I wished I lived close by so I could be eating here all the time. I like the fact that we can try the food before ordering. Great environment! Chris was very helpful and glad he checked back with us to see how things were. Great team= happy customers!!! Definitely coming back read more

I love Pasadena and nothing makes me happier than to see a new business open up on Lake, cuz the last thing we need is another empty storefront. So after reading the reviews I had pretty high hopes... but sadly this place was a dud for me. The good - the variety on the menu is nice - can't be mad at the beer and wine menu The bad - I ordered the beef and mushroom braise, root veggie braise, mashed potatoes, and rice. Everything was lukewarm. Unpleasantly so. I felt like I was eating last night's leftovers after a trip through the microwave. I get that it's a cafeteria style restaurant, but i dont want to feel like I'm eating cafeteria food. Definitely was not worth the $$ at all. - the pepperoni pizza had a strange metallic taste. Again, unpleasant. But at least it was hot. It took a while to arrive at my table. - the staff seemed overwhelmed and disorganized. I had to repeat the nice girl at the braise counter my order 3 times for some reason. It was two plates and two sides. - nobody came to gather our plates or check on us. Maybe I ordered the wrong stuff, because folks were mostly lined up at the salad and plates section. But I dont think I'll be giving it another go. Would rather go to Lemonade or Tender Greens. read more

Stopped in to get dinner to go from here tonight. Reminded me of an "upscale" Lemonade restaurant. Grossest thing about being in there was that they had a serious FLY problem!!! Flies were everywhere around all the open food. Walked out thinking "do I really want to eat this!?" Service was mediocre. Appeared that the young lady on salad duty was slightly annoyed that she had to serve me because I took some time deciding what I wanted (reading the menu for the first time!) Long story short - the Grilled Ahi Tuna Salad was pretty good! So was the Hummingbird cake. If you can stomach swatting flies to eat & excuse less than par/mediocre service that this upscale cafeteria style restaurant is for you ;) VISIT #2 UPDATE :: The salads here are very tasty!!! Service is average but maybe that is because you primarily take care of yourself & it is not a traditional sit down restaurant. I really appreciated that the DM reached out to me & invited me back to try the place again. 2nd time around there were no flies buzzing around & the place seemed cleaner! read more

Chef Robert and the Urban Plates Pasadena location is incredible! Generous portions, great atmosphere, and outgoing employees. I have been to this location almost everyday for lunch for the past 6 weeks and not once have I had a bad meal, matter of fact they all have been delicious read more

Urban Plates - Turkey Dinner at Urban Plates is out of this world. I kept it clean with veggies no mash potatoes! Better than my mom's Thanksgiving Feast - Salad Near Me - Pasadena, California

Confusing for 1st timers. Apparently we were in the salad line the whole time when we wanted the plate and stew. Didn't like being sent to different lines to wait for a different meal category, just takes too long. Also, the staff weren't being very nice to confused customers and those who take a little long to decide. Ordered the Moroccan chicken stew and was blatantly ripped off. The gentleman assisting me had informed a kitchen staff that he ran out and needed more for my order. The kitchen staff dismissed his request, and told him to just give me whatever is left as one serving, which he ended up doing. This happened right in front of me. Also, he forgot to give the bread which comes with it (which I later found out from reading the menu and went up to him to get it). Then the brown rice which came with it was plain inedible. Grossly undercooked and hard. Chicken was pretty amazing though. Husband's grilled steak plate with side of brussel sprouts and broccolini was fairly decent. Had come here based on my recent good experiences with them via Doordash. Food was flavorful, good portion and pricing. I like that they have grass-fed, free range, vegan and gluten-free options, so that in itself deserves 2 stars. read more

This is one of my favorite places to go for lunch in Pasadena. This place is always busy during the lunch hour, but it's worth the wait. This place is very, very clean and organized, fresh organic meats and greens, great earthy atmosphere! I highly recommend to steak salad! read more

Urban Plates is your grown up version of Lemonade. The resturant is a cafeteria style with four serving stations; Greens/ Salads, Sandwiches, Hot Plates and brasses and stews. Portions are generous enough that we opted for the kids plate. We recommend the hot plate either grill grass fed steak or free range chicken breast. The grill chicken was a bit on the dry side. Know that here you'll be meet with organic options from the proteins to the fountain sodas. read more

Excellent service and the staff is friendly. I had the portabella sandwich and soup. Both very tasty.

