I am a big fan of Sweet Tomatoes. I have only been there twice and it is so delicious! Their salad bar is filled with fresh veggies and toppings. I would love this place if this was all they had but they have so much far. They a bunch of soaps, pizza, pasta, breads and of course they have an awesome dessert bar! I highly recommend this place especially if you are looking for something quick, something for everyone and reasonably priced!
(5)
Sandy R.
We really like it here
(4)
Alison V.
I love this place. It's clean, there's a nice variety, and everyone is friendly. Sign up for the Club Veg email promotions and they will send out buy one, get one free coupons every couple of weeks. As a vegetarian, I appreciate that at least 2 soups, 1 pasta, and 2 pizzas/focaccias will be meat-free each time I visit. Plus, I have endless options at the salad bar. They rotate the menu every week, so each visit will be a new adventure. One of my favorites is "Greek week" because they make a great Greek salad. Yum, I cannot wait to go back!
(5)
Sarah B.
My dad, grandma, and I were out looking for a place to eat after a lovely excursion to Hobby Lobby. (90% off) Our first restaurant had a 30 minute wait and there was no way we could wait that long. Instead, grandma suggested Sweet Tomatoes. I was intrigued, and very hungry, and dad just hoped it wasn't like Old Country Buffet. And it wasn't. I love the fast that it's all fresh and relatively healthy. Everything we tried was delicious, the rosemary potato soup being the best. Grandma had it right when she suggested it. I'm looking forward to going again and not getting a huge salad right off the bat. Oh, and the special dessert was orange lava cake, and it was awesome. Awesome.
(4)
David N.
First time....and possibly last time. Really no different than your local Old County Buffet. Lunch for two ran almost $30.00 (with a drink). The salad bar was underwhelming. Especially considering the franchise is more less identified by its overabundance of vegetarian choices. Nothing special along the salad bar line, and to pay any extra for croutons, tofu, and/or chicken on your salad seemed absurd. Outside the "salad" bar, the pasta was under seasoned, the focaccia bread was dry and sitting out a little too long, and the soups were average buffet fare. I guess the only saving grace during our trip was the non-fat yogurt we pleasantly enjoyed for dessert. It was really the only reason to stop here instead of the OCB or Ponderosa. A well deserved 1.5 star restaurant, but I rounded up.
(2)
Candice G.
As ghetto as non-casino buffets are, I kind of really liked this place. As a person on a perpetual diet, I'm fighting my inner self off from giving this place 4 stars. A place I can gorge on food for hours on end with unlimited drinks and hundreds of vegetarian options? My inner fat girl love it. The food was not bad and was an infinite amount better than any horrendous Old Country Buffet (are those still around?). My BF and I did go with a coupon, and I believe they almost always have buy one get one coups in the penny saver or Sunday ads in the paper... without that, I might have a lower review rating but for what we paid, it was great.
(3)
Marie N.
It's been a couple of years since I visited this Sweet Tomatoes restaurant. We arrived for lunch at about 11:15am. It was not crowded at all during the next 75 minutes while we were eating our lunch. That was nice. All of the food was good. Unlike some other buffet restaurants, Sweet Tomatoes, was able to keep the hot items hot (including the bread, yum) and the cold items cold. Chili was good, all of the homemade breads and the honey butter was excellent. We, unfortunately did not have a coupon so our lunch was close to $13.00 per person, including the $2.50 unlimited beverage add on. I was disappointed that there were no chocolate chip cookies on the buffet. I only saw them on the salad bar line, as an add on item. The warm chocolate brownie muffin made up for the missing cookies. We'd return to dine again and we'd be sure to come at an off-hour when it is not so crowded.
(3)
Manda A.
The price of this place is quite high; don't come without a coupon or you will pay. As far as buffets go, it's not bad -- you can eat as healthy or unhealthy as you please, though all the food is easily forgettable. Try to avoid coming during prime time; early lunch is best. A tip for the carnivores: They usually have chicken noodle soup with large chunks of chicken hidden away. Dig for the bottom and you'll hit pay dirt!
(2)
Melissa H.
Okay, if you're gonna do buffets, do it right, here. You won't find greasy fried chicken, bbq sitting in juices, potatoes cooked in butter, frozen dinner rolls, or weird colors of jello. You will find a humongous salad bar, filled with multiple types of greens, pre-made salads, and every type of topping you can imagine. I liked mine with cucumbers, garbanzos, kidney beans, hard boiled egg, croutons, peas, and green peppers. Their low cal creamy cucumber was great; very creamy and rich tasting, with a mild cucumber flavor. After you pay, you find the rest of the Sweet Tomatoes experience. Soups upon soups, mac and cheese, several types of breads, fat free frozen yogurt, and a baked potato bar. Eat till your heart's content. You can swim on the healthy tide here very easily, but you can also sink. Don't come here thinking that everything is great for you. There is some greasy chili, oily pasta salads, and full fat dressings. Not to mention sour creams, cheeses, chocolate sauces, etc. All in all great. My issue came with the immense amount of veggies available, but the PALTRY selection of fruits. They had uncut, whole apples and oranges sitting in bins. Go ahead, try to cut them with the butter knife provided to you, but I'm not chancing it. There is so much potential here. Why wouldn't us veggie lovers want some berries, or melons, or pineapple? It is expensive here, but probably on course with those greasy buffets. You'll pay extra for cooked chicken on your salad here, too. Use your coupons wisely and tell yourself that you're paying for quality here; I certainly believe it.
(4)
Claire M.
These self serve buffet places always make me a little queasy - especially when peoples little bratty children are swarming all over the place picking up the serving utensils with their grubby little mitts... I have to say that one time when we were there, the older couple in front of us were wearing latex gloved on their serving hands! It was quite possibly the most bloody brilliant strategy I had ever seen in my life and I keep saying I'm going to do it as well but I always forget. We refuse to eat here without a coupon because I never feel like I eat my money's worth. Now, on to the food. As I usually must state in my food reviews, I am a vegetarian which in most places, limits my options but at Sweet Tomato, I can eat just about everything, which is grand. On our most recent visit, we noticed the new "premium salad topping" section which charges a little more if one chooses to use any of those particular items on their salad. Hmm... I thought it was a little weird. I guess they're supposed to have better, more healthy ingredients than other places which I 100% applaud but as I stated before, I would never eat there paying full price. Really all there is other than salad (and I have never gone through the salad bar twice because it seems awkward to do so) is bread, soups, baked potato, macaroni and cheese, steamed veggies and usually some other sort of pasta, pizza bread and a small dessert bar. There honestly aren't that many options though I do always get full. I just tend to think of the absolutely abhorrant Golden Corral type places where you get so much more to choose from for essentially the same price, and I think even a couple dollars cheaper. Sure it's way less healthy but not everyone is a health freak. I LOVE their chocolate peanut butter bars. I snuck ziplock bags in once and made off with a few handfuls of said chocolate peanut butter bars. Holy crap. It's officially Autumn. They should be making an appearance soon! For me, and this is just me, I am full after my salad (and I don't make a huge one), one piece of sour dough bread, one piece of pizza bread, MAYBE a half cup of soup, one blueberry muffin, and depending on what's for dessert, maybe a little bit of that. When I use the coupon, I feel the price is worth it but for the full price, it doesn't seem like I would eat my money's worth.
(4)
Dave M.
Sweet Tomatoes was underwhelming. The salad bar selections were limited and unimaginative, the "Premium Toppings" were unattractive and uninspired. The selection of toppings for the baked potatoes were limited. Desserts were really not enjoyable to eat. The place was packed on a Friday evening, so apparently people do like it. There are plenty of places where you can get a much better salad at a much lower price.
(2)
Shawn C.
Love everything about this place! They always bring in new and exciting salads, soups, etc. And if you take advantage of the coupons they put out you can do well. Such as dinner for 2 adults and 2 kids for $21!
(5)
Jenni E.
The food is great and fresh. There are lots of healthy options as well as some not-so-healthy ones in disguise. I do think that it is a little too expensive for what you are eating though - maybe if drinks were included.
(3)
Adam K.
We've been here on a couple of occasions, like someone else said, DO NOT come here without a coupon. Go online or their website, I'm sure you can find a BOGO or something like that. If you're looking for a romantic date dinner, do not come here, there are lots of kids everywhere, the food is all buffet style and it's pretty loud. If you're coming to get a fresh, quality meal, definitely come here, the salad selection is great, the other dishes are good and they even had a fairly expansive dessert bar for those with a sweet tooth. I've never been disappointed by the food here, sometimes the kids and the noise get a little annoying, but like I said, it all depends on what you're looking for. Good food, good price (with a coupon), definitely a thumbs up.
(4)
Kevin S.
I have not been to a Sweet Tomatoes in many many years, I shouldn't of waited so long. They have an amazing number of freshly made dishes. I enjoyed many of the dishes and there were a few that were not. I enjoyed the fantastic soups, I will eat less salad and more soup! I will be back to Sweet Tomatoes.
(3)
Chuck M.
NORMALLY our favorite place for eating out. No longer. Every single soup tasted was flat and dull. The salad bar has lost it's gleem. The level of all the food flavors is gone from the past visits. A shame really. We used to love this location.
(1)
Osiris V.
Sometimes I feel like eating something fresh for lunch, therefore I go to Sweet Tomatoes! This places always clean. All you can eat salad buffet? I don't think so. One plate of salad with my choice toppings and I'm pretty much full. I also get some soup and some bread. I have to remind myself to leave some room for dessert! They have soft serve ice cream and the toppings to go with it. I crumble some of their warm brownie over it. Haha even though you think you're eating healthy, believe me, I don't think it is. =]
(4)
John T.
I go to eat healthy, but I ALWAYS leave too stuffed. I can't help myself with their all you can eat stuff. The flatbread pizzas are always great and the ice cream? Forget about it! I really love their pre-made salad selections, but I do like to get adventurous and make my own stuff. Their soups are not really my thing, but I love everything else. There are BOGO deals for first-time diners, so be sure to inquire about this when you are at the check-out line. Do not forget about this. Also, check online to see their selections because they vary weekly or monthly.
(5)
Jac A.
Love this place! As a vegetarian, the salad bar makes me feel like a kid on Christmas. Yummy!
(4)
Thomas L.
If you are in a soup kinda mood this place is great. Don't go w/ out a coupon or you are just dumb. This place is supposed to be "healthy," however the cows coming to the trough don't look like it. They obviously missed the part on portion control and moderation.
(3)
David Y.
I always enjoy my meal at Sweet Tomatoes. Its fresh, healthy, cooked well, and they've got a nice selection of food to sample and try. They change up their menu every month or so and I usually use their BOGO coupon. The Lombard location was clean and their service was fast and friendly. Always a pleasant experience.
(4)
Brad V.
This is a vegetarian's paradise! I've only been to this place twice, but I'm definitely in love with it. They have a HUGE salad buffet. I know, salad doesn't seem all that exciting, but when you can build your salad a foot high, a simple salad becomes an entire meal. They offer just about every topping for your salad that you can think of. In fact, by the time I build my own salad, any health benefits are negated by all the tasty toppings. Another great thing about this place is that they label what is vegetarian and what is not. How cool is that? Like I said, Sweet Tomatoes is a vegetarian's paradise. You can eat a lot of food with no meat and not feel awkward or bad. There are no waiters to give you dirty looks when you want to substitute meat with tofu or something. The interior of Sweet Tomatoes is very spacious. Most of the tables are booths, which gives you a bit of privacy (who likes sitting out in the open at a table??). The staff is friendly. Employees walk around and clear dirty dishes from your table to make room for more food, and that brings me to my next point... They have a soft-serve ice cream bar with all the fixins. You can also find a wide range of soups and breads. But I wouldn't call Sweet Tomatoes 100% perfect. There are 2 reasons why I didn't give Sweet Tomatoes 5 stars. 1 major reason, 1 fairly minor (but still worth mentioning): 1. Sweet Tomatoes is expensive!!! $28 for 2 adults. That's pretty steep. 2. Their brownies are something to be desired. They are dry and don't have much taste. The brownies are called muffins or something. I've made better tasting brownies from a Betty Crocker mix. My wife liked them fine though. Would I recommend this place? Yes, in a heartbeat, especially if you're a vegetarian. Well worth it. Just be prepared to pay!
(4)
Chirag P.
This is good for those looking to get a decent amount of food for cheap... but also healthier than say your OCB (old country buffet). Pretty good selection of soup and salad and the entrees do the trick. Good options for vegetarians as well.
(4)
Maggie W.
This place is worth it if you have a coupon. And if you're on their email list, you will have many coupons coming your way. So go to their web site and sign up for their email list. When I don't feel like making dinner but don't want to spend the money at a nice restaurant, I appreciate that we can come to Sweet Tomatoes and eat fresh, nutritious, real food that isn't heavy or greasy or over-processed. And with a coupon, we can feed two people for around $17, and that includes dessert. Not too bad in my experience. Sure, we could save money eating at home - isn't that the case with any restaurant?? If you want to eat cheap outside of home, you're stuck with overprocessed fast food that completely lacks any nutritional value. If you want food that provides sustenance, realize you might have to pay a little more. This isn't rocket science! Anyway, my favorite part about coming to Sweet Tomatoes is trying all the soups. I think they usually have 5 different soups plus chili. And also the salad bar - it is huge! Tons of choices you can't get at most salad bars. The bottom line is, appreciate Sweet Tomatoes for what it is. It is a buffet, but they emphasize fresh, real food. Go to CiCi's if you want a cheap buffet.
(4)
Sarah T.
This is a giant salad bar. I think it's a great concept. Although it was $13 for lunch, I think it's worth the price for freshness and selection. There are a few premade lettuce salads, pasta salads, and a rice mixture in front; then, there's a giant row of salad mix-ins. This restaurant is huge! It offers a mini hot potato bar, a few selections of breads, anti-pasta, and pizza. Lots of soups. A decent dessert selection of frozen yogurt, fat-free mousse, etc.
(5)
Heather J.
Good....but, they are now charging 'extra' for salad toppings.... ie, chicken, croutons, etc....
(3)
Julia K.
I'm a meat-loving, comfort-food-craving chick. It's a vice. Sweet Tomatoes shook my unhealthy, carnivorous tendencies until they crumbled. I absolutely love this place, and I even feel better about myself when I leave! The service has been very nice (even if I've made mistakes during my visits--see below). My mother and I discovered ST when we couldn't decide where to eat amongst the throng of choices along Butterfield Rd. When we walked in, we were a bit confused what to do. You're supposed to get a big plate of salad, pay the cashier, and then be seated. We found a place to sit, put down our coats, and then returned to the line. This lapse in protocol earned us a word from a staff worker. Oops! Maybe we missed the signs. It worked out anyway, and I (re)discovered that *fresh food is good* and it satisfies every need in your body. Everything was crisp, bright, tasty, and fabulous. I left stuffed to the brim and feeling nourished! Some cautions: 1) If you can't be without meat, you won't like Sweet Tomatoes at first. But I guarantee that if you try the variety of dishes, enjoy the soups, and have some yummy desserts, you won't miss meat at all! 2) You must purchase a full-price meal (~$12 for adults) in order to get past the cashier into the dining room. One time my friends decided to eat here and I just wanted to have a drink and sit with them since I'd already ate. Bad idea. The cashier told me I couldn't do that, but took pity on my ignorance and let me in at a child's price (you saved my night, man!). 3) There is such a thing as eating too much food, even if it's vegetables and soup. 4) You can only go through the salad bar line once, so load up the first time around. Thanks for making me love salad bars once again, Sweet Tomatoes! Next time I promise to do it right ;)
(4)
Michael R.
I love a good buffet, which is probably why I hated this place. Sweet Tomatoes has a mediocre salad bar and some fairly awful sidebars like potatoes and soups. None of the food was worth the $12 I shelled out and having an unlimited supply of it should hardly be considered a selling point.
(1)
Dennis G.
I'm sure this place is great if you're a rabbit. Not truly understanding what I was getting into, I went here last night with the gf. This is place is awesome for vegetarians and/or small furry woodland creatures - not to say there were rodents in here (though one girl seemed rather mousy), this place was very clean. They have salad, soup, and a desert station. If you are a meat eater, stay away. There is nothing for you here. Save yourself.
(1)
Jeff M.
