey butter, ice cream.......what more could you want?? Ditto on the signing up for Club Veg - you get a buy one get one free......you can't lose. All in all, good value. Come with an appetite. I have yet to try the breakfast, but based on the pictures, it looks like more NOM NOM NOMing!!!!!!
(4)
Barb V.
This location is ghetto. Looking run down and theres always food bits on the floor and kids running around like they just busted off their leash.
(1)
Micah D.
If you like eating here alot, sign up to receive emails from them. You can do this on their website. They'll send emails with coupons in it pretty often.
(3)
Harold R.
been goin here for years now. if u want to eat kinda healthy or looking for something on the lighter side, then this is your spot. buffet style. they have mixed salads that are pretty good. ie ceasar salad and won ton chicken salad also have a third specialty mix salad that changes monthly. the ceasar is good the wonton chicken is good on certain days. various soup selections like chicken, clam chowder, theres sucks, and the chili. the chili is pretty tasty, i add cheese and sour cream to make it taste better. various breads and muffins ala blueberry and corn. good only when warm with lots of butter. the pizza is doghy, wish they had a lighter version and will it kill them to put sauce on it. for dessert, frozen yogurt...just o.k. with various toppings. cookies like choc chip but only sometimes. jello and fruit selections also. this place is just o.k
(3)
Amy F.
i like the soup and salad and of course the muffins!
(3)
Ivy W.
A boyfriend of mine at the time took me here since I was craving some Souplantation's and it was nearby his house. We came on a weekday around lunch time, and surprisingly there weren't a lot of people - which is a good thing (unlike the one in Arcadia, with all the fat people and grannies pushing into you). This location isn't one of the cleanest one's I've been too, but definitely not the worst. It's clean enough and the food was tasty and fresh. If I'm ever in the area, I'll probably come by. Otherwise, it's too far =/
(3)
Irvinyl A.
This place has lost it's pizazz. Tastes like canned cafeteria food to me.
(1)
Debbi S.
One of my favorite restaurant chain. It's mainly vegetarian but they have a few entree that is non-vegetarian now like their chicken noodle soup, clam chowder. They keep changing the menu every season. There are plenty of soups, pasta, baked goodies such as corn bread, muffins. Also they have pumpkin caramel cake for a limited time :)
(4)
Gail K.
Love making a Big Ass Salad with all my fav ingredients but my one complaint is the need for some protein sources other than beans and eggs. The person I was with pointed out that they have some choices in the "Premium Toppings" section but why should I have to pay more when it should be included in the price of their product???
(3)
Lauren V.
Im gonna let you in on a little embarrassing secret: Im here to steal muffins. There, I said it. ' Its that streak of "ghetto" in me. Oh, I can be fancy and sophisticated, I make enough money now...but when you grow up low middle class and are a child of filipino immigrants, you take from buffets. What can I say? They have good muffins and you pay a whole $9.95 + tax + beverage to eat here and leave with nothing? unthinkable. Why did i start off like that? Because the salads arent exactly great here. Oh, they're good, but other restaurants over the years (perhaps in an effort to be more "health-conscious") have made and incuded better salads in their repertoire. In the past, salad was an appetizer and was made horribly so it would make you resent vegetables in favor of meat. This is definitely not the case anymore at good, modern restaurants. Im not saying the salads are bad, but they are average. There's caesar, asian chicken and make your own. Of those, I like the asian. Its a well made, classic chinese-chicken salad. They also have cold pasta salads that are, IMO, blahh. Then you pay and get to the glorious carb station with cornbread, cheesy pizza bread and those glorious blueberry and chocolate muffins. Are the muffins really that special? Not really, but they're the best option to stuff in your sister's "big purse" and take with you. If your ghetto ass grew up stealing from buffets like i did, you're taking muffins. They also have hot stuff like pastas (mac n cheese, fettuccine alfredo, spaghetti) and soups (clam chowder, chicken noodle, chili, etc..) Also have a sizzler-esque dessert bar. If you're in souplantation because of dieting, you wouldnt come to this section. But I have read the nutrition facs on websites and eating the pastas and soups here is much better for you than eating them at say, olive garden. SO is Souplantation a great place to eat salad...should be more like is souplantation a good place to gorge on well made, but still average salads? oh yes it is. Is souplantation is cool place to steal muffins? hell yes! am I probably gonna get banned for life if souplantation finds out about this? probably, but in the spirit of yelp, Im telling it like it is.
(4)
Eddie A.
There is nothing that special about Souplantion being that it's a chain, but I can't help but feel good when I eat there. You start with a salad, they have a great variety of soups, and not a lot of meat. I eat tons of meat so being mostly vegetarian during my visits here is sort of a relief. Of course, you can cancel out all that good karma by diving into the jello and frozen yogurt bar to top off your meal. ;)
(3)
Staci H.
Ok...so I only went to this place for two reasons: Good Salad....and because it was recommended by my sisters co-worker. Well...first off the salads were not that great! I tried at least 6 different kinds and only liked ONE! Then I went and got some soup, bread and lemonade. The soup I had was actually delicious! It was the Cauliflower w/ American Cheese. It was yummy. It tasted a bit like broccoli and cheese soup, execpt obviously made w/ Cauliflower instead. The bread was ok. The chocolate muffin was yummy (but how can you screw that one up?) The lemonade was delish! Oh, and the mac n' cheese was good...but again...how can you screw it up? I also had the Fetticini Alfredo...and it tasted like it had NO flavor what so ever! Granted that the soup I had, the lemonade and the bread were all good...but I just can't give it any more stars because of their salad selections!!!!! I'm a salad girl....and theirs were VERY lacking in the taste department! **I also forgot to mention that it was $22 for 2 people...and I wasn't very satisfied...at all!
(2)
Maria Z.
My experience was a little underwhelming, maybe because it was my first time and my friends had hyped it up so much. Personally, I'm just not a fan of buffets, so keep that in mind. There just seemed to be less salad options than I guess I was anticipating. Overall I like the food, it's an alright place and the desserts are fine, but I was expecting a little more. i would be willing to go back and try it again, but it's just not my favorite place to get a good salad.
(3)
Josh K.
I love souplantation and this one is close to home! I always get 2 plates to start and load up on salad so i dont have to go back through the line. soups are amazing especially the chicken noodle, clam chowder and chili. Its supposed to be healthy eats but at the portion sizes that i consume, i doubt its good for me!
(5)
C. H.
Remembering that you are at a big ol' family style serve yourself joint, they've got a a great salad bar for those who enjoy grazing on 10 kinds of lettuce, and variety of fresh baked muffins, and a row of soups to pour over the entire thing. Get your eat on.
(3)
Elise H.
This place is honestly just good for a quick mediocre salad...the only thing that's consistent! The other selections aren't all that good! The pasta dishes are bland and some are simply disgusting. I had the chocolate lava cake and it was good, but the others dessert choices are pathetic.
(2)
Karen L.
I love to eat here for the variety, and the food is always fresh. That is why I give 4 stars. I will not give 4 for the service or sometimes the cleanliness. Use a coupon, load up on the Joan's Broccoli Madness salad and the muffins, and don't count calories. It can't be good for you if you eat pizza, chowder, and cobbler all in the same sitting! Yum!
(3)
Jesus H.
Pretty cool place nice selection and service. First time here and liked their food and drinks. Check it out
(5)
Aireen J.
Haven't eaten here for about 5 years. Came here with a good friend since we had been shopping and we both wanted something healthy. The location was easy to find. Customer service was alright. As far as the food goes it was good. I had the clam chowder with bacon pieces. I came back for two servings. Overall good place to eat especially if your trying to eat healthy considering they have alot of healthy options.
(4)
Bamboo G.
OK. Typical veggies buffet. From the same chain of Sweet Tomatoes i think. Fresh taste.
(3)
Dominic L.
They really have good service. Constantly checking your table for finish plates, house keeping and such.
(4)
Crystal W.
It's ok! I have been to other places like this like Fresh Choice, this place has the basic elements of the other places. Extremely basic ingredients, no real authentic flavor or taste to overall food. Kind of pricey for food that fills with no flavor.
(2)
matthew p.
i had brunch this morning. place was dead before 11 am and then filled to capacity by 12. parking everywhere. 2 meals for 15.00 total is a deal food was good just as it always is with the same variety you come to expect from a souplantation. if they had the corn chowder i would have given it 4 stars. and they dont have corn bread during brunch hours. that was disappointing. no complaints
(4)
Paul B.
Endless salad... I hate lettuce, still love this place. :)
(5)
C S.
I really like Souplantation, but the last two times that I've had lunch at the Lakewood store I was really disappointed. The veggies were old, particularly the broccoli...it was soft and clearly had been sitting around for a long time. The coffee was cold. I tried three pots & gave up. The entire restaurant was not very clean. The salad bar was a mess, the floor was dirty and when I used the restroom I was more than a little freaked out about how dirty it was. It seems like there is some kind of management or staffing issue with this particular location. It's really too bad, because the Lakewood Souplantation used to be a great place for fresh, healthy food. Not so much any more.
(2)
Jerod Y.
Great soup & salad selection! Ice cream was delicious too! People were super friendly on Sunday and able to handle the crowd very well.
(4)
Izzy I.
always fresh, delicious soups, just a yummy place to eat
(4)
Nelson T.
The best thing about this place is the bakery when you can get pizza fresh out of the oven. The salad and other things they offer are quite soggy or just set out too long. Prices is about th same at any buffet you go to but its kind of odd you have to buy drinks on the side while others the drink is included. The dessert they offer is really limited unless you like pineapples or whatever they offer that day. They have soft serve ice cream but only 3 flavors and about 5 toppings total.
(3)
Mia S.
Came here a couple times and I would have to say they are definitely bigger than the fullerton souplantation. I feel like they offer a bit more at their salad bar as well. The service here was great. Our server came by frequently to clear our plates, fill our cups with water, and check up on us. Everytime I come here they always hand out free cookies as well. The fullerton one is hit or miss. This one also allows you to buy a bag of muffins for a little over a dollar.... their muffins are the best! WARM AND TASTY!!! I wish they would just sell muffin tops, since that's the best part!
(4)
Junior A.
great meatless Friday alternative!
(5)
Steven T.
Personally, I Just love this place... Usually you will not find any lines at this soup plantation, but occasionally on prime days at prime hours you might hit a little traffic jam. Parking is easy to find and the restaurant is kept fairly clean and stocked. My favorites are the sesame chicken salad which is the first salad in the line of salads then I head straight to soups and breads. mmmm not too shabby. Im not much of a salad person, but this salad is pretty darn good. All the soups are fairly good, but the chicken noodle I must admit always seems pretty bland and tasteless. The good thing about soup plantation is that they post their nutrition facts up for people to be able to know just how much they are consuming. Also the corn bread is good, but a tad dry... goes well with honey and butter or do yourself one better and use the honey butter. The pizza aka "cheese sticks" are nice and doughy. For some reason though they come with either just cheese or sometimes they come with sauce AND cheese. Either way, it is good with or without the suace. As for dessert, i've feel in love with apple crisp!!! it was soup plantation which first introduced me to the apple crisp and I must admit, they have the best apple crisp I have ever had. I always throw it in a bowl and top it with some vanilla frozen yogurt. If you notice that there is just apples left without the crisp talking, please forgive me. Best of all is that this place is ALL YOU CAN EAT!!!!!!!!!!!! they are pretty good at coming around to the tables and gathering dirty plates.
(4)
Justin O.
It's simply utility food. The soups and salad are ok but nothing spectacular. But on Monday they do serve a good cream of mushroom soup(only on Monday)
(3)
Senna H.
Souplantation is one of those places that need to be remodeled. i love the idea of eating healthy but they need more variety. i can see them trying i.e. every month they feature a new fruit but what they do is make a gross pasta out of it or bake it into an atrocious muffin. when im on my lunch break i walk there and get the take out special and i think its worth 7 buck but this routine could get boring. more variety please! when you feel like you need a salad or are in a healthy mood you can give this place a try but its not that great. what up with the name?
(3)
joe d.
I like to really think I'm eating healthy when I go here. Get the salad, try not to over do it on the dressing and bread. I stay clear of the pasta, get the carbs from the breads. I always get one plate for the salad and never got seconds on the salad, but today I observed two ladies in front of me in line get TWO plates and fill those up high. This avoids the whole I'm getting seconds, I'll just make a one tripper by getting two plates up front?!? Made me look like I was eating like a girl. The two ladies should have only gotten one plate as they were heffers.... I give four stars for consistent selections and taste. I like how they made the drinks self-serve, refills for the win! Never had a bad experience here and don't expect any.
(4)
Carla M.
I love to eat here b/c their food selection isn't heavy, so no food coma. I like their salads, soups, and flavored butter w/the muffins. Also gotta love their chocolate chip cookies-soft in the middle and crispy on the edges. This place is already cheap and gets even cheaper when you get their coupons mailed to you. I also come here when im under a little weather for their soups, hehe.
(4)
Miss W.
I came here last night with my boyfriend and he was hungry and we wanted something kind of healthy even though it's not because all that dressing and cheese =X But it was good =) It was dinner price so basically $10 a person. Man we need to stop eating buffet! haha. Anyways, I love there broccoli salad and clam chowder and chili. The pasta's are never good. They need to add some more flavor to there sauce. As for the pizza there okay. I mean pizza is pizza. I never liked the muffins. The corn bread is okay. I do like the bake potatoes, but who doesn't right =) Too bad we didn't have a coupon this time.
(4)
Tim M.
I just follow the line to the cashier but maybe pickup a bit of croutons, sprouts, etc with thousand island or ranch. Then it's off to the soup or bakery counters. I finish off with desserts and maybe more cheeseburger soup and pizza bread. I'm not really a salad eater but this place offers lots as a buffet place. Here and Hometown Buffet next door are a couple favorite buffet places since Sir Lancelot's left town. The staff is nice here too so it's a pleasure to give my business here with my wife and maybe the kids too. Great place to finish a night in town after the movie theater near by.
(4)
Mike L.
For a health nut, this will be a paradise. It has salad bar with a not bad of a selection of soups. Oh one thing about this place.... they are trying to hide the meat! There is no visible meat anywhere. I guess that is how they are trying to be health conscious in this place. There is a good amount of bread everywhere and a soft ice cream machine is served. The only time I ever seen meat was when "chicken" broth soup was served. You actually will see people scooping for the chicken out of the soup. That's when you know that maybe a meatless place does not always work. For me, after eating at this place, I always feel so empty. Even though I just ate quite a feast, but without the meat, it's still feel really empty.
(2)
Sarah H.
Ugh..I came here hoping to cure my hangover blues, but I did not fully succeed in that mission. This was actually my first time at Souplantation, so I didn't get the setup of the place, seemed kind of retarded to me. The part that really got me was that I had to wait after I paid for someone to seat me. Um, I think I know how to find a table, thanks. And maybe they should make the place a bit bigger so it's not one clusterfuck of people milling around. The selection of salads was decent, I liked the chinese chicken one, but it had way too much soy sauce in it for my taste. The potato salad was a bit bland, and too sweet all at the same time. How does that happen? On that note, why does alot of stuff here taste so sugary? The chili was ok, but way too sweet. I think the best thing there was the cauliflower soup, it hit the spot and eased my hungoverness quite well. I don't think there was alot of variety here, and I really don't think I would return. 22 bucks for 2 people? I think not. But I am a cheapie whore, so what would I know?
(2)
Genevieve R.
Great place to go to when you're having a little decision-making disorder. The line is never backed up too far to ring you up. When it gets really busy they will seat you instead of making your wander around with a tray full of plates. I'm a big fan of their chinese chicken salad, salad bar, chicken noodle soup, focaccia, and blueberry muffins. They're pretty good at keeping the salad bar stocked with lots of veggies and salad condiments. The soup station is pretty quick at putting on a fresh pot of whatever soup is running low. I have yet to stumble on a pasta dish that is tasty, so I just skip those. The bakery is always hopping. There's always a run on the focaccia, but there's usually a fresh hot one coming out of the oven just a few minutes behind. There are lots of wait-staff running around collecting empty plates, wiping down tables, asking if you need anything. Definitely the kind of place you want to go on a casual day when you're just plain hungry. Go online and subscribe to Souplantations newsletter and they'll send you coupons.
(4)
Harry H.
I cannot stress how much I love thee souplantation! I go here and binge on leafy greens often and you will enjoy it because you get to have it your way. No other competitor can match its flavor and variety. I love the chinese salad. Top it off with crispy noodles and some egg! Head to the bakery and grab some FRESH cornbread and some honey butter! Grab a slice of warm pizza and then head to get some AMAZING chili! Top it off with some onions and crackers and cheese! When you're all done with that you can see what the monthly specials which is usually a dessert or head back for some non fat frozen yogurt!! I love this place and its always worth the price! Join the club to get discounts and sign up for the emails and if you find the coupons in the paper, clip away!
(5)
Aynge M.
Not bad, but not nearly as good as I recall. I ate at a Souplantation in the early 90s--I think it was the one at the traffic circle in Long Beach--and it was very good. But I guess not so good that it took me all these years to go back, right? Well, the only thing they didn't have at the salad bar was bacon bits, which, to me, are indispensable. The pasta was bland but the mushroom soup and garlic bread were great. I didn't like how they charged extra for a soda, and with tip it ended up being $15. That's more than I expected to pay. I could have gone to Mimi's for that!
(3)
Sue K.
I come here about once a week. Everytime their "Veg Club" emails me that coupon for buy one meal, get one meal free, I practically run and skip happily over. I also have backup copies of their coupons from the Los Angeles Times in my back pocket. Maybe I said too much... I'm kind of embarrassed now.
(4)
Kelli G.
this is one of my favorite places to eat. don't come unless you have a coupon though because the price has slowly increased over the years and is getting a little ridiculous. don't expect to get your meat fix here--only small shreds of chicken in the chinese salad and soups (ground beef in the chili). if you pay more you can get a tiny cup of diced chicken, but it's not worth it. this place has every vegetable i hate chopping at home so it's a fantastic opportunity to fiber up and try a variety of salad dressings. they started selling the chinese salad dressing and i was ecstatic to see that it is almost fat free--sometimes it's hard to tell with dressing. the servers are nice and helpful and sometimes they pass out free cookies to the tables. great place to eat!
(4)
Kevo D.
been comin to this spot for years now, never disappointed only when they lag to pick up the used bowls and utensils, their clam chowder and strawberry lemonade are the shit but the blueberry muffins are crack throw in some honey whipped butter with drops of honey in that shit im hooked!
(4)
Grace N.
cheap, healthy food. some of it can be bland however. prices are very affordable and service is very friendly
(3)
Electric E.
Been here for years. Its a good place to have salad, but as any other buffet style places, you get worked up into eating way too much food and it defeats the purpose of eating 'light'. Anyhow, we go anytime throughout the year, and get a kick when the "Different Cultural Theme" weeks are in effect. My favorite themes are asian italian, and mexican. The price has gone up over the years from mid $7 to almost $10 per person. Chicken (Do not take the noodles) soup is always good. Wish they have Greek Salad as a constant salad instead of making it only available during certain seasons/months. The key here is to eat modestly and try a little of everything.
(3)
Natalie R.
