It has been months since Dorothy and I have eaten at a Souplantation so we chose Friday to check out Garden Grove’s Souplantation. On first impression, it was an immense restaurant, ideal for casual dining. Nevertheless, it was so busy we had to wait after getting our first plates from their buffet and paying to be seated.
Fortunately for my review, I grabbed a few pictures of the salad bar before being told that I must have corporate approval to take pictures. The floor supervisor did give me permission to take pictures of my own plates. As you can see from the pictures, they serve greens and much more.
While the salads and vegetables were fresh and tasty, we were disappointed with our table. I dislike being cramped while dining so Garden Grove’s Souplantation made a bad impression when we were led to our table for two. It was the equivalent of coach seating on the small commercial commuter flights.
Adult Dinner, $20.98 less 10% Senior Discount = $18.88 for two
Large Drink, $2.98 less 10% Senior Discount = $2.69
The large drink meant I could take my fresh brewed iced tea to go.
Like all buffets, the idea is to have a wide variety of dishes. This family restaurant did a great job of that. The following are the main dishes that we ate:
Tossed Salads
Classic Caesar Asiago salad (Non-Vegetarian) – Dorothy liked the Asiago cheese. Her only complaint was that she doesn’t like Caesar dressing because of the anchovies.
Wonton Chicken Happiness – This was my favorite tossed salad. It was fresh with crisp greens and a sweet, tasty dressing.
Roasted Vegetable with Feta & Kalamata Olives (Vegetarian, GF) – I expected this to be my favorite as I like Greek salads. However, despite the bowl being over half full when I got to it, there was only flecks of feta cheese and bits of Kalamata olives left. I did get at least half of an olive. My advice is to be the first one there when a fresh bowl is put out. Note: GF means gluten-free.
Signature Deli Salads
Whole Grain Fiesta Couscous (Vegetarian) – Dorothy and I both enjoyed this.
Pineapple Coconut Coleslaw (Vegetarian, GF) – I liked this because I mostly wanted the pineapple. Dorothy, on the other hand, was disappointed because she mostly tasted the pineapple, not the coconut.
Joan’s Broccoli Madness (Non-Vegetarian, GF) – This normally is one of my favorite prepared salads. Unfortunately, by the time I got to this broccoli salad, it too had almost no cashews, bacon or raisins and very little dressing.
House-Made Soups
Deep Kettle House Beef Chili (GF, Low-fat) – This one of the few Souplantation dishes having meat in it. It had three types of beans and bits of ground beef. My favorite chili dishes have more meat and are thicker. Nevertheless, this topped my baked potato nicely after I loaded it with whipped butter.
Albondigas – This dish had the most meat of any I ate. The meatballs were tokens though as they were about the diameter of a dime. Still the flavor was good. I’m glad they put it out while I was there.
Fresh Bakery
Cranberry Orange (96% Fat Free) – Dorothy liked this bran muffin with cranberry and orange.
Banana Crunch Muffin Tops (No Sugar Added) – This muffin had a nice banana flavor and good crunch.
Wildly Blueberry Muffins – It was very flavorful according to Dorothy.
Quattro Formaggio Focaccia – This was like garlic cheese bread. I liked it.
Warm Dessert (after 4 p.m.)
Chocolate Lava Cake (seasonal) – This was a chocolate cake with chocolate sauce. I know that some people like this type dessert. It wasn’t Dorothy’s favorite though.
Frozen Yogurt – Dorothy really enjoyed this with a caramel topping.
Snickerdoodles (cinnamon sugar cookies) – This was a nice touch as one of the people clearing our dishes brought over two snickerdoodles.
Garden Grove’s Souplantation is a casual dining, family restaurant with buffets of made-from-scratch soups, fresh produce and salads, freshly baked breads and muffins plus fresh fruit, frozen yogurt, and more. It is ideal for vegetarians and people who love fresh vegetables, greens and fruit. For true meat lovers, it will probably be more of a healthy break than a regular choice.
Additional information
Garden Grove Souplantation
- 5939 W. Chapman Avenue
- Garden Grove, CA 92845
- T: 714-895-1314
- F: 714-893-5836
Garden Grove Souplantation website
Hours:
- Monday – Thursday: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Friday & Saturday: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Sunday: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Garden Grove Souplantation location and menu
- Valley View & Chapman Ave
- Anaheim Convention Center, 800 W Katella Ave, Anaheim, CA 92802: 7.5 miles
- Disneyland, Anaheim, CA: 8.4 miles
Menu (large)
Meals Served:
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Sunday brunch
Service Type:
- Self-serve buffet
- Casual Dining
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