Its a good salad bar and more. I'll echo the sentiments of many of the other reviewers...a coupon is a MUST here. I've signed up to get their weekly emails and they always include a coupon. So, coupon in hand, head to ST. Parking is not plentiful at this location, so expect to be out in the back 40 on any weekend lunch time. First, Sweet Tomatoes offers a menu that changes regularly. They seem to have core items that are always there, but they change their theme monthly (?) and makes the experience a little more unique each time. The salad bar is average to just above. They offer a number of "premade" salads at the start of the line and the build it yourself salads after that. The premade salads are hit or miss. Some seem a bit wilted. Maybe grabbing them when they are first put out would be better. They do offer a decent selection of fixin's for your salad, but the dressing selections could be lower in fat and higher in selection. A few potato salads, macaroni salad, tuna tarragon (this looks better that it tastes), etc are also available here. Make your payment and take a seat at this point, then the buffet experience gets much better. They have a large selection of drinks, milk (with chocolate to add), juice, soda, etc. Then stop and grab some of the focaccia bread or bread sticks to go with your salad. They also have a baked potato bar, things like mac and cheese or a hot pasta dish or two, and usually a steamed vegetable. The soups are, in my opinion, the best part of the Sweet Tomatoes experience. They have 8 soups each day, and I've rarely found one I didn't like. They always have chicken noodle soup and a chili, but the other six change with the theme. The dessert bar is really for the kids, but a brownie with a little vanilla ice cream, and a squirt of caramel on it can never really be a bad thing! I also need to comment on the people here. I've had good experiences with everyone and I've felt very welcomed. The bus people are very attentive and move the used plates and soup bowls out of the way with great efficiency! There was also the time we didn't have our wallet and the manager said "just pay double next time..." You certainly don't see that every day.
(3)
Sheila C.
The salad bar is amazing, especially considering there is only so much you can do with lettuce. The soup area is very nice as is the bread area. However, I find the staff to be OUTSTANDING. Especially one bus-person (politically correct version of bus-boy) named Roseanna. She always recognizes my husband and myself when we are there and makes a point to say hello and ask how we have been since we last dinned there. All the other employees are very kind, but she is an prize and I hope management appreciates her work.
(4)
AllAround C.
I really enjoy eating at Sweet Tomatoes. The facilities are clean and the staff is friendly and helpful (Hey Roxy!). I enjoy the salad bar and soup. I think is wonderful that they try new salads and other food items once a month or so. I do not understand why people say it is unhealthy. It may not be the best, but compared to other fast food joints and restaurants, it is a refreshing alternative. It is an excellent way to teach your children to pass on the burgers and chicken nuggets and eat something with nutritional value and fiber. Again, the staff is great! (Hey, Roxy!! LOL) I love your friendly and upbeat personality. It is refreshing.
(4)
Melissa B.
My family had a chance to visit Sweet Tomatoes, and we loved their fresh wholesome foods including veggies, soups and homemade breads to the restaurant. Recently they offered 8 weeks around the world. When we visited the focus was on Asia My husband, who is a big salad lover, was delighted in the huge salad bar. He also tried nearly all of the 8 fresh soups available and especially liked the Asian Ginger Broth soup that allowed patrons to add their own ingredients. He added mushrooms, tofu, and onion and really enjoyed the flavor. I tried a bowl of the chili with their fresh bread. Often chili is too greasy for me, but this one wasn't. The bread was chewy and delicious. I am sensitive to salt and find many restaurants' soups too salty. However, their soups were perfectly seasoned and not too salty. They also have dishes that cater more to children. Both of my kids had the macaroni and cheese and blueberry muffins. My son also ate an Asian salad and enjoyed it, but he didn't care for the cold noodles he tried. We really enjoyed our trip to Sweet Tomatoes and plan to go back. You can find my full review of this restaurant at: diningoutchallenge.com/2…
(4)
Rahshonda K.
I would have to agree with fellow yelper Renita that this was solid but not outstanding. I like the buffet and the concept is cool but it was OK. What I did enjoy was the chicken noodle soup it was definitely homemade or at least tasted like it and looked like it with the dumpling like noodles. I would go back if I were in the area but I would go out of my way to hit up sweet tomatoes again
(3)
Jason N.
This place is fantastic. I go about once a month out of my busy work schedule with a group of co-workers. I'm not a vegetarian, I love meat. That alone makes it so interesting that I love to eat here. The options are great and flavorful. The food is always fresh and cooked through. The chili is amazing anytime throughout the year. The deserts would be the only area of improvement I could see. Sometimes the baked goods are overcooked and may not have the moisture and texture you expect. All in all, I recommend this restaurant to anyone, meat lover or not!
(5)
sherry t.
healthy buffet? isn't that an oxymoron? First time eating at this chain. anywho. it's a sad buffet. You get a healthier choice of food here but cmon. The quality in their salad is not there; Romaine leaves are wilted and old looking. We all can make better, healthier choices else where. You get choices of pastas that aren't any good, some bready mediocre pizza, and avg ice cream. The only thing that it has going for it is the variety of soups. My favorite is the chicken noodle soup which tastes fantastic and homemade. I could have spent my $14 somewhere else only a tasty lower calorie meal.
(2)
Martin D.
Went here for dinner tonight and was really disappointed. The place was not well thought out and many of the items on the buffet were out. But, I have to give props when they are due...the strawberry lemonade is outstanding. The salad bar is above average as are the homemade soups and muffins. I wasnt keen on the pastas, pizza, or mac and cheese. In closing, the coffee...and for those of you who know me know this is crucial...well, it was below average. For $13, I should have went to Claim Jumpers across the street. Sorry!
(3)
Beth G.
Honestly, my first instinct on rating this place was based on how HORRIBLE my singular experience with it was. But every negative point I have has nothing to do with the actual food. To be fair, my two stars is an average of the one star for service/atmosphere and four stars for the yummy semi-healthy fare one can eat here, since I can' t give it 2.5 stars and there is no way in hell I am giving it 3. My husband and I arrived right at the peak of a Saturday lunch rush. We had a coupon for one free buffet with the purchase of a buffet and 2 drinks. Apparently, so did the entire towns of Lombard, Villa Park, Oak Brook, Elmhurst, and Glen Ellyn. My God but it was busy. Sardines have more spacious digs than that place on this day. We stagnated in the salad line because there were no tables for the newly paid-up to sit. Rather than move all those people off to the side, the cashiers kept them in the line, backing both lines up to the front door. My greens started to wilt and my feet started to hurt. It seemed like years before we were finally seated about as far away from the buffet as you could possibly imagine. It's not that we needed to be closer to the food. But you cannot possibly imagine the obstacle course we had to endure just to get to it. Kids running amok, strollers left everywhere, stray food all over the floor. I don't care HOW good their blueberry muffins are, they're really not worth breaking my neck over, ya know? The food itself was quite tasty in a filling, comfort food kind of way. My husband is a potato fan and it was potato heaven there that day - potato salad, potato soup, potato foccacia, baked potato, and probably a few potatoes I've left out. He almost forgot that it was a salad bar. I do love being able to make a kitchen-sink type salad with only things I like. This is obviously what their schtick is and they do it well. I hope to get over the trauma of the experience soon and go on a day when it's not busy and I'm paying full retail price. I'll hopefully be able to raise my rating then.
(2)
Jenn L.
I have to admit I am an avid sweet tomatoe diner. And this weekend was my first trip to this particular one. I enjoy a good salad bar and this place goes beyond the salad bar experience. You can sip some soup, slurp some pasta, create your own dessert, and sample the yummy bread and build your own baked potatoe. YUM! They have some of the best strawberry buttermilk muffins around but you can only catch them on special. In comparison to all the other sweet tomatoe places I have been this particular location is tops. Its clean and very minimalist atmosphere (except for the abbundance of food). The place was very clean and not crowded which is always a plus in my book! A good place to dine at after a long day of shopping!
(4)
V.i.o.l.e.t.t.a. D.
YUM. I'm drooling even thinking about all the wonderful food at Sweet Tomatoes. I love the cleanliness of this place..I visited ones near St. Charles/Geneva and they weren't nearly as nice...I'm vegetarian so being able to find lots of options to eat hardly ever happens and when it does I get excited :D Everything's very fresh and tasty...I go as often as I can and I suggest you do too :]
(5)
Stove P.
Sweet place to go when I need a variety. Even though Sweet Tomatoes has a variety to choose from, you'll never leave with that guilty "I shouldn't have eaten that" feeling. Most options are light and healthy. The soup selection usually contains about 5 to choose from, and always has at least one vegetarian option. From the pasta dishes, mac and cheese is my favorite, but it could still use some extra flavor. Breads are always hot and ready for dipping. The muffins are fresh out of the oven, or they at least taste that way. Drinks vary from standard soft drinks to milk, coffee, and tea. Nice choices. Breakfast is absolutely delicious! I loooove the Belgium waffles and French toast. My only wish is that they'd do breakfast throughout the week or at least Saturdays too. My dislikes, even though you can choose anything you want and can supersize the portions to your liking, you'll hardly eat enough to fullfill the $13.00 price they put on one meal. It's just not possible. But I love this place, so I'll try my hardest to eat everything I can. Just a note to anyone who goes here, don't let your dumb kids run around. You know what, just leave them at home. Slow people, you were just as annoying as you were in high school when you slowed down the WHOLE HALLWAY. Send a faster person to get your food, or stay home and order something. Sweet Tomatoes is for the robust, people. Try and keep up.
(4)
M M.
Buffets tend to not be the greatest places to go get a meal if you're a person who's interested in cleanliness, or food that hasn't been sitting out all day long, or not being surrounded by people who depress you. Sweet Tomatoes manages to come off just a little bit higher end. It's based around a theme of freshness and relative healthiness and definitely succeeds in that regard. Your choices are extensive salads, half a dozen or more homemade soups, pastas, and a bunch of fresh baked bread-type products. It all tastes pretty good but not really anything spectacular. The biggest point against it, though, is the price. It costs about 30 dollars for two people with drinks. That just seems excessive. What we originally thought was going to be a fairly inexpensive, somewhat lower-fat meal, ended up costing a bit more. And while good, the food just doesn't match that price, I don't care how much of it you're getting. So it's a somewhat nice treat every once and awhile, but it could be so much more.
(3)
Sinan A.
If I was a vegetarian i would love this place. problem is im not. It essentially one big salad and soup bar. The problem I have with this place is they make it seem like its an all healthy place and thats why they dont serve meaty options. But all around this buffet is tons of non healthy options- from your unlimited breads, to your ice creams, to your brownies, to your potatoes. I actually dont mind that, but if your going to throw all that in, why not throw in some meat!
(3)
Nona Gayle D.
I love a buffet, and this boasts a healthier selection. Soup, salad, a warm bread selection, mac and cheese, and dessert! OOOOOOhhhhh YEAHHHHHH That's all i have to say!
(4)
Julie H.
If you love fresh vegetables, warm baked-from-scratch bread and soup, Sweet Tomatoes might be your match. A salad bar with an inferiority complex, it aims to appease diners who have an aversion to vegetables with several options of the bread/cheese/meat variety in prepared salads, soups and noodles. While I always get a bowl of Deep Kettle House Chili (sometimes cut with another soup) I'm flabbergasted they felt the need to cram "50% more meat". The population of vegetarian soups just seems to diminish every menu change. Now I understand Sweet Tomatoes is getting "creative" and diverse for their customers, but I come here to revel in fresh flavors of vegetables, herbs and spices, I really don't think bits of sausage need to make a cameo in an otherwise tasty soup. That being said, if you happen to be a meat lover, don't sweat not getting your fill at sweet tomatoes. But in all, its a buffet, there are options, so I truly doubt someone will be missing out on something here. The $10-$12 price? For fresh ingredients, and dishes made from scratch, I'll surrender my wallet. It doesn't hurt so bad when there are always ways to get B1G1 (joining club veg or checking out the sunday circulars). But if you are just really feeling robbed, consult the local authorities, or better yet, wrap up a muffin or two for the trip home.
(4)
Katrina H.
My Kids heart this place. The cashier/Manager always give you a great deal with your coupons (just adds the teen when the teen is supposed to pay full adult price ) .. the food is pretty much Tons of Salad.. some pizza's .. breads.. and soups.. The soups are delicious. Their desert bar is pretty decent .. for 4 people to eat for about $32.. pretty decent.
(4)
tobey t.
I love Sweet Tomatoes! But I love the Schaumburg one more than the others. That's why it got only 4 stars....... I am rabbit!! but they do serve chicken, bacon, tuna, etc. etc. Don't you see it, meatarian!?
(4)
Jessica G.
Huge salad bar with lots of options and soups and side dishes. Very veggie heavy lineup - some of the soups have meat and one of the foccacias has pepperoni but otherwise veggie- full. Some of the prepared salads are pretty good but I like to build my own and then hit the other items. You can apparently get bacon and chicken if you ask for it but, honestly, I don't think I've ever needed it. Along with the salads and breads you can get baked potatoes and pastas, which are ok. Desserts are hit or miss and they usually have some fresh fruit to offset the actual dessert items. Each month there is a different theme ingredient like lemon or cherry or, like this month, pumpkin. You can get coupons via email to make it a bit cheaper - 10.50 per adult for dinner may be a bit steep for some people. Very crowded on Friday evenings and lots of kids running around so something to keep in mind for those who are not child-friendly. The bonus to coming at the busy times is that everything is freshly made. More than likely, you will find yourself waiting for a table to become available, though the restaurant will help get people seated. It's a slow process which is kind of annoying. Decent place overall - we'll go back, not just because it's really the only place like it near us.
(3)
janice m.
Although I am not a "all you can eat", I do enjoy going once in a while to Sweet Tomatoes. Fresh veggies, fresh soups, fresh breads...all very good. Desserts, not the greatest in the world but I really don't expect much from places like this. They do have a great salad bar, where you can pick and choose what to put into your salad, or you can choose from their ready to eat combos. Don't miss their Chicken Noodle soup, by far the best I have ever eaten, and that is saying a lot. Their other soups are pretty tasty too! They also have some great Strawberry Lemonade and other unusual drinks. Try to get there early before the screaming kids with clueless parents show up.Prices are a little high as far as I am concerned for a salad bar, but coupons help.
(3)
Anna M.
I absolutely love this restaurant, specifically at this location. I always find the salad bar to be incredibly fresh and tasty with a large variety of options. As a vegetarian, it's hard to find healthy options that I actually enjoy. I especially enjoy the fact that their soups and premade salads have labels differentiating whether they're vegetarian or not. I always make sure to get their strawberry lemonade and bran muffins. My only complaints are that (not surprisingly) the premade green salads have dressing mixed in, which usually causes the lettuce to wilt and, for someone looking for a simple salad bar, it can seem to be a bit on the pricey side. I would definately recommend this location to anyone looking for a variety of fresh, tasty options.
(4)
Mike P.
It's a very good "fake healthy" alternative. Sweet Tomatoes is on my regular lunch rotation.
(3)
Lisa K.
I had a mediocre experience at my first visit to Sweet Tomatoes. I think I would go elsewhere and just order a salad instead of an expensive salad bar that I only want one plate anyway. The salad bar has a decent number of vegetables, nothing exciting, pretty much the standard for a salad bar. The soup was the most stand out item I tried. It was a vegetarian curry soup. Very delicious, it tasted fresh and homemade. The dessert I had was very dry and not very tasty even though they had just been put out. The ice cream is a nice option for dessert. They have a few toppings for it. Next time I am in the mood for food while I am in the burbs, I probably would pass Sweet Tomatoes right on by.
(2)
kristen s.
My parents take my boyfriend and i here quite often, whenever my mom happens to get buy one get one coupons haha. it's generally the same food each time we go, but it's damn good. plus the all you can eat aspect of it really makes it worth your dollar. my favorite part- they have honey butter! i have never seen honey butter in a restaurant, and i usually end up filling up on sourdough slathered in honey butter instead of real food, but oh well.
(4)
Tina T.
Embarassing to admit, but I am a salad bar FANATIC. I actually have the unique accomplishment of having eaten a salad from our college cafeteria's salad bar every night for a whole two years! (College food being disgusting as it is!) Being somewhat of a control freak, I love to be able to choose what I want on my salad. And this self serve restaurant is everything you could want in a salad bar: clean and full of interesting, fresh, healthy and not so healthy items. The assortment of toppings to choose from is endless, from julienned banana squash to beets to bleu cheese to my absolute favorite salad topping - green peas! They also have several different selections of soup and breads to add to your meal. You can eat in or take it home to go. Two downsides to the restaurant: first of all, they need to get bigger to go containers. They should check out Dominicks' big square containers, because the shallow dish they give you is not nearly big enough to appropriately handle all the greens and toppings. Second, their customer service is lacking a bit, as I waited in the so-called express line for 10 minutes before a cashier came to take my money, and then I had to chase her down for a bag for my to go items. Definitely a healthy and fresh alternative for lunch!
(4)
ButtaflyPoet P.
Im a rabbit for this place...I turned my spouse onto it...and we love to go and fill up on salad, soup and the other special seasonal treats. They keep this place clean, staff is all smiles. They even offer small bags for you to take home things like muffins and pizza squares right at closing time.