I love salads and can't get enough of them and to have a place you can go to that mainly serves salads is a huge treat! The only bummer about this place is it's expensive and they've taken away all their discounts. The lettuce is lacking in quality a little bit but the soups, and breads are great. They now offer to go which is wonderful. Just really pricey and bummed they took away the student and AAA discounts. If you go during lunch Mon-Fri expect rude lunch goers, but overall if you're craving a salad it's the best!
(3)
Mike F.
Well, even though this is a step up from the sizzlers all-you-can-eat-till-I-blowup-salad bar-that-I-let-me-friends-snack-on-till-their-Âfood-comes, its still not anything to write about. If youre a salad nut like me, and if you have to spend the time making a masterpiece of a salad that you have to pay $10 to make yourself, theres plenty of other places I can think of locally (ahem, Tracys) that can make you a kick ass salad for less and thats made for you. Soups are good here so I give it an extra star but its not saying much.
(2)
P B.
Great place for a lunch or dinner with family. Healthy salads topped off with good variety of soups. Good value especially with coupons. try the brownie with ice cream
(4)
fran d.
i don't know exactly how everything got started on my end. maybe i went out with a girl i was trying to impress upon her my healthy eating habits-you know how a penis will make you do the strangest things. ladies, don't ever have penis envy, it's more of a curse having one, really. but anyway, for some strange and unexplainable reason i used to enjoy eating at souplantation establishments. now this isn't the case anymore or maybe it's just this place in particular. i don't know but i find their salad toppings not adventurous enough. it's very standard fare to me, the stuff that i just might as well go to jack in the box and get a salad there instead and avoid the running of little creatures back and forth almost making me toss my tray. and that's another thing, the whole tray line now reminds me of death camps and junior highs. they ought to just switch over to waitressing the customer's food. they have the people there, i've seen them, with uniforms, walking around the tables trying to get you out of the restaurant as fast as possible. now for the soups, i don't know, they are alright but their breads are nothing to write home about, so unless you're homeless, you'll feel disappointed at your lack of urge to write. this place in particular is a kid fest. not the most ideal place to have a quiet lunch/dinner. also, every once in a while you have the screaming teenage girls. gah. i am giving this place three stars but only because i am feeling generous today. maybe my penis has finally come around after all these years.
(3)
TinaMarie M.
souplantation...not too shabby in my book!if you sign up for their VEG club they send you great coupons via email.. most of the time the coupons are buy one lunch/dinner get one FREE!now that really makes a gal happy!they always have a great selection of fresh fixins for that salad of yours!their soups are hit and miss.. some are delizioso and some not so much, guess it just depends on those little tastebuds of yours. i do have to watch my intake of breads and baked goods that call my name as im eating world's healthiest salad. every muffin ive ever had from the "plantation" as george lopez would say is just delectable!they usually have a few fresh baked breads to choose from not to mention a not too bad baked potato bar.for dessert the selection is ehh.. but if you like fro yo their's is pretty tasty! i always leave the plantation a happy gal!
(4)
Rebecca R.
I love buffets period, so this restaurant rocks my socks. Clean, well-lit, and always well-stocked. What more can I say? I just wish they would bring the seafood salade back!!! It's my favorite!!!
(4)
Rachelle B.
i felt really sick after leaving this place. i didn't even eat that much, so i cant blame it on the fact that i'd eaten too much. after my sister, boyfriend, and i ate here, we went to the target by the lakewood mall. OMG. i seriously could barely move after dinner. i had the chills and i had the feeling i was going to vomit. rarely happens to me, seriously. it's also incredibly busy, and the people that work there aren't all that nice. i'd much rather go to the one in irvine. btw- it's lemon month at souplantation. they have a lemon and capers pasta. not so good. at other locations i've been to (in fullerton and in irvine) there is always a small amount of pasta in the pans, and there are constantly servers refilling the pans. at this location, there was a HUUUGE pile of pasta in the pans and they didn't look so fresh. isn't the freshly prepared pasta the best part of souplantation? whatever. never coming here again. last night was horrifying.
(1)
Sorry, we don't have Q&A for this restaurant.
Sorry, No Coupons available for this restaurant.
Address :4720 Candlewood Street
Lakewood, CA, 90712
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : No Caters : No
Eric S.
Very nice customer service. Juan came by and asked if we needed anything at our table. And to not hesitate to call. Great job.
(4)Lizz G.
Love it! Great food/place that gives u the opportunity to have portion control. Everything is yummy! Get coupons online, there's always some :)
(5)Lili P.
Great tasting . Never run out of food. Our bus boy "Don" an older white man was very attentive and friendly . He asked us if we are ok twice. So that was very nice and professional. Good times.
(4)Jason W.
What else can be said about this place? Food is always fresh, so much variety and very affordable price. My favs are the broccoli salad, pineapple coleslaw, Chinese chicken salad and the assorted soups & baked goods. Been coming here (not this paticular location) years and still will.
(5)Mike M.
Food and service are always good here. Sign up for the email club and get some great discounts.
(4)Ticha B.
POOPLANTATION!!! I love it! This location is ok, they're always packed so you kind of always have to wait for a table for dinner. PLUS I think they displays, food stations are usually messy. I don't blame the company for this, just the customers. BUT then again management needs to send the peeps with the wet industrial towels out to clean the counters. You can't go wrong with the foods...except for the Alfredo pasta and mac n cheese here. SO BLAND and SO WATERY! Everything else was pretty good. I still love my blueberry muffins! Remember De Niro in Casino when he was counting the blueberry muffins in his casino? Classic! I think of that part everytime I munch on my 3-4 muffins a visit! Service good, slippery restrooms, they could be a bit cleaner overall at this location. I will be back though....nothing better than the poopies after visiting Pooplantation on the softball field! YIKES!
(3)Kris I.
Really impressed by this Souplantation! Everything was uber fresh, clean, and neat. But what made this experience stand out from the rest was the staff. It made a big impression to see the manager walking around to greet people and take away empty plates as he went and also offering to help an elderly woman with her tray. I overheard another staff member ask the guy at the table next to us if he wanted some water, ice or no ice, and then she actually went to get it for him. Normally Souplantation is a serve yourself kinda place so I know this was beyond her job description. It was very refreshing to eat at a restaurant that not only serves yummy food but also makes you feel like they genuinely enjoy what they do and care about their customers.
(5)Janice P.
Food fresh and that's what I expect going there. Coffee tasty.... everything is perfect! Love it!
(5)Michael P.
I haven't eaten here in almost ten years and was curious if things were still just as yummy they were then. Just one of those things, my place was getting it's monthly cleaning and I needed to be gone for an hour or so. So what do I crave Soup Plantation, with all of it's healthy vegan options and some of it's I'm gonna have to call Jenny options too. I arrived at 11:30 AM and the place was pretty busy. Also, after reading most of the 1-3 star reviews I was curious as to why they were still in business. I mean we are talking both salad lines moving like the Lucy and Ethel's Bon Bon skit but organized and, plenty of customers too. I grabbed a tray, a plate and opted for the Cesar Salad out of three other salad offerings. Fresh green Romaine Lettuce hand torn,( not cut with salad scissors ) crunchy seasoned croutons and that sparkling Cesar Salad Dressing. I then moved down the line adding little bits of shredded carrots, radishes, cucumbers, olives, peas etc. You get the idea, a nice variety of condiments that made for a nice fresh green starter. Oh yes I had to add some of that delicious Creamy Cucumber dressing just to top things off too. When I reach the cashier I hand her a $20 bill and my AAA card (they always gave AAA member's 10% off last time I was here). "I'm sorry honey, we stopped taking those cards and giving a discount 2 years ago". " Oh I haven't been here in 10 years and I just had to come back, with that as part of the reason". The cashier comes back and gives me a coupon discount just because. The lady next to me says jokingly "what cologne do you have on today or do you practice witchcraft"? I said "nothing must be the fairy dust". Her reaction 0_0, hey I was in Lakewood not LB! I found a table amongst the bustling lunch crowd and then proceeded to get me some clam chowder, splash some Tabasco, (no Tapatio-BASTARDS!) added some Mini-Gold Fish crackers and grabbed some sort of cheese/garlic bread slices. Then of course a glass of milk-Oh Boy! Chocolate syrup for chocolate milk ( live a little once in a while I always say ). I didn't do the desserts or muffins because I was pretty well sated and, I knew after OG time later tonight I was going to get a cookie fix on so I passed. So let me break it down: Lunch Combo-$8.39 Milk (unlimited refills)-$2.39 Lunch Coupon Discount-Minus 90 cents Merchandise ST-$9.88 Tax-96 Cents Total-$10.84 SWEET! This location was clean, organized, being cleaned constantly, attentive staff removing trays and dirty dishes. Every employee IMO was doing their thing and doing it well. All in all a nice lunchy dining experience and, I'll be back to create more salad concoctions and maybe just 1 Muffin with honey butter. Get a grip people, remember where you are eating and know what to expect before you go and diss the place. Soup Plantation-The Sky Room, big difference. 'As Chelsea Handler would say" 'Ya got that girl"?
(4)Steve S.
This is our go to lunch Souplantation spot. I've been coming here for years, years I said. They recently renovated the place and I have to say, it's looking pretty darn good now. The service is always good. We've been coming here so long, we know the lady that clears our plates (Rosa) and she always has a smile on her face. Basics: All you can eat salad. Sounds healthy right? It can be, but I don't do healthy to good. lol. Yes, I eat the veggies, but if you put a cup of thousand island dressing on your salad, is it really that healthy? lol Good thing they have a couple of pre-made salad at the beginning of the line. Usually a Chinese Chicken Salad (not a lot if any chicken) or a Greek inspired salad. Both are good. Soup: 7 to 8 different soups to choose from. They have the regulars, Clam Chowder, Chili of some sorts and a veggie (split pea soup, my favorite and yes I know it's a legume, not a veggie. hahaha) soup to chose from. Tip: Oyster cracker, tobasco and pepper are all at the end of the soup line. Baked items: Who can't resist a fresh baked blueberry muffin, Yum yum yum!! They also have cornbread, flat bread pizzas, baked potatoes and a lot more. And of course you need the butter or whipped honey for that extra calorie. lol Pasta: Mac N Cheese please. Yes, they're not good on their own. lol. so head over to the ice cream station (don't ask me why, but that's where the cheese and onions are, lol) Add more shredded cheese, that will improve it 50%. Then add pepper and salt when you get to your table. lol You'll end up with a half way descent mac. (I'm wierd, so I add a little butter, sour cream and green onions on mine, hahaha) Desserts: I don't do dessert here, that's because I already stuffed my self silly and there is absolutely no room for dessert. lol. But if you have room, they have soft serve ice cream, fruits (canned), pudding and jello =) When you want a healthy meal, this is the spot. Just don't do what I do. hahaha. 2015 Review #64
(4)Ana B.
If you've been to one Souplantation, you know what the food is about so I'll comment more on the location itself. Service: The service was lacking and it wasn't until we were ready to leave that someone came by to pick up our used plates. We eat slow and were there for close to an hour so the service definitely could have been better. Organization: The organization of both the food and exit are a bit of a mess at this location. The food is oddly organized and we never did figure out where certain items were location. The exit was along the side but took some hunting to figure out the correct path to take between all of the tables. It gets very busy at lunch so good luck finding your way out. Food: Most things were kept well stocked but I was surprised that there were popular items that never seemed to be ready. This was before the rush so I don't know how they kept up after that. Overall, ok. I would come here again. Tip: Look for coupons before coming here. It makes paying for mostly salad worth it.
(3)Javier L.
I love coming to this establishment. I do not believe the price is worth the value or quality. I usually use coupons when I come here. That is the only way I bring my family here to eat. The soups are delicious. They have a selection of many types of salads. This is a great place to come eat when you have coupons. The staff is friendly and nice.
(3)Jessica G.
Too many people love souplantation. I can't understand why because on average their food is mediocre. Some pastas are tasty and some are dry. Some soups are just salty broth and some soups make you reach for seconds. Some of the breads by the bakery are just warm empty carbs and some breads are addicting (I'm looking at you blueberry muffin). This is what I mean by averagely mediocre. Some foods are bad and some are good. Their attempt at breakfast was bad, they should stick to lunch and dinner. Eggs were dry. French toast was crunchy on one side and soggy on the other side. Waffles were limp and weren't the light yet crisp Belgian waffles you'd expect. Service is always good. But that doesn't make up for the dishes that are bad or the fountain water that was a little dirty with little specks of black on the bottom of the glass as if it's not filtered. The tables/chairs are designed weird as if they were for little kids. Either the table tops are short or the chairs are too high but this leads to your food being too low so you sort of have to crouch to eat and not make a mess. Also their cones for the soft serve are a joke.
(3)ardria c.
The quality of food is not the same as 25 years ago. The soup was watered down & the salad selection was not very good. 2nd. I had to wait to be seated approximately 10 minutes to be seated. The dinning area is too small and needs to be expanded.
(2)James M.
I must have been spoiled by the Sweet Tomato's in Tigard, OR, because I found my experience at the Souplantation in Lakewood a disappointment. Shawn H. Is absolutely right -- never pay full retail! We used the coupon sent out every Thursday, so paid $8.99 per person for the Adult Lunch Combo, plus tax. Don't get me wrong ... our visit wasn't bad, it's just that 1) the building is so tired, I do not believe it has been updated in thirty-plus years. 2) When I picked up trays from the stack at the door, there was food stuck to the first two trays -- brownie in one case, lettuce and something else on the second. I do appreciate convenience, but I will get my own food, thank you! 3) Locating a clean tray, I reached for plates, and found one with a big chip out of the edge, a second with food stuck to it, and a third with a big crack in it. Come on, guys! So, with clean tray and plate, I move through the line, loading up like, as my mother would say, a man with a hollow leg. Arriving at the register, coupon in hand, it is time to stop eating with my fingers, and pick up a spoon and fork. 4) Yes, I had to sort through several to find a spoon and fork that didn't have schmutz on them. The cashier was visibly embarrassed! This just darkened my whole visit. Three Stars.
(3)Jay B.
They've recently upgraded their trays and plates, and seating that better matches the restaurant and is way less tacky. Soups and salads here are always delicious and the right temperature. Was hoping to find broccoli cheddar but I'm guessing it's seasonal? Cashier was great and honored the coupon that was being passed down the line. Definitely will be back! (Visited 04/28/2015 7:25PM)
(4)Adrian A.
I like this place especially if they have my favorite mushroom chowder, but occasionally they don't :( but I don't mind because they have great customer service especially this location. The staff always check on us. I like their salad bar cause so much to choose from. I always get their wonton salad because you it's crunchy and packs a lot of flavor. I basically fill up my plate of salad goodness! My only concern that their salad bar is not unlimited and just limited to one plate; I wish it's included to their buffet bar. I cannot complain cause the soup and bread bar is amazing. I always get 6 to 8 servings of soup and 2-3 servings of bread because it's that good.
(4)Covar R.
I love this place. We usually come here about times six times a month. Food excellent. Service fast. I just worry about frequent water spills on the wooden floors. Alot of older people with canes. I've been on a safety co mitte for a long time I see a slip and fall getting ready to happen. Supervisors need to be more vigil. Just saying.Dont was anyone hurt
(5)Shawn H.
First time visiting this location. It seemed to have really fresh food. It was a lot cleaner and more spacious than other locations. It also didn't appear to be as crowded during the dinner rush hour. They didn't have any unique food items, but the food did taste better than usual. The garlic focaccia cheese bread was really yummy. I think it tastes a lot better than the normal pizza bread that they always offer. A lot of their soups are really salty, so I would suggest mixing in some of the broth from the chicken noodle soup. It helps to neutralize the high sodium concentration in the tastier soups and it still tastes really good. Never pay full price! If you sign up with your email they send you electronic coupons every Thursday! This one is in a really nice location. There are a lot of shops and other restaurants surrounding it. Enjoy your soup!! Bye bye.
(4)Julia B.
All you can eat buffets are generally a time to be a fat ass. At Souplantation, you can do that with a 'healthy' kick! The selection of food here are all vegetarian and/or vegan friendly, even a lot of them were gluten-free. Of course, there was plenty of salad, which were already prepared or you had the option of customizing your own salad bowl. While I'm not a vegetarian myself, I really liked their Broccoli & Potato Chowder, as well as their House Chili (they also had a vegan Chili). A good place for a light yet filling lunch and when you have vegetarians in your group!
(4)Ariel E.
Newly remodeled restaurant in Lakewood, California. Located inside a shopping center next to a Georges Greek Café and Hometown buffet. Mostly vegetarian salad bar , Soups, and breads. Overall good value and good tasting food. Great for families and kids.
(3)Miss S.
2/9/15 It was my first time here and I L-o-V- E-D it !!! plenty of parking since its at the lakewood mall. Very clean dining area, super friendly staff. It's a holiday today so I expected it to be overcrowded but it wasn't. Thank goodness cause I hate crowds and lines when I am hungry. So there's only one thing to say - U MUST COME TRY THIS PLACE ! Soups & Salads galore ! From traditional chicken noodle to onion soup, to southern style chili beans & corn bread. Feel free to bring friends that want a satisfying meal too because they have a bakery with fresh baked focaccia breadS..garlic cheesy bread, blueberry muffins baked potatoes and some hot pastas. Make sure you leave room for desert cause they have soft serve ice cream too! With sprinkles or brownie chunks ! HEAVENLY ! ; ) Bon appetit !
(5)Elise I.
Walked in here around lunchtime and it wasn't very busy. All of the salads were restocked so we didn't have to wait for anything to be made. My friends and I had a coupon that didn't really impact the amount we paid, but it came with a drink so we were satisfied. The restaurant was clean and there were many options of food to choose from. The people who were working were really nice. Always had a smile on their face and such. The man who waited our table was really nice and came by often to take our plates away. Notes: If you're more of a meat lover, you will not be satisfied because this place is all about vegetables
(4)Johnny O.
All you can eat fresh buffet. Not a typical casino or Golden Corral type. They serve really good health conscious ingredient food. Not healthy but good quality ingredients. And the best part is the soft serve ice cream. My favorite place to go when I'm staving.
(5)Leslie E.
This is by far the best soupplantation. Service is excellent at this lication. Fresh good food. Very Service fast. I think they where picking up dishes do fast because they where busy and needed the dishes. Very busy sunday at 1:00 but 2 minute wait for table, but what was the only wait. Table person was wonderful fast, polite, observant, her name was Vivian. I have eaten here a few more times and all the servers are great.
(5)Jonathan W.
This is one of the best places to eat at after a good workout, and not feel guilty. The food is always fresh and they have great customer service.
(5)Fernie G.
Awesome place. But the worker Cody seemed pretty arrogant. Reason why I took off one star
(4)Summer M.
First, let me start off by saying I LOVE SOUPLANTATION!!! The reason for only 4 stars is the hostess kept asking us every 10 minutes if everything was OK. She actually was in such a zone she didn't realize what she was doing. Aside from that, it was a great experience.
(4)Dee R.
Love the Brea location but hate this place because it is dirty and the bussers are loud and unprofessional. You have to ask the cashier for a tea bag for hot tea...are you kidding me? Back bussing area was filthy (it's by the restroom) and the bus staff is so obnoxious yelling in the back room and bad-mouthing customers, esp. the girl busser. Ugh!! Just don't sit by the restrooms and kitchen because there is no sense of consideration for the guests trying to eat and visit. Won't be back to this location, ever! Also, check your plates and bowls. We had a dirty bowl and a dirty coffee mug. Yuck!