I was doubtful this would be great since the prices were very good for the type of food. Also, it's a cafeteria, so I didn't expect gourmet food. Turns out, this was a marvelous place to stop in on Thanksgiving for a no stress, absolutely delicious gourmet meal. We paid about $11 for my plate with turkey and two large sides and $14-15 for my son's steak and two large sides. They included fresh relish, bread, and water. They also have wine and beer as well as a good selection of nonalcholic drinks. If you want salad, they have a variety of that as well. The decor is what I'd call "upscale industrial pub," with what looks like repurposed wood and metal fixtures, lower lighting away from the food line, and a water area. We were met by a very friendly hostess who explained how it worked and answered our questions well. We will be back. Frankly, we could have gone up to Green Street for a fancier setting with waiters ad paid 3 times as much plus tip. But, we just wanted a really good meal in a pleasant environment, not all the pomp. I'd pick this place anytime you want a really nice, filling meal that is seasoned and cooked very well without a lot of fuss and expense. It would be great either for takeout or eating in. If you're not a big eater, you actually could get one meal and a serving of salad and split. So, it's pretty affordable. It would be totally legit to get takeout here for a dinner party or small potluck get together as well, even on holidays when want everything to be special. I see that they appeared to have just salad and sandwiches before and added "American." We had the "American" which means a meat (or vegan choice) and hearty sides. I'd also like to point out that when I asked about gluten free items, they carefully indicated which items were gluten free and which were not. I would also suggest that they have some kind of gluten free cracker or side they could offer instead of the bread because it's never food to feel you have to pay for everything but can't eat it. It's a gesture that people who can't eat gluten much appreciate. However, when I asked if I could have a little something to give me a little starch, they gave me a large sample of something, and that did the trick. I also tried a couple of other samples, and I really appreciated them. I definitely can't complain. We'll be back. read more

First time being here! So much better than I thought amazing fresh food I got the grass fed steak sandwich and club and it was to die for Manager Laurence is a true charm! Great service definitely going to become a regular read more

This is a great spot! I use this location for work catering and food and service is wonderful. I am a foodie and have worked with many restaurants and different locations and this team in Pasadena is simply so much better! Manager Alex is amazing! Truly customer focused, always delivers best food, on time and no mistakes. Works with our budget. I highly recommend for eating there, take out and catering is the best! read more

Tried this restaurant with friends. Very open layout and well lit. We all liked that there was alot of glass and windows in this restaurant. The food was very tasty and nicely presented. We enjoyed the ambiance, food and the staff service was on par. We will come back. read more

Angelo makes the best salads!! Also this place has delicious, fresh ingredients. I had a yummy side salad and the tofu curry. Sat outside and enjoyed a nice dinner with my family. read more

Really tasty, honest food, cafeteria style. The steak was good, as was the blueberry tea. Chris was a friendly face at the beginning to help navigate the menu. They let you try everything too if you're like that. And just one bite of desert is enough for me so that's great. Don't skip the bread it's worth it. read more

This place is amazing the food is delicious and the cakes and cookies are the best and Rick is a very nice person along with all the crew . You definitely have to give this place a 5 star for sure . read more

Love the food here. Everything is very fresh and delicious. Lots of options. Very easy to put together a healthy plate. I got the BBQ chicken salad and beets salad both were amazing. Just be aware that it could get a bit pricy but worth read more

Urban Plates - amazing - Salad Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Great place! Has delicious hole some food, good environment and great staff. Will be coming back when I'm in town.

I think I eat here two or three times a week now. A better selection than tender greens and they have grass fed butter along with avocado side just up the alley of my particular diet at this time. They also have wild caught fish and grass fed beef. I like that they have the ability to skip forward in the line and if you don't want to wait behind all the other people you can go straight to the "plates" or "braised" or desserts or beer... it's cafeteria style hi and and healthy options. Flavors are good, management is good, bathrooms are clean, plenty of seating some inside and some outside. Also 90 minute parking around the corner with validation. read more

Urban Plates - What a great place to get my moderate protein, high-fat, low-carb diet - Salad Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Server: Do you want the bread that comes with the salad? Me: Is the bread vegan? (I ordered the vegan salad) Server: Hmm ... No, sorry, it has olive oil on it. Me: Olive oil is vegan. Vegan just means I don't eat any animal products, like eggs or milk. Server: Hmm...(consults with other server, brightens)... Yes, you can have it, it's vegan-free! *** Cashier: Is that Kurt on your shirt? Me: It's Tom Petty. Cashier: Oh, I don't know who that is. *** The one vegan salad (tofu coconut curry) is excellent. FYI only 2 of the 10 salad dressings are vegan. (cilantro cashew and mustard champagne vinaigrette) If you're vegan, download the list on their website for what you can eat before going. 3/3 servers I encountered did not know what the word vegan meant and one thought it was the same as gluten free. read more

friendly and efficient service by Sophia. great food! good prices! overall, great experience- for people like us who are vacationing unaware of good spots. whewww.... we chose well! read more

