5 salads we love in Columbia

If you’re reading this, congratulations – you’ve survived the holidays.

However, if you’re like most Americans, your waistband may have expanded a bit in the past several weeks – a fact that has led you to make that annual resolution to get back into shape by working out and eating healthy.

Don’t worry – that doesn’t mean you have to nibble on rice cakes and carrot sticks for the next six weeks. Area restaurants have plenty of healthy salad options to keep you on track – and please your taste buds at the same time.

Newk’s Favorite Salad Newk’s Eatery

With more than a dozen salads to choose from at Newk’s Eatery in The Vista, it’s fairly easy to find one to suite the taste buds of even the pickiest salad eaters. As the name implies, however, the most popular salad at Newk’s is Newk’s Favorite—Arcadian mixed greens topped with sliced, flame-grilled chicken breast, crumbled gorgonzola, sliced grapes, artichoke hearts, pecans, dried cranberries, house-made croutons and a made-from-scratch sherry vinaigrette. Not in the mood for chicken? Swap it out for steak, grilled salmon or broiled shrimp. Other popular salad favorites here—the kale Caesar, the shrimp and avacado and the ahi tuna.

11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily; 707 Gervais St., Columbia; www.newks.com/location/columbia-sc

Upstream Salad Midwood Smokehouse

Don’t let the name fool you. Midwood certainly is a traditional barbecue meats-heavy restaurant but their Upstream Salad with hickory smoked salmon salad is a highly requested lunch favorite, according to pitmaster Matt Berry. Served over mixed greens, the smoked salmon is topped with organic white quinoa, chickpeas and a housemade balsamic vinaigrette.

11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Wednesday; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Thursday-Saturday; 702 Cross Hill Road, Suite 400-D, Columbia; midwoodsmokehouse.com

Thai Chicken Salad Tropical Smoothie Cafe

At only 340 calories, the Thai Chicken Salad served at Dave and Leslie Duffy’s three area Tropical Smoothie Cafes packs a wollap of taste and protein in every bite. Grilled chicken served atop a romaine-spinach blend is topped with wontons, sesame seeds, carrots, cilantro and scallions and tossed in a Thai peanut dressing. The cafe also serves a selection of wraps, vegetarian and Vegan meals, not to mention the Gamecock football team’s favorite smoothie, the Island Green (or, as they call it, the Incredible Hulk) with spinach, kale, mango, pineapple and banana.

9 a.m.-9 p.m. at 5166 Sunset Blvd., Lexington and 150-B Harbison Blvd., Irmo; 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. at 650 Lincoln St., Columbia; www.tropicalsmoothiecafe.com

Live Med Salad Zoe’s Kitchen

According to staff at Zoe’s Kitchen’s four area locations, the restaurant’s new Live Med Salad is already a popular lunch choice. Made with fresh spinach, thin ribbons of zucchini and squash, farro, lupini beans, cherry tomatoes and parmesan cheese the salad is tossed ina a calabrian pepper dressing. For those with peanut allergies, however, consider the Orzo Tabouli Salad since lupini beans have been known to trigger to peanut allergy response.

4855 Forest Drive, Columbia; 1320 Main St., Columbia; 952 Lake Murray Blvd., Irmo; 5166 Sunset Blvd., Lexington; www.zoeskitchen.com

Greek Salad Mediterranean Cafe

For those who don’t think a salad could possibly be filling, consider ordering a large Greek salad at Mediterranean Cafe in Lexington. In addition to just being a solid, generously portioned Greek salad with the traditional Greek dressing, feta cheese and black olives, the salads can be topped with your choice of healthy protein — grilled tuna, grilled shrimp or grilled salmon.

Lunch: 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; dinner: 5:30-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 5:30-9:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday; closed Sunday; 327 W. Main St., Lexington; www.medcafelexsc.com

This story was originally published January 4, 2017 at 1:10 PM with the headline "5 salads we love in Columbia."