(2)Rachel G.
The only reason I am giving a 5-star rating is because my family and I received the best customer service we've EVER received here. I have been going to this particular location for many years now, and I've never received such kindness from any of the other employees. CODY, I want to thank you for for making my family luncheon a nice experience. Not only were you highly attentive to my table but to every single table as far as my eye could see. Every time I looked up you were working hard. Picking up tons of dishes, trays, sweeping, greeting customers! And you did everything with a smile on your face. It was nice and refreshing to have such a nice experience. I wish more people in the restaurant business were as kind as hard working as you.
(5)Irene P.
The (partial) renovation is nice, however, does not extend to the bathrooms. Otherwise this is a Souplantation like all others.
(4)Nathan C.
I love eating at the supplantation that was a great selection. Really good food sometimes it gets pretty crowded but most the time it's nice. I love how different months they have different themes. I highly recommend everyone try the brownie bites of the muffin station they are delicious.
(5)Ignacio M.
Food was great. Just a shortage on forks. Terrible. I'm finishing up my meal and one of the bidders walks over as I'm watching a video on my phone, and asks me to lower the volume on my phone because they have music playing for the guests. He didn't mean it in a rude way and I understand he has a job. But, never have I ever gone to a restaurant and be asked to lower the volume on my phone. It honestly wasn't even all that loud. If anything, the background music in the restaurant was louder than my phone. Might as well ask parents to mute their kids, right?
(2)J G.
I usually find something good when I go to a place but this place is not for me. It was my 1st time coming here expecting to find different types of soups but that's not the deal here. It's like a buffet but with no carbs in it. No steaks, turkey or anything that makes you fat. This place is literally a place you go if you're on a diet.
(1)Erika L.
I was here for the first time in 7/2/15 at around dinner time. I was pleased to use one of their coupons. I got dinner and a drink for 10.59 (I think that's what it was). The food tasted fresh! I really liked this location, There are some waiters walking around cleaning off tables to give u enough space to clear up. It wasn't bad at all! Only downside was the ice cream machine. Wasn't really working, was too "mushy." Other than that, I really enjoyed eating here! Location wasn't too bad, Parking was easy to find.
(4)Lynn J.
Souplantation has a marvelous salad bar and very nice soups. The foods are are simply laid out and easy to access. I confess to being a little underwhelmed by some of the soup flavors after a considerable amount of hype but I enjoyed my dinner and the reasonable price. All you can eat places are often more about volume than quality but there is a nice balance here. The space is utilitarian but if you need to eat and do not need an upscale place this is a good one to try.
(3)Valerie B.
The restaurant changed its format for the better. I just wish that they would change up the breakfast menu a bit. The worst thing is seeing an employees butt while eating. Very unprofessional!
(4)Kimberly P.
I enjoy going here when I want a light lunch or dinner! You can't go wrong here with the variety! I love the different toppings you can add to your salad and the different pastas! They have a bakery and soup station that has good selections as well. I would highly recommend signing up the the Veg Club because they send coupons every week offering discounts.
(3)Charlie C.
I always enjoy a healthy meal! Been to this location a few times and it was always decent. This last time we went because of a $25 gift card. After I handed the gift card over I noticed that it was taking a very long time for the transaction. I was beginning to wonder if the card had a balance. There was obviously a line behind me so I was getting impatient and embarrassed as well. The cashier did not look like she knew what she was doing. She first mentioned that this is the first time this has happened to her. Then when her manager came and asked if she had this problem before, she said "yes with gift cards". If you have a problem with gift cards, the manager should know asap and get the problem fixed asap. Or you should post something at your door, not after everyone gets their food. Also I felt they should have taken the time to call the card balance feature and honor the card. Yes it's an inconvenience but most people that go to a restaurant because of a gift card, wouldn't have gone (at least that night) without the card. I was embarrassed and their lack of concern or apology so I just ended up using my credit card. Unfortunate!
(1)Jose C.
Struggling to decide what to eat between East Side Mario's or Soup Plantation, my friends went with the latter and so began my food expedition! Upon entering this place I couldn't help but to notice that this place looked like a plantation.. of soup! Hehe, just kidding. It actually had a lot of interesting salads, all which where tossed vigorously. Never has tossing salads been such a good thing :) oh yeah! One of my more carnivorous friend was a bit reluctant to go here. Surely, his beef with this place was the lack of.. beef. So, if you're coming here expecting to eat meat, you won't find that much here besides chicken salads and pizza. Just a few items, really. Personally, I didn't mind. I'll come here, but probably not suggest it. Nevertheless, great place! So if you're into greens, and wouldn't mind a healthier alternative to "all-you-can-eat" come here. Pros: +Great Staff +Nice atmosphere +Good Food Cons: -Lack of meats -Restock on food is a bit slow
(4)Scarlett Z.
This place was cool until it went through its recent changes. Growing up, their chicken soup was always my favorite. Now that they went through their recent changes, their traditional chicken soup is now....nasty. The noodles and broth are the same, but the chicken now has fatty, tendons in it. Other than that, everything else is pretty good as always
(3)Frannie B.
Went here today for lunch with my sister. Really didn't want to go because I hate buffets. My sister had a coupon that offered your lunch with a drink. She said she would pay, so I said what the hell. I was pretty surprised when we went in. I thought we would be eating with a bunch of senior citizens and the place would smell like hospital food. The restaurant was very clean, the staff friendly, a mix of clientele, and the food wasn't bad. Well how bad can a salad be! All the salads and topping were fresh and they offered a wide variety of salad dressings. I didn't have any soup because I didn't care for the selection. Even though they offered a big selection, none of them seemed appealing. The one thing I was disappointed with though, was the dessert bar. They only offered soft served ice cream with two types of syrups and sprinkles. I'm a big dessert person and was looking forward to a piece of cake or pie. If Souplantation would build up their dessert bar, it would be so much better!! That's why I'm giving them 2 stars.
(2)Shelley C.
I can't help it -- I'm a huge fan of Souplantation! Friendly staff, delicious food, amazing strawberry lemonade, buffet style, you simply cannot go wrong. This location is one of the smaller ones that I have been to, however. The salads are perfection, I love how you can quite literally add anything as a topping on your salad! My favorite soups are the clam chowder (I add crackers), chicken noodle soup (I add green onions), and the chili soup (I add cheese and green onions). All so hearty and filling! I admit, I am not a big fan of their pastas and pizzas. Their mac and cheese just isn't that good, and their pizza is fine. I do like how the pizzas are cut up in tiny little strips so you can get a couple of each. I love their bakery though! The blueberry muffins are perfection, and that cornbread is heavenly. Their frozen yogurt machine is delicious too! In conclusion: I love Souplanation and have yet to have a bad experience at one.
(4)Lina F.
I have always passed this place but never went inside, I honestly just thought they sold soup for years. A friend said it was awesome so I signed up for emails on there website to get discounts as she suggested. I used the 2 for 17.99 for lunch today and really enjoyed it. Its seriously like a hometown buffet for healthy people or older people watching there cholesterol. As soon as you walk in you pick up a plate and tray and starting making your salad and its endless amounts of options. So many damn veggies its crazy. I choose a mountain of salad and veggies. It has some already made but its easier to make your own, you hold the power. Then you pay after your down going down the line and you get to choose your seating. They have a soup and pasta station and a bakery station. Also soft serve for dessert. In my opinion I loved it, would definitely go back again. They have baked potatoes and I added the honey whip butter next to it and GOOD LORD it was the best butter I've tried in my life. I wanted to take some home no lie. Down side they charge for beverages so I would just bring my water bottle and only pay the 7.99 for all you eat. Nothing beats that. Attire is causal or whatever pleases you and there's plenty of parking outside.
(4)Breanne I.
IF you're craving a good soup or salad, this is the place to go. It's a self serve salad bar with a wide variety of toppings that you can add to your meal & if you come on a Sunday, they offer a brunch menu that's worth trying! The staff at this particular location is very friendly. Whenever I come here with my family for dinner (a group of 10 or 12) we've always received exceptional customer service and one particular server always brings us freshly baked chocolate chip cookies for dessert! Overall, I really do loOove this restaurant and visit quite frequently (: (:
(5)Mari H.
The four stars is for the staff. I'm big on customer service and I feel safe to day this place has got it. It's clean and quick when it comes to seating and arranging. The food is a hit or miss. We've had a couple of issues with some dishes but they are always taken care of as soon as I let them know. All in all, pretty happy with this location.
(4)Marjorie J.
Doing a 30 Day-Vegetarian/Vegan Diet...yep, this place hit the spot! Yum!
(4)XConciergeLB X.
5 stars for all the greens you can eat. I always forget how to make a proper salad, what types of veggies and etc to add to greens. I know there's no set rules but sometimes it's better to buy a prepacked salad. I came here on a Sunday so it was quite loud, lots of families and kids around, running around the place, etc...go slow walking with the trays full of food or else watch it go flying off! The selection is great and the staff quickly replaces whatever needs refilling. You grab a tray, plates and get going. Some plates were washed too quickly and saw some with still some food on it (yuk!) but I found some that were spotless... then you just wait in line until they have clean tables and then you pay. Great selection of soups, breads and soft serve ice cream. The hearty chili with the focaccia bread was my favorite! All the beverages you can drink too. Parking outside of here is hit or miss, we scored a parking spot right outside the restaurant.
(4)Rose C.
I love Sweet Tomatoes/Soup Plantation. Love love love love love it. If I could, I would go once a week and stuff salad down my throat every time. That being said, most Souplantation's are the same. They have the same stuff consistently, it's organized very similarly, and I've never had a single complaint about their customer service. However, when I visited this souplantation on 2/16, I was amazed. It was a huge one--located near the mall and whatnot, and the line was OUT THE DOOR! This usually doesn't happen in the one in Garden Grove. So yes, there were tons of people. Also, they have signs everywhere that says to not sample food in the salad line, which makes sense, cause that's kinda unsanitary. I literally watched a mother feed her baby various pastas while waiting in line, all the while the baby was dropping uneaten pasta on the floor and it was getting stepped on by every body. Several times, the ladies making the salads watched the baby drop food, but didn't say anything to the parent about not eating in line. Ah, well. Finally we got seated, and the lighting was so low. I hate eating in low lighting. It ruins my appetite, which I guess is the point, anyway...not being able to see your food = not eating more? That's one way to lose weight! Hah! Anyway, we were also kinda far from the food which is saying a lot because you should never be that far. We must have come on a crazy busy night because they had two employees designated for seating people. That's great and all, but oh my gosh, these people were stressed out and rushing! The young lady who was in charge kept running around talking into her little mic. She looked tired, hustled, and never walked calmly or smiled, she just ran around taking people to tables. I appreciated her quickness, but it made dinner kind of awkward because she ran by our table like more than 10 times! It made the whole dining experience feel very rushed. Next, the soup. Can't go wrong with the soup. Oh but you can! The clam chowder was lukewarm. I hate lukewarm soup--it's so wrong. Soup should be HOT and steaming! Not cold. I let the chef know and they apologized and said they'd re-heat it or add hot water below, but it didn't happen, so I was sad. Red Velvet Cake = Yuck. Tasted like buttered popcorn. No blueberry muffins, but they did have chocolate chip muffins which were good. Ran out of honey butter. Noooo! Overall, not happy with this experience. I'll definitely be heading back to the garden grove location.
(2)Will M.
Souplantation or Sweet Tomatoes in the South is an all you can eat salad/soup/breads bar. Nothing to get too excited about. I frequent the location in Lakewood a few times a year. The place can get very busy during dinner hours. The salad bar is always fully stocked with lots of options. The soups (typically 8) are all ok. The bakery area is pretty awful. they are supposed to have an assortment of flat breads, muffins, and a desert of the month. I can honestly say every singly time I go they are out of a 'fresh baked item' and you have to wait 10 min +. To me this is unacceptable. You are a buffet, it cant be that hard. I give em 3 stars. The food is catered to meet the general publics palate. Its almost bland. Any salad or soup with meat is like trying to find a needle in a haystack to find said meat. Ill go back but I'm not in a big rush.
(3)Virginia H.
My boyfriend and I tried this place a few months ago. The salads were delicious and we were feeling pretty excited about finding a possible place to take his family. So we decided to move on to trying the soups. Bad decision. I'm not sure about the rest but the noodle soup was tasteless. I thought soup was supposed to be the specialty? Maybe other locations know how to make it? Fine, I went on to try the Mac n Cheese. I don't mind a non creamy sauce for the pasta and I have tried this in low calorie form before, but this wasn't very appetitizing. So I moved on to dessert. The chocolate cake dish taste like it was diet, the chocolate muffin was merely editable enough to finish, and the ice cream was the most watered down soft serve I've ever had. I'd rather get a bowl of soup some place else, regardless of how unhealthy it is. Aside from the salad and wonderful staff, I was extremely disappointed.
(2)Cathy N.
I don't know what beats a decent buffet. Such a bang for your buck! This particular restaurant was pretty clean, and continued to stay well-stocked. The servers and bussers were always on high alert, so our table never became to overcrowded with dirty dishes. I loooove their variety of cornbreads and soups. Having the variety is so much fun. Parking is plentiful, as the restaurant is on the Lakewood Mall property. We came on a Sunday night around 7pm, and there wasn't much of a line. Wooh! I'll be back if/when I'm in the area, and craving more than one type of food :)
(4)Marlena B.
Been coming here since I was a kid. Love this place, I come here almost every Sunday after mass. Their soups, salads and pastries are delicious & guilt free! I'm actually considering hosting my wedding reception at this place ... Whenever that'll happen
(5)Benny S.
We've all been here before the food is decent I just like creating my own salads. This trip was different they had chicken and wild rice and it was delicious it's should remain as a permanent item
(3)Heather N.
Although the salad bar itself had a great and tasty selection, I was disappointed in the other offerings. There was only two pasta offerings and they didn't really have any flavor--Kraft Macaroni & Cheese tastes better than the Mac & Cheese they were offering. I also was disappointed that the only hand sanitizing station was by the front door. I would have liked to have seen a sanitizing station by the other food selections or in the dining room (everyone has their hands all over the serving utensils so there is potential for picking up a lot of germs). Both the drink station and the ice cream stations were dirty and there was no ice for the fountain drinks. The ice cream and the chocolate molten lava cake didn't have any flavor--it was like eating mushy card board!
(2)Ricardo A.
I always wanted to try this place so after 3 years from when I first heard of this place I gave it a shot. This place was so confusing from the beginning I felt like a animal let loose in a barn with a lot of trofts with a bunch of confused cows the soups were room temperature the pastas bland the salads were ok . The only thing that was good was the chocolate cake with ice cream but then again how can you mess up dessert anywAy I asked the cashier if the soups are supposed to be room temperature or hot she said there suppose to be hot but did nothing about it. Definitely I won't be coming back.
(1)Monica M.
No no no. This place is way overpriced and for what? Some salad and a few soups? I was excited to come here because I figured there would be a lot of variety but this place was a huge disappointment. They didn't even have pizza like they used to. I honestly felt like I was ripped off. I could've paid less than half the price elsewhere to eat a salad and been more satisfied. Another thing that irked me was this place is so loud. That's not necessarily the restaurant's fault, but I couldn't think or hear myself talk. Overall just bad experience.
(2)Demee M.
Always clean and fresh when I come in here. Im a frequent, I always get my salad and soup Togo, and lately I have been noticing that souplantation has been catering to the vegetarian and vegan community! Which I just appreciate so much! I'm a vegan, so it makes it more exciting to see what they have each time I go. It would be super awesome if they had a vegan dressing as well! All of it is so fresh and great, definitely always coming back for more yumminess
(5)Rodney P.
Good food. Plenty of options. Fast and friendly staff. The COFFEE is exceptional here!
(5)Karina V.
Came here last night for dinner around 9:30, everything was great until 10 min. in one of the waiters kept loudly saying how tired she was and how it was almost time to go home. We had just about finished our salad and we were told to hurry and get our food before it was put away. Never before had I been rushed out of one of these restaurants just because it was almost 10pm. From my understanding the closing time of a restaurant is the time that new customers are not allowed inside, not the time to tell people who are still eating that they need to speed it up. I'm very unhappy with the overall service last night, I will have to drive to a different location.
(3)Amy L.
Always great food and great customer service. Michael, the waiter (not sure his title), is quick to get anything you need. He's there after 6p.. The only other one we experienced was pretty good, but not as good as Michael.
(5)Steph T.
Never a long wait to get seated. Their soups are maintained to perfection and the staff at this location does a wonderful job of re-stocking all items as soon as portions run low
(5)Lesly R.
Couldn't get enough of their Asian Ginger Broth and finally they put out the Apple cinnamon glutn free muffins. They are so good.
(4)Miguel A.
This place is good and healthy selections as we'll staff are nice location is great there chili Beans and pizza are super.
(5)Chelsea C.
Really love the food here. It has veggies drenched in dressing for those who don't like salads all that much and soups that are so deliciously warm. It also has pretty fresh vegetables so you can make your own salad. So yummy, I'm a fan.
(4)Angie A.
I think Souplantation is pretty underrated. They have a huge salad bar and if you use a coupon the lunch is only $8! I am not a huge fan of the soups and pasta but occasionally try what they have out. The pizza and foccacia is not half bad for a buffet, and they have these delicious chia berry muffins! I come once or twice a month and the employees are usually pretty friendly too.
(4)Juanmanuel F.
Can never get enough of this place.....however....they need to clean tables and take of care of business faster as people come here faster than speedy Gonzalez! Lol
(4)J. T.
I always come to this location. Its very fresh and love the soups. Service is friendly. Everything is good except the fact that they are so strict w coupons. If its expired by one day they wont tk it. Other locations are more lenient. Esp when i signed up w them. O well.
(4)Kristi H.
I'm upset the Chinese chicken salad no longer comes with chicken in it. It's just a Chinese salad. Also the muffins are much smaller. I used to love this place and I worked at this location many moons ago, but I'm good if I never eat here again.
(1)Moses P.
This is the best souplantation I've been too so far really clean I came at the right time it was empty so I felt really special . The soups were great and the desert muffins and cake were good too I recommended this place.
(4)Chloe C.
Souplantation is good every damn time! The lettuce and veggies for the salad are always crisp. The soup is always hot and plentiful. If the run out of something it is replaced within minutes. It is not your typical buffet. There is so much to choose from! Me and my daughter love coming here because there is so many different things to eat. I do not know the managers name but he is always very lovely.
(5)Jeff P.
This is a well kept and clean Souplantation. Never had any trouble using coupons here either, even with a large group. The staff are attentive and clean up used plates quickly and efficiently. Also, all the soup and salad are promptly restocked and always seem to be available. My favorites at souplanation: chicken noodle soup, cornbread w/ honey whipped butter, and of course the blueberry muffins. The salad is totally customizable so that's always good as well. I sign up for their weekly emails so I always have coupons. The price has gone up over the years, but the food is still great.
(4)Yaya C.
I went there once with my friends, i am not a vegetarian but one of my friends was a vegetarian. So i was like okay, let me try foods from that place. everything mostly is vegetables, so i tried salads, it was okay but i didn't like much,so i mostly ate pizza. After that day, I am not going there again because that place is not my favorite. But i think maybe it is a good place for a vegetarian because my friends alway went there. So you might give a try if you are a vegetarian.