(5)
Mick O.
Salad Bar On Steroids ! I first ate at one in Florida , I was tickled pink when they came to the Chicago Land area . The choices are plentiful and the inventive . They have some " special " salads pre-made , but I like making my own . The also have some awesome soups to choose from . Everything is so clean and the staff is great .I like to choose from the pizza bread and fresh rolls . Everything is made in the store and it shows !I think it is a bit pricey so we always look for coupons . Do not forget the potatoes and mac & cheese !
(4)
Dana B.
My 13 year old son loves this place even without being a major fan of salads. He craves their chili, hot pasta dishes, Mac and cheese. Their sourdough bread is freshly made as is the focaccia. Can't beat "all you can eat" for this age group. He always makes me my special drink-iced tea with some added fruit juice or drink. It has become a family tradition. This is not a gourmet place but a place for everyone to salads and it is up to you whether to make them healthy or not. Definitely get the online coupons. Makes a big difference.
(4)
Bridgette K.
This restaurant has it's up's and down's. I'm not happy with their price and that they charge 2.50 extra for a soda. Are you serious? Every other buffet does not charge 2.50 extra for a soda. And they are over priced for a buffet. $32.00 for 2 adults? Wow, why so much? The food is o.k. not bad but not good. It's just very flavorless and the way the buffet is set up it's poor. Your waking into a salad bar. The variety of items to put on a salad is good. The pizza and pasta options are ok and the different types of soups are always good. Would I travel all the way out to Lombard or Woodfield for Sweet Tomatoes. No. If I was in the area and wanted a good salad then yes i'd stop in.
(2)
Melissa M.
Sweet Tomatoes is such a good value. You get so much for what you pay for. I am surprised I don't go there more often, but you do have to get up and serve yourself, and that kind of goes against the usual restaurant set-up but it's worth it because you pretty much get your whole lunch or dinner for like 10 bucks total. If you like soup and salad (especially salad), Sweet Tomatoes is worth checking out. This new branch is a lot nicer and more spacious than the one in Schaumburg.
(4)
Denki Y.
A smorgasbord of fresh veggies, soups, baked goods, and desserts. While the salad bar is very healthy, those looking to overindulge can also find the KCals they crave.
(4)
Angela P.
So I have been to all three Sweet Tomatoes in the area (St. Charles and Schaumburg, too) and this one is the best! I don't know if it is because it is so new or what but it seems like everything is freshest here than at the other two. I particularly love the Caesar Salad and Oriental Chicken Salad and I, of course, make my own AMAZING salad! I also love the soup called Albondigas Locas which is a Mexican mini meatball soup with authentic spices and flavors. They also have a really good warm sourdough bread and I put freshly made honey butter on top...so good! If you love all you can eat salad bars...this place is a must!
(5)
sObig S.
We didnt liked this place.. The food was average. We went at around 9:45 PM and the manager was yelling at us to get what we want and they wanted to wrap up n close soon. All desserts were wrapped even before we could have some. At the end, we rushed our dinner so that they can close out. We forgot our baby's stuff on the table and went back to get it. This lady manager came to the door and said that she cannot open the door to give us our stuff. She made us come the next day to pick it up. Not going here again!!
(1)
Kelly K.
i love sweet tomatoes......i have been visiting their one and only location in st charles, il for many years....before other closer locations opened:-):-)..... if you are looking to dine on meat and potatoes.........this is not the spot for you!!!! salad bar........soups.....muffins.....breads.....Âfoccacia with cheese/tomato sauce or pepperoni...or parmesan.........whipped butter or honey whip.......hot pastas....edy's chocolate and vanilla frozen soft serve yogurt.....lots of choices for drinks too....including vitamin water.......i just went to the lombard location a couple of days ago.......still great food even though i am now on a dairy free, high fructose corn syrup free, gluten free diet.......still managed to have 2 slices of corn bread.......and a pineapple upside down cake sundae plus a couple mini ice cream cones!!!!! yummo!!!!!!!!!!!
(5)
Justin R.
This is kind of an all you can eat soup and salad bar type of place. I don't eat salad much but I really liked this place, price is a little high for just salad, but it is all you can eat.
(4)
Jerrod M.
hmmmmm.....sweet tomatoes....me being a tomato fan, sounds great! well.....bad news folks......they dont have tomatoes at this salad bar! Why you ask??? Well! im told because tomatoes are expensive (so is a $15 salad bar.....) they told me that, and i quote, "NOBODY has tomatoes right now, theyre $2.99/lb.....well, i said "burger king and mcdonalds do" anyways!!!! so i go for a bowl of made from scratch soup.....COLD then the manager says its fine cuz he temped it and he guarantees that its at 160 degrees (140 making you sick)... he temped it at 143....told me its all fine, and turned up the soup warmers..... dont stir the clam chowder youll puke...... nice concept....old cheap food.......
(2)
J M.
Okay food, LARGE prices.....$12.00 for just me at lunch. And if you get more than one plate, it is like there a friggin spotlight on you the way some of the customers are. Gimme a break-it's a buffet, people! I hate the prices, because I only like the salads and soup, and I can only eat so much of that-one and a hlaf plates at best. And maybe 2 little cups of soup. Yeah, that'e me-the pig. I hate the clientele here. Snotty and rude. I cannot deal with that attitude, I have been here over 12 times and it is ALWAYS like that here. I am too laid back for that crap. I just want some salad and soup.
(2)
Jena S.
Holy shitballs, I've died and gone to heaven. A CARB LOVER'S DREAM!!!! Anything you crave they have here: 45 feet of salad (they even have jicama!) 7 different kinds of soup, pasta, a potato bar, muffins, pizza dippers and a desert bar! Plus it's really cheap! If you sign up for their emails they send B1G1 free coupons several times a month. With a coupon, for two entrees and two drinks it comes to roughly $15.00. Nice! PLUS this place is spotless! I usually hate buffets but everything is clean and they people are delightful! Love IT!
(5)
Jeff Y.
There aren't any Sweet Tomatoes in Virginia, so I was fortunate to find one in Illinois during my Chicago trip (my friend and I had it as a last meal before taking me to the airport). I got to use my birthday coupon! The food at this Sweet Tomatoes is pretty much the standard offered throughout this chain, although the layout of each restaurant is unique. I was surprised that there was no clam chowder! We also received a small plate of freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies from an employee toward the end of our meal, which was new. Other than that, another excellent meal in the Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes franchise.
(4)
Jane G.
I like the concept of this style restaurant. ..but in practice, if it is a busy day. ...it is the last place I want to be. Food was what I expected, I wish there was actually a bit more variety to the salad bar. Great French onion soup. ..mediocre chili. Decent value for cost.
(3)
Jessica N.
I have been enjoying lunch/dinners at Sweet Tomatoes for yrs now. I do prefer this location vs the one in Schaumburg. Apart from living in Chicago near the Oak Park area & making this location a convenient 15-20 min drive for me. This location is also newer, bigger & cleaner. Hence making this my go to spot whenever I'm craving fresh salads & soups. Sweet Tomatoes is a salad & soup buffet that also has numerous gluten-free options to pick from, which I appreciate. Walking in, your 1st presented w/a huge salad bar. They have a variety of premade tossed salads & cold pasta salads to choose from, as well as the option to build your own salad. They have a huge selection of fresh vegetables, cheeses, dressings, nuts or croutons to top your salad with. When you get to the end of the salad line, you are greeted by an employee who takes your payment. You then carry your tray to a table of your choice- this location has a huge seating area! Sweet Tomatoes has about 8 different soups at all times. They also have pasta, focaccia (or what I would consider flat bread pizza's), & baked potatoe stations w/all of your standard toppings. I do find all of the pastas very bland & lacking in flavor, so I always skip this station. In the bakery area you will find a variety of warm muffins & breads w/different types of butter spreads. After you are beyond full, the last station to try would be desserts of course! Here you'll find fresh fruits, puddings or mouse, chocolate lava cake or strudel's (just depends on whatever their featuring for the month), & soft serve ice cream with a variety of toppings. Overall my multiple dining experiences at Sweet Tomatoes has always been good, making me a returning customer. I do come here more for the salads, soups & the focaccia stations. I do not care @for the pasta's they offer as already mentioned. Some families who have multiple children often let their kids run around & make messes at the different stations. This of course is not a complaint directly aimed @the establishment. However what is, is that I find that the salad line is what is often the most clean. Employees seem to tend to this area the most. I've come to the conclusion that, this is what you first see upon walking in, so the tidiness of this area is what appears to be a clear priority. I'm giving this location 3 stars- based on taste of ALL the food, service, & overall cleanliness. Sweet Tomatoes your salads, soups, & focaccia's are good... but I do think you good do a better job on your different pastas. *Please be considerate to the person who does attend to the tables & comes by regularly to take your dishes. Leave a tip!!*
(3)
Jared P.
For a buffet, this place is above and beyond. It has plenty of vegetarian options and hearty soups. Vegan may be a tougher sell, but, it's a chain. What more can you ask for? I could have done without all the children running around unsupervised. It's the 'burbs and should be expected.
(4)
Grant P.
I like Sweet Tomatoes because you can come here under the false pretense of "eating healthy" because it's a salad bar. Yeah. Sure. It's a salad bar with chili, ten kinds of soups, a baked potato bar, a bakery, a pasta station and pizza (focaccia - whatever). Lies. There ain't nothing healthy about this place, people, so quit pretending. This is a buffet. A fat, fat, buffet. And when you walk in, you're greeted by about 10,000 booths heaped full with mountains of used dishes. No, this is not a healthy restaurant. This is a restaurant where people make 2-10 trips back and forth to the buffet line and still want to eat more because EVERYTHING is pretty much delicious. You might as well skip the salad part anyway because you know you want to dive right into that soup and swim through an ocean of it with your mouth gaping open, swallowing bite after delicious bite. But please remember to tip the poor girl whose job it is to take away those caverns of dirty dishes, and wipe up after you after you wedge your newly-swollen stomach out of the booth after your final trip. Because she is working her tail off and deserves every penny. My only regret is I wore that one shirt (you know the shirt) that it doesn't matter where I go or what I'm eating, I WILL spill something on it and have to stand over the sink scrubbing stains out, like I should scrub the shame off my skin after going back for that pineapple upside down cake...and with ice cream no less. Too bad that shirt actually looks nice enough to wear to work. Too bad that shirt actually feels comfortable after eating at a place like this. I could probably use it tomorrow. Everything is good. Everything is lots. And there's always a coupon online somewhere that you can print and use. So do that, and then go back for seconds. And thirds if you want to.
(5)
Yvonne O.
Okay, with twins in tow, I was really hesitant to try to eat lunch here given that I would have to lug them through the line for salad and then handle their inevitable need to eat while trying to get myself fed. Thankfully, we were here very early (before noon) and went through the initial line with lightning speed. I managed to shovel the salad in me before having to make two trips to the changing table and feed each of them. The husband was able to eat and get me additional items and we managed to do all of this within an hour - plus, we scored a table near the back where we could be out of range of most diners and store their stroller out of the way. The soups are greatly improved on the salt issue and I enjoyed the pasta options this weekend that were different from the usual.
(4)
Carolina N.
I love Sweet Tomatoes. I live in Chicago, and whenever I come here, I call it my "Suburban Hoedown". I love that I can lie to myself and believe that I am going to Sweet Tomatoes to eat "healthy" because I'm presented with a lavish salad bar, which hey, is good for you, but then just around the corner.... the soup bar, the breads, the pizza, the brownies, the sourdough bread, the soft serve ice cream... gimmeeeeee all of it! It's one of my favorite buffets of all time, and you can't beat the price! It's very affordable, and it's very good. The service is excellent as well. Everyone is super nice and friendly. Tip: TIP!!! Be nice and leave a tip on the table before you leave.
(5)
Naveed S.
This is the place to go if you want to eat healthy and still have something the kids will enjoy. My kids love the Mac and cheese and the different pizza breads. They finally too if off with an ice cream creation. Best of all you won't be busting the bank to eat here. Over all good service and great food.
(5)
Rebecca C.
By the time I was born, the salad bar was out of fashion. Between people contaminating the salad dressings, warm items not staying warm enough or mixing ingredients or coughing on the food, the salad bar was virtually a has-been until Sweet Tomatoes arrived on the scene. While the ready mixed options are often tasty and the wide variety of vege type salad fixings are pretty good, there's something so smorgasbord-y about ST that has me wishing I went somewhere else. It's not cheap, it's not expensive, but the plastic tableware is a deal breaker that is hard to shake. The soups are fine, just way too salty. The soft serve is okay, just not the best. Same for the baked potatoes. If a friend is craving ST, I'll go. Otherwise, meh - it's okay, just nothing to get excited about.
(3)
Angela B.
I love when I have a craving for a good salad or soup this is the first place that pops up in my head. Salads you make your way without all the extra charges for pounds and such. The soups are sooooo good! Unbelievable chipotle tomato soup they had for winter season. So delicious!! They have a roasted ratatouille soup now and even that made me excited. Lol
(5)
Janine K.
I've been here a few times in the past. What I like about this place is it's more than just a big ol' salad bar, in fact it can be quite the buffet because of the desserts, soft serve ice cream, variety of bread, etc. But if you're eating healthy, there are options as well, the options are less however. The food here is decent, but I would have rather spent $15 elsewhere. I also think the night I was here the place was understaffed. The guy at the register was the only on there and he was bouncing back and forth to both registers on both sides of the salad bar ringing people up to purchase their meals. The entire time we were there (yes, during the dinner rush) the place was pretty full, but the tables weren't being cleaned for new people coming in. They were also running out of food pretty frequently, bowls, etc. Two tables nearby weren't cleaned up the entire time we were in there eating. There are a bunch of other restaurants in the area so unless I'm really craving something here, I'd probably pass.
(2)
Amy T.
This totally reminds me of a lunch line! I thought this place was all about soups and salads but I was able to find some pizza and biscuits here and there. It is definitely refreshing and they do have a variety of salads and dressings. There are vegetarian labels (vegetarian friendly), though not necessarily vegan friendly. They do try their best to label the food with possible allergens. :) Happy chowing!
(4)
Rodney V.
We drive up from joliet. Great salads and soups. We like every thing here. Wish they had one in joliet. Still worth the drive.
(4)
Farwah R.
I have been going to sweet tomato with my family for ten years or more. I really like this place. The food is not five star quality. It is just a variety of items for a light lunch. You can make a customized salad with different veggies, pasta, beans, cheese, nuts and dressings. It is great if you are a VEGETARIAN! You can eat pastas like alfredo, spaghetti or macaroni and cheese. I love to add extra cheddar on top of the macaroni, it make it even better. There are at least five different soups and they change regularly. They also have a baked potato section. They have pizza. It is not great pizza, but it will do if you want a slice. They are cut into little squares. They have lemonade, coffee, water and soda. Finally, they have an amazing soft serve ice cream section. You can get vanilla, chocolate or swirl. It comes with sprinkles, oreos, toffee bits, brownie bits, and caramel and fudge. There are brownies too. They also have fruit. You can get all of this food option for 10 dollars a person. It is even cheaper if you bring a coupon. They usually come in the coupon things that come in the mail or newspaper. This place is totally worth it. The buffet offers so much for a great, and kind of healthy lunch!
(5)
Joe A.
Rather you're looking for a vegetarian option, or even a "healthy choice", Sweet Tomatoes is definitely the place to go. When walking inside, you are immediately greeted to the signature salad bar. The selection itself is actually huge, spanning several feet across the place. Once you're done constructing your huge salad, you pay for the plate and get seated. The seating at this location is very spread out. Even the booth we sat in felt like it was sectioned off from everyone else. The service and staff here are also very friendly and on top of their game. Besides the signature salads, Sweet Tomatoes has pizzas, a ton of soup choices, pastas, breads, healthy juice selection, and a variety of desserts. Unfortunately you won't find any meat or seafood choices here, so if that's on your tastebuds, you may have to search elsewhere. My only issue with today's visit was the dessert section. Most of the dessert choices were empty/little to nothing. Given that it was lunch hour, I understand how busy it was but still, if you're going to show two major desserts, at least make sure they're properly stocked for customers! Other than that, for the several times that I've been here, Sweet Tomatoes doesn't disappoint.
(4)
Les K.
My wife and daughter told me about Sweet Tomato and while were in the area we stopped in. No meat for a growing boy, but what they did have was fresh and well made. A pretty standard salad bar with every fixin' you can think of, all of it well presented and as fresh as you can get. The soup (I had the potato leek) was a 10, wish I had tried others. Lots of breads and the desert area was fine. The soft serve ice cream, which I tend not to like was actually very good. Price was fair, we used coupons so that helped lower the cost a bit. We got "the works" and it came to 32.00 for the three of us. Remember, it's all you can eat, and I got my money's worth. The only issue I have (and the reason it's not 5-stars) is that they should regularly include a few gluten free baked items. I understand they had them at my families first visit, but none this time. I'd go again in a second.