I'm sad to give this place one star. It used to be my favorite go-to place. And used to come here at least three times a week after workout. I have tried everything in the menu. During pandemic, I didn't eat out much for a year but recently I've gone back to this place 3 times. I have no idea what has gone wrong with this place. Their curry is absolutely disgusting. It's packed with sugar, I can taste it literally. It used to be a lot better. Couple weeks ago, I also ordered my usual tuna Niçoise salad. The salad wasn't tossed with dressing. And it was all dry. Also the tuna was chewy and dried out. I thought I gave one more try. So I went today. And heck no to this place anymore. The food is not what it used to be. Plus another thing. Their water is so gross. I know customer get their own from that huge pitcher. I know some restaurant serves tab water without filtering it. But this place, I taste chlorine, fluoride and those chemicals. At least use some cheap filters if the water is that bad. Gross. No more urban plates for me. At least not this branch :( read more

Was looking for a place that had healthy and tasty food, and very happy to have found urban plates. We got meatloaf and Mac n cheese kids meals for our two boys, and they finished it all. Husband got the turkey meatloaf and I got the salmon dish. Really liked the honey mustard sauce on the salmon. If we had to knit pick it would be that the meatloaf needed a little more sauce on it, but other than that we enjoyed the food and the staff was very friendly. We will definitely be back! read more

Urban Plates - Sustainable Oven Baked Salmon with a side of broccolini and potatoes - Salad Near Me - Pasadena, California

This place seemed as if it were the best modern cafeteria. You get in line and you get to choose from lines according to whatever you want to eat, such as a hot plate, salads, soups, and sandwiches. They were all healthy foods, but very delicious. I chose to get the hot plate--chicken with brussels sprouts and zucchini. The chicken was good and so were the brussels sprouts. I was not a fan of the zucchini, perhaps it was because of the sauce that it was cooked with. They have a variety of drinks form alcohol to healthy green drinks. i chose the strawberry basil lemonade. It was pretty refreshing. We sat outside where there were strings of lights overhead that set the mood of a peaceful, relaxing night. There was also a line of fire that you could sit in front of while you eat. It was nice. read more

Urban Plates - Chicken with veggies. Strawberry basil mint drink - Salad Near Me - Pasadena, California

Friends and I were starving last Sunday and we wanted to try something different in Pasadena other than Tender Greens or Urth. Well, we were very happy to stop at Urban Plates. The atmosphere is relaxing (lounge music) and at night they have a cool ice-fireplace near the sidewalk. Very relaxing. As far as the food, let me tell you, it is DELICIOUS! I had the free range chicken with brocolli and a glass of merlot. So tender and satsfying. Susan, shift manager on 10/2/16 was very welcoming and made us feel comfortable and relaxed.We appreciated her friendly smile - made our meals even tastier. Good customer service and the food will keep us coming back for more! Highly recommended for lunch or dinner. read more

Food was great as usual and brought to the table promptly. Laurence was courteous and asked if we were enjoying the meal and if there was anything else he could get for us. Staff was very pleasant and courteous also. Enjoy the many food options offered on the menu. Ordered the cage free chicken and roasted potatoes, the lunch was delicious. read more

Fast, fresh, and delicious! My best and I wanted a place that would serve us quickly so we could catch our shuttle in time, but we didn't want fast food. This place combines speed and efficiency with all the class of gourmet restaurant. You can be as health conscious or as bad as you like here. They have selections for every palate, and are vegetarian friendly. Their desserts are, in a word, sublime! Highly recommend if you're looking for something quick that isn't just your typical fast food joint! **** I'd also like to add that their staff is so friendly and helpful! read more

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I haven't tried too much here, but I plan on making my way through the entire menu... eventually. I got the Caesar salad with salmon- PHENOMENAL. I also got a side order of Mac & cheese, which was great because it wasn't your typical restaurant "saucy" Mac & cheese. There was actual melted cheese in there. Their mashed potatoes are also really great tasting with that perfect comfort food flavor. It is a bit pricey, but it's worth it for the quality and the freshness of food that you're getting. read more

Healthy meals, check. Great decor, check. A+ customer service, check. Fireplace to eat in front of, check and check. This location is probably my favorite. The layout and decor really remind me of being in a cabin out in the woods. It almost brings about an air of being away from the city. My go to meal is either the swordfish or the steak with chimchurri sauce. read more

I'm a huge fan, it made eating with a friend a delight, the food was great, the customer service was fantastic! I'm definitely going to be back. read more

Urban Plates - The food is absolutely fantastic the customer service is out of this world in this place and I will be back for sure. - Salad Near Me - Pasadena, California

Mediocre salad place. Meat is lukewarm, too rare inside and burned outside. Vegetable is not that fresh, and fruit drink tasted like a water. I totally hate it! On the other hand Tender Green never disappoints me, no matter in DTLA, Pasadena, or Irvine. read more

