I live in San Diego, so one of my goals for my most recent visit to see family in Ames was to try Clayton Farms Salads. It did not disappoint. I love that when you drive up, you can see all the greens growing inside. We placed our order, then had a quick chat with the friendly young man at the window. But there wasn't much time for conversation because as promised, we got the world's freshest salads. It was so quick. We got home an opened up our salads and they looked amazing. My husband got the southwest salad and I got the Caesar salad. They were both delicious. Everything was incredibly fresh and so tasty. We really liked the Salad Girl dressings as well. I'm super picky about salads, and if it's not fresh, then I'm not interested. This was easily the best salad I've ever had. My Mother has been having their lettuce delivered practically since the beginning and I am always impressed with the freshness and flavor. Unfortunately, their facilities tours were not available during our visit, but I'd love to take the tour sometime. I will be insisting on visiting Clayton Farms Salads every time we visit Ames. read more

4/14/26 3:15 p.m. Online Order for Pick Up Food: We were very excited to try the food here, but we weren't too impressed, unfortunately. We ordered a Caesar Wrap w/chicken, Chicken Pesto w/no cherry tomatoes, Firehouse Chimichurri w/steak and no cherry tomatoes, Chocolate Smoothie, and Farmer's Punch. For starters, all of the produce was fresh and crisp (which is always a plus), but you can tell that meat is not their forte. The chicken tasted as if it were precooked, frozen chicken (not saying that's a bad thing, just didn't seem as if it was freshly cooked), and the steak was full of almost inedible gristle. The overall flavor of the food was pretty lackluster as well, besides on the Chicken Pesto; the balsamic vinaigrette was very overpowering. The Caesar Wrap was large, but the sandwiches were quite small portion-wise. The Chocolate Smoothie tasted more like a green smoothie with chocolate protein powder, and we had a really hard time keeping it mixed; sadly, we didn't finish it :( The Farmer's Punch, on the other hand, was really good! Service: The service wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. The person who greeted us was friendly, but not particularly social, if that makes sense? It almost seemed as if they didn't have enough time for us. They were polite and quick with getting our order to us, though. Ambiance: Inside is quite small and not meant for a dine-in experience; there are no tables at all. This is definitely a pick-up/to-go/drive-through type of establishment. It's kept very clean, though, from what we could see. read more

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Seriously what a fun concept! They grow the lettuce for the salads right where they make the salads love it! How cool!! They only negative... is its a bit of a small salad for $10. The bowl was quite small... I had to add to it once I got home to make a full meal. read more

I am addicted to the tropical green smoothie! I had my doubts about arugula on a buffalo chicken panini, but it was delicious. Always friendly service and yummy healthy fresh food read more

Don't get me wrong there is nothing wrong with the food at all! So much so to the point where my pregnant self wanted this place so bad for so long (I live in Tennessee) I added a 2 hr detour to my route after a 9 hr drive and got here 40 min before closing just for everything to be long shut down!!! All lights off everything closed. I've got to say that really took a toll on the rest of my night I had held off eating hours during my drive to make sure I could eat here!!! I had planned to get 5 salads and a smoothie just so I knew I had extra this was truly heartbreaking! I wish the website just had correct hours read more

Great food and attention to detail. They make healthy options look delicious and offer a variety of choices.

The salads are the freshest around by far, and everything always tastes great. But lately the lettuce has not been cut, so there are these giant lettuce leaves in the bowl topped with all the other ingredients, and it's hard to eat the lettuce. You can't really cut it with a knife because it's in a cardboard bowl. If the lettuce were cut small like it used to be, I would choose to eat here a lot more often. read more

Disappointing experience, made my salad incorrectly after given clear specifications and I asked for a remake told me I'd have to be charged for both salads. read more

Looking for a healthy drive through option? Clayton Farms Salads is it! I got the Harvest Wrap - apples, cranberries, arugula, feta - it was perfect! read more

Always a great spot for a fresh local salad! They are super big and filling, I always get the Asian salad and it's yummy. Would recommend!

This place is the go to for healthy quick eats in Ames. The salads are PEAK freshness every time no matter the time of year. Easy to customize for online ordering. The handful of times I've ordered my food is ready within the time frame given or faster. It's easy to pick up your order too, I just gave them my name at the drive thru box and away I went. The Cobb salad is hands down my favorite. The dressing is DELICIOUS. Sadly it was out of stock when I ordered last, the Mediterranean salad was just as good and the steak was cooked to perfection, I appreciated the steak being cut in bite size not strips. Easier to eat on the go and in a bowl. Thank you Clayton Farms! read more

Best place to get a salad in Ames, easily. They grow it on site and you can literally taste how much fresher it is than other salads. Like it's not even close. They don't skimp on toppings or dressings. Fast, efficient, and friendly. Ames has been needing more Vegetarian and Vegan options like this. I'll be coming back again and again! read more

Clayton Farms Salads - Crunchy Asian, No Dressing - Salad Near Me - Ames, Iowa

Excellent! Great addition to the Ames scene. Very fresh, long list of ingredient options, friendly and efficient service. I went 2 days in a row during my recent Ames visit. read more

Extremely fresh and extremely good! My two favorite salads are the crunchy Asian salad and the Mediterranean salad. read more

So far I've been here twice and have tried three things. The southwest salad with added tofu was so good! Their tofu is now one of my favorites and to add to it, they give you plenty! Next time I visited it was later, I ordered a greens smoothie that is definitely worth it again. Lastly, I ordered a Mediterranean wrap. Unfortunately I got the crunchy Asian wrap but now I know that the crunchy Asian wrap is also good! Only four stars due to the mix up on wraps (really wanted chickpeas) but things happen and it's okay.:) read more

Just tried this place and loved their salads and smoothies. Everything tasted amazingly fresh. Will definitely be coming back.

best salads ever!!! caesar salad is one of my favorite foods and i can happily say this is the best caesar salad ive had. the wraps are amazing as well. i've only been through the drive thru, but i have had super pleasant experiences every time. employees are patient and kind. next time i go i'll have to stop inside and eat there. read more

We happened to come across this place while traveling from Wisconsin to Austin, Texas. What a great find! The Mediterranean salad was large and full of fresh-tasting ingredients. And the Salad Girl Lemony Herb dressing brought the salad to the next level. I highly recommend this place. read more

The freshest salad you will ever eat!! I could eat this every day. I've only used the drive through and not eaten inside, but the service for drive through has been great. Very friendly people. read more

Excellent, fresh and tasty salads! Worth a trip for something healthy and fresh. We enjoy the Southwestern salad with chicken and the Crispy Asian salad the best! read more