(4)
Caroline M.
Despite my professor telling me that Sweet Tomatoes was a "hot bed" for various bacteria, I went for lunch one day. At about 11:30 am it was not busy at all. For a buffet and drink it's about $12. Pretty good food, but I wouldn't make this place a usual. The salad plates are large, but all the other plates are small. The baked potato didn't even really fit on the tiny plate they had next to it. The corn bread with honey butter was great. For being a "healthy" salad bar, they should really have some healthy desserts besides brownies and ice cream.
(3)
Ed P.
A great place for vegetarians and those that are not but like veggies. No service but smiles all around, and they clean your tables noon stop. My only peeve is that sometimes is too cold for my taste, but nothing a good sweater would not solve. Lovely all around.
(5)
Anthony U.
I am a huge fan of Sweet Tomatoes. And it was this Lombard location that won me over. But my last three visits to Lombard have been less than perfect and I hope to reward them more stars in the future. We all understand why they encourage customers to pile up on salad first. It's a whole lot cheaper for them. With that said, I've always found the main salad bar to be full and fresh. But often (and every recent visit) the four pre made salads at the front of the line are over dressed and limp. Many times there are ingredients in one or two of those salads that are not available on the build-your-own section so it's a tough decision to make to take something limp and over dressed or skip a special ingredient. Some day I hope they get that front salad area figured out. I deducted one star for limp and over dressed pre made salads. The soups are often the highlight of the meal for me. On occasion the soup can need a bit of salt (I add almost no salt to foods, even at home) but that is minimal and I'd rather need to add salt than have a soup be too salty. This is the part of the meal I enjoy the most. I was always a huge fan of the large slices of crusty sourdough bread with some soft and whipped honey butter on top. My last three visits have either had empty bread or empty spreads (all three - honey butter, regular butter, and margarine) and the one associate behind the hot tables scrambling to keep foods put out is always running and either never makes eye contact with the waiting customers or doesn't hear people asking for assistance. The bread and butter may be a small section but it's pretty important to me and got a one star reduction. (See photos below) The pasta area tends to be cold and firm and could be made in smaller batches and updated more frequently (yes, by that one lonely associate working the hot tables). On my last visit the special was an asparagus lemon penne. The word Asparagus wasn't on the "Lemon Penne with Capers" sign so I thought the tiny green limp stuff in the pot was spinach. After I had taken some and found it bitter I didn't finish it. Right before I left they placed a new batch out and there was the easy to see asparagus. That old batch must have been in the hot pan for way over an hour. I don't expect much from their pasta area but that was a huge failure. The bread area includes baked potatoes, muffins, corn bread, and different focaccia varieties. A couple weeks ago they had a Grilled Cheese Focaccia on the menu. I only got a center slice (those had the layer of cheese in the center) once during my two visits the weekend they had it. It was awesome! I believe if you've got a special item (that is super popular) and you've sent out an email about it and made a big in-restaurant sign that even if the item is a high food cost to the restaurant and your profit may be decreased slightly, what is the cost to the restaurant when you upset a current good customer and they pick a different SW location or stop eating at SW all together?? Same thing with the Gluten Free Coconut Muffins. The couple weeks they were on special it was fairly impossible to get a taste of one. It almost feels like bait and switch to heavily advertise items and then not have them in sufficient quantity. The selection of tea bags and the lemonade are my favorite drinks. Good stuff. When I've got plenty of salad and soup to eat I'll usually fill up on on those and skip the dessert section. It's nice that they offer no calorie or low fat desserts including some fresh fruit options. The ice cream machine is often a mess and abused by children but I blame parents for that and the employees have a hard task keeping up with that area. I can't blame the restaurant on that one. There was a time when the table cleaning staff would bring around warm cookie samples for people. I then often saw customers buy a bag of cookies before they left. I haven't seen a cookie hand out in about six months but I wouldn't deduct stars for it but sure do miss it. I hope Sweet Tomatoes Lombard can get their offerings back on track. I'll be checking them out two weekends in May and hope to be won back. The Aurora location is farther from me but will be my next visit if Lombard can't get things going correctly.
(2)
Mike G.
Usually Sweet Tomatoes is pretty good, but today the spinach was totally wilted and the soups all had a thick layer of 'something' sitting on the top..... come on guys you can do better than this.
(2)
Molly C.
I just had my first experience and this place is amazing! Super clean, everything is very fresh and the price is unbelievable!
(5)
M G.
I like it, good food, good price, and nice staff. Minus a star for the sticky bathroom door. Ick... That's my only gripe really Update second gripe: Being viciously crop dusted by a plate clearer. Almost puked, wish I did to be honest.
(2)
Tanya K.
Look this is an all you can eat salad and carbs cafeteria. Nothing is of exemplary quality but in the same, nothing stands out as being abhorrent in quality either. For about $11 per person you can fill your belly with prepared and build your own salad, pizza breads, pasta dishes, baked potatoes, muffins, assorted soups, and a dessert bar your grandma, who doesn't know how to cook, prepared. Think jello and dry brownies. There is also soft serve. Beverages will cost an extra $3. This restaurant is light and clean. No complaints. For what it is, it deserves five stars, but I just can't give five stars to Sweet Tomatoes. I really only go here because for kids, especially toddlers, it is a mecca! My daughter loves picking her own foods and not having to wait to be served. Ages 2 and under eat free!
(3)
Amanda W.
My husband and I come here at least once a week! We absolutely love it! Their salad bar is extremely fresh. Anything you can make a salad with, they have it. As well as a couple pre made salads as well. Their soups are to die for, all are home made and fresh. There are chunks of chicken in a few of them that is tender and flavorful. Baked potatoes with all the toppings, bread, and pasta! So much good food to eat. Who can say no to a build your own sundae bar? Exactly! Yumm. Alex the manager/asst manager is awesome, and such an awesome guy. Our new favorite place to eat!
(5)
Joe I.
My kids love this place and it's also good for me to go and feel like I'm eating relatively healthy fare. Of course all of that goes out the window when I approach the warm dessert table. Jiminy Christmas! I fall for the vanilla ice cream on the warm brownie, or cobbler, or crumble... *sigh* Look, this is not a gourmet experience but it's definitely the better option to keep the kids eating decent (my favorite word) food when I'm not up to cooking, or just lazy. Worth the price and it's always consistent. Which, to me, means everything in the service business. Mazel.
(4)
Davo B.
we don't go as often but did enjoy it when we did, decent soup, especially the mushroom, boy that was great, there are other nice side dishes to enjoy although I never tried the pasta stuff the little pizza slices were OK. Got to love the free refills on the deserts and coffee both are pretty good. Nice people work here too
(4)
Shyam S.
I am a huge Sweet Tomatoes fan and now that I am visiting locations in other states, a bit of a roadie as well. This is by far the coolest looking location I have seen yet. A lot of natural light, very bright and cheerful and just a cool layout in general. It kind of cracks me up to read some of the comments because these folks are apparently missing the point of ST. This is not a place for exciting entrees and organic cuisine. This is a salad bar! With a few pastas and several soups! This is not a Ponderosa or Golden Corral.
(5)
Nari H.
I'll admit, when I had first eaten at Sweet Tomatoes years ago when they came to the Midwest, I wasn't impressed. Having just recently visited, I was actually rather impressed with this recent visit. Came for lunch. Ate my heart out for only $10 plus $2ish for a drink. I don't come here often, but I'd come back. It's clean, it's got a lot of green options, it's got baked sweet and regular potatoes, some good drink options and friendly service (they come to your table when you're done and clean it up for you).
(4)
Mark P.
Let me just say that I'm not a vegetarian or salad lover by any means. I stopped in today with my 14-year old daughter and I was very happy with the selection. My daughter only had one salad and a muffin, so for $12, it wasn't a great deal for someone her size. Kids under 17 should be less expensive. I found the food to be fresh and tasty. Since it was early, there were no crowds or lack of anything. I stuck to the salad bar so I can't comment on the soup, pizza, etc... but there were plenty of things to choose from. I'd much rather spend $24 for two-people here than for less variety and quantity at someplace like Panera. Also, Soda should be included in the price as well. That seemed a bit cheap to me. I think we'll go back sometime.
(4)
Elise Z.
Having checked out this location, the one in Aurora, and the one in Schaumburg, this is definitely my favorite, in terms of cleanliness, employees, restaurant layout, etc. Yes, the food is a bit overpriced. Even with the coupons, it still feels a bit too expensive for the selection. However, I have my favorite items here and they are worth it enough to spend the money every once in awhile. The salad bar is always great. Plenty of options in terms of toppings, dressings, and pre-made salads. Their ranch dressing is probably my favorite of any restaurant or store-bought brand. (Not the fat-free ranch, though. That one just tastes off). For me, the soups are the main entree. I always get the chicken noodle and the chili, and will try others if they appeal. The turnover is usually quick enough that, if the soup you want has been sitting out awhile, you can grab another to try and a new pot of the one you want will be out by the next trip up. The breads and muffins are a close runner-up as well. Foccacia breads are always tasty, and you can't go wrong with the cornbread muffins with honey butter! The biggest areas that ST lacks in would probably be the pasta and the desserts (minus the soft-serve frozen yogurt). Coming from a pasta fanatic, I'm always disappointed by the pasta there and usually avoid getting it. Same with the desserts. I will always save room for a dish of vanilla frozen yogurt with rainbow sprinkles, though!
(4)
Christina B.
I love Sweet Tomatoes. My mom and I go here all the time. The staff is extremely friendly; we're regulars. I love their salad bar, especially the Cesar Salad which does not have raw eggs in it. Their options are great as far as veggies to put on salads. The one thing I'm struggling with now is: I'm newly vegetarian. The soup options are so limited for vegetarians. There's usually only 1 or 2 at most that are vegetarian. This kind of upsets me because I feel like at a salad soup buffet, you're partly catering to vegitarian customers. Otherwise, this place is fabulous. Make sure you sign up for their coupons. They save you a bunch of money. :)
(4)
Jim R.
I would question anyone who gave this place less than 5 stars. This place is a dream for a vegetarian or vegan. If you are a soup and salad person this is your place. I highly recommend the chipotle tomato soup. They also have a brownie bar that I will be checking out before I leave.
(5)
Dinah T.
I like Sweet Tomatoes. This place is in it's own strip mall across the Yorktown Mall. The place is clean and organized. Bring your coupons for this place or they will also take a online app coupon from your phone too! You can also sign up of their email list and get coupons there or special birthday free of something like fresh chocolate chip cookies! It does get pretty busy during the weekends, especially with lots of kids since this is a kid friendly place. The place is clean and they are pretty good in keeping the food items well stocked and staff are friendly cleaning up after you. Hubby and I would get a 2 plate salad; one with a little bit of their specialty made salads (chicken oriental salad is good). 2nd place is my own creation...I need my roughage! Their soups are pretty good. I like that they offer seasonal specialties of salads, soups, pastas, breads, and desserts. My favorite is when it's Lemon season. I really LOVE their Lemon orzo pasta! I will come back here if I'm in the area!
(4)
Chris V.
I LOVE this place!!! I am a huge fan of salad bars and this place is the Mall of America of Salad bars. They pretty much have anything you could ever want to put on to your salad. I am talking about multiple leaf lettuces and spinach, tons of veggies, beans, nuts, dressings and other salad toppings. They even have a couple pre made salads in case you aren't feeling creative at the moment. That is just the one part there is also another bar that has just soups and they normally have about 8 different soups which are being constantly replenished with new soup so you don't get stuck with a bowl full of broth. There is also a bar that has things like pizza, and muffins and pasta, which are all great items. They have these awesome corn bread muffins that I could probably eat a couple dozen of. Then of course there is the dessert bar which is stocked with all kinds of desserts including soft serve ice-cream. When I am in the Lombard area this is my go to lunch spot, because I can load up on food and not feel bad about it!!
(4)
Jason M.
I love everything about Sweet Tomatoes. Kids eat really well here, there is a huge variety and everyone in the party can pick what they want and have all they want. Fresh ingredients, relatively healthy, and every time we visit they have new things to try. This location has plenty of seating but the parking situation can get a little tight.
(5)
Shawn C.
Highly overrated place to eat. Food is cheap and so is the salad bar. The price is expensive for what you get. The bread and the pasta is not up to par.
(2)
Michele Y.
Descent enough place to go to when you're with someone on a diet. You can be as good or as bad as you want. Live the cream of mushroom soup and the potato bar. The tuna terrigone salad is awesome. I wouldn't go here alone if you're a meat eater like me.
(4)
Larry O.
Good reviews, and we both enjoyed it here. Great salad, soup, they've got chili, Mac and cheese, and other entrees. Baked potatoes, with all the topping, salad with all sorts of toppings, and dressings, and Desserts too. Go back for more if you want they're always cleaning up after you and refilling items.
(4)
Luis S.
My kind of place, especially because of their bread section -corn bread is to die for. They keep everything clean, and I feel like it's way cleaner than old country or golden corral. Obviously there are the salads galore as well. Wouldn't recommend this place to a meat lover tho and certainly less choices than either of the previous 2 buffets I mentioned before. Service is fairly well and also price range is on point as they often have some sort of coupons floating. Lastly do like the fact they often rotate their menu. If you are feeling on a healthy mode and sick of subway then I suggest you give this place a try.
(4)
Emilie B.
One of my favorite restaurants. I love everything here. Great salads, soups, bread etc...
(5)
Christine T.
We've had a pleasant time every time we've come to this location. The different soup specials are always great. The bus boys are very friendly. Tonight the manager was at the register, and was very helpful in regards to our coupon. Great spot for a healthier option, and overall friendly and relaxed atmosphere.
(5)
Dwight P.
The salad was very fresh and very varied but they seemed a little overwhelmed with the Saturday evening crowd. We will go again..
(3)
Sal K.
If you go here trying to get something slightly healthier than the standard fast-food fare, you will leave satisfied. The staff here was very courteous. Make yourself a healthy salad for your first course, and then treat yourself to garlic bread and dessert later. The non-salad items are just okay, but the selection is good and brownie bites with vanilla soft-serve are never a bad thing. Also try dipping the focaccia bread in the creamy tomato soup!
(5)
Antaash U.
Sweet Tomatoes offers an interesting take on the all you can eat model of dining. Cost varies between lunch and dinner and if you subscribe to their mailing list (club veg), you'll get coupons for additional discounts. When you walk in, you're greeted by the biggest salad bar you will ever see. From pre-made salads, to build your own creations (virtually every ingredient you could want is available) awaits. I didn't really care for the dressings, which were really runny and the flavor lackluster. Then, they have at least 6 different soups and 2 pastas that change from month to month (to keep it interesting!). They have a build your own baked potato bar, a plethora of bread/muffins, pizza, a hot dessert and build your own sundae bar. It's a great value for what you get and a vegetarians paradise. It's also kid friendly and a place where even the pickiest of eaters will find something to whet their palette.
(3)
Karen G.
Why all the good reviews? I didn't see it at all. lame, lame and oh, kinda lame. 1. We couldn't figure out how this place worked- pay by the pound, fixed price? There is a barrier between the salad bar and the rest of the place, with a cash register at the end of the bar.. and I supposed to do what? buy my salad separate, my soup separate? The three of us finally gave up and asked how it worked. 2. The Salad bar is mostly iceberg mixes and some common cheeses.. Anything of interest- chicken, articokes, good veggies is 2.50 extra. Ahh, no thanks. extra money for croutons? Please. 3. No meat? Really? I thought the other reviews were kidding. 4. How many soups can one possible want to eat when its 102 F outside? They had at least 5 types to choose from . That's just too much hot soup for a summer day. 5. The only good thing was the choice of Edy's frozen yogrut. I ate 4 bowls of this and topping for lunch cause the rest of it just wasn't very good. 6. Screaming kids, oh joy.
(2)
Lochin S.
this is a salad bar. and if you are going for salad, its a five star. I like the veggie options, and the dressing options. soup lovers, there are plenty, although, they need to get off the creamy stuff and have more low fat. love that there is frozen yogurt. pass on the potato bar, the pizza/bread bar, and pasta, or you defeat the purpose of this visit.
(5)
Melissah L.
This place was just fine. The salad was fresh and I enjoyed the pre-made varieties at the front of the line but the rest of the food was just mediocre. I thought it was funny because I actually remember thinking that it was just like the salad bar in my sorority house... lots of semi-fresh toppings to choose from, but gross dressings. The soups, breads and noodles were like cafeteria food, but I did like the baked potato bar and the frozen yogurt. Yum. I would come back here, but only for a light meal because I know I would only want to eat the salads!