(2)Brian F.
My favorite place to get lunch when I'm hungry but feel kinda fat already. I just let the salad and soup do the talking. This location is well kept. Employees are friendly. The line moves fast (except on the weekends). The food is delicious and constantly updated. Aside from the usual salad, I like to pick through the line. My favorite food in the whole dang building is the Tuna Tarragon. It's amazing and I usually take a whole plate of it. DELICIOUS. Their salads are always spot on and made in front of you if you're lucky enough to be there when one is empty. Fresh ingredients are always used. Then my other favorite - the Chicken Noodle Soup. It's great. Needs lots of salt, but I'm assuming they make it blander for the wide variety of clientele spanning the centuries (or decades) lol. Lastly, they are a Coca-Cola serving company. They have my respect. Even moreso, they have Cherry Coke. Rare and delicious.
(4)Misaki T.
Horrible. I wish there is "no star" or negative star option. Found a dead fly in the chicken noodle soup while eating it. Spoke to manager about it and asked her to empty the whole chicken noodle soup..in order to save other customers from eating the FLY soup.....(most likely many people ate the same soup..since the soup pot was already half empty when i was getting it...) The soup was replaced soon but the manager did not apologized about it. Only thing she said was OMG..Very disappointed with food quality and the service. Never ever going back to the FLYplantation again..
(1)Niki W.
I feel like it's only been a couple months or so since I was last here, but they've definitely improved the place! The exterior appears to have gotten a little bit of a face lift, and as soon as you walk in you can see big changes. The trays, plates, silverware, and glasses are all new. There are new tables and a new layout as well. Even small things seem to have gotten a nice update! I've always enjoyed soup plantation, but it's even better now. & I know the menu is always changing, but it definitely seems it has been improved as well! Yum yum yum!
(4)Jay L.
Salad is great! Soup is a 9.0/10 The bread is great! I just love how dynamic this place is! Clam Chowder is muy deliciouso! Their chocolate mousse is pretty good but after 10 spoons it'll start to taste bitter since it is sugar free. The garlic flatbread thing they have is really good too with their butter whips! They have a ton of dressings and condiments, theres about 6 soups to choose from, they have macaroni and cheese and pasta and little ice cream so cute! I used to think? A buffet of salads? Haaaail no sister, this place offers more and you'll leave with a great chance of waning to go back for more! $9 lunch! This place is soooo worth trying!!!!
(5)Kevin B.
This was the last dining experience, the "last hurrah" with a few Japanese guys before they board a plane back to Japan today. As with other groups I've played tour guide to, these guys liked meat (beef), but they also leaned toward eating more salad and veggies, so I thought this was a very good option. Souplantation is not the fancy, gourmet dining experience many of you look for by any means, hell it's a buffet after all! But being salad and soup, at least it's generally healthy, right? Souplantation is also a double edged sword of sorts. I enjoy coming here on occasion because eating all the salads & veggies makes me think I'm eating healthy. But I also don't like coming here often, because as an all-you-can-buffet, I always eat too much. The guys REALLY enjoyed the numerous salad options, as well as discovering new flavors in the 7 or 8 different soups offered, fresh baked muffins, corn bread, etc. There are always 3 different hot pastas available too, but most of the time, two of the three are pretty flavorless. The mac n cheese for example LOOKS like mac n cheese, but the flavor is watered down and bland. I always add some of the available shredded cheddar cheese to the mac and melt it in for a 75% improvement in flavor. Souplantation has a featured ingredient or flavor each month and this month must have been strawberries. They had a "strawberry delight" salad with strawberries in it, as well as muffins, lemonade, etc. SERVICE: Being a buffet it's pretty much a "serve yourself" deal. But there are a lot of friendly and helpful staff wondering around picking up your empty dishes, clean tables and occasionally refilling your drinks for you too. OVERALL: Yes it's a buffet and I always eat too much, but at least it's soup and salad. The salad ingredients are always fresh and the soups, muffins, etc are all fresh made in house too. 3.5 stars rounded up.
(4)Alan S.
As good as it gets for the price and healthy (sit down / buffet ) restaurant. This place has yet to let me down since 2001. Always clean, amazing service, the food is always good and the lines are not that bad. If you go on a friday, get there before 5pm though.
(5)Angie G.
I always come here with friends , family or both. The food is always fresh and the restaurant is always so clean and organized! The staff always makes small talk today we were taken care of by frutoi s. (I know because I asked his name) major props to him I was impressed by how he was able to multitask and still deliver great customer service. I don't know if he was the manager but he had great confidence that was contagious :) yey for a nice souplantation! !!
(5)Jay H.
Went for lunch today. Just what I expected. All the salads were fresh and well stocked. Soups were hot and the muffins and breads were fresh and hot. Well managed store with efficient service. Very healthy and fast.
(4)Tristan G.
Summary: -Been going here since I was a legitimate baby. A frickin baby! So I am gonna rock the 5 star vote here. -Always has left me satisfied, because of that damned New England Clam Chowder!! -I love the non-traditional buffet style approach that incorporates a more healthy tone than what you are generally used to seeing in a buffet. -Good location. 5 Stars???: I am usually very picky in my handout of a 5 star'er, so bare with me for a minute. This place is a special exception because it has been with me for as long as I can remember. From the time my bum was placed into a high chair to the time I paid for my family's dinner as a grown man, I have continuously come back to this place. This location is clean and keeps the food stocked until late into the night. The staff has treated my family well over the years and I think as far as this kind of place goes it is a solid and legitimate pick. I find it to be a comforting family setting where I can be allowed to be leisurely and waste my time. I have in recent years found other Souplantations and eaten there. I have yet to eat at one I did not approve of. This place is my favorite buffet, and if I want to have a no-constraint dinner and not feel too bad/unhealthy after eating then this is where I go. If salad, soup, and awesome bread is your thing, come here. -Tristan
(5)Ryan H.
Really like the new layout and changes they made! Food was great and service is always top notch!
(4)Olja P.
Before I start a review I would like to say this is sort of positive experience for me. ...but..I'm pretty sure I wont be going back to this place....unless I need a master cleanse again. I would highly recommend chicken noodle if you need to lose weigh...fast. We used to go to other locations and decided to try this one since it's in our new neighborhood. My husband loves thousand island dressing which they didn't have that day. I had a big plate of salad and chicken noodle soup. I tasted soup and right off the bat I know this that it was luke warm (not hot) and had a sour taste. I thought maybe because I still had some salad in my mouth so I took another spoonful to make sure. Sure enough, it tasted different so I didn't eat it anymore of it. We were going grocery shopping after that to which we never made it.15- 20 minutes after Souplantation my stomach started growling and rumbling and soon I started feeling bloated and cramps beyond my nightmare and urge to go to bathroom. Chicken noodle MASTER cleanse. It went on for hours. I guess we should always find positive in negative situation which is in my case I get to wear my old jeans now( 2 sizes smaller). Rewind to when we got home and when I was stuck in the bathroom I told husband to call the Souplantation and tell them how thankful I am for the fast weigh loss the day before my trip to Vegas . I would give this place a 5 star for quick weight loss but only because manager refuse to take credit for that I take away 3 star.
(2)Rosie S.
I love it here great service love the whole place the salads that are pre made are to die for I love making my own salads
(5)Griselda V.
So this was my first time coming here and I was not impressed. First of all I didn't know that it was a buffet and there was no one tht I could asked questions to when I walked in the door. You basically walked in and had to guide yourself to the salad bar and then get trapped on to purchasing your meal. You would think tht this place would be with many different varieties of soups because of the name, but sadly it wasn't. There was not a big selection of soups. The choices they had were not all that great except for the albondigas locas. That was probably my only favorite. And the other thing that was pretty delicious was the horchata muffin since I'm a horchata fanatic! Other than that I would most likely not come back.
(2)Ophelia N.
Lovely array of food with ever changing regulars, this Souplantation is a common favorite of ours! The staff is super friendly here and the place is kept very clean. I'm so full though, thank you/darn you Souplantation!
(4)Carla Lee H.
I love this SP location. The managers (as they are at all locations) are very helpful - I came in here with my infant son and young daughter and the manager rushed over to help me carry my tray and find me a table that could accommodate my stroller. And, the girls that "work the floor" here are awesome. I have been to other locations where they won't fill your drinks and some times they don't ever stop at your table beyond the initial hello, but here they kept stopping by the table to make sure we were okay, offering to refill our drinks, and kept clearing our plates as soon as we were done with them. The food was good and fresh - My favorite thing was the CAULIFLOWER soup. I know how that sounds, but trust me it was ridiculously delicious. The vanilla soft serve here was not good the last time that I went (but, the chocolate was... and the vanilla has previously been good, so maybe it was an off day). Oh, and the brownie muffins (or whatever they are called) actually have GOOEY, melty chocolate in them!! (oh-my-I-was-in-heaven). Go getcha self some!
(5)Eric C.
I'm down for the salads and I'm not so much a fan of the soups. I don't like super busy places nor do I enjoy eating at large businesses that have to wash their plates, forks, spoons, and cups in bulk -- I'm a little bit of a germophobe. And this is one of those places for me. They did improve their vegetable selections for their salads which I appreciate. I also like the the fact that there are coupons in the newspaper and online that you can use to make your meal cheaper. In this case, it's worth it. But I don't like the crowds, I'm not a fan of the mess that's all over the place (I know the staff is doing their best though), and I think they could use a little bit more selection. I am a fan of the following and I always get these when I'm here: - cornbread + honey butter - cheese sticks + ranch - apple cobbler + vanilla ice cream in a bowl, when in season I went here last Sunday (04/21/13) with my family and we had about 20 people in our group. I did appreciate the fact that they did their best to reserve a table for us which was nice. Thank you for doing that.
(3)Lindsay V.
my boyfriend and i ate here today for lunch. it brought back a lot of childhood memories. for me, i would have to say i enjoyed about half of the things i ate. the caesar salad was really good but the asian salad was waaay over dressed, the pizza and cheese bread was good but that brownie was nasty. it didn't seem to have any sugar. i was really disappointed because i love brownies! next, i explored the pasta and soup bar. I grabbed some mac n cheese which is always yummy and some of their lemon pasta with asparagus. my boyfriend and i agreed the lemon pasta was waaay to lemony and kind of cold but there was definitely potential to make that dish a lot better. last, i got some of their soft serve vanilla which has always been my favorite. I'd say this place has a lot of potential.
(3)Jinny S.
I love souplantation in general so I can't complain. The people working there were nice, the place was clean and the salad bar was well stocked. You can't really get any more exciting when it comes to soup, salad and some mini muffins.
(4)Erin H.
Came here tonight and experienced a very long wait. I understand it was crowded but I was peeved when the cashier just walked away and didn't come back- no explanation. Eventually the other cashier came over and rang us up. The food tonight was not at its freshest. The tomatoes seemed water logged, the vegetables were not in the least being refilled. The pizza and foccacia looked super greasy. I know it was busy but the food was just off tonight.
(2)Elijah R.
i have never been disspaointed coming to this location. i find the staff, wait service, servers and every member of the team always up beat, friendly, and willing to go the extra mile for you in regards to service. Huge buff for salads, and fresh ones at that. Never came across anything that would make us leave and have frequented this place for quite a while. I will contintue to return Cheers
(4)Senia G.
not sure what to think of this place, when hometown buffet is next door with a Huge Selection Of SALADS. I came here months ago and have never thought about returning. soup and salad :/ We need Meat. lol
(3)April P.
I end up going to this location due to the convenience from my house. I really enjoy eating at souplantation, but this location doesn't seem to be the cleanest.
(3)Evelina A.
My boyfriend and I tried souplantations last night for the first time and we had the best experience. Since it was our first time we didn't know what to do first. The lady at the salad bar was super helpful, she explained where to start and when we got to the register the girl there already knew it was our first time so she was very kind as well and she even gave us cookies. The guy at the dessert bar was also really nice, gave suggestions on what to try and offered freshly baked cookies. We tried so many different things but our table was always clean thanks to the busboy that kept coming back to pick up the used bowls. Overall it was a great experience and will definitely go back soon.
(5)Kristine D.
I'm a fan of Souplantation. Always check online for coupons before you go. My favorite here is the clam chowder, strawberry lemonade, warm cornbread topped with honey butter -- Heaven!
(5)Jenn H.
Tried to enjoy a Sat. evening with family tonite (6/21/14) 7 pm. The cashier Victoria (TTID# 2268778) apparently was careless & threw my Platinum Visa in the trash. When i asked for it back after the transaction she tried to deny it & was brushing me off; obviously trying to save herself from embarassment because she had a long line. She kept insisting she had given it to me; making me believe I had lost it. Her face changed once I got the manager on duty, Frudo, who was very helpful. He looked all over her work place, inside her register, & finally found it inside the trash of all places. she tried apologizing, but there are NO EXCUSES for carelessness & poor customer service.... its a credit card for crying out loud! Half and hour later I saw her getting an earful....well deserved
(1)Alice T.
We always love going to this buffet. We never feel groggy after we eat here and can take our time talking. The variety is endless! I like to mix the ice-cream with coffee. A little tip is that there are bacon bits for the baked potatoes and soups. You will have to personally ask the soup chef behind this counter. Sundays make sure to beat the crowd before lunch or after 3 or 4. Cheers!
(5)Jessica M.
The soups and salad bars are awesome. The hard part is staying away from the Breads..... Omg soooo good. For my first time there I thought it was good. Pricey but good. I would go back very soon. :-)
(4)Brenda C.
I was disappointed with Souplantation because I had been wanting to try it for so long. The aesthetics are really pleasing, and the service very friendly. But a buffet style restaurant is nothing without good food, and a lot of it. There were tons of choices for salads, which was cool. But I was really hungry last night and I was craving a more substantial dinner. Because it is called SOUPlantation, I thought there would be more soup choices. There weren't that many. And they looked so unappetizing. For the fruit choices they only had apples. At the bakery they had some delicious things set up (like brownies, and blueberry muffins) but I didn't pay to only eat bread or dessert. My plate had an apple, an apple cinnamon bun, a strawberry lemonade, and some Mac N Cheese (YES THE MAC AND CHEESE WAS DELICIOUS.) It was the weirdest meal I've had....I hope you guys understand that after paying almost $30 for two people, I was not happy with the outcome. I just don't see the point of paying for all you can eat if there's hardly anything to eat. Rabbit food doesn't count.
(3)Andrew P.
This place is amazing! I know a lot of people who don't think of Souplantation as a place to typically eat at and even of some people who think it's gross but that is not the case at all! You cannot beat the prices at this place. I had a coupon and was able to eat as much as I wanted for under $9. They have a great variety of food and it's always fresh. The seating can be a little compact but I never factor that in considering how great of a deal this place is. You can eat extremely healthy or not... It's not only just soups and salads and some people might think. Great place, great food, great price.
(4)Paul S.
Clean location always a lot of people eating there probably because there's not enough location nearby empty plates were rarely taken out because lack of waiters around I just seen 2 of them handling the whole location during my visit manager was busy sweeping the floor :( should have gone around checking for empty trays and plates on the table helping the other waiters since there's just 2 at that time.
(3)V C.
I didn't care for the food I chose from the buffet but I loved the soup.. The manager gave me a full refund even though I still ate the soup.. Although I personally did not care for the food and the service was so good that I'll never buy clam chowder anywhere else again!!! Great customer service!! Sergio.. Thank you!
(5)MJ M.
I really love that they have alternating selections of food from time to time. Their promos are okay. Sometimes, I feel like they force you to purchase drinks with those coupons when all you really want is just a glass of ice, cold water! grrrr! :( PS. They definitely need to add hot/cold chocolate milk (in lowfat, nonfat and soy milk) to their drink menu! Some us don't drink sodas and coffee, yah know!
(4)Candy R.
Awesome salad and soup selection. The service was good and the staff was friendly. This restaurant looks clean and well kept.
(3)Xo T.
Love this place. Always has great service and fresh salad with a variety of decent soups.
(4)Vee P.
Great place for warm and comforting food! Service is excellent. Soup always hot. Quick n simple eating. Grab a plate and serve yourself -- buffet style. P.S. They have neverending mini (very mini) ice cream cones which is super cool and quirky about this place. I always look forward to coming back.
(5)Natalie P.
I LOVE Souplantation, but I would probably love it more if it wasn't so crazy packed (okay, I go on Sundays, that's MY bad, I know) and didn't have ghetto people trying to reprimand you 'cause you're accidentally blocking the way 'cause you're trying to get pizza bread and you're not aware of them behind you, and then they act all shocked when they say aloud "Some people are so rude" and you fire back at them "I didn't see you, okaaayyyy!!". B*tch don't try to compete with the big mouth competition 'cause I will win, always!!! So with that being said, it's a decent Souplantation, but I have no room to compare, because I have not been to any other one. I must make that a goal for 2014. Be prepared to throw down over pizza bread, and to wait half an hour to go through the line, 'cause people can't decide if they want broccoli or the tuna salad .
(3)J P.
I could write pages about how wonderful this restaurant is. Basically, the food is terrific, the value for money cannot be beaten and the staff is very friendly and welcoming. The only reason I don't eat here too often is that the food is so good, I always eat too much!
(5)Leslie N.
Honestly, I didn't really like any of the soups besides clam chowder. Everything was either too salty or too bland for me but I LOVE the salad bar! There are premade salads or you can make your own salad. There are so many different toppings, sauces, and types of greens to choose from! I go JUST for the salad bar! I also really like their corn bread and biscuits too especially with their honey whip! Their honey whip makes everything taste so good! We also got a complimentary bag of cookies because we were first timers [: Pasta's and muffins were just okay. But I'm a big fan of salad so I'll probably come back sometime. They usually have coupons/deals online so look it up before you go! Current one is only $7.29 per person during lunch! garden-fresh.s3.amazonaw…
(3)Joseph P.
They seriously need to check their utencils and dishes as well as their soup bowl. Foods still stick in the dishes and bowl. Most of them are like that and so dirty. And specially this place... when you go here during the weekday lunch table is way too dark. Their management seirously need to take care of there problem.
(2)Kim O.
Always good for a good dinner. Been here a few times and their clam chowder is delicious! Their Irish Basil soup would be my second option. Overall, I enjoy this good healthy buffet style when I want to eat out but not get anything greasy.
(5)Kathy A.
I love this place's salad options (very fresh ingredients) and their lemonades are really good too. The soups are lacking in favor and variety although the clam chowder is pretty good. I know that this place is promoting health but they could have a better fresh fruit bar. The bakery department is always freshly baked. I especially like their cornbread. My nephew enjoyed this place and kids eat extremely cheap. I am giving this place a 3.5 but only because they can improve on the soups and deserts.
(3)Nathan F.
So we've been coming to Souplantation for years. We're part of Club Veg (sign up and get coupons for your next visit) and enjoy the buffet style eatery they provide. This evening we were enjoying dinner when, after finishing our first trays, we left for seconds. While our "I'll be ripe back" placard was placed prominently on the table we returned to find our table spotless with a cleaning towel atop. Immediately, I spotted the manager of this establishment and spoke with him as it pertained to the situation. Apologizing for ordeal, he handed me two glasses without hesitation. Two glasses for any beverage! Score! Upon sitting the waitress who mistakenly cleaned our table brought us a bag of cookies and also apologized for the misunderstanding. This is a bag of cookies that retails people! For us, loyal Souplantation customers, this was service. Above and beyond what we expected to receive. In a time where corporations are losing identities to turn profit for shareholders, Souplantation has managed to retain their customer base with absolute service. Thank you!