A great restaurant. It was clean with a good variety on their menu to choose from. I had a great salad it was big and then the florless chocolate cake ...yum. read more

The best Urban Plates location I have ever been to. I went in on the weekend with my family. Although it was super packed, one of the cashier with the glasses was super helpful. I got the Salmon Caesar Salad per her recommendation and i was not disappointed! Thanks to her, I will be going to the Pasadena location more often! read more

Thank goodness for UP! I've been cooking since the stay-at-home mandate. Not a problem when the weather is cool. Now that the heat has arrived, where does one go for healthy meal options? Urban Plates I say. Everything I've tried is delicious, healthy and fresh tasting. No grease on the side, etc. And it is so affordable! I cannot resist the mango tart and banana cream pie. They taste like something I just made at home, and not overly sweet. I asked the manager where they get their pastries. To my surprise, I was told EVERYTHING is made in-house! What? Explains the quality of their food. My rating may have been four stars if it were not for this pandemic. I have such an appreciation for the good healthy food UP offers during these times. read more

I loved this place. The chimichurri steak, foccaccia bread, and Chinese broccoli were my particular favorites. I always order delivery - only once had one problem. Recently found a blond hair over the bread in a catering order so that was a lot of bread lost to the cause. I know this can happen to any restaurant and it wasn't baked in so it's just, I'm sure, an isolated incident. Nevertheless, ew. Hence, why it isn't 5/5 stars. You probably won't have this experience which is why it is still 4/5 stars. That being said, I loved this place and still recommend it. read more

The best way to describe this place is a more upscale Tender Greens with a lot more options. The setup of the restaurant interior is that of a cafeteria, but the line doesn't moves it takes some time to get through it. You can choose your type of meal: salad, sandwich, or plate. As you choose you can also select sides, drinks (good beer selection, decent wine selection) and of course dessert. The only problem with this place is the management. They don't have enough staff on hand for a Friday night and employees are forced to run around and scramble to get people their food. Better management and distribution of employees to different stations would help reduce the time it takes to get your food. The interior has been remodeled and has a great contemporary look. However, given that this is Southern California, I would recommend sitting on their nice outdoor patio, which has bench seating and a very cool fire pit. Great restaurant, good food, nice ambiance, would eat here again! read more

Upon entering, we were told to go to whichever station we wanted to order from but the groups ahead of us kept standing in a line creating a bottleneck at the salad station and no room to go to the other stations. Total design flaw. The food was average. I got a salmon plate with sesame broccolini and harissa cauliflower. My biggest gripe was the food was not hot. The harissa cauliflower was just freshly made so it was still warm but the salmon and broccolini were cold. The menu says "hot sides". The grilled bread was also cold. If I wanted cold food, I'd opt for the salad. For $13, it's a bit steep for cafeteria food. I am going to stick to Tender Greens or Lemonade. read more

This is a great concept for those who want to grab a quick meal and go or dine in for a period of time while eating clean. The ambiance is great. Both inside and outside is very comfortable and inviting - overall a very laid back environment which is awesome. Upon entering the establishment there is staff there to greet you and explain the cafeteria style process of ordering. For 11$ you get a great selection and portion of food. I ordered a plate consisting of main entree and two sides - which was turkey meatloaf, bowl of Mac and cheese and bowl of mozzarella salad. Yummy! I didn't get to try their juice, but they all look very refreshing. Will need to try one next time I visit. read more

My first time here, and tried the Grass fed Steak salad. I was just looking for a salad, and now I know where to get one. It was so, so good. This could be a hungry reviewers satisfied review, but underline satisfied! $25 for a soda, hearty salad, and a four dollar and fifty cent tip, thumbs all the way up! read more

Food is amazing, but the staff and atmosphere really make this a gem! Shout out to the world's coolest greeter Chris! Keep up the positive vibes, you make ppl feel welcomed!!!... I'll be eating here often. read more

HAPPY IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT. For as long as I can remember, Urban plates was in San Diego and Irvine area. SOOO so stoked that they opened one up in Pasadena!! Absolutely love the decor inside. Urban Plates is the concept as Tender greens. If you haven't been, it's like an adult cafeteria. You walk through a line of food stations: salad, sandwiches, hot plates, and the cold and hot sides. The employee at the line will direct to which line you go to on what you want to eat. I usually get the hot plate or a sandwich. I switch off between the steak or the albacore. OH and I usually always get the mac and cheese as a side. It's to die for *__* It's self seating. Inside and outside. Love the inside decor, but sometimes its nice to just enjoy the outside air. There's usually street parking out in front, but if you can't find any, there is a back structure with 90 minutes free parking with validation. Everything here is amazing. I have yet to try something here that I did not like. I will definitely be returning as Urban Plates is so much more accessible now! read more