(2)
Kara Z.
I am a picky eater so I really love places where I can pick the food I like and want and can choose how much I want of each item. I am a big fan of Sweet Tomatoes for this reason but also because I think their food is delicious and very fresh, the restaurant is clean, and the people who work there are very friendly. I recommend you sign up for the email club- you get coupons emailed to you on a regular basis and you also get to hear about their specials coming up. If you're a fan on Facebook you also get to vote on your favorite dressings, soups, breads, etc. They do a great job with marketing and I always go with a coupon I either got through email or in the newspaper. Often they have a buy one, get one free meal (with the purchase of two drinks) but recently I found a $14.99 for two meals and two drinks which might even be a slightly better deal. You start by picking up a tray and a plate (I take two plates- one for my salad creation and one for their already-prepared salad creations). I recommend their Broccoli Madness salad- near the end of the salad bar- delicious! Then you pick up your silverware, napkins and drink cup and pay for your meal. You find a table, flip over the little card on the table to say "I'll be ripe back!" so no one takes your table and then go get your drink (I LOVE the fresh strawberry lemonade!) and other items (soup, bread, baked potato, pasta, focaccia, etc.). I love their honey butter and so eat way too many pieces of their delicious bread. The food is fresh and you can eat very healthy if you so choose. :) It can get quite crowded and sometimes it feels chaotic as you make your way back and forth (and back and forth and back and forth) from your table to the food- there are many near-miss collisions so keep your head up! They've played 80's music almost every time I've been there which I think is really great. The desserts are great too. They have nonfat frozen yogurt with a great assortment of toppings and tiny little ice cream cones. They also have warm brownie muffins that are fantastic and some sugar free desserts and I think some that have fruit but I tend to ignore that. At dinner they add a few extra items- tonight they had warm chocolate lava cake. I've seen warm chocolate chip cookies sometimes but haven't figured out why I can't find them at other times. The only complaint I've heard is from people who say there isn't enough meat available. I always find more than enough to make me happy but I guess this is something some people would want to consider. I hope you check out Sweet Tomatoes!
(5)
Justin K.
We have been going to this location once every couple of months for several years. The location - It is located across the street from Yorktown mall. Parking can be tight if you want to be close, but there is plenty of other available parking since Pier 1 closed. This place is easy to get in and out of. It is handicapped accessible, but not an ideal place due to how crowded it can get. The restaurant is kept fairly clean. Expect long waits on peak hours on Saturday and Sunday, especially if there is a good coupon or if there is an upcoming holiday. There is clear signage at the front and if you ask a cashier, you can check out the place before you decide to eat here. Expect to pay around $25 for lunch and $30 for dinner for a couple. Coupons will usually save $3 to $5. You can get take out. The food - Expect at least 6 salads that are premade. Three are at the front that are usually lettuce-based and 3-5 toward the cashier, which are not usually lettuce salads. These are changed regularly. You serve yourself cafeteria style on a buffet line. There are a number of stations. There is one long salad station that has approximately 60 or so salad items and premade salads. There is a drink station, a fruit and ice cream station, a baked good station, a soup station, and a pasta station. The drink station has milk, water, hot tea, coffee, soft drinks, and usually some type of lemonade and iced tea from Republic of Tea (that's a good thing). The ice cream station usually has soft serve vanilla, milk or dark chocolate, and swirl. The fruit section has some sort of jello or pudding and some sort of fresh fruit like oranges or melon. The pasta section usually has two choices. There are usually 8 soups, with chicken noodle soup with huge chunks of chicken and some sort of chili always being present. The baked section usually has 3 types of focaccia, baked potatoes, two types of bread, two types of muffins, and brownie bites. Their website has a menu. Food is prepared onsite and appears to be "made from scratch." By made from scratch, it does not appear to be hardcore made from scratch like they grind their own grains and pluck their own chickens, but it is more so than reheating something assembled in a factory. Food is kept the correct temperature and goes quickly. On busy days, they struggle to keep up with more popular items. Since they make things from scratch, you may be waiting a while to get another piece of bread of focaccia. The flavor profiles offered are vast. Food tends to be on the bland side. For example, when they have Arrabiata pasta, expect something that is not spicy at all. Expect things like pasta to not be salty or peppery. Expect soups not to have a complex herb and garlic blend. This is not a place for foodies that are expecting authentic ethnic food. Food trends toward the bland side, but it is pretty fresh and it is cooked well. There is a shifting seasonal menu that goes through various ethnicities or flavor types like Thai, Greek, apples, and spring. This is a kid-friendly place. There are kid-specific cups (extra charge) and trays. There are available booster seats and chairs. Booths and tables are relatively uncomfortable. There are no kid-specific bathrooms, but there are changing tables. There is no area for breast feeding. In summary, Sweet Tomatoes is a decent place for non-carnivores to have a meal. There are both healthy and non-healthy options, but fare tends towards fresh, bland, and light. Salad-eating vegans will be happy, but non-salad eating vegans will probably be sad. There are usually at least two vegetarian soup options, one focaccia option, and one pasta option. Dieters will need to exercise restraint, but it is possible to have a meal here for a few hundred calories. If you are really weak with portion control, you can always get a to-go box and limit your portion sizes that way. Price can be steep compared to a Chinese buffet, but you have all-you-can eat healthy food with nary a deep fried option. Considering we spend about the same money for Panera and are often still hungry, I think this is a great option. Expect a clean, self-service, noisy atmosphere. My toddler loves it and our 7-month old like to people watch. This is one of our go to restaurants and we prefer Saturday at 11 AM or around 1:45 PM following or preceded by a nice stroll around the mall. Avoid if you are: a foodie/food snob, a hardcore atheist (sometimes plays Christian music), on a romantic date night, high maintenance, crave service, can't stand lines, can't stand buffets, you want alcohol with your meal, in a hurry during peak hours, can't stand loud places or kids Who will enjoy this place: families with kids, hungry people, health-conscious, dieters, those that like open kitchens, those that want a complete healthy and mostly homemade meal, vegetarians, vegans who like veggies, starch fiends, soup lovers, salad lovers
(5)
David B.
I go here a lot when I need a dose of veggies. They have a great selection of healthy food to choose from and their coupons also hit the spot for me price wise. Salad Bar is great and their pizza bread is very tasty. Their soups can be a bit hit and miss but their choices change from month to month. Also can't leave without having a Sunday LOL! Can be crowded at lunch and on the weekends be prepared for a lot families and small kids running around. Really great, casual place if you need some roughage at a great price. Would love to see them offer free Wifi BTW.
(4)
Joe H.
If you have boring taste buds you'll love this place. I've gone here three times and each time trying to like it. I always feel it was a waste of money when I realize how little selection there is. At $30 a couple I think that us extremely overpriced for a table of greens. Then they want to charge you extra for premium salad toppings? Really!? I don't consider cranberries, tofu, and chicken a premium topping. Go to the Rivers Casino buffet if you want a real good buffet for only a little more money than sweet tomatoes. I've given this place three tries. Strike you're out! Life's to short to eat crappy food.
(1)
Andre E.
Listen if you love all you can eat salad, pasta, soups, and desserts then Sweet Tomatoes is your place. Twenty bucks is all your going to pay for 2 people to enjoy a buffet of great and healthy food. You see today if you really trying to eat out healthy so to speak, with a little flavor kicked in, then once again this is your spot. I have visited several Sweet Tomatoes around the country, but this one is closest to my house in Chicagoland...so if your ever in the neighborhood and want to eat fresh and healthy food go to this location. Eat, Drink, and be Merry my friends.
(4)
Susan B.
I really enjoy this Sweet Tomato location over the Schaumburg location. It is more airy and open and also brighter. Every time I have been here, the food has been fresh and all of the food containers have been full. I love that they have a new theme each month where you can try new things in addition to their normal menu. I hope they never get rid of the asian won ton salad, it is delish! And their strawberry lemonade is to die for! I am not sure if it is fresh squeezed or from a mix but there have been times where it hasn't been as good as others. I just wish they would have their creme of mushroom soup available every day and not just Mondays. Their bag of bite size chocolate chip cookies are really good too! Also, if you didn't know...they offer catering. I had a party last summer where we were able to get a jug of the strawberry lemonade!
(5)
Beatriz R.
For my first time here I can't complain it was pretty good I came only because I purchase a groupon for 5 towards 10 dollars so basically got my meal for free! The salad bar is great!! I loved it a lot tons a lot of options I choose from. I also had a few different soups and I wasn't wow'd by them I was expecting a little more they looked good but lacked a bit of flavor. Hmmm I made my own. A baked potato and it was good! Desert options aren't the best but nonetheless good. Can't wait for another groupon I don't like knowing I have to pay 10 bucks and there isn't much a variety of food options.
(3)
Alison G.
Food was very fresh - the salad, bakery, the soup, everything was great. It's way better than the one in Schaumburg. You love this place as long as you love veggies/salad+soup/bread/pasta. You hate it if you are a meat-lover. Bring a coupon when you come it always saves you a few bucks.
(3)
Miranda E.
Good, tastes fantastic but I feel like there is only a vast variety in the salad bar and not so much the entres. I wish there was more of an entre selection.
(3)
Renita M.
Solid, but not outstanding. It's a buffet, but a little bit of a variation on the traditional. You start with the big ole salad line -- various house-built variations, a pasta salad or two, and the build-your-own option. Load up on the veggies here. Lots of bacon bits and ranch is also acceptable. After you pay and sit, the rest of the buffet includes lots of starch. Baked potatoes with all the toppings. About eight different kinds of soup. (The chicken tortilla was quite good.) Focaccia and muffins and cornbread. Mac & cheese, steamed veggies, etc. Plus fruit and dessert. The good news is that a) it's very vegetarian-friendly b) everything is prepared fresh and is usually pretty freshly put out (I see them replenishing things a lot) c) with a little discipline you can have a healthy meal. It's also very clean and the staff is helpful and friendly. The bad news is that it's a bit overpriced, especially for dinner. Find a coupon. Don't get a soft drink unless you absolutely must (although they do have lemonade and iced tea, including a fruity caffeine-free red one). I like the concept and the food is pretty tasty and feels fresher and healthier than pretty much any other buffet. But $23 for two people when you have a 50% off one adult coupon.... seems a little high.
(3)
Ericka A.
As a self-proclaimed meatarian, even I crave some salads and starches sometimes. They have a wonderful selection for building your own salads. The potato salad and tamarind noodle dish were both fresh and flavorful. The Caesar salad was slightly spicy on account of being loaded with garlic. It was tasty, but a bit overwhelming. Sweet Tomatoes' selection of hot dishes leave a little something to be desired. They aren't horrible, but they aren't great either. I was not a fan of the cheesy potatoes. The mac and cheese was alright, and an addition of shredded cheddar and feta helped add flavor. The pepperoni pizza was OK. Their beef chili is yummy. This place mostly caters to vegetarians, so I'll probably return with my veg-head friend and show her there are more options in this world than your basic garden salad. Hopefully I can find a coupon, because $10 without a drink is a little much to spend for lunch.
(3)
P B.
Great convenient location Wonderful people work here. Healthy salad bar. Try it you will love it
(5)
michael w.
stay away from the bread and dessert bar if you are counting calories, could save you almost 900 to a thousand calories if you do. Stick with one plate of salad helpings and soup(s) of your choice. Always able to find salad and soup to my liking. BEST part for us is they are very coupon friendly and very family friendly. Family of four can use a 19.99 coupon, etc.
(4)
Jeannie O.
Considering I LOVE Souplantation in California, I LOVE Sweet Tomatoes here! I can tell it's a more modern Sweet Tomatoes with the high-wall booths and nice spoon/fork doorknobs but it still has the fresh and favorite foods I find in California. The only thing I do notice is their celery isn't too fresh looking and their cucumbers are slightly still frozen. Other than that, I love this place.
(4)
Wes W.
As a total low carb option in this world of indescribable indulgence, I come back week after week armed with their lunch or dinner coupons. $8 for unlimited salad? I don't think it can be beat unless you have costco inventory in your kitchen. Sweet tomatos, though the same company as Souplantation, seems to be much cleaner than its other alias. For a limited time only: they have this grilled cheese focaccia next to their pizza that is neglected on a daily basis by those who crave cafeteria style pizza. Do not overlook this item! It may not be the healthiest thing there, but you will undoubtedly curl your toes when you try this. Do it once and don't look back as you regain traction on your perpetual diet. Need to study? Bring your material here and park yourself. Viola! Study central. Eat slow my friends.
(4)
Karen Anne B.
I'm not a fan of chain restaurants, but I dig Sweet Tomatoes. You're greeted by what seems to be the world's longest salad bar. There are some pre-made salad options, as well as all the fixins for do-it-yourself salad. The ingredients are fresh and often the veg items are marked as such (unless it's obvious, they don't label the lettuce). You can tell yourself you're eating healthy as you pile on the cheese and egg and slather on the salad dressing. Well, at least you're eating fresh... You get your beverage and pay and go on your merry way to your seat. After your salad is gone, you still have the option of soup, a few pastas, breads, some miscellaneous other items and the dessert bar. Mmm, dessert bar... This particular location did seem to be lacking something in the food department, particularly at the salad bar. And, didn't they once have pizza? I don't know, but I still like it.
(4)
Tony H.
I have a like/dislike relationship with Sweet Tomatoes. It would be love/hate, but my attitude toward the food is exactly the way I feel about the food itself: Meh. I get what they're going for. Their concept is "from the farm to your fork in 24 hours." If you need that immediate freshness, then I guess the premium you pay is worth it. Personally, I have never come here without a coupon, and even then, it's like $15 for buy one get one with purchase of two drinks. And at the end of the day, I've filled up on soup and bread. Now, here is where I call out other reviewers. Yes, it's a buffet, so you don't get to take the food home with you. They have paid containers you can buy to fill up with whatever you would like (actually, that's the best value here). And they're already charging like $10 at lunch for the aforementioned soup and bread (yeah yeah, and salads, dessert, etc.), what makes you think your drink is automatically included? If you want your drink included, go to other family buffets or chinese buffets where the low quality meat they serve costs pennies on the dollar. Special shout-out to Baltazar, one of the gentlemen who happily greets guests and is lightning fast at clearing away dishes. He rules.
(3)
R J.
Great fresh soups and salads. Can make a meal of just those without the high calorie options here.
(4)
Amanda C.
I really enjoyed this place. If you are a soup and salad person, this will be pure bliss for you. There is something very welcoming about this place... it doesn't feel like those yucky over done buffets. Everything here is nice, fresh and clean. Healthy choices.. soups galore. The cheese focaccia was to die for! They had an asian style salad (pre made) and boy was that tasty. I also liked the tomato & basil soup, fresh fruits and ice cream bar. OH and how could I leave out their sour dough bread... super fresh! That creamy honey butter... melts in your mouth. Seriously I can't wait to go back. I had a groupon so for $5 i ate my heart out. Oh yes and they clean up after you pretty quickly, but they weren't over bearing. Don't forget to tip the bus boy! I'll be back... this place is Swweeeeetttttt
(4)
Lydia Z.
Sweet Tomatoes is an extravaganza of salads. We used to go to ST about once a month when they would email us buy-one-get-one-free coupons but then we realized it wasn't all that good. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad...it's just not great. Average. Their clam chowder soup is really quite tasty and their chili is good too but it can be overpriced if you dont have a coupon. Service at this location used to be good but the last three times it has been quite disappointing. We went last Friday and two of the employees walked by our table of used dishes at least 4 times without an attempt. Finally when I was going to talk to a manager a different woman came by and picked them up. If this was a one time thing I wouldn't care but it happened the last 3 times.
(3)
Jay N.
I am a fan of large cuts of meat, but any meal here satisfies me just as much. They have a wide selection of salad ingredients and they take care to cut them right. You can see that the tomatoes were cored and the zucchini is wave sliced. They have some prepared green salads at the beginning and pasta salads at the end. In between are also cheeses, dressings, and nuts. After paying for the meal (from an online coupon), there are plenty of drink options if you decide to go for a beverage. Fruit drinks, flavored teas and lemonades along with standard Coke products. There's plenty of carbs in the back but I suggest cornbread with the honey whip (whipped honey butter). Plenty of soups in the middle. My recommendation: small scoop of a few soups and then go back for your faves. I was surprised by the lentil soups as they were not salty and had the right touch of herbs. Dinner's a little pricier and they only have a few more options: 1 more pizza, 1 more dessert, 1 more prepared salad. It's usually empty then but the place is much cleaner. Service was really good about clearing room so you can go back for more. It closes at 9 but they're not pushy about making you leave although there's nothing left out to eat.