(5)Jaye H.
I love Souplantation and up until about two years ago I didn't even know they existed. I love their salads and soups, but this time around I wasn't too pleased with the selection. The best thing I ate was the mac and cheese and their blueberry muffins that I covered in honey butter lol
(4)Sam T.
This has always been on top of their game, clean , efficient and nice. Always pleased when I come back.
(5)Eric T.
chocolate chip cookie bars! +1 spaghetti with sausage and tomatoes! +1 oranges! +1 vegetable medley! +1
(4)Tom R.
Salad bar was excellent. Well laid out with many items to build on. Everything was fresh & well laid out. Wide varieties of salad dressings including fat free to choose from. Clam chowder excellent along with the chile. Many choices of soups to choose from. Restraunt very clean, except restroom needed cleaning. Associates very friendly.
(4)Al C.
i haven't been to Soup Plantation in years. I was trying to get away from burgers and stuff but this place made me want to rush right back to Big mac. First off the place smelled like an old wet mop. Someone did a bad job at attempting to clean the place cuz the smell was killin me. Now as for the food, I think I could have bought the ingredients for my meal for much cheaper. Thing I wish i had for my salad that would seem normal: eggs (not crumbs, hsrdboiled and sliced), meat, you know some chicken, turkey, or ham. Am I asking too much? how about some pepper on my table? Hey, stop being so skimpy on the ice cream goodies. The caramel topping dispenser was empty and I didn't see any strawberry topping. What? No sprinkles? For what it's worth, it wasn't worth it and the booths are friggin tiny. There is all the parking in the world because of the location near the mall. I can say I won't be back ever.
(2)Martha M.
I find it hard to believe anyone gives this location anything higher than three stars. Unfortunately, it is in bad shape! I haven't been there in a while because it's just so dirty! although I love the idea of a healthy buffet and some of their items are unique and tasty (like their blueberry muffins) I just couldn't get past the state of the establishment, and (unfortunately) I stopped going. I even unsubscribed from their e-mail list, from which I would usually receive great coupons. Souplantation in Lakewood is in dire need of a major overhaul, remodel, or steam cleaning...otherwise, I won't be returning any time soon :(
(2)Mark C.
It's pretty awesome to see a restaurant just dedicated to soup, but this place had some severe diminishing returns on my taste buds. I felt that the chicken noodle soup was terrible. The other soup items such as the tomato basil and clam chowder were pretty good. But the more I ate, the more it seemed as if the quality of the soup diminished greatly. At the end of the day, Soup Plantation is as average as a veritable plethora of buffets out there.
(3)Erin V.
Around the World in 8 weeks Aug 1st to Sept 28, not bad. It's still yet to be determined if I got sick from this place or from Creme de la Crepe. But whatever it was it hit me good. I came here last Sunday as wifey was excited about their special options. It was Asian themed this week. Overall, I would say my experience with Souplantation is A-OK. I can't really say I'm a fan but I do every once in a blue moon will come here. I suppose it's the AYCE- tag behind it, I'm not a buffet or much of an AYCE person anymore. What I can say about Souplantation is when they have their Asian week, wifey is excited and I'm excited for her because she is able to have more options when it comes to soup. In this round I actually had more than 1 cup of soup. I had their smoked pinto bean soup. It came with rice, pinto beans and some vegetables. It was really good to my surprise. Usually the food here is bland to the taste just so it can cover the basic palate; but with a little doctoring of my own my soup was decent. I love their blueberry muffins so I know I'll definitely be back.
(3)Matt E.
It took me a few visits to warm up to Souplantation. My first experience was during a very busy time of the day...feeling like cattle lead down the line of a feeding through. It was loud and I felt rushed as people behind me in line were violating my space by nearly bumping my arms aimed at getting to what they wanted right then and there. Salad bars are a wonderful thing, but when you're forced to line up with impatient hungry people, it can be a frustrating experience. I am more in tune with Northern California's Fresh Choice chain, where you pay...sit down and then go to the free flowing salad / soup / bread bar. Since that first visit I was avoiding this place. But on a day where the temps hit close to 90 degrees in Long Beach, a nice cold salad sounded really good to the wife and I...and being how it's hard to find a good and varied salad bar anymore, I decided to give the 'plantation another shot. Rather than a crowded mess, the place was not too busy...but also not dead either. A nice flow. The key to getting a good experience is to get here at a time when it's not packed. Weekends are almost a guarantee to find a crowd, but I've had luck coming here during the week, around 5:30 PM - 6:00 PM. Then again, if you like standing in lines with a large crowd, you should be good. The food itself is pretty good, especially for the price. Never had an issue with service - especially on point are their table servers who are quick to pick up any finished plates and trays. I would only say I really don't like how high the seats are in the booths...for some reason they are rather hard and have little give or sink. For a salad bar, it's quite good.
(4)Mayco T.
I really love soups and salads and why not a better place than souplantation ?! They have a wide selection of soups daily and they all taste pretty good to me. I always use my coupon when i come so its 6.29 for lunch ! BLUE BERRY MUFFINS AND BANANA NUT TOP is the BEST HERE ! 4 stars.
(4)Nicole U.
Souplantation was already tasty and now they made it better by adding a premium topping section that is filled with bluecheese crumbles and mounds of chicken. Oh and they accept coupons!
(4)Eddie O.
Most of the time this place favors well ... But NOT this time . Crowds can be large at times . But today we went to try this Month's FLAVOR - Thai. Well ... Tried the " THAI SHRIMP UDON NOODLE SOUP " . One word - DISGUSTING !!!!!!!!!!! It had a strange smell from the kettle , but i proceded to grap a cup full. Big mistake , i usually try the broth of any soup before i DIVE IN . That was a smart thing . One sip of the broth had a HORRENDOUS PUTRID TASTE. I have NEVER tasted anything so disgusting. When the server came by to get the plates , he seen my bowl of soup still filled and said he KNEW why i had not eaten it. He was smiling and agreeing that it did not look to good or SMELLED right. Are you kidding ?! He actually knew about it , so we both chuckled about leaving a review . So be aware of this . Bon Appetite !
(2)Irene L.
I go to souplantation on a normal basis. I have been to the Garden Grove location and the Fullerton location as well and the Lakewood location is by far the best! Their pizza sticks (sorry, idk what it's originally called) are sooo delicious! Ooey gooey with melting cheese....they make the best pizza sticks. Their salad is also fresh and the soups are steaming hot and tastes so good! I'm always completely head over heels satisfied with this location. This is by far the best location I've been to. And I will definitely be coming back :) Next time I will post pictures
(5)Gail F.
Their salad bar is great! Their Sunday brunch is God awful! Lousy, cheap, low quality breakfast dishes! Sticking to the salad bar!
(3)Matthew P.
Girlfriend had a craving for some salad the other day, so we went to souplantation. Ive never been this, so this was all new to me. When you walk in, you go straight to the salad bar, where you grab a plate and fill it up. They have lots of different choices, i would say around 20 if i were to estimate it. I'm not big on salads but was able to make an interesting plate with all the choices. It kinda sucks because you have to wait in a line, as you go down the salad bar, so if the person in front of you is slow, you end up just standing there. You can only come to the salad bar once. Once you get that completed you pay, then are seated. We sat down, and i started eating my salad. Killed the salad, which turned out pretty good. From there, i got up and went to get some soup. With a name like SOUPLANTATION, i was expecting a larger variety of soups. I was quite disappointed when i actually saw the selection. There was only about 5 difference soups, but they also had a few different pastas, and beards. I was not impressed by the clam chowder. i mean it was good, and i enjoyed it but it was nothing special. I also got the Broccoli Cheddar Soup. That was pretty good, ate that with some cheese bread. Tried out the mushroom soup but ended up not liking it at all. Dessert was bomb! enjoyed that part haha. Still i would back, whenever im in the mood.
(3)Lee A.
There was a time when I looked forward to Souplantation, a time long ago when it was a treat to have unlimited scrumptious soup options, breads and other goodies, as well as a well-constructed salad and reasonable pricing. To fill myself on liquid warmth and feel whole for a few hours. That dream crashed and burned in many unrecognizable pieces that would require a team of NTSB agents several months of painstakingly long diagrams and piecing together in a warehouse to figure out what it had been. Maybe they'll find my black box somewhere in the middle of the dressing ladles. Maybe it was a product of dinner time, but many of the fixin's for the salad bar were empty or lacking. There were a few spills. It had been a rainy day, and some odd colored questionable liquid dripped from the ceiling into an empty bin mid-bar. And once, dripped onto my tray because there was no sign warning against the ceiling leak. The salad left much to be desired. The pricing for dinner was a bit up there, for Souplantation, but I was hungry and dammit, I wanted soup. So we pressed on, to our seating and returned to load up on other foodstuffs. The soups were subpar. Several soups that should have been of a creamy nature were watered down or otherwise filled in with a very palatable flour mixture. The Mac & Cheese was bland. The pizza mediocre at best. The potato leek soup tasted vaguely of some sort of vegetable stock, but of nothing else. Their remote saving grace was the corn bread and the honey butter, but even then that was a barely passable bread. The men's bathroom was atrocious. Ominous puddles of water/pee/whatever swirled around the toilets, the smell of pee very strong, and at least one stall was dangerously low on toilet paper. I only fear what the ladies had to suffer in theirs. But, I guess, the fake flowers near the sink was the saving factor of the bathroom. All of the staff, however, was very nice, efficient and courteous. I applaud them. Now, someone fix the food. And the bathrooms.
(2)Kent M.
It is what it is. Cheap buffet-style salad bar that's relatively fresh. A place where you can tell people that stuffing yourself is ok because it's vegetables, thereby ensuring that you're still on your diet. Meanwhile, you can gorge on fatty soups, carb-filled bread, and all the froyo you want. I love it.
(5)Coy T.
I love this place! Don't know why it's only 3 stars. My father comes here at least 1-2 times a week! Very friendly staff and prompt table/plate clearing! Tip generously. They work very hard clearing plates/tables multiple times. Everything tastes great and fresh that's vegetarian at least, as I am. TIP: Please don't get more than what you know you can't finish. Such a waste! So easy to just grab another plate and go for more.
(5)Lana D.
The salad bar is great. All the veggies are nice and fresh and well divided for those in fear of cross-contamination. They have a wide range of dressings and toppings, everything to make a delicious salad plate. I'm not all too taken by the soups, but the baked potato and the baked sweet potato always gets my attention. The fresh fruits add to a nice, and healthy meal.
(3)Argie M.
came here because someone gave me a gift card lol to much breads and carbs not enough proteins pasta bread soup bread bread bread !!!
(2)Rob A.
This Souplanation is pretty good. It can get crowded on the weekends especially Sunday afternoon. You have to give the staff credit because they keep things moving. The way the main salad bar is set up with the workers in between is a nice system. It allows them to tidy up and keep the various bowls of goodies full and fresh without getting in the customer's way. And you know how customers don't like people in their way. Not when their hungry. Oh and they now have small signs asking you to NOT eat while at the salad bar. Imagine. The seating is comfortable enough and the atmosphere is pleasant but on the noisy side. That's to be expected and it doesn't detract from your healthy experiences. Now salad doesn't always mean healthy. They do have some nice soups to choose from and a hot section of fresh baked stuff. They do a good job with baked potatoes. Somehow their potatoes are always cooked just right and stay nice and hot. I stay away from the ice cream area so really can't comment on that. I've seen it get sloppy when kids get wound up, but again the staff takes care of it in short order. Overall, clean and satisfying.
(3)Silvia A.
This is not the best location. They are sloppy with the food and everything is dirty from the forks to the tables. The staff is great but I come for the food and that wasn't good
(2)Chris M.
I love the French toast here on Sundays!!! The service is good and it is pretty calm until the lunch crowd arrived!
(5)Walter T.
Lots of vegetables/salads, several kind of soups, pizza and a few desserts. Nice "vegetarian" buffet, nothing outstanding. Very clean place and very good service.
(3)DK I.
great soups and salads, the breads are good as well..best thing about it is all you can eat but definitely not for meatlovers..but everything is good and try their clam chowder its so good..
(4)Felicia L.
I've been eating too much fatty food and gained some weight. I saw a coupon from my junk mail and thought I could re-visit an old favorite of mine, Lakewood this time. You get your salad first, see salad toppings that cost extra (really, Souplantation? You couldn't make the chicken pieces a part of the buffet deal? Are you that vegetarian of a buffet? but bacon is free?), a variety of soup, pasta, a baked good section (bread, muffins, pizza, potatoes, not magic but healthy brownies), and a ice cream station. I don't know why, but the layout sucks here. The entryway thorugh the salad bar is like a maze, and I hate the layout of the soup, pasta, baked goods, and ice cream area; It's like a mini food court, and very little space in between the sub-sections. How can you make an orderly line? Makes for a very messy and disorganized crowd. But hey! I like their variety of teas! The apricot iced tea was good, even un-sweetened. That was the highlight of my meal. I used to like the food when I was a kid. It's just too healthy now.. Thank you Yelp for letting me experience such high quality yet high fattening sorts of food. Probably won't go back and stay the fatass that I truly am.
(2)Amanda M.
Great place to take young kids since you don't have to wait for the food and picky eaters can try a little bit of everything. I'm vegetarian and it is nice to start off with the biggest salad in the world before you indulge in all the sugar that awaits you. The service here is really great.
(5)Phil B.
I miss this place I use to love going here until we moved: but when I am in the area we stop by: Veg club great price friendly staff great soup fresh salads yummy bread what's not to love ?
(4)Mimi C.
There is some obvious no-lovin' for this Souplantation! Well, have no fear, Mimi C is here! =^.^= Souplantation here works because it's so close to Long Beach Airport. After sitting in a plane for awhile, sometimes all you want is something a little healthy. The sitting area is not the most easy to navigate but it's not rocket science. We came just under an hour before closing time and items were still being made. =) All in all.. enjoyable experience. When I worked / lived around here my coworkers and I would come here for lunch. It's easy to get to and has plenty of parking. ... if you don't have the promo coupon -- go across the street to Starbucks for wi-fi and d/l the promo coupon... unless you have a smart phone hahah. :P
(4)Lily A.
So I love souplantation...I really do...but last time I came to this particular Souplantation, I was so disappointed. Sure it was a little late, but the place still wasn't going to close for about an hour or so. The food of course was the same...always excellent. But what made me take off two stars??? They had a gigantic cookie that was cut up...I saw it and thought, "I'm definitely going to save room for dessert" Then when I was ready for dessert, they had no more cookie, just the crumbs. I asked if they were going to put out a new one, the baker said NO. Ouch. minus 1 star. The was no more soft serve vanilla flavor...and they weren't going to make some more. And when I reached to grab a little ice cream bowl, it was all sticky and dirty. Ewwww. Minus 1 star!
(2)Monkey T.
After working out or swearing to a healthier lifestyle, this is a great place to pig out on soup and salad! ...and then ruin all hope by constructing your own unique version of a brownie sundae. Monkey loves the WON TON CHICKEN SALAD. Breads can be irresistible if you look long enough. Awesome CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP. Chili has been better in the past. Having been to other versions of this restaurant, Souplantation remains tops.
(3)Andrea P.
I've been signed up to their promotions and we FINALLY decided to go. I took my mom and we were hoping for a healthier alternative. We totally found it! TIP #1: Grab your tray and plate FIRST. Load up with food, and THEN PAY. It may seem like an awkward entrance when you're not too sure what to do first. We used the $18 coupon for 2 meals plus 2 drinks and boy were FULL at the end of the day. Beware though, if you're in the mood for meat, you shall not find it here. It's a SOUP, SALAD, and BREAD place. Everything I tried was absolutely delicious. The tables, the chairs and facilities were clean. It was a pleasure coming here.
(3)Brian C.
I've always wondered what a father who works as a police officer feels like when he's faced with the decision of protecting his criminal son or turning him in. Now I know. And in this situation, I guess I'm turning him in. For years I've loved Souplantation, like a father loves his son. What's not to love? It's cheap (especially when you use their monthly coupons), the food is wholesome, delicious, and the environment is great for having a comfortable, relaxing meal with some friends. My last meal here, however, changed all that. So we get our salad, pay, and find a table. I immediately start eating my salad, while my lady friend sets down her salad plate and heads to the soup and bread bars to get more food. By the time she finally sits down with all her food, I'm about 75% done with my salad. With her fork in hand, she looks down at her salad, and see's a large, black insect in her romaine lettuce, legs still twitching. She immediately points out the insect, and the rest of our table looks at the creepy crawler in disgust. As we're contorting our facial expressions at the spectacle on her plate, two diners at a nearby table overhear us. One of them chimes in and tells us that HE TOO found an insect in his salad earlier. And then...it hit me. The entire batch of romaine lettuce must have been infested with these critters. I looked down at my salad plate. All the romaine was already inside my belly. I felt sick. At one point I got up from my seat to get some soup, took a few steps and had to sit back down because I felt so sick. We called over the store manager to show her the insect, and she apologized. She came back with a free meal coupon for my lady friend and the diner next to us...and that's it. WHAT ABOUT ME? I'M THE ONE WHO ACTUALLY MIGHT HAVE INGESTED AN INSECT. My lady friend urged me to pester the manager for more free meal coupons, but I decided against it. I'll most likely be coming here a lot less from now on, anyway. Souplantation, my son, you have betrayed me. Cuff him, boys.
(1)Cici T.
I don't usually review chain restaurants since the their food, decor, and service are usually well established such that diners can decide relatively easily if they'd like to eat there. I'm very grateful for Souplantation, and so this is a little "thank you" to them for being there for me in times of need. The "create your own salad" bar is a reprieve for me from pre-made salads with either too little or too much salad dressing. If you like a particular topping, pile it onto your plate, and if you're simply not a fan of carrots (I love carrots) or any other type of vegetable, by all means skip it and find a tastier veggie counterpart. No restrictions, no rules. I love it! There are always the set soups served like chicken noodle, clam chowder, and deep kettle chili, but every month Souplantation will feature a particular ingredient (like potato, for example) and cook up a storm of potato-filled cream or broth based soups. The pastas were never a draw for me, but those also change monthly as well. The muffins and breads are rather delicious (the stars are the blueberry muffin, the cornbread, and recently the whole-wheat buttermilk biscuits), and there's dessert - soft serve ice cream for the indulgent and sliced fruit for the health conscious. When I've had a meat overloaded day, Souplantation is an excellent option for a larger serving of fiber and still even bigger offering on flavor and taste!
(4)Lisa J.
We used to frequent this place 3 times a week but have cut down on it because of the decline in the food. The Caesar salad bowls are always empty no one paying attention to it we always have to wait for one to be made. The pasta options are always what seem to be the same, tasteless Mac n cheese, bland fetaucinn I and meatless spaghettini. The chicken noodle soup is watered down and noodles often overlooked. The frozen yogurt machine is always malfunctioning , not cold enough or ran out or just plain out of chocolate /out of order. We always order water because the "ades" are horrible ( we don't drink sodas). The worst is the bakery section. It used to be great with everything soft, flavorful and with options. The focaccia's are often over baked or dry as if they are not adding the correct baking /powder/soda. Maybe if they go back to using their original food recipes we might come back.