(4)
Abe I.
Went here for the first time a couple days ago. I was impressed with the staff / service , but the food didn't really blow me away. Don't get me wrong, the salad bar was phenomenal, but everything else seemed REALLY bland. The fettuccine alfredo looked and felt like the real thing, but the alfredo was essentially a flavorless paste. The soup was good, but it also lacked a certain taste. I don't know if the food was bland because it's "healthier" than other buffet food, but I was a little disappointed. I would've given this place 2 stars if the staff weren't so nice and attentive.
(3)
Sorry, we don't have Q&A for this restaurant.
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Address :2820 Highland Ave.,Suites A & B
Lombard, IL, 60148
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : No Wheelchair Accessible : No 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 : Yes
Nichole F.
I am a big fan of Sweet Tomatoes. I have only been there twice and it is so delicious! Their salad bar is filled with fresh veggies and toppings. I would love this place if this was all they had but they have so much far. They a bunch of soaps, pizza, pasta, breads and of course they have an awesome dessert bar! I highly recommend this place especially if you are looking for something quick, something for everyone and reasonably priced!
(5)Sandy R.
We really like it here
(4)Alison V.
I love this place. It's clean, there's a nice variety, and everyone is friendly. Sign up for the Club Veg email promotions and they will send out buy one, get one free coupons every couple of weeks. As a vegetarian, I appreciate that at least 2 soups, 1 pasta, and 2 pizzas/focaccias will be meat-free each time I visit. Plus, I have endless options at the salad bar. They rotate the menu every week, so each visit will be a new adventure. One of my favorites is "Greek week" because they make a great Greek salad. Yum, I cannot wait to go back!
(5)Sarah B.
My dad, grandma, and I were out looking for a place to eat after a lovely excursion to Hobby Lobby. (90% off) Our first restaurant had a 30 minute wait and there was no way we could wait that long. Instead, grandma suggested Sweet Tomatoes. I was intrigued, and very hungry, and dad just hoped it wasn't like Old Country Buffet. And it wasn't. I love the fast that it's all fresh and relatively healthy. Everything we tried was delicious, the rosemary potato soup being the best. Grandma had it right when she suggested it. I'm looking forward to going again and not getting a huge salad right off the bat. Oh, and the special dessert was orange lava cake, and it was awesome. Awesome.
(4)David N.
First time....and possibly last time. Really no different than your local Old County Buffet. Lunch for two ran almost $30.00 (with a drink). The salad bar was underwhelming. Especially considering the franchise is more less identified by its overabundance of vegetarian choices. Nothing special along the salad bar line, and to pay any extra for croutons, tofu, and/or chicken on your salad seemed absurd. Outside the "salad" bar, the pasta was under seasoned, the focaccia bread was dry and sitting out a little too long, and the soups were average buffet fare. I guess the only saving grace during our trip was the non-fat yogurt we pleasantly enjoyed for dessert. It was really the only reason to stop here instead of the OCB or Ponderosa. A well deserved 1.5 star restaurant, but I rounded up.
(2)Candice G.
As ghetto as non-casino buffets are, I kind of really liked this place. As a person on a perpetual diet, I'm fighting my inner self off from giving this place 4 stars. A place I can gorge on food for hours on end with unlimited drinks and hundreds of vegetarian options? My inner fat girl love it. The food was not bad and was an infinite amount better than any horrendous Old Country Buffet (are those still around?). My BF and I did go with a coupon, and I believe they almost always have buy one get one coups in the penny saver or Sunday ads in the paper... without that, I might have a lower review rating but for what we paid, it was great.
(3)Marie N.
It's been a couple of years since I visited this Sweet Tomatoes restaurant. We arrived for lunch at about 11:15am. It was not crowded at all during the next 75 minutes while we were eating our lunch. That was nice. All of the food was good. Unlike some other buffet restaurants, Sweet Tomatoes, was able to keep the hot items hot (including the bread, yum) and the cold items cold. Chili was good, all of the homemade breads and the honey butter was excellent. We, unfortunately did not have a coupon so our lunch was close to $13.00 per person, including the $2.50 unlimited beverage add on. I was disappointed that there were no chocolate chip cookies on the buffet. I only saw them on the salad bar line, as an add on item. The warm chocolate brownie muffin made up for the missing cookies. We'd return to dine again and we'd be sure to come at an off-hour when it is not so crowded.
(3)Manda A.
The price of this place is quite high; don't come without a coupon or you will pay. As far as buffets go, it's not bad -- you can eat as healthy or unhealthy as you please, though all the food is easily forgettable. Try to avoid coming during prime time; early lunch is best. A tip for the carnivores: They usually have chicken noodle soup with large chunks of chicken hidden away. Dig for the bottom and you'll hit pay dirt!
(2)Melissa H.
Okay, if you're gonna do buffets, do it right, here. You won't find greasy fried chicken, bbq sitting in juices, potatoes cooked in butter, frozen dinner rolls, or weird colors of jello. You will find a humongous salad bar, filled with multiple types of greens, pre-made salads, and every type of topping you can imagine. I liked mine with cucumbers, garbanzos, kidney beans, hard boiled egg, croutons, peas, and green peppers. Their low cal creamy cucumber was great; very creamy and rich tasting, with a mild cucumber flavor. After you pay, you find the rest of the Sweet Tomatoes experience. Soups upon soups, mac and cheese, several types of breads, fat free frozen yogurt, and a baked potato bar. Eat till your heart's content. You can swim on the healthy tide here very easily, but you can also sink. Don't come here thinking that everything is great for you. There is some greasy chili, oily pasta salads, and full fat dressings. Not to mention sour creams, cheeses, chocolate sauces, etc. All in all great. My issue came with the immense amount of veggies available, but the PALTRY selection of fruits. They had uncut, whole apples and oranges sitting in bins. Go ahead, try to cut them with the butter knife provided to you, but I'm not chancing it. There is so much potential here. Why wouldn't us veggie lovers want some berries, or melons, or pineapple? It is expensive here, but probably on course with those greasy buffets. You'll pay extra for cooked chicken on your salad here, too. Use your coupons wisely and tell yourself that you're paying for quality here; I certainly believe it.
(4)Claire M.
These self serve buffet places always make me a little queasy - especially when peoples little bratty children are swarming all over the place picking up the serving utensils with their grubby little mitts... I have to say that one time when we were there, the older couple in front of us were wearing latex gloved on their serving hands! It was quite possibly the most bloody brilliant strategy I had ever seen in my life and I keep saying I'm going to do it as well but I always forget. We refuse to eat here without a coupon because I never feel like I eat my money's worth. Now, on to the food. As I usually must state in my food reviews, I am a vegetarian which in most places, limits my options but at Sweet Tomato, I can eat just about everything, which is grand. On our most recent visit, we noticed the new "premium salad topping" section which charges a little more if one chooses to use any of those particular items on their salad. Hmm... I thought it was a little weird. I guess they're supposed to have better, more healthy ingredients than other places which I 100% applaud but as I stated before, I would never eat there paying full price. Really all there is other than salad (and I have never gone through the salad bar twice because it seems awkward to do so) is bread, soups, baked potato, macaroni and cheese, steamed veggies and usually some other sort of pasta, pizza bread and a small dessert bar. There honestly aren't that many options though I do always get full. I just tend to think of the absolutely abhorrant Golden Corral type places where you get so much more to choose from for essentially the same price, and I think even a couple dollars cheaper. Sure it's way less healthy but not everyone is a health freak. I LOVE their chocolate peanut butter bars. I snuck ziplock bags in once and made off with a few handfuls of said chocolate peanut butter bars. Holy crap. It's officially Autumn. They should be making an appearance soon! For me, and this is just me, I am full after my salad (and I don't make a huge one), one piece of sour dough bread, one piece of pizza bread, MAYBE a half cup of soup, one blueberry muffin, and depending on what's for dessert, maybe a little bit of that. When I use the coupon, I feel the price is worth it but for the full price, it doesn't seem like I would eat my money's worth.
(4)Dave M.
Sweet Tomatoes was underwhelming. The salad bar selections were limited and unimaginative, the "Premium Toppings" were unattractive and uninspired. The selection of toppings for the baked potatoes were limited. Desserts were really not enjoyable to eat. The place was packed on a Friday evening, so apparently people do like it. There are plenty of places where you can get a much better salad at a much lower price.
(2)Shawn C.
Love everything about this place! They always bring in new and exciting salads, soups, etc. And if you take advantage of the coupons they put out you can do well. Such as dinner for 2 adults and 2 kids for $21!
(5)Jenni E.
The food is great and fresh. There are lots of healthy options as well as some not-so-healthy ones in disguise. I do think that it is a little too expensive for what you are eating though - maybe if drinks were included.
(3)Adam K.
We've been here on a couple of occasions, like someone else said, DO NOT come here without a coupon. Go online or their website, I'm sure you can find a BOGO or something like that. If you're looking for a romantic date dinner, do not come here, there are lots of kids everywhere, the food is all buffet style and it's pretty loud. If you're coming to get a fresh, quality meal, definitely come here, the salad selection is great, the other dishes are good and they even had a fairly expansive dessert bar for those with a sweet tooth. I've never been disappointed by the food here, sometimes the kids and the noise get a little annoying, but like I said, it all depends on what you're looking for. Good food, good price (with a coupon), definitely a thumbs up.
(4)Kevin S.
I have not been to a Sweet Tomatoes in many many years, I shouldn't of waited so long. They have an amazing number of freshly made dishes. I enjoyed many of the dishes and there were a few that were not. I enjoyed the fantastic soups, I will eat less salad and more soup! I will be back to Sweet Tomatoes.
(3)Chuck M.
NORMALLY our favorite place for eating out. No longer. Every single soup tasted was flat and dull. The salad bar has lost it's gleem. The level of all the food flavors is gone from the past visits. A shame really. We used to love this location.
(1)Osiris V.
Sometimes I feel like eating something fresh for lunch, therefore I go to Sweet Tomatoes! This places always clean. All you can eat salad buffet? I don't think so. One plate of salad with my choice toppings and I'm pretty much full. I also get some soup and some bread. I have to remind myself to leave some room for dessert! They have soft serve ice cream and the toppings to go with it. I crumble some of their warm brownie over it. Haha even though you think you're eating healthy, believe me, I don't think it is. =]
(4)John T.
I go to eat healthy, but I ALWAYS leave too stuffed. I can't help myself with their all you can eat stuff. The flatbread pizzas are always great and the ice cream? Forget about it! I really love their pre-made salad selections, but I do like to get adventurous and make my own stuff. Their soups are not really my thing, but I love everything else. There are BOGO deals for first-time diners, so be sure to inquire about this when you are at the check-out line. Do not forget about this. Also, check online to see their selections because they vary weekly or monthly.
(5)Jac A.
Love this place! As a vegetarian, the salad bar makes me feel like a kid on Christmas. Yummy!
(4)Thomas L.
If you are in a soup kinda mood this place is great. Don't go w/ out a coupon or you are just dumb. This place is supposed to be "healthy," however the cows coming to the trough don't look like it. They obviously missed the part on portion control and moderation.
(3)David Y.
I always enjoy my meal at Sweet Tomatoes. Its fresh, healthy, cooked well, and they've got a nice selection of food to sample and try. They change up their menu every month or so and I usually use their BOGO coupon. The Lombard location was clean and their service was fast and friendly. Always a pleasant experience.
(4)Brad V.
This is a vegetarian's paradise! I've only been to this place twice, but I'm definitely in love with it. They have a HUGE salad buffet. I know, salad doesn't seem all that exciting, but when you can build your salad a foot high, a simple salad becomes an entire meal. They offer just about every topping for your salad that you can think of. In fact, by the time I build my own salad, any health benefits are negated by all the tasty toppings. Another great thing about this place is that they label what is vegetarian and what is not. How cool is that? Like I said, Sweet Tomatoes is a vegetarian's paradise. You can eat a lot of food with no meat and not feel awkward or bad. There are no waiters to give you dirty looks when you want to substitute meat with tofu or something. The interior of Sweet Tomatoes is very spacious. Most of the tables are booths, which gives you a bit of privacy (who likes sitting out in the open at a table??). The staff is friendly. Employees walk around and clear dirty dishes from your table to make room for more food, and that brings me to my next point... They have a soft-serve ice cream bar with all the fixins. You can also find a wide range of soups and breads. But I wouldn't call Sweet Tomatoes 100% perfect. There are 2 reasons why I didn't give Sweet Tomatoes 5 stars. 1 major reason, 1 fairly minor (but still worth mentioning): 1. Sweet Tomatoes is expensive!!! $28 for 2 adults. That's pretty steep. 2. Their brownies are something to be desired. They are dry and don't have much taste. The brownies are called muffins or something. I've made better tasting brownies from a Betty Crocker mix. My wife liked them fine though. Would I recommend this place? Yes, in a heartbeat, especially if you're a vegetarian. Well worth it. Just be prepared to pay!
(4)Chirag P.
This is good for those looking to get a decent amount of food for cheap... but also healthier than say your OCB (old country buffet). Pretty good selection of soup and salad and the entrees do the trick. Good options for vegetarians as well.
(4)Maggie W.
This place is worth it if you have a coupon. And if you're on their email list, you will have many coupons coming your way. So go to their web site and sign up for their email list. When I don't feel like making dinner but don't want to spend the money at a nice restaurant, I appreciate that we can come to Sweet Tomatoes and eat fresh, nutritious, real food that isn't heavy or greasy or over-processed. And with a coupon, we can feed two people for around $17, and that includes dessert. Not too bad in my experience. Sure, we could save money eating at home - isn't that the case with any restaurant?? If you want to eat cheap outside of home, you're stuck with overprocessed fast food that completely lacks any nutritional value. If you want food that provides sustenance, realize you might have to pay a little more. This isn't rocket science! Anyway, my favorite part about coming to Sweet Tomatoes is trying all the soups. I think they usually have 5 different soups plus chili. And also the salad bar - it is huge! Tons of choices you can't get at most salad bars. The bottom line is, appreciate Sweet Tomatoes for what it is. It is a buffet, but they emphasize fresh, real food. Go to CiCi's if you want a cheap buffet.
(4)Sarah T.
This is a giant salad bar. I think it's a great concept. Although it was $13 for lunch, I think it's worth the price for freshness and selection. There are a few premade lettuce salads, pasta salads, and a rice mixture in front; then, there's a giant row of salad mix-ins. This restaurant is huge! It offers a mini hot potato bar, a few selections of breads, anti-pasta, and pizza. Lots of soups. A decent dessert selection of frozen yogurt, fat-free mousse, etc.
(5)Heather J.
Good....but, they are now charging 'extra' for salad toppings.... ie, chicken, croutons, etc....
(3)Julia K.
I'm a meat-loving, comfort-food-craving chick. It's a vice. Sweet Tomatoes shook my unhealthy, carnivorous tendencies until they crumbled. I absolutely love this place, and I even feel better about myself when I leave! The service has been very nice (even if I've made mistakes during my visits--see below). My mother and I discovered ST when we couldn't decide where to eat amongst the throng of choices along Butterfield Rd. When we walked in, we were a bit confused what to do. You're supposed to get a big plate of salad, pay the cashier, and then be seated. We found a place to sit, put down our coats, and then returned to the line. This lapse in protocol earned us a word from a staff worker. Oops! Maybe we missed the signs. It worked out anyway, and I (re)discovered that *fresh food is good* and it satisfies every need in your body. Everything was crisp, bright, tasty, and fabulous. I left stuffed to the brim and feeling nourished! Some cautions: 1) If you can't be without meat, you won't like Sweet Tomatoes at first. But I guarantee that if you try the variety of dishes, enjoy the soups, and have some yummy desserts, you won't miss meat at all! 2) You must purchase a full-price meal (~$12 for adults) in order to get past the cashier into the dining room. One time my friends decided to eat here and I just wanted to have a drink and sit with them since I'd already ate. Bad idea. The cashier told me I couldn't do that, but took pity on my ignorance and let me in at a child's price (you saved my night, man!). 3) There is such a thing as eating too much food, even if it's vegetables and soup. 4) You can only go through the salad bar line once, so load up the first time around. Thanks for making me love salad bars once again, Sweet Tomatoes! Next time I promise to do it right ;)
(4)Michael R.
I love a good buffet, which is probably why I hated this place. Sweet Tomatoes has a mediocre salad bar and some fairly awful sidebars like potatoes and soups. None of the food was worth the $12 I shelled out and having an unlimited supply of it should hardly be considered a selling point.
(1)Dennis G.
I'm sure this place is great if you're a rabbit. Not truly understanding what I was getting into, I went here last night with the gf. This is place is awesome for vegetarians and/or small furry woodland creatures - not to say there were rodents in here (though one girl seemed rather mousy), this place was very clean. They have salad, soup, and a desert station. If you are a meat eater, stay away. There is nothing for you here. Save yourself.
(1)Jeff M.
Its a good salad bar and more. I'll echo the sentiments of many of the other reviewers...a coupon is a MUST here. I've signed up to get their weekly emails and they always include a coupon. So, coupon in hand, head to ST. Parking is not plentiful at this location, so expect to be out in the back 40 on any weekend lunch time. First, Sweet Tomatoes offers a menu that changes regularly. They seem to have core items that are always there, but they change their theme monthly (?) and makes the experience a little more unique each time. The salad bar is average to just above. They offer a number of "premade" salads at the start of the line and the build it yourself salads after that. The premade salads are hit or miss. Some seem a bit wilted. Maybe grabbing them when they are first put out would be better. They do offer a decent selection of fixin's for your salad, but the dressing selections could be lower in fat and higher in selection. A few potato salads, macaroni salad, tuna tarragon (this looks better that it tastes), etc are also available here. Make your payment and take a seat at this point, then the buffet experience gets much better. They have a large selection of drinks, milk (with chocolate to add), juice, soda, etc. Then stop and grab some of the focaccia bread or bread sticks to go with your salad. They also have a baked potato bar, things like mac and cheese or a hot pasta dish or two, and usually a steamed vegetable. The soups are, in my opinion, the best part of the Sweet Tomatoes experience. They have 8 soups each day, and I've rarely found one I didn't like. They always have chicken noodle soup and a chili, but the other six change with the theme. The dessert bar is really for the kids, but a brownie with a little vanilla ice cream, and a squirt of caramel on it can never really be a bad thing! I also need to comment on the people here. I've had good experiences with everyone and I've felt very welcomed. The bus people are very attentive and move the used plates and soup bowls out of the way with great efficiency! There was also the time we didn't have our wallet and the manager said "just pay double next time..." You certainly don't see that every day.
(3)Sheila C.
The salad bar is amazing, especially considering there is only so much you can do with lettuce. The soup area is very nice as is the bread area. However, I find the staff to be OUTSTANDING. Especially one bus-person (politically correct version of bus-boy) named Roseanna. She always recognizes my husband and myself when we are there and makes a point to say hello and ask how we have been since we last dinned there. All the other employees are very kind, but she is an prize and I hope management appreciates her work.
(4)AllAround C.
I really enjoy eating at Sweet Tomatoes. The facilities are clean and the staff is friendly and helpful (Hey Roxy!). I enjoy the salad bar and soup. I think is wonderful that they try new salads and other food items once a month or so. I do not understand why people say it is unhealthy. It may not be the best, but compared to other fast food joints and restaurants, it is a refreshing alternative. It is an excellent way to teach your children to pass on the burgers and chicken nuggets and eat something with nutritional value and fiber. Again, the staff is great! (Hey, Roxy!! LOL) I love your friendly and upbeat personality. It is refreshing.
(4)Melissa B.
My family had a chance to visit Sweet Tomatoes, and we loved their fresh wholesome foods including veggies, soups and homemade breads to the restaurant. Recently they offered 8 weeks around the world. When we visited the focus was on Asia My husband, who is a big salad lover, was delighted in the huge salad bar. He also tried nearly all of the 8 fresh soups available and especially liked the Asian Ginger Broth soup that allowed patrons to add their own ingredients. He added mushrooms, tofu, and onion and really enjoyed the flavor. I tried a bowl of the chili with their fresh bread. Often chili is too greasy for me, but this one wasn't. The bread was chewy and delicious. I am sensitive to salt and find many restaurants' soups too salty. However, their soups were perfectly seasoned and not too salty. They also have dishes that cater more to children. Both of my kids had the macaroni and cheese and blueberry muffins. My son also ate an Asian salad and enjoyed it, but he didn't care for the cold noodles he tried. We really enjoyed our trip to Sweet Tomatoes and plan to go back. You can find my full review of this restaurant at: diningoutchallenge.com/2…
(4)Rahshonda K.
I would have to agree with fellow yelper Renita that this was solid but not outstanding. I like the buffet and the concept is cool but it was OK. What I did enjoy was the chicken noodle soup it was definitely homemade or at least tasted like it and looked like it with the dumpling like noodles. I would go back if I were in the area but I would go out of my way to hit up sweet tomatoes again
(3)Jason N.
This place is fantastic. I go about once a month out of my busy work schedule with a group of co-workers. I'm not a vegetarian, I love meat. That alone makes it so interesting that I love to eat here. The options are great and flavorful. The food is always fresh and cooked through. The chili is amazing anytime throughout the year. The deserts would be the only area of improvement I could see. Sometimes the baked goods are overcooked and may not have the moisture and texture you expect. All in all, I recommend this restaurant to anyone, meat lover or not!
(5)sherry t.
healthy buffet? isn't that an oxymoron? First time eating at this chain. anywho. it's a sad buffet. You get a healthier choice of food here but cmon. The quality in their salad is not there; Romaine leaves are wilted and old looking. We all can make better, healthier choices else where. You get choices of pastas that aren't any good, some bready mediocre pizza, and avg ice cream. The only thing that it has going for it is the variety of soups. My favorite is the chicken noodle soup which tastes fantastic and homemade. I could have spent my $14 somewhere else only a tasty lower calorie meal.
(2)Martin D.
Went here for dinner tonight and was really disappointed. The place was not well thought out and many of the items on the buffet were out. But, I have to give props when they are due...the strawberry lemonade is outstanding. The salad bar is above average as are the homemade soups and muffins. I wasnt keen on the pastas, pizza, or mac and cheese. In closing, the coffee...and for those of you who know me know this is crucial...well, it was below average. For $13, I should have went to Claim Jumpers across the street. Sorry!
(3)Beth G.
Honestly, my first instinct on rating this place was based on how HORRIBLE my singular experience with it was. But every negative point I have has nothing to do with the actual food. To be fair, my two stars is an average of the one star for service/atmosphere and four stars for the yummy semi-healthy fare one can eat here, since I can' t give it 2.5 stars and there is no way in hell I am giving it 3. My husband and I arrived right at the peak of a Saturday lunch rush. We had a coupon for one free buffet with the purchase of a buffet and 2 drinks. Apparently, so did the entire towns of Lombard, Villa Park, Oak Brook, Elmhurst, and Glen Ellyn. My God but it was busy. Sardines have more spacious digs than that place on this day. We stagnated in the salad line because there were no tables for the newly paid-up to sit. Rather than move all those people off to the side, the cashiers kept them in the line, backing both lines up to the front door. My greens started to wilt and my feet started to hurt. It seemed like years before we were finally seated about as far away from the buffet as you could possibly imagine. It's not that we needed to be closer to the food. But you cannot possibly imagine the obstacle course we had to endure just to get to it. Kids running amok, strollers left everywhere, stray food all over the floor. I don't care HOW good their blueberry muffins are, they're really not worth breaking my neck over, ya know? The food itself was quite tasty in a filling, comfort food kind of way. My husband is a potato fan and it was potato heaven there that day - potato salad, potato soup, potato foccacia, baked potato, and probably a few potatoes I've left out. He almost forgot that it was a salad bar. I do love being able to make a kitchen-sink type salad with only things I like. This is obviously what their schtick is and they do it well. I hope to get over the trauma of the experience soon and go on a day when it's not busy and I'm paying full retail price. I'll hopefully be able to raise my rating then.
(2)Jenn L.
I have to admit I am an avid sweet tomatoe diner. And this weekend was my first trip to this particular one. I enjoy a good salad bar and this place goes beyond the salad bar experience. You can sip some soup, slurp some pasta, create your own dessert, and sample the yummy bread and build your own baked potatoe. YUM! They have some of the best strawberry buttermilk muffins around but you can only catch them on special. In comparison to all the other sweet tomatoe places I have been this particular location is tops. Its clean and very minimalist atmosphere (except for the abbundance of food). The place was very clean and not crowded which is always a plus in my book! A good place to dine at after a long day of shopping!
(4)V.i.o.l.e.t.t.a. D.
YUM. I'm drooling even thinking about all the wonderful food at Sweet Tomatoes. I love the cleanliness of this place..I visited ones near St. Charles/Geneva and they weren't nearly as nice...I'm vegetarian so being able to find lots of options to eat hardly ever happens and when it does I get excited :D Everything's very fresh and tasty...I go as often as I can and I suggest you do too :]
(5)Stove P.
Sweet place to go when I need a variety. Even though Sweet Tomatoes has a variety to choose from, you'll never leave with that guilty "I shouldn't have eaten that" feeling. Most options are light and healthy. The soup selection usually contains about 5 to choose from, and always has at least one vegetarian option. From the pasta dishes, mac and cheese is my favorite, but it could still use some extra flavor. Breads are always hot and ready for dipping. The muffins are fresh out of the oven, or they at least taste that way. Drinks vary from standard soft drinks to milk, coffee, and tea. Nice choices. Breakfast is absolutely delicious! I loooove the Belgium waffles and French toast. My only wish is that they'd do breakfast throughout the week or at least Saturdays too. My dislikes, even though you can choose anything you want and can supersize the portions to your liking, you'll hardly eat enough to fullfill the $13.00 price they put on one meal. It's just not possible. But I love this place, so I'll try my hardest to eat everything I can. Just a note to anyone who goes here, don't let your dumb kids run around. You know what, just leave them at home. Slow people, you were just as annoying as you were in high school when you slowed down the WHOLE HALLWAY. Send a faster person to get your food, or stay home and order something. Sweet Tomatoes is for the robust, people. Try and keep up.
(4)M M.
Buffets tend to not be the greatest places to go get a meal if you're a person who's interested in cleanliness, or food that hasn't been sitting out all day long, or not being surrounded by people who depress you. Sweet Tomatoes manages to come off just a little bit higher end. It's based around a theme of freshness and relative healthiness and definitely succeeds in that regard. Your choices are extensive salads, half a dozen or more homemade soups, pastas, and a bunch of fresh baked bread-type products. It all tastes pretty good but not really anything spectacular. The biggest point against it, though, is the price. It costs about 30 dollars for two people with drinks. That just seems excessive. What we originally thought was going to be a fairly inexpensive, somewhat lower-fat meal, ended up costing a bit more. And while good, the food just doesn't match that price, I don't care how much of it you're getting. So it's a somewhat nice treat every once and awhile, but it could be so much more.
(3)Sinan A.
If I was a vegetarian i would love this place. problem is im not. It essentially one big salad and soup bar. The problem I have with this place is they make it seem like its an all healthy place and thats why they dont serve meaty options. But all around this buffet is tons of non healthy options- from your unlimited breads, to your ice creams, to your brownies, to your potatoes. I actually dont mind that, but if your going to throw all that in, why not throw in some meat!
(3)Nona Gayle D.
I love a buffet, and this boasts a healthier selection. Soup, salad, a warm bread selection, mac and cheese, and dessert! OOOOOOhhhhh YEAHHHHHH That's all i have to say!
(4)Julie H.
If you love fresh vegetables, warm baked-from-scratch bread and soup, Sweet Tomatoes might be your match. A salad bar with an inferiority complex, it aims to appease diners who have an aversion to vegetables with several options of the bread/cheese/meat variety in prepared salads, soups and noodles. While I always get a bowl of Deep Kettle House Chili (sometimes cut with another soup) I'm flabbergasted they felt the need to cram "50% more meat". The population of vegetarian soups just seems to diminish every menu change. Now I understand Sweet Tomatoes is getting "creative" and diverse for their customers, but I come here to revel in fresh flavors of vegetables, herbs and spices, I really don't think bits of sausage need to make a cameo in an otherwise tasty soup. That being said, if you happen to be a meat lover, don't sweat not getting your fill at sweet tomatoes. But in all, its a buffet, there are options, so I truly doubt someone will be missing out on something here. The $10-$12 price? For fresh ingredients, and dishes made from scratch, I'll surrender my wallet. It doesn't hurt so bad when there are always ways to get B1G1 (joining club veg or checking out the sunday circulars). But if you are just really feeling robbed, consult the local authorities, or better yet, wrap up a muffin or two for the trip home.
(4)Katrina H.
My Kids heart this place. The cashier/Manager always give you a great deal with your coupons (just adds the teen when the teen is supposed to pay full adult price ) .. the food is pretty much Tons of Salad.. some pizza's .. breads.. and soups.. The soups are delicious. Their desert bar is pretty decent .. for 4 people to eat for about $32.. pretty decent.
(4)tobey t.
I love Sweet Tomatoes! But I love the Schaumburg one more than the others. That's why it got only 4 stars....... I am rabbit!! but they do serve chicken, bacon, tuna, etc. etc. Don't you see it, meatarian!?
(4)Jessica G.
Huge salad bar with lots of options and soups and side dishes. Very veggie heavy lineup - some of the soups have meat and one of the foccacias has pepperoni but otherwise veggie- full. Some of the prepared salads are pretty good but I like to build my own and then hit the other items. You can apparently get bacon and chicken if you ask for it but, honestly, I don't think I've ever needed it. Along with the salads and breads you can get baked potatoes and pastas, which are ok. Desserts are hit or miss and they usually have some fresh fruit to offset the actual dessert items. Each month there is a different theme ingredient like lemon or cherry or, like this month, pumpkin. You can get coupons via email to make it a bit cheaper - 10.50 per adult for dinner may be a bit steep for some people. Very crowded on Friday evenings and lots of kids running around so something to keep in mind for those who are not child-friendly. The bonus to coming at the busy times is that everything is freshly made. More than likely, you will find yourself waiting for a table to become available, though the restaurant will help get people seated. It's a slow process which is kind of annoying. Decent place overall - we'll go back, not just because it's really the only place like it near us.
(3)janice m.
Although I am not a "all you can eat", I do enjoy going once in a while to Sweet Tomatoes. Fresh veggies, fresh soups, fresh breads...all very good. Desserts, not the greatest in the world but I really don't expect much from places like this. They do have a great salad bar, where you can pick and choose what to put into your salad, or you can choose from their ready to eat combos. Don't miss their Chicken Noodle soup, by far the best I have ever eaten, and that is saying a lot. Their other soups are pretty tasty too! They also have some great Strawberry Lemonade and other unusual drinks. Try to get there early before the screaming kids with clueless parents show up.Prices are a little high as far as I am concerned for a salad bar, but coupons help.
(3)Anna M.
I absolutely love this restaurant, specifically at this location. I always find the salad bar to be incredibly fresh and tasty with a large variety of options. As a vegetarian, it's hard to find healthy options that I actually enjoy. I especially enjoy the fact that their soups and premade salads have labels differentiating whether they're vegetarian or not. I always make sure to get their strawberry lemonade and bran muffins. My only complaints are that (not surprisingly) the premade green salads have dressing mixed in, which usually causes the lettuce to wilt and, for someone looking for a simple salad bar, it can seem to be a bit on the pricey side. I would definately recommend this location to anyone looking for a variety of fresh, tasty options.
(4)Mike P.
It's a very good "fake healthy" alternative. Sweet Tomatoes is on my regular lunch rotation.
(3)Lisa K.
I had a mediocre experience at my first visit to Sweet Tomatoes. I think I would go elsewhere and just order a salad instead of an expensive salad bar that I only want one plate anyway. The salad bar has a decent number of vegetables, nothing exciting, pretty much the standard for a salad bar. The soup was the most stand out item I tried. It was a vegetarian curry soup. Very delicious, it tasted fresh and homemade. The dessert I had was very dry and not very tasty even though they had just been put out. The ice cream is a nice option for dessert. They have a few toppings for it. Next time I am in the mood for food while I am in the burbs, I probably would pass Sweet Tomatoes right on by.
(2)kristen s.
My parents take my boyfriend and i here quite often, whenever my mom happens to get buy one get one coupons haha. it's generally the same food each time we go, but it's damn good. plus the all you can eat aspect of it really makes it worth your dollar. my favorite part- they have honey butter! i have never seen honey butter in a restaurant, and i usually end up filling up on sourdough slathered in honey butter instead of real food, but oh well.
(4)Tina T.
Embarassing to admit, but I am a salad bar FANATIC. I actually have the unique accomplishment of having eaten a salad from our college cafeteria's salad bar every night for a whole two years! (College food being disgusting as it is!) Being somewhat of a control freak, I love to be able to choose what I want on my salad. And this self serve restaurant is everything you could want in a salad bar: clean and full of interesting, fresh, healthy and not so healthy items. The assortment of toppings to choose from is endless, from julienned banana squash to beets to bleu cheese to my absolute favorite salad topping - green peas! They also have several different selections of soup and breads to add to your meal. You can eat in or take it home to go. Two downsides to the restaurant: first of all, they need to get bigger to go containers. They should check out Dominicks' big square containers, because the shallow dish they give you is not nearly big enough to appropriately handle all the greens and toppings. Second, their customer service is lacking a bit, as I waited in the so-called express line for 10 minutes before a cashier came to take my money, and then I had to chase her down for a bag for my to go items. Definitely a healthy and fresh alternative for lunch!