(3)Paul C.
I've only eaten at this location once about 5 years ago or so for Mother's Day. I remember I didn't enjoy eating here and once again I found myself eating here again since my family wanted to go since we had coupons. I grab my plate and start loading it up with a couple of different salads already prepared by the salad maker in front. I tried the Chinese chicken, caesar, and spinach salad. The Chinese was the best tasting one not cuz it had chicken but the taste overall. There are several soups to choose from and I tried the clam chowder but I was disappointed in how watery it was. If their aim was to make it soupy then GOOD JOB! Flavor was mediocre but the fact that they called it chowder and not soup will make you disappointed. Their garden pasta with meatballs was boring. But it wasn't as bad as their mac and cheese. I believe they are using Kraft mac and cheese out of the box. Watery and bland just like the Kraft box I only took a bite and stopped. The baked goods section had some muffins, mini pizzas, etc. The mini pizzas weren't that great since there wasn't any sauce but I understand that it's supposed to be just cheese and bread. The taste reminded me of Pizza Hut's crust which is soaked in oil which I hate. If you thought your meal wasn't satisfying then they got a yogurt machine! Now normally I got no problem with this as I haven't had a bad experience with them. Oh how wrong I was. I thought it would taste just fine but NOPE! It didn't taste the same as most places would. I don't find this place worth coming to especially the fact that it's $9 per person for mediocre salad, bland soups, not so tasty baked goods and terrible frozen yogurt. At least the service is decent.
(2)Jay G.
Awesome food and above all great staff. Special shout out to Mike and Christine...both greet you with a warm smile and enthusiasm!
(5)Editha M.
I never thought about how kid friendly this place was until I had a child. You can find coupons online which is always a helpful thing. My son loves eating here!!
(4)Kat C.
I love souplantation, but this review is for this location only. Busboys suck here. I understand you have a lot of tables, but its slow... ! I have dishes piling on dishes for days and they walk right pass my tables :( eh Basically only come here for the lunch buffet...i'll suck it up with the eh service for the food haha
(3)Sheena U.
Souplantation is Hands Down The Nastiest Place to Eat. I felt Like I was eating straight out of the Convalescent Home Kitchen. My advice, Do Not Eat Here. Way Over priced for the quality of food.
(1)Gennie M.
GIANT ASS SALAD! CLAM CHOWDER SOUP! THE BEST :) If you wanna have some healthy lunch or dinner.. this is the place to be!
(4)Zach P.
I used to come here quit a bit with the family when I was in high school at the now closed traffic circle location. I haven't been here since until a buddy of mine raved about their baked potatoe bar. To his defense he goes to a different location. So we came in here on a Saturday night after being hung over all day. The salad bar is about what you would expect and it kind hard to screw that one up. The soups were good, I had the clam chowder and my wife had the turkey chili. Both were respectable. Now to the baked potatoe bar. They give you a tiny potatoe and your choice are butter, sour cream, chives, bacon, onion and cheddar cheese. That sound pretty basic to me. When I think of a good baked potatoe I think of the ones you get at the county fair. The pastas were pretty bad. They were bland, no flaver what so over. The mac and cheese is a joke. Dessert was basically soft serve with a choice of chocolate of caramel. They have three toppings to choose from, granola, nuts and oreo cookie. We were not very impressed with this place. We may give it another chance at a different location if the opportunity presents itself.
(2)Blu Lotus P.
It's really healthy food... Which I'm not into..... Unless I'm on a diet. Sorta pricy too just for salad
(3)Tiffany C.
Food: so-so. Ambiance: ok Seating: moderate. So why are there so many of these places all over the place? Walk in, and start building your salad. Well, that probably does it for me right there. I'm not much of a salad person. And with the salad options spread so far apart, I end up putting way too much on my plate of the cheap stuff (salad = vegetables/no protein = CHEAP). Ugh, by the time I get to the cashier, I can't believe how piled up my plate is, and as I slowly eat my salad at my table, I'm regretting every extra I got. Finally finish, or spread the salad around my plate enough so it looks like I ate it, and head for the other food. Hmm ... soups. Clam chowder? I guess. A bit watery, and less clam, more soup and long strips of potato. Pasta usually needs more salt and pepper. I'm usually a fan of cornbread, but theirs was a bit too dry for my liking, and so was their brownie. The apple crisp thing was made with oatmeal, which definitely isn't my first choice. Then, their pizza has a bit of a tang at the end, and I'm not quite sure if it's from the sauce or the cheese, and I think I'd rather not know. Would I eat here again, probably, since I do have friends that enjoy this place. Being a yelper, I have to be open to all food opportunities. The good, the bad, and everything in between. Guess we all know which one this one was for me.
(2)Shenandoah S.
This was my first time eating at Souplantation, and I LOVED IT!! It's like Hometown Buffet for healthier people! :D All the food was good, the place was clean, and the workers were nice. I suppose if you get on their email list, you can get some good coupons, because for four of us to eat it was under $20. :D I went with that family that paid for me, so that works too, but if you can't do that, it's still a nice place to kick it and there's a good, healthier variety of food, as well as ordinary good desserts. I hope to go back, this place rocks! Oh! And by the way, the coconut and pineapple coleslaw is BOMB!
(4)Leah D.
One of my favorite examples of DIY Dining - where you pick exactly the ingredients you want, in the proportions you want. There is something for everyone here, and it's all included in the price. Go there hungry. Get a salad with the biggest variety of vegetables that you enjoy all together; get some soup or chili (skip the mac and cheese; it's weak); get some focaccia bread, corn bread, or blueberry muffins; get yourself a soft serve dessert when you're done. Everything is pretty fresh, so really it's just a question of finding the right balance of ingredients and foods for your tastes and diet. Worthwhile once every now and again. My main caveat here is: avoid during the dinner rush or peak shopping times; it can be a little intense when it's backed up. A minor quibble is: they put way too many big pieces of potato in the clam chowder, which is delicious otherwise.
(4)AJ M.
After visiting this place, I honestly feel like the Hometown Buffet next to it could've been a better experience. What to say, what to say. The only good I found in this locale was the cleanliness and presentation of the buffet itself, and the cashier's friendliness. The salad was good, but I've had better, and their version of Shepard's Pie and Smashed Potatoes was okay. That was when things went downhill. Everything after the salad made me question whether the coupon was worth it. The soups were bland, at best. the flavour was absent, and the potato & cheese dish tasted like my worst nightmare: instant-mash. The pasta was lacking in salt, and the spices were negligible. Hoping to make it all better, I tried my hand at the pastries, when I came to the disappointing conclusion that the brownies were stale and the muffin tops had the consistency of chewy granola. I'd like to also point out the fact that like some of the other reviewers, I felt sick after eating here. My aunt did as well. All in all, the only saving grace of this establishment were the drinks, which were not worth 10.95 and are items that I can make at home. ===== Final Verdict: I'd apply there out of pity, will not be coming back.
(2)Bernadette H.
What happened to my lovely Souplantation? You used to be $7.99 for lunch and $9.99 for dinner! Now you're $10.75 for dinner with mediocre salad and tasteless chicken soup! Plus I got major food poisoning! If I wanted to pay over $11 for an AYCE-induced colon cleansing, I'd go here. Other than that, I'll just make my own. Or make that nasty cayenne pepper-spiked maple syrup lemonade... Just so disappointed. If I was still a stoner, this place would've been absolutely awesome. But now, eh....
(2)Maria H.
My kids love this place and service here is always great. They keep the food stocked so everything is pretty fresh.
(4)Astra W.
I'll admit that I come here with my parents on days we feel lazy and don't want to travel far for food. It's a good salad meal, but what I really only look forward to are two things: - Joan's Broccoli Madness: yummy mix of broccoli, raisins, bacon, cashews, red onion, and a sweet dressing. Super refreshing. My plate is usually half-filled with this. - Zesty Italian Dressing: perfectly tangy and light. I use this to dip any raw veggie...it's delsih! I keep looking for an Italian dressing that's similar to the Souplantation, but I can't find one yet. This location is pretty old and dingy, and the staff is just ok-helpful.
(2)Matthew R.
The food was fresh, though the selection was limited. For salad toppers I was hoping to see more exotic toppers like goat cheese, dried figs, candied walnuts, etc. For non-salad eaters, there is a mild selection of alternatives: Soup Wannabe Pizza Ice Cream Baked Potato Mac and Cheeze And muffins
(3)Steven M.
Not sure why ppl are harsh on this place... TONS of salad, decent soups, and ice cream when you're done!! I actually don't like their ice cream since they switched to Dreyers it is too sweet now. But, for $8-$10 per person (not including buy one get one free coupons) how can you rate this place any lower than a 4?? Anyway, good value and good food. Don't let the haters deter you from this place!
(4)Cynthia V.
I realize that this place has it's down falls, but it's still one of my favorites! So it's a little pricey and they charge you extra for "premium" toppings, but their Asian Chicken Salad is so flipping good, that i'm willing to over look this. Print a coupon, or become a member of their club veg and get monthly deals. Eating out feels good, when I come here (which is at least two or three times a month).
(5)Lionel F.
I've tried this location the most out any of them and must say I like it. The cesar salad is my favourite plus all the healthy choices there is to choose from. As for soups the chicken noodle is the most popular which is fine but I always tend to go with the unpopular soups and do a mixology with them which in the end is delicious. I rarely get the pastas there due to lack of flavour. For dessert the blueberry muffins I can never pass up. Helpful and friendly staff. I will return again
(4)Jamie C.
I absolutely love this place, it has great vegetarian selections. All the food have light flavors, which is good, so you don't feel like puking after pigging out. The food is pretty healthy, especially since it is a buffet, and the meals are satisfying. My favorites: -House Ranch; has the perfect flavor -Blueberry Muffins -Clam Chowder
(4)Jeremy B.
I don't know why everyone is hating on this souplantation. I have been here 5 times now and have never had a problem with any of the food. Prices are reasonable for all you can eat. I do admit it can be a little busy but that is a good thing right? People wouldn't pack the house for bad food and service. I will admit however I have never been to another souplantation so I don't have anything to compare to as this one is within walking distance of me.
(4)Lauren M.
I had a really bad experience at this location. They didn't have many vegetables (I'm assuming due to the market freeze). So there was no cucumber, no tomato, no this, no that. Made for a boring salad. Also, their plates and utensils were dirty! It's okay if like one fork is dirty, but when I have to sort through all the utensils to find one that isn't dirty.....there is a problem! Also, there was this creepy older man busboy who kept coming up to our table and asking us if we needed our stuff taken away. I've never had a busser come up to the table before while we were sitting down and eating. The empty plates usually magically disappear when I get up to get more food.... I kind of like it better that way.
(2)Rebecca C.
I love soups and salads, so Souplantation is one of my favorites. Their pre-made salads are pretty good; they usually have two permanent salads, Ceasar and Wonton Chicken Happiness, that are pretty bland with not enough dressing. The third salad that varies each month is always pretty good. The soups are delicious! The red soup bowls are pretty small, so I usually drink around 4-6 bowls. The pizza is very cheesy, just the way I like it, but it doesn't have any other topping but cheese. My mom and I come here every two weeks to a month! Oh, and this place is clean! For you meat-lovers though, Souplantation is probably not the best place for you.
(4)Maria A.
I LOVE Souplantation restaurants. but this one was just so AWFUL!!!!!!!!!! First of all- your trays, plates, bowls were all WET! You run out of bowls and have us waiting for like 15-20 minutes so you can get a tray full of bowls that runs out in 10 seconds, more waiting. You run out of food-- the wait for the pizza bread/pasta was ridiculous. And to top it off, the food wasn't tasty. it felt rushed, and bland. I will NOT come back to this icky location. Alhambra Souplantation is better!
(2)Edgar S.
Bomb son!! i love going to this place.. sign up for the news letter and get coupons for lunch and dinner. you must try the crazy albondiga soup its delicious!!
(5)Vicky Z.
"Meh." is right. This is the second or third time I've been to this Souplantation location and each time, I'm reminded of why it's not my favorite. This visit was my mother in law's choice after a night of birthday drinking (yes, she's 62 and can still whoop it up with the rest of us!). She wasn't feeling like cooking the next day, so we all went to Souplantation for an early dinner. The line was out the door and by the time we got to the salad bar line, I was just about ready to leave. After paying for our meals we then had to stand there by the cashier, waiting to be seated, as there were no open tables in the place. When we were finally seated, the tables barely have room for the trays and the busboys rarely come around collecting things off your table. The salads were good, but all of the pastas, soups and breads are all so bland and boring. It's all "filler" and there's no real substance to anything there. Still, we all left stuffed and didn't have to do dishes either...
(2)Jeannie B.
I'm here at least once every two weeks! it makes me feel like i'm eating a bit healthier since they do have fresh veggies and salads. I love how they have every veggie imaginable and a lot of dressing choices to make salads yummy. Their soup choices change every month depending on the theme. I think this month is lemon so they had some soups that had some lemon in them. they have the usual soups as well like chicken noodle,clam chowder and chili. they have three pastas usually spaghetti type pasta, mac and cheese and another pasta depending on the month. Their breads are DELICIOUS as well. they have pizza like breads, brownies, muffins etc.
(4)Anthony S.
This was my first visit to the Lakewood location. The food and service was excellent but the restaurant layout does not make sense. The bread bar is right in the way of everyone and this causes much congestion when going to the various bars around the restaurant. The customer service handled the large crowd well but the layout does need some reengineering.
(4)alejandra s.
Green Yumminess ;)
(4)Justin F.
I'm so glad I've discovered this wonderful paradise. As far as I'm concerned, everyone who's giving this place bad reviews and saying they leaving wanting more needs get over their meat fixation. Even if the supposed meaty soups don't have meat in them, who cares! Our society is too convinced that meat makes the meal. Well I challenge you, fellow Yelpers, to appreciate meals that don't contain meat. You CAN live without it, and things STILL taste good. That being said, again, I'm so glad I discovered Souplantation. Even though not everything is vegetarian, they have so many options to choose from. I had a little of just about everything I could, and I left feeling full and very satisfied. They even gave me a coupon without actually having it on me! What a wonderful place it is. Not to mention those cookies. Ooohh, those cookies.
(5)SoCalSkippy ..
Eh, it's aiight! The selection is pretty weak, the food tastes ok, the service is decent, the restaurant is clean, the lines move quickly, the tables/chairs fill up real fast at night and the prices are good. I think Hometown Buffet is much better, but this place ain't too shabby though!
(3)Megan S.
Wow...brunch kinda sucks here...what happened to tha advertisements about waffles etc
(2)Rain F.
This is my sister's second home. Food is pretty decent. -1 for the booth chairs. They feel like a weird high chair. I've been to other locations and this is the only one that has that weird setup. -1 for slow to no water refills at all and slow clearing of the tables.
(3)Liz R.
First off, I must tell you that my sis and I are avid Souplantation frequenters. I love their grilled cheese focaccia bread and their french onion soup! We usually go to the one in Garden Grove, but we were disappointed with our last visit (I would give GG 3 1/2 stars, but I don't really like writing mediocre reviews because they aren't helpful). So, we tried the Lakewood location. UGH!!! I guess maybe we hit the lunch hour rush at 1 pm on a Friday because it was packed. Maybe they couldn't keep up with the high soup and salad demand.... We'll start with the salad bar. Lettuce was old and brown looking. The condiments were all over the place leaving the whole bar unappealing to the eye. My sis and I both had ranch on our salads. There was hardly any left in the container, which should have been a sign. The dressing was disgustingly warm! Next, the bread... I was so excited to try the grilled cheese bread! It was after all, the whole reason for my visit. But, every time I went over to the bread bar, there wasn't any bread... of any kind. Alas! The bread was presented. I could've waited longer though.... So that they would actually cook it thoroughly. It was doughy and not good. Got some soup.... Bleh! Some sort of Vegetable... Here's the worst part... I was about 6 spoonfuls in, when (not to my surprise) I found a black hair! Ick! I am blonde at the moment so it was not mine. Sorry LW Souplantation, I really wanted to like you and still like your siblings but you need to get in shape! My advice: Save yourself $12 on crappy soup and salad and go somewhere else!!!!
(1)Billie H.
Sigh, I always tell myself I'll try this place just ONE more time in hopes of liking it. I LOVE soup so the idea of all you can eat soup is amaaazing to me. Unfortunately, this is the only all you can eat soup restaurant I've heard of. After avoiding this place for a few years my boyfriend convinced me to go. The salad selection is mediocre. I got an asian chicken salad and was severely disappointed that I had to do a treasure hunt for this so called chicken and was only able to find about ten pieces throughout the WHOLE salad. The soup selection didn't wow me so much either. To be honest, they sounded better on the online menu than they actually were. The only soup that actually tasted yummy was the shrimp bisque. The chicken noodle soup was horrible. It was completely bland, so it pretty much tasted like hot water with stuff in it. Also, in complete contradiction to the salad, the soup had HUGE pieces of chicken in it. But it wasn't like "Sweet, there's a lot of chicken in my soup!" but more like "Holy crap why is there a whole freakin' chicken in my soup?!". The baked goods were okay and the ice cream section had hot fudge and butterscotch, so the desserts were fine and dandy to me. Oh, did I mention the service wasn't that great? With all that being said, I don't think I'll ever leave this place fully content.
(2)Pascale N.
This is a buffet with delicious salad, soup, bread and dessert. I came in with a coupon for dinner for $7.99 (usually $9.99). They have great coupons online. The salad was really good. They have specialty salads already mixed. You can also pick greens and add other veggies. My favorite soup was the cream of potato. They also had clam chowder and other kinds of soup. The bread is really delicious. They also have a good variety of pasta. I finished off the meal with an ice cream sandwich. The cookies are usually sold at the counter but they had some out that night. This is definitely a place where you can overdo it with the food. Just come in with an appetite or be prepared for some self control ;)
(4)Bernice C.
Cleanliness: great. i'd say perfect, but you'll learn that not every plate, bowl, and utensil is washed thoroughly. Service: half&half.. sometimes they have incredible service, other times, they don't. i guess it depends on how busy it gets? & most importantly, Food: DELICIOUS & WONDERFUL. because their food's freshly made and/or cooked, and you can always get a second serving! :) & you're there for the food anyways! I've been coming to this Souplantation for almost 20 years now. It is still one of my favorite vegetarian-friendly restaurants. :)
(4)Candace W.
My lover and I were blown to bits and I was starvin' like marvin. He had never been to Souplantation and even though it's not *out of this world* amazing, he had to try it just so he could say he did. As soon as we got there I jumped on their Cobb salad. They had Ceasar and Oriental too. Scooting my tray down the line, I added onions, corn, garbanzo beans, hardboiled eggs, tomatos and Italian dressing, which turned out to be the perfect salad. EVER. I kid but it was pretty damn good. They also had plain lettuce if you wanted to make your very own with all the fixins imaginable. Drinks? You have got to try the Blueberry Acai Juice. Not too sweet. Just right. I love the fact that Souplantation has superb alternative options to your typical sodas. This time around, they had about 5 different types of soup. I didn't get too courageous and stayed within my comfort zone. I did my usual cheddar cheese at the bottom and their delicious clam chowder on top. Instant foodgasm!!! I probably could have served myself about ten of those bowls if my stomach permitted. I know, talk about calorie overload but we're at a damn buffet - at that point, all calories were out the window. I had Tony try it too and he went to go get a bowl for himself - uh huh, uh huh....I also tried for the first time, creme of mushroom. How have I never had this before? I felt so out of the loop but I'm up on game now. Another added to my list of favorites. Souplantation also had an array of baked goods from multigrain bread, blueberry muffins to cornbread and apple pie. Grabbed a couple pieces of cornbread, garlic foccacia, and cheesy pizza. No complaints here - that cornbread was so good I'm still craving it. The focaccia was a great dipper for the soup. The pastas were gross. No flavor. Tasted just as bland even when I added salt. Tony and I were totally fooled by the tastebuds of a six year old but we should have known better. This little girl about two tables away ate her food in such a way that it would have you believing it was the best thing ever. So cute. Lastly, we just had to get some soft serve to complete the never ending meal. I added nuts, oreo bits and granola (wierd combo, i know) and honey had his with warm apple pie. Nom nom nom! We were stuffed beyond imagination but at least my babycakes is now a part of the cool crowd.
(3)Austin B.
Souplantation should be called Waterplantation because their main ingredient is definitely water. I like water, but not as a meal. I can eat a mountain of food here and leave wishing I had something to eat. But seriously, try the water chicken soup. It's really great. Or the water chili. Mmmm. For variety, though, try the air-flavored bread. It's like a breath of fresh air, except here it's passed off as food. Yummy! If I were a specter, I'd eat here all the time.
(1)Kenji Y.
Tip : Get the coupon for Sweet Tomatoes at spoofee.com/coupons/Soup…
(5)Jennifer R.
I like it here because it gives me the feeling that I can eat like a hungry hungry hippo but I'm only eating mounds of salad and maybe some soup. They have carbs for days (That means ton o' bread items). I enjoyed it, though my little brother (8) asked where the meat was. LoL. There's not much to say about the service, considering it is a buffet. The food is good though, I fell in love with every bread item in the buffet. Beware the attack of the carbs!
(3)Jeffery T.
1. Corn Bread muffins make me feel like I being born AGAIN...ugh freakin delicious. 2. Clam Chowder & Chili, will most likely encourage you to slap anyone with in arms distance. 3. ITS FREAKIN CHEAP.. So myself and few friends were starving after tearing up the Lakewood mall, So we jokingly said THE SOUPLANTATION, cause we just figured only "senior citizens" go there. That was the biggest and most dumbest assumption EVER..Nice clean place, salads are crazy bomb, and those little pizza things are like crack sticks covered in marinara..RE-DIC-U-LOUS sauce.
(4)Ashleigh E.
Sometimes I just want a giant ass salad. I love meat as much as the next gal, but man, nothing beats a well put together, delicious salad. When I get this kind of craving, I head to Souplantation. Not only is it the only place I know of that has salad in the quantity and variety that I want. They have premade salads, like a Chinese Chicken Salad, Caesar Salad, and usually some sort of fruit and nut salad that are usually pretty good. Then they have rows of salad fixings so you can do it yourself. They have all of the standard stuff, which is good, but I kind of wish they had some more "high end" stuff (eg: any cheese other than shredded cheddar, dried fruit, etc). Once you get through the salad bar, there are two other food stations. One has breads, including muffins, cheese breads, corn bread and little brownie things. The other has soups and pastas. If you're coming here to eat healthy, STAY AWAY from these two food stations. The food is tasty, but oh so fattening. The strawberry lemonade is worth mentioning, and one of the reasons I come here. Let me just tell you - it is really good. It has a very authentic strawberry flavor which makes me think they use actual strawberries and not just a syrup. And last, but not least, they have a frozen yogurt station. I have a real love for frozen yogurt, so I always make sure I save room for it. My favorite - I get one of the brownie muffins (which are usually warm from sitting under the heat lamps) and put it on the bottom. Then I cover it with vanilla fro-yo, and then sprinkle some granola on top for some crunch. YUM! Also, just a note, I used to think that you could only go through the salad bar once but I recently found out that you can go as many times as you want! I guess I was thrown off by the fact that they have the POS at the end of the salad bar, so I thought you'd have to pay again. lol what can I say, I'm blonde underneath all the dye.
(4)Grace A.
Five words to describe my experience after eating at the Soup Plantation: Very Painfully Loose Bowel Movement
(1)Jenny P.
This place was hard to rate because I've never been wow'd or disappointed by any souplantations. I mean, it's soup and salad, and a buffet, so how could the food or the service be under or overrated?! So, that's my reason behind the three stars. HOWEVER, i bumped it up a star because i discovered really delish peanut butter choco-chip. It was freshly baked and it went well with a swirl of vanilla ice cream. i don't know if that chip is available everwhere else, but i discovered it here so they get the pat on the back. GJ lol. Btw this is my second review and if you've read my first review, well, i'd like to say that the chip's destiny at this souplantation was short-lived as well ;)
(4)christine m.
Great if you are vegetarian, but I am not. I prefer to have a little bit meat available. The place is clean, always stocked and fresh. Soups are just ok, none of them are close to great . Breads and muffins are good. Salad ingredients are good as well. Dressings are just ok... Souplantation... Is just A-OK
(3)Charles F.
Perhaps one of the best AYCE deals around. If you beg to differ, please enlighten me. Those that come here thinking that they eat healthy and walk away with two plates with dressing loaded up the wazoo, go starch crazy and pile on the pizza and pasta, and then head over to the dessert area, you're better off somewhere else. Exercise some self control and enjoy this place for its freshness and variety, not like its your last meal and perhaps you will have a difference experience.
(4)Alice L.
I really do not understand WHY this place only has three stars! I absolutely love this place and souplantation is definitely the perfect place for hot and cold..healthy and not! I've never had a bad experience, and everything is wonderfully made. My salad choices: wonton chicken of happiness is a MUST + extra spinach and romaine lettuce..the corkscrew green and orange pasta noodles + cucumber slices to snack on while in line + carrots + tuna tarragon pasta salad thing + eggs. alll together! YUMYUMM in my tum! i knoww it sounds gross..but i love it! Soups: omygosh..i fell in LOVE today with their turkey stuffing soup! I loved getting chunks of turkey throughout my soup with delicious thanksgiving spices running through the soup. The soup was not too thick and it definitely was not runny..talk about perfect consistency! Topped with freshly made stuffing with the right amount of seasoning = soup of perfection! I also loove their deep kettle chilli as well! Must have at least a bowl whenever I come! Breads: You can never go wrong with the blueberry muffins! They're cornbread & multi-grain muffins are not too shabby as well! Honey whip butter FTW! Dessert: Nothing beats the vanilla frozen yogurt w/ the chocolate muffin!! Sign up for their wonderful coupons that they send out every month! I never spend more than $9.00 whenever I go for either lunch or dinner!
(5)Tammy W.
I love Souplantation food, however, this location is pretty run down for being near the Lakewood Mall where most big chain restaurants are located in that city. I was there when it happened to be raining outside and the roof had a leak. The management strategically placed a bucket in the middle of the walk way/buffet area to catch the rain. Talk about an eye sore! 1 star because I love the food and another star because it's all you can eat, with a lot of variety and decent pricing (plus, you can always find a coupon somewhere online). One thing this location doesn't have that I love are those mini ice cream cones :( boooo on them. If you absolutely love the food and don't have a plantation closer to you, then go to the Lakewood location, otherwise go elsewhere!
(2)Carol J.
I love coming here just to load up on all the veggies & soups. There is nothing that really stands out here.....um, let's see...it's right next to the mall and movie theater, so you can eat here after some shopping. I just like to come here after work if I don't feel like cooking. After all the starchy foods from Thanksgiving, I was feeling a little veg deprived. this was the perfect fix. Also, I have never really tried the dessert here (besides the blueberry muffins), so this time I had some of the Cranberry-apple crisp. It was soooo good. I recommend anyone to try this, and if you really love it, they also sell a take home package so you can warm it up yourself. Yum!
(4)S L.
Dirty trays, dirty plates, dirty soup bowls, sourdough bread still tastes like dough, cramp layout
(1)Cynthia L.
I am a fan of Souplantation. It is a great place to catch lunch under $10, though I am disappointed that they no longer give the AAA discount! I like the salad, bread, soup, and pasta selection, and I like how I can grab whatever and however much food I want. The food quality and taste are mediocre, but I'm still coming back because I like the variety. I think that the soups and breads are better than the pasta. The pasta can be really bland and tasteless, such as the mac & cheese (it is also on the watery size, yuck).
(3)Alicia D.
We went for lunch the experience was ok... I would have liked more variety for the price.
(4)Gina R.
The muffins are the only reason to come. Buy a set and don't bother eating anything else unless you're super hungry and don't really care about taste or quality
(3)Joe W.
I have read all the negative reviews and completely disagree on all levels. We are all entitled to our opinions..... But give me a break, were else can you go for $10 lunch and get the kind of selection of fresh salad options, speciality salads (Caesar, Cobb). Homemade soups, breads, pasta and desserts for under $10? This particular location has wonderful friendly service that starts with a warm greeting from the Mgr. Debbie all the way down to seating waiters/waitresses. As you can tell, I enjoy eating here! I cannot get into too much bad food trouble and get plenty to eat, lots of options. Food is one the few last vices I have left in my life.... So i love it!!!
(5)Liz O.
WHO goes here? WHY would anyone sit down and eat HERE??!? I'll tell you who; Me and because it's cheap. And I am cheap. Extremely frugal with the cashola. But just because I am cheap, doesn't mean I am easy -- or easily impressed. Soup Plantation left me wishing I didn't pay the $10 for a semi empty / filthy salad bar that people clearly pick and sample as they are serving themselves. There is a sign that politely asks patrons to NOT sample any of the food in the salad bar and to wait until they are seated to "enjoy". People shove their dirty hands in the salad fixings and nibble as they make their way to the cashier. Animals! I thought very carefully about which items to try and which items to avoid. Needless to say, my selection was minimal compared to those who piled their plates high with all kinds of atrocities. Soup Plantation is a buffet of greens / soup / desserts and pizza. For ten bucks -- you get to gorge yourself on this "healthy" food. In my opinion, ain't nothin' healthy about chocolate fudge brownies, ice cream and chocolate syrup. This is like a Sizzler salad bar free-for-all. I am better off buying a couple bags of ready to eat salad mix and a tub of Ben and Jerrys Chunky Monkey -- for less than $10 bucks!
(1)Mike P.
I can't even give one star to this place. The most positive thing was the tap water without ice we were given. The staff was sluggish and didn't seem to care about being there. The food was largely bland and gave me thoughts of what they would serve in a nursing home. The food was obviously made in large quantites and very watery. The chicken soup noodles were like I have never seen before. They were very white and thick and looked like dry paste cut into strips. The breads they had were all very gritty and tasted like there was too much baking soda in them. The highlight of the meal should have been dessert. I decided on making a hot lava cake with soft serve on top. It ended up tasting like a gritty wet turd. If you were thinking of a buffet style place this is not it.
(1)Itzel A.
Love to go there with the family, there is something for everybody there. My favorite is the Clam Chowder and my kids really enjoy making their own ice cream after they have their fill of veggies and mac and cheese.
(4)Candle m.
First I found a hair in my potato salad, then my gf found one in her salad on her plate too while I was taking my plate to the employee to show him and complain. These hairs were right into the food with our first bite or so. Then the fettuchini was cold, everything that we ate was tasteless except the desserts. The chef must not take pride in his/hers food. What a waste of our good earned money!!!!! We eat at this chain on a regular basis but this lakewood restaurant is terrible com paired to the other locations.
(1)Sam F.
OK look it has the potential to be healthy. It also has the potential to be 3000 calories in one sitting. The choice is up to you.... BUT I will say this location has great service, food is kept up and nothing looks like it's not fresh, and the bakery is always going at high speed. Nothing like a hot Blueberry muffin. If in the area check them out... it's a buffet so you get what you expect.
(3)Michael W.
my first time ever coming to a souplantation... great salad and pasta and good carbs of bread...
(5)Audrey L.
PROS Soups. all of em! Esp. the chicken noodle & clam chowder. CONS A lil overpriced, try to find a coupon in the sunday newspaper. Would I go back? If July-June gloom keeps up like this, im there!
(4)Heather T.
I will never, NEVER understand how someone whips up a blue cheese/cayenne pepper potato salad and has it come out tasting blander than bland. All the prepared food here is bland. Salt, pepper, meet Souplantation. Souplantation is lucky - I don't come here for the prepared food (and you shouldn't either). The salad bar is lovely and has all the staples. It's clean, it's fresh, it's healthy and it gives me a one-way ticket on the Fart Train the next day. It's worth it. My coworkers may not agree. Special Tip: Instead of those puny black bowls next to the yogurt machine, go get a giant soup bowl. Put a chocolate chip muffin on the bottom, top it with caramel and chocolate syrup, then top that with yogurt. You're welcome.
(3)Stacey R.
As far as Souplantations go, this one is pretty good. It's clean and well-stocked. The food is always fresh and good quality. I eat at this particular Souplantation in Lakewood regularly. I signed up for the "Club Veg" and get coupons emailed to me each week. You can show the coupon on your smart phone, so you don't have to print them out. It's a good deal, I stay away from the pastas. The soups and salads are so very good. The fresh breads and blueberry muffins are delicious, served with whipped butter (or margarine, or honey butter if you like.) I stay away from the premium toppings too...you don't need them and it keeps the cost down.
(4)Rachel B.
THERE WAS A LIVE SPIDER IN MY SALAD! Thank GOD I found it before I took a bite! We left the restaurant IMMEDIATELY! Eat here at your own risk!
(1)Melissa E.
We eat here pretty regularly, but we have found that the time of day we go equals our satisfaction. Lunch is always the best bet because of crowd and seating availability. We have had a few issues at dinner time with staff trying to reseat us after we have already found a table and when you have a kid, its not the easiest of tasks. Eventually I find the manager and let them know what has occurred and they kindly remind staff of courtesy to their guests. I understand the concept of seating people in appropriate areas and not jumping in front of other guests, but if there is no one else waiting, what harm is there in seating us to the left or the right? The food is fresh and the area is clean and for a buffet, this place is way better than the Hometown next door!
(3)Dave H.
Veggies are always good for you. If you come around 11:30, you'll beat the lunch crowd.
(3)Richard D.
Sweet! Kids three and under eat free and eat like royalty. Miss Peanut has suddenly turned from toddler garbage disposal to take-it-away-we-doth-not-feel-the-mac-n-cheese-Âtoday pain in the ass. But there's something about being served in a dozen tiny, paper cups that does it for her and she ate until she leaned back, loosened her belt, Al Bundy'd her hand down her pants, and man-burped. Kid's menus generally need federal sanctions for their constant nasty-friedness, but here you got piles of veggies, beans, and greens to choose from and it's all free. For the grownups: It's a Souplantation. Lower your expectations. It's a buffet of salad and icky pasta. Whaddya expect? Be careful, though, on Sundays. Some genius decided to defile breakfast too so if you get there before noon you don't even get what is for me, the one saving grace of the non-salad options, the clam chowder with focaccia. Instead, there are all these nasty egg dishes and muffins. Mmmmm. Salad and gravy.
(4)John O.
Three words: NOM NOM NOM!!! Place is grub for $7.50 although........bring your appetite. Eat up America! There's a reason we're the fattest country in the world! Great salads, wholesome soups, carbalicious muffins, yummy honey butter, ice cream.......what more could you want?? Ditto on the signing up for Club Veg - you get a buy one get one free......you can't lose. All in all, good value. Come with an appetite. I have yet to try the breakfast, but based on the pictures, it looks like more NOM NOM NOMing!!!!!!
(4)Barb V.
This location is ghetto. Looking run down and theres always food bits on the floor and kids running around like they just busted off their leash.
(1)Micah D.
If you like eating here alot, sign up to receive emails from them. You can do this on their website. They'll send emails with coupons in it pretty often.
(3)Harold R.
been goin here for years now. if u want to eat kinda healthy or looking for something on the lighter side, then this is your spot. buffet style. they have mixed salads that are pretty good. ie ceasar salad and won ton chicken salad also have a third specialty mix salad that changes monthly. the ceasar is good the wonton chicken is good on certain days. various soup selections like chicken, clam chowder, theres sucks, and the chili. the chili is pretty tasty, i add cheese and sour cream to make it taste better. various breads and muffins ala blueberry and corn. good only when warm with lots of butter. the pizza is doghy, wish they had a lighter version and will it kill them to put sauce on it. for dessert, frozen yogurt...just o.k. with various toppings. cookies like choc chip but only sometimes. jello and fruit selections also. this place is just o.k
(3)Amy F.
i like the soup and salad and of course the muffins!
(3)Ivy W.
A boyfriend of mine at the time took me here since I was craving some Souplantation's and it was nearby his house. We came on a weekday around lunch time, and surprisingly there weren't a lot of people - which is a good thing (unlike the one in Arcadia, with all the fat people and grannies pushing into you). This location isn't one of the cleanest one's I've been too, but definitely not the worst. It's clean enough and the food was tasty and fresh. If I'm ever in the area, I'll probably come by. Otherwise, it's too far =/
(3)Irvinyl A.
This place has lost it's pizazz. Tastes like canned cafeteria food to me.
(1)Debbi S.
One of my favorite restaurant chain. It's mainly vegetarian but they have a few entree that is non-vegetarian now like their chicken noodle soup, clam chowder. They keep changing the menu every season. There are plenty of soups, pasta, baked goodies such as corn bread, muffins. Also they have pumpkin caramel cake for a limited time :)
(4)Gail K.
Love making a Big Ass Salad with all my fav ingredients but my one complaint is the need for some protein sources other than beans and eggs. The person I was with pointed out that they have some choices in the "Premium Toppings" section but why should I have to pay more when it should be included in the price of their product???
(3)Lauren V.
Im gonna let you in on a little embarrassing secret: Im here to steal muffins. There, I said it. ' Its that streak of "ghetto" in me. Oh, I can be fancy and sophisticated, I make enough money now...but when you grow up low middle class and are a child of filipino immigrants, you take from buffets. What can I say? They have good muffins and you pay a whole $9.95 + tax + beverage to eat here and leave with nothing? unthinkable. Why did i start off like that? Because the salads arent exactly great here. Oh, they're good, but other restaurants over the years (perhaps in an effort to be more "health-conscious") have made and incuded better salads in their repertoire. In the past, salad was an appetizer and was made horribly so it would make you resent vegetables in favor of meat. This is definitely not the case anymore at good, modern restaurants. Im not saying the salads are bad, but they are average. There's caesar, asian chicken and make your own. Of those, I like the asian. Its a well made, classic chinese-chicken salad. They also have cold pasta salads that are, IMO, blahh. Then you pay and get to the glorious carb station with cornbread, cheesy pizza bread and those glorious blueberry and chocolate muffins. Are the muffins really that special? Not really, but they're the best option to stuff in your sister's "big purse" and take with you. If your ghetto ass grew up stealing from buffets like i did, you're taking muffins. They also have hot stuff like pastas (mac n cheese, fettuccine alfredo, spaghetti) and soups (clam chowder, chicken noodle, chili, etc..) Also have a sizzler-esque dessert bar. If you're in souplantation because of dieting, you wouldnt come to this section. But I have read the nutrition facs on websites and eating the pastas and soups here is much better for you than eating them at say, olive garden. SO is Souplantation a great place to eat salad...should be more like is souplantation a good place to gorge on well made, but still average salads? oh yes it is. Is souplantation is cool place to steal muffins? hell yes! am I probably gonna get banned for life if souplantation finds out about this? probably, but in the spirit of yelp, Im telling it like it is.
(4)Eddie A.
There is nothing that special about Souplantion being that it's a chain, but I can't help but feel good when I eat there. You start with a salad, they have a great variety of soups, and not a lot of meat. I eat tons of meat so being mostly vegetarian during my visits here is sort of a relief. Of course, you can cancel out all that good karma by diving into the jello and frozen yogurt bar to top off your meal. ;)
(3)Staci H.
Ok...so I only went to this place for two reasons: Good Salad....and because it was recommended by my sisters co-worker. Well...first off the salads were not that great! I tried at least 6 different kinds and only liked ONE! Then I went and got some soup, bread and lemonade. The soup I had was actually delicious! It was the Cauliflower w/ American Cheese. It was yummy. It tasted a bit like broccoli and cheese soup, execpt obviously made w/ Cauliflower instead. The bread was ok. The chocolate muffin was yummy (but how can you screw that one up?) The lemonade was delish! Oh, and the mac n' cheese was good...but again...how can you screw it up? I also had the Fetticini Alfredo...and it tasted like it had NO flavor what so ever! Granted that the soup I had, the lemonade and the bread were all good...but I just can't give it any more stars because of their salad selections!!!!! I'm a salad girl....and theirs were VERY lacking in the taste department! **I also forgot to mention that it was $22 for 2 people...and I wasn't very satisfied...at all!
(2)Maria Z.
My experience was a little underwhelming, maybe because it was my first time and my friends had hyped it up so much. Personally, I'm just not a fan of buffets, so keep that in mind. There just seemed to be less salad options than I guess I was anticipating. Overall I like the food, it's an alright place and the desserts are fine, but I was expecting a little more. i would be willing to go back and try it again, but it's just not my favorite place to get a good salad.
(3)Josh K.
I love souplantation and this one is close to home! I always get 2 plates to start and load up on salad so i dont have to go back through the line. soups are amazing especially the chicken noodle, clam chowder and chili. Its supposed to be healthy eats but at the portion sizes that i consume, i doubt its good for me!
(5)C. H.
Remembering that you are at a big ol' family style serve yourself joint, they've got a a great salad bar for those who enjoy grazing on 10 kinds of lettuce, and variety of fresh baked muffins, and a row of soups to pour over the entire thing. Get your eat on.
(3)Elise H.
This place is honestly just good for a quick mediocre salad...the only thing that's consistent! The other selections aren't all that good! The pasta dishes are bland and some are simply disgusting. I had the chocolate lava cake and it was good, but the others dessert choices are pathetic.
(2)Karen L.
I love to eat here for the variety, and the food is always fresh. That is why I give 4 stars. I will not give 4 for the service or sometimes the cleanliness. Use a coupon, load up on the Joan's Broccoli Madness salad and the muffins, and don't count calories. It can't be good for you if you eat pizza, chowder, and cobbler all in the same sitting! Yum!
(3)Jesus H.
Pretty cool place nice selection and service. First time here and liked their food and drinks. Check it out
(5)Aireen J.
Haven't eaten here for about 5 years. Came here with a good friend since we had been shopping and we both wanted something healthy. The location was easy to find. Customer service was alright. As far as the food goes it was good. I had the clam chowder with bacon pieces. I came back for two servings. Overall good place to eat especially if your trying to eat healthy considering they have alot of healthy options.
(4)Bamboo G.
OK. Typical veggies buffet. From the same chain of Sweet Tomatoes i think. Fresh taste.
(3)Dominic L.
They really have good service. Constantly checking your table for finish plates, house keeping and such.
(4)Crystal W.
It's ok! I have been to other places like this like Fresh Choice, this place has the basic elements of the other places. Extremely basic ingredients, no real authentic flavor or taste to overall food. Kind of pricey for food that fills with no flavor.
(2)matthew p.
i had brunch this morning. place was dead before 11 am and then filled to capacity by 12. parking everywhere. 2 meals for 15.00 total is a deal food was good just as it always is with the same variety you come to expect from a souplantation. if they had the corn chowder i would have given it 4 stars. and they dont have corn bread during brunch hours. that was disappointing. no complaints
(4)Paul B.
Endless salad... I hate lettuce, still love this place. :)
(5)C S.
I really like Souplantation, but the last two times that I've had lunch at the Lakewood store I was really disappointed. The veggies were old, particularly the broccoli...it was soft and clearly had been sitting around for a long time. The coffee was cold. I tried three pots & gave up. The entire restaurant was not very clean. The salad bar was a mess, the floor was dirty and when I used the restroom I was more than a little freaked out about how dirty it was. It seems like there is some kind of management or staffing issue with this particular location. It's really too bad, because the Lakewood Souplantation used to be a great place for fresh, healthy food. Not so much any more.
(2)Jerod Y.
Great soup & salad selection! Ice cream was delicious too! People were super friendly on Sunday and able to handle the crowd very well.
(4)Izzy I.
always fresh, delicious soups, just a yummy place to eat
(4)Nelson T.
The best thing about this place is the bakery when you can get pizza fresh out of the oven. The salad and other things they offer are quite soggy or just set out too long. Prices is about th same at any buffet you go to but its kind of odd you have to buy drinks on the side while others the drink is included. The dessert they offer is really limited unless you like pineapples or whatever they offer that day. They have soft serve ice cream but only 3 flavors and about 5 toppings total.
(3)Mia S.
Came here a couple times and I would have to say they are definitely bigger than the fullerton souplantation. I feel like they offer a bit more at their salad bar as well. The service here was great. Our server came by frequently to clear our plates, fill our cups with water, and check up on us. Everytime I come here they always hand out free cookies as well. The fullerton one is hit or miss. This one also allows you to buy a bag of muffins for a little over a dollar.... their muffins are the best! WARM AND TASTY!!! I wish they would just sell muffin tops, since that's the best part!
(4)Junior A.
great meatless Friday alternative!
(5)Steven T.
Personally, I Just love this place... Usually you will not find any lines at this soup plantation, but occasionally on prime days at prime hours you might hit a little traffic jam. Parking is easy to find and the restaurant is kept fairly clean and stocked. My favorites are the sesame chicken salad which is the first salad in the line of salads then I head straight to soups and breads. mmmm not too shabby. Im not much of a salad person, but this salad is pretty darn good. All the soups are fairly good, but the chicken noodle I must admit always seems pretty bland and tasteless. The good thing about soup plantation is that they post their nutrition facts up for people to be able to know just how much they are consuming. Also the corn bread is good, but a tad dry... goes well with honey and butter or do yourself one better and use the honey butter. The pizza aka "cheese sticks" are nice and doughy. For some reason though they come with either just cheese or sometimes they come with sauce AND cheese. Either way, it is good with or without the suace. As for dessert, i've feel in love with apple crisp!!! it was soup plantation which first introduced me to the apple crisp and I must admit, they have the best apple crisp I have ever had. I always throw it in a bowl and top it with some vanilla frozen yogurt. If you notice that there is just apples left without the crisp talking, please forgive me. Best of all is that this place is ALL YOU CAN EAT!!!!!!!!!!!! they are pretty good at coming around to the tables and gathering dirty plates.
(4)Justin O.
It's simply utility food. The soups and salad are ok but nothing spectacular. But on Monday they do serve a good cream of mushroom soup(only on Monday)
(3)Senna H.
Souplantation is one of those places that need to be remodeled. i love the idea of eating healthy but they need more variety. i can see them trying i.e. every month they feature a new fruit but what they do is make a gross pasta out of it or bake it into an atrocious muffin. when im on my lunch break i walk there and get the take out special and i think its worth 7 buck but this routine could get boring. more variety please! when you feel like you need a salad or are in a healthy mood you can give this place a try but its not that great. what up with the name?
(3)joe d.
I like to really think I'm eating healthy when I go here. Get the salad, try not to over do it on the dressing and bread. I stay clear of the pasta, get the carbs from the breads. I always get one plate for the salad and never got seconds on the salad, but today I observed two ladies in front of me in line get TWO plates and fill those up high. This avoids the whole I'm getting seconds, I'll just make a one tripper by getting two plates up front?!? Made me look like I was eating like a girl. The two ladies should have only gotten one plate as they were heffers.... I give four stars for consistent selections and taste. I like how they made the drinks self-serve, refills for the win! Never had a bad experience here and don't expect any.
(4)Carla M.
I love to eat here b/c their food selection isn't heavy, so no food coma. I like their salads, soups, and flavored butter w/the muffins. Also gotta love their chocolate chip cookies-soft in the middle and crispy on the edges. This place is already cheap and gets even cheaper when you get their coupons mailed to you. I also come here when im under a little weather for their soups, hehe.
(4)Miss W.
I came here last night with my boyfriend and he was hungry and we wanted something kind of healthy even though it's not because all that dressing and cheese =X But it was good =) It was dinner price so basically $10 a person. Man we need to stop eating buffet! haha. Anyways, I love there broccoli salad and clam chowder and chili. The pasta's are never good. They need to add some more flavor to there sauce. As for the pizza there okay. I mean pizza is pizza. I never liked the muffins. The corn bread is okay. I do like the bake potatoes, but who doesn't right =) Too bad we didn't have a coupon this time.
(4)Tim M.
I just follow the line to the cashier but maybe pickup a bit of croutons, sprouts, etc with thousand island or ranch. Then it's off to the soup or bakery counters. I finish off with desserts and maybe more cheeseburger soup and pizza bread. I'm not really a salad eater but this place offers lots as a buffet place. Here and Hometown Buffet next door are a couple favorite buffet places since Sir Lancelot's left town. The staff is nice here too so it's a pleasure to give my business here with my wife and maybe the kids too. Great place to finish a night in town after the movie theater near by.
(4)Mike L.
For a health nut, this will be a paradise. It has salad bar with a not bad of a selection of soups. Oh one thing about this place.... they are trying to hide the meat! There is no visible meat anywhere. I guess that is how they are trying to be health conscious in this place. There is a good amount of bread everywhere and a soft ice cream machine is served. The only time I ever seen meat was when "chicken" broth soup was served. You actually will see people scooping for the chicken out of the soup. That's when you know that maybe a meatless place does not always work. For me, after eating at this place, I always feel so empty. Even though I just ate quite a feast, but without the meat, it's still feel really empty.
(2)Sarah H.
Ugh..I came here hoping to cure my hangover blues, but I did not fully succeed in that mission. This was actually my first time at Souplantation, so I didn't get the setup of the place, seemed kind of retarded to me. The part that really got me was that I had to wait after I paid for someone to seat me. Um, I think I know how to find a table, thanks. And maybe they should make the place a bit bigger so it's not one clusterfuck of people milling around. The selection of salads was decent, I liked the chinese chicken one, but it had way too much soy sauce in it for my taste. The potato salad was a bit bland, and too sweet all at the same time. How does that happen? On that note, why does alot of stuff here taste so sugary? The chili was ok, but way too sweet. I think the best thing there was the cauliflower soup, it hit the spot and eased my hungoverness quite well. I don't think there was alot of variety here, and I really don't think I would return. 22 bucks for 2 people? I think not. But I am a cheapie whore, so what would I know?
(2)Genevieve R.
Great place to go to when you're having a little decision-making disorder. The line is never backed up too far to ring you up. When it gets really busy they will seat you instead of making your wander around with a tray full of plates. I'm a big fan of their chinese chicken salad, salad bar, chicken noodle soup, focaccia, and blueberry muffins. They're pretty good at keeping the salad bar stocked with lots of veggies and salad condiments. The soup station is pretty quick at putting on a fresh pot of whatever soup is running low. I have yet to stumble on a pasta dish that is tasty, so I just skip those. The bakery is always hopping. There's always a run on the focaccia, but there's usually a fresh hot one coming out of the oven just a few minutes behind. There are lots of wait-staff running around collecting empty plates, wiping down tables, asking if you need anything. Definitely the kind of place you want to go on a casual day when you're just plain hungry. Go online and subscribe to Souplantations newsletter and they'll send you coupons.
(4)Harry H.
I cannot stress how much I love thee souplantation! I go here and binge on leafy greens often and you will enjoy it because you get to have it your way. No other competitor can match its flavor and variety. I love the chinese salad. Top it off with crispy noodles and some egg! Head to the bakery and grab some FRESH cornbread and some honey butter! Grab a slice of warm pizza and then head to get some AMAZING chili! Top it off with some onions and crackers and cheese! When you're all done with that you can see what the monthly specials which is usually a dessert or head back for some non fat frozen yogurt!! I love this place and its always worth the price! Join the club to get discounts and sign up for the emails and if you find the coupons in the paper, clip away!
(5)Aynge M.
Not bad, but not nearly as good as I recall. I ate at a Souplantation in the early 90s--I think it was the one at the traffic circle in Long Beach--and it was very good. But I guess not so good that it took me all these years to go back, right? Well, the only thing they didn't have at the salad bar was bacon bits, which, to me, are indispensable. The pasta was bland but the mushroom soup and garlic bread were great. I didn't like how they charged extra for a soda, and with tip it ended up being $15. That's more than I expected to pay. I could have gone to Mimi's for that!
(3)Sue K.
I come here about once a week. Everytime their "Veg Club" emails me that coupon for buy one meal, get one meal free, I practically run and skip happily over. I also have backup copies of their coupons from the Los Angeles Times in my back pocket. Maybe I said too much... I'm kind of embarrassed now.
(4)Kelli G.
this is one of my favorite places to eat. don't come unless you have a coupon though because the price has slowly increased over the years and is getting a little ridiculous. don't expect to get your meat fix here--only small shreds of chicken in the chinese salad and soups (ground beef in the chili). if you pay more you can get a tiny cup of diced chicken, but it's not worth it. this place has every vegetable i hate chopping at home so it's a fantastic opportunity to fiber up and try a variety of salad dressings. they started selling the chinese salad dressing and i was ecstatic to see that it is almost fat free--sometimes it's hard to tell with dressing. the servers are nice and helpful and sometimes they pass out free cookies to the tables. great place to eat!
(4)Kevo D.
been comin to this spot for years now, never disappointed only when they lag to pick up the used bowls and utensils, their clam chowder and strawberry lemonade are the shit but the blueberry muffins are crack throw in some honey whipped butter with drops of honey in that shit im hooked!
(4)Grace N.
cheap, healthy food. some of it can be bland however. prices are very affordable and service is very friendly
(3)Electric E.
Been here for years. Its a good place to have salad, but as any other buffet style places, you get worked up into eating way too much food and it defeats the purpose of eating 'light'. Anyhow, we go anytime throughout the year, and get a kick when the "Different Cultural Theme" weeks are in effect. My favorite themes are asian italian, and mexican. The price has gone up over the years from mid $7 to almost $10 per person. Chicken (Do not take the noodles) soup is always good. Wish they have Greek Salad as a constant salad instead of making it only available during certain seasons/months. The key here is to eat modestly and try a little of everything.
(3)Natalie R.
I love salads and can't get enough of them and to have a place you can go to that mainly serves salads is a huge treat! The only bummer about this place is it's expensive and they've taken away all their discounts. The lettuce is lacking in quality a little bit but the soups, and breads are great. They now offer to go which is wonderful. Just really pricey and bummed they took away the student and AAA discounts. If you go during lunch Mon-Fri expect rude lunch goers, but overall if you're craving a salad it's the best!
(3)Mike F.
Well, even though this is a step up from the sizzlers all-you-can-eat-till-I-blowup-salad bar-that-I-let-me-friends-snack-on-till-their-Âfood-comes, its still not anything to write about. If youre a salad nut like me, and if you have to spend the time making a masterpiece of a salad that you have to pay $10 to make yourself, theres plenty of other places I can think of locally (ahem, Tracys) that can make you a kick ass salad for less and thats made for you. Soups are good here so I give it an extra star but its not saying much.
(2)P B.
Great place for a lunch or dinner with family. Healthy salads topped off with good variety of soups. Good value especially with coupons. try the brownie with ice cream
(4)fran d.
i don't know exactly how everything got started on my end. maybe i went out with a girl i was trying to impress upon her my healthy eating habits-you know how a penis will make you do the strangest things. ladies, don't ever have penis envy, it's more of a curse having one, really. but anyway, for some strange and unexplainable reason i used to enjoy eating at souplantation establishments. now this isn't the case anymore or maybe it's just this place in particular. i don't know but i find their salad toppings not adventurous enough. it's very standard fare to me, the stuff that i just might as well go to jack in the box and get a salad there instead and avoid the running of little creatures back and forth almost making me toss my tray. and that's another thing, the whole tray line now reminds me of death camps and junior highs. they ought to just switch over to waitressing the customer's food. they have the people there, i've seen them, with uniforms, walking around the tables trying to get you out of the restaurant as fast as possible. now for the soups, i don't know, they are alright but their breads are nothing to write home about, so unless you're homeless, you'll feel disappointed at your lack of urge to write. this place in particular is a kid fest. not the most ideal place to have a quiet lunch/dinner. also, every once in a while you have the screaming teenage girls. gah. i am giving this place three stars but only because i am feeling generous today. maybe my penis has finally come around after all these years.
(3)TinaMarie M.
souplantation...not too shabby in my book!if you sign up for their VEG club they send you great coupons via email.. most of the time the coupons are buy one lunch/dinner get one FREE!now that really makes a gal happy!they always have a great selection of fresh fixins for that salad of yours!their soups are hit and miss.. some are delizioso and some not so much, guess it just depends on those little tastebuds of yours. i do have to watch my intake of breads and baked goods that call my name as im eating world's healthiest salad. every muffin ive ever had from the "plantation" as george lopez would say is just delectable!they usually have a few fresh baked breads to choose from not to mention a not too bad baked potato bar.for dessert the selection is ehh.. but if you like fro yo their's is pretty tasty! i always leave the plantation a happy gal!
(4)Rebecca R.
I love buffets period, so this restaurant rocks my socks. Clean, well-lit, and always well-stocked. What more can I say? I just wish they would bring the seafood salade back!!! It's my favorite!!!
(4)Rachelle B.
i felt really sick after leaving this place. i didn't even eat that much, so i cant blame it on the fact that i'd eaten too much. after my sister, boyfriend, and i ate here, we went to the target by the lakewood mall. OMG. i seriously could barely move after dinner. i had the chills and i had the feeling i was going to vomit. rarely happens to me, seriously. it's also incredibly busy, and the people that work there aren't all that nice. i'd much rather go to the one in irvine. btw- it's lemon month at souplantation. they have a lemon and capers pasta. not so good. at other locations i've been to (in fullerton and in irvine) there is always a small amount of pasta in the pans, and there are constantly servers refilling the pans. at this location, there was a HUUUGE pile of pasta in the pans and they didn't look so fresh. isn't the freshly prepared pasta the best part of souplantation? whatever. never coming here again. last night was horrifying.
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