(4)ButtaflyPoet P.
Im a rabbit for this place...I turned my spouse onto it...and we love to go and fill up on salad, soup and the other special seasonal treats. They keep this place clean, staff is all smiles. They even offer small bags for you to take home things like muffins and pizza squares right at closing time.
(5)Mick O.
Salad Bar On Steroids ! I first ate at one in Florida , I was tickled pink when they came to the Chicago Land area . The choices are plentiful and the inventive . They have some " special " salads pre-made , but I like making my own . The also have some awesome soups to choose from . Everything is so clean and the staff is great .I like to choose from the pizza bread and fresh rolls . Everything is made in the store and it shows !I think it is a bit pricey so we always look for coupons . Do not forget the potatoes and mac & cheese !
(4)Dana B.
My 13 year old son loves this place even without being a major fan of salads. He craves their chili, hot pasta dishes, Mac and cheese. Their sourdough bread is freshly made as is the focaccia. Can't beat "all you can eat" for this age group. He always makes me my special drink-iced tea with some added fruit juice or drink. It has become a family tradition. This is not a gourmet place but a place for everyone to salads and it is up to you whether to make them healthy or not. Definitely get the online coupons. Makes a big difference.
(4)Bridgette K.
This restaurant has it's up's and down's. I'm not happy with their price and that they charge 2.50 extra for a soda. Are you serious? Every other buffet does not charge 2.50 extra for a soda. And they are over priced for a buffet. $32.00 for 2 adults? Wow, why so much? The food is o.k. not bad but not good. It's just very flavorless and the way the buffet is set up it's poor. Your waking into a salad bar. The variety of items to put on a salad is good. The pizza and pasta options are ok and the different types of soups are always good. Would I travel all the way out to Lombard or Woodfield for Sweet Tomatoes. No. If I was in the area and wanted a good salad then yes i'd stop in.
(2)Melissa M.
Sweet Tomatoes is such a good value. You get so much for what you pay for. I am surprised I don't go there more often, but you do have to get up and serve yourself, and that kind of goes against the usual restaurant set-up but it's worth it because you pretty much get your whole lunch or dinner for like 10 bucks total. If you like soup and salad (especially salad), Sweet Tomatoes is worth checking out. This new branch is a lot nicer and more spacious than the one in Schaumburg.
(4)Denki Y.
A smorgasbord of fresh veggies, soups, baked goods, and desserts. While the salad bar is very healthy, those looking to overindulge can also find the KCals they crave.
(4)Angela P.
So I have been to all three Sweet Tomatoes in the area (St. Charles and Schaumburg, too) and this one is the best! I don't know if it is because it is so new or what but it seems like everything is freshest here than at the other two. I particularly love the Caesar Salad and Oriental Chicken Salad and I, of course, make my own AMAZING salad! I also love the soup called Albondigas Locas which is a Mexican mini meatball soup with authentic spices and flavors. They also have a really good warm sourdough bread and I put freshly made honey butter on top...so good! If you love all you can eat salad bars...this place is a must!
(5)sObig S.
We didnt liked this place.. The food was average. We went at around 9:45 PM and the manager was yelling at us to get what we want and they wanted to wrap up n close soon. All desserts were wrapped even before we could have some. At the end, we rushed our dinner so that they can close out. We forgot our baby's stuff on the table and went back to get it. This lady manager came to the door and said that she cannot open the door to give us our stuff. She made us come the next day to pick it up. Not going here again!!
(1)Kelly K.
i love sweet tomatoes......i have been visiting their one and only location in st charles, il for many years....before other closer locations opened:-):-)..... if you are looking to dine on meat and potatoes.........this is not the spot for you!!!! salad bar........soups.....muffins.....breads.....Âfoccacia with cheese/tomato sauce or pepperoni...or parmesan.........whipped butter or honey whip.......hot pastas....edy's chocolate and vanilla frozen soft serve yogurt.....lots of choices for drinks too....including vitamin water.......i just went to the lombard location a couple of days ago.......still great food even though i am now on a dairy free, high fructose corn syrup free, gluten free diet.......still managed to have 2 slices of corn bread.......and a pineapple upside down cake sundae plus a couple mini ice cream cones!!!!! yummo!!!!!!!!!!!
(5)Justin R.
This is kind of an all you can eat soup and salad bar type of place. I don't eat salad much but I really liked this place, price is a little high for just salad, but it is all you can eat.
(4)Jerrod M.
hmmmmm.....sweet tomatoes....me being a tomato fan, sounds great! well.....bad news folks......they dont have tomatoes at this salad bar! Why you ask??? Well! im told because tomatoes are expensive (so is a $15 salad bar.....) they told me that, and i quote, "NOBODY has tomatoes right now, theyre $2.99/lb.....well, i said "burger king and mcdonalds do" anyways!!!! so i go for a bowl of made from scratch soup.....COLD then the manager says its fine cuz he temped it and he guarantees that its at 160 degrees (140 making you sick)... he temped it at 143....told me its all fine, and turned up the soup warmers..... dont stir the clam chowder youll puke...... nice concept....old cheap food.......
(2)J M.
Okay food, LARGE prices.....$12.00 for just me at lunch. And if you get more than one plate, it is like there a friggin spotlight on you the way some of the customers are. Gimme a break-it's a buffet, people! I hate the prices, because I only like the salads and soup, and I can only eat so much of that-one and a hlaf plates at best. And maybe 2 little cups of soup. Yeah, that'e me-the pig. I hate the clientele here. Snotty and rude. I cannot deal with that attitude, I have been here over 12 times and it is ALWAYS like that here. I am too laid back for that crap. I just want some salad and soup.
(2)Jena S.
Holy shitballs, I've died and gone to heaven. A CARB LOVER'S DREAM!!!! Anything you crave they have here: 45 feet of salad (they even have jicama!) 7 different kinds of soup, pasta, a potato bar, muffins, pizza dippers and a desert bar! Plus it's really cheap! If you sign up for their emails they send B1G1 free coupons several times a month. With a coupon, for two entrees and two drinks it comes to roughly $15.00. Nice! PLUS this place is spotless! I usually hate buffets but everything is clean and they people are delightful! Love IT!
(5)Jeff Y.
There aren't any Sweet Tomatoes in Virginia, so I was fortunate to find one in Illinois during my Chicago trip (my friend and I had it as a last meal before taking me to the airport). I got to use my birthday coupon! The food at this Sweet Tomatoes is pretty much the standard offered throughout this chain, although the layout of each restaurant is unique. I was surprised that there was no clam chowder! We also received a small plate of freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies from an employee toward the end of our meal, which was new. Other than that, another excellent meal in the Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes franchise.
(4)Jane G.
I like the concept of this style restaurant. ..but in practice, if it is a busy day. ...it is the last place I want to be. Food was what I expected, I wish there was actually a bit more variety to the salad bar. Great French onion soup. ..mediocre chili. Decent value for cost.
(3)Jessica N.
I have been enjoying lunch/dinners at Sweet Tomatoes for yrs now. I do prefer this location vs the one in Schaumburg. Apart from living in Chicago near the Oak Park area & making this location a convenient 15-20 min drive for me. This location is also newer, bigger & cleaner. Hence making this my go to spot whenever I'm craving fresh salads & soups. Sweet Tomatoes is a salad & soup buffet that also has numerous gluten-free options to pick from, which I appreciate. Walking in, your 1st presented w/a huge salad bar. They have a variety of premade tossed salads & cold pasta salads to choose from, as well as the option to build your own salad. They have a huge selection of fresh vegetables, cheeses, dressings, nuts or croutons to top your salad with. When you get to the end of the salad line, you are greeted by an employee who takes your payment. You then carry your tray to a table of your choice- this location has a huge seating area! Sweet Tomatoes has about 8 different soups at all times. They also have pasta, focaccia (or what I would consider flat bread pizza's), & baked potatoe stations w/all of your standard toppings. I do find all of the pastas very bland & lacking in flavor, so I always skip this station. In the bakery area you will find a variety of warm muffins & breads w/different types of butter spreads. After you are beyond full, the last station to try would be desserts of course! Here you'll find fresh fruits, puddings or mouse, chocolate lava cake or strudel's (just depends on whatever their featuring for the month), & soft serve ice cream with a variety of toppings. Overall my multiple dining experiences at Sweet Tomatoes has always been good, making me a returning customer. I do come here more for the salads, soups & the focaccia stations. I do not care @for the pasta's they offer as already mentioned. Some families who have multiple children often let their kids run around & make messes at the different stations. This of course is not a complaint directly aimed @the establishment. However what is, is that I find that the salad line is what is often the most clean. Employees seem to tend to this area the most. I've come to the conclusion that, this is what you first see upon walking in, so the tidiness of this area is what appears to be a clear priority. I'm giving this location 3 stars- based on taste of ALL the food, service, & overall cleanliness. Sweet Tomatoes your salads, soups, & focaccia's are good... but I do think you good do a better job on your different pastas. *Please be considerate to the person who does attend to the tables & comes by regularly to take your dishes. Leave a tip!!*
(3)Jared P.
For a buffet, this place is above and beyond. It has plenty of vegetarian options and hearty soups. Vegan may be a tougher sell, but, it's a chain. What more can you ask for? I could have done without all the children running around unsupervised. It's the 'burbs and should be expected.
(4)Grant P.
I like Sweet Tomatoes because you can come here under the false pretense of "eating healthy" because it's a salad bar. Yeah. Sure. It's a salad bar with chili, ten kinds of soups, a baked potato bar, a bakery, a pasta station and pizza (focaccia - whatever). Lies. There ain't nothing healthy about this place, people, so quit pretending. This is a buffet. A fat, fat, buffet. And when you walk in, you're greeted by about 10,000 booths heaped full with mountains of used dishes. No, this is not a healthy restaurant. This is a restaurant where people make 2-10 trips back and forth to the buffet line and still want to eat more because EVERYTHING is pretty much delicious. You might as well skip the salad part anyway because you know you want to dive right into that soup and swim through an ocean of it with your mouth gaping open, swallowing bite after delicious bite. But please remember to tip the poor girl whose job it is to take away those caverns of dirty dishes, and wipe up after you after you wedge your newly-swollen stomach out of the booth after your final trip. Because she is working her tail off and deserves every penny. My only regret is I wore that one shirt (you know the shirt) that it doesn't matter where I go or what I'm eating, I WILL spill something on it and have to stand over the sink scrubbing stains out, like I should scrub the shame off my skin after going back for that pineapple upside down cake...and with ice cream no less. Too bad that shirt actually looks nice enough to wear to work. Too bad that shirt actually feels comfortable after eating at a place like this. I could probably use it tomorrow. Everything is good. Everything is lots. And there's always a coupon online somewhere that you can print and use. So do that, and then go back for seconds. And thirds if you want to.
(5)Yvonne O.
Okay, with twins in tow, I was really hesitant to try to eat lunch here given that I would have to lug them through the line for salad and then handle their inevitable need to eat while trying to get myself fed. Thankfully, we were here very early (before noon) and went through the initial line with lightning speed. I managed to shovel the salad in me before having to make two trips to the changing table and feed each of them. The husband was able to eat and get me additional items and we managed to do all of this within an hour - plus, we scored a table near the back where we could be out of range of most diners and store their stroller out of the way. The soups are greatly improved on the salt issue and I enjoyed the pasta options this weekend that were different from the usual.
(4)Carolina N.
I love Sweet Tomatoes. I live in Chicago, and whenever I come here, I call it my "Suburban Hoedown". I love that I can lie to myself and believe that I am going to Sweet Tomatoes to eat "healthy" because I'm presented with a lavish salad bar, which hey, is good for you, but then just around the corner.... the soup bar, the breads, the pizza, the brownies, the sourdough bread, the soft serve ice cream... gimmeeeeee all of it! It's one of my favorite buffets of all time, and you can't beat the price! It's very affordable, and it's very good. The service is excellent as well. Everyone is super nice and friendly. Tip: TIP!!! Be nice and leave a tip on the table before you leave.
(5)Naveed S.
This is the place to go if you want to eat healthy and still have something the kids will enjoy. My kids love the Mac and cheese and the different pizza breads. They finally too if off with an ice cream creation. Best of all you won't be busting the bank to eat here. Over all good service and great food.
(5)Rebecca C.
By the time I was born, the salad bar was out of fashion. Between people contaminating the salad dressings, warm items not staying warm enough or mixing ingredients or coughing on the food, the salad bar was virtually a has-been until Sweet Tomatoes arrived on the scene. While the ready mixed options are often tasty and the wide variety of vege type salad fixings are pretty good, there's something so smorgasbord-y about ST that has me wishing I went somewhere else. It's not cheap, it's not expensive, but the plastic tableware is a deal breaker that is hard to shake. The soups are fine, just way too salty. The soft serve is okay, just not the best. Same for the baked potatoes. If a friend is craving ST, I'll go. Otherwise, meh - it's okay, just nothing to get excited about.
(3)Angela B.
I love when I have a craving for a good salad or soup this is the first place that pops up in my head. Salads you make your way without all the extra charges for pounds and such. The soups are sooooo good! Unbelievable chipotle tomato soup they had for winter season. So delicious!! They have a roasted ratatouille soup now and even that made me excited. Lol
(5)Janine K.
I've been here a few times in the past. What I like about this place is it's more than just a big ol' salad bar, in fact it can be quite the buffet because of the desserts, soft serve ice cream, variety of bread, etc. But if you're eating healthy, there are options as well, the options are less however. The food here is decent, but I would have rather spent $15 elsewhere. I also think the night I was here the place was understaffed. The guy at the register was the only on there and he was bouncing back and forth to both registers on both sides of the salad bar ringing people up to purchase their meals. The entire time we were there (yes, during the dinner rush) the place was pretty full, but the tables weren't being cleaned for new people coming in. They were also running out of food pretty frequently, bowls, etc. Two tables nearby weren't cleaned up the entire time we were in there eating. There are a bunch of other restaurants in the area so unless I'm really craving something here, I'd probably pass.
(2)Amy T.
This totally reminds me of a lunch line! I thought this place was all about soups and salads but I was able to find some pizza and biscuits here and there. It is definitely refreshing and they do have a variety of salads and dressings. There are vegetarian labels (vegetarian friendly), though not necessarily vegan friendly. They do try their best to label the food with possible allergens. :) Happy chowing!
(4)Rodney V.
We drive up from joliet. Great salads and soups. We like every thing here. Wish they had one in joliet. Still worth the drive.
(4)Farwah R.
I have been going to sweet tomato with my family for ten years or more. I really like this place. The food is not five star quality. It is just a variety of items for a light lunch. You can make a customized salad with different veggies, pasta, beans, cheese, nuts and dressings. It is great if you are a VEGETARIAN! You can eat pastas like alfredo, spaghetti or macaroni and cheese. I love to add extra cheddar on top of the macaroni, it make it even better. There are at least five different soups and they change regularly. They also have a baked potato section. They have pizza. It is not great pizza, but it will do if you want a slice. They are cut into little squares. They have lemonade, coffee, water and soda. Finally, they have an amazing soft serve ice cream section. You can get vanilla, chocolate or swirl. It comes with sprinkles, oreos, toffee bits, brownie bits, and caramel and fudge. There are brownies too. They also have fruit. You can get all of this food option for 10 dollars a person. It is even cheaper if you bring a coupon. They usually come in the coupon things that come in the mail or newspaper. This place is totally worth it. The buffet offers so much for a great, and kind of healthy lunch!
(5)Joe A.
Rather you're looking for a vegetarian option, or even a "healthy choice", Sweet Tomatoes is definitely the place to go. When walking inside, you are immediately greeted to the signature salad bar. The selection itself is actually huge, spanning several feet across the place. Once you're done constructing your huge salad, you pay for the plate and get seated. The seating at this location is very spread out. Even the booth we sat in felt like it was sectioned off from everyone else. The service and staff here are also very friendly and on top of their game. Besides the signature salads, Sweet Tomatoes has pizzas, a ton of soup choices, pastas, breads, healthy juice selection, and a variety of desserts. Unfortunately you won't find any meat or seafood choices here, so if that's on your tastebuds, you may have to search elsewhere. My only issue with today's visit was the dessert section. Most of the dessert choices were empty/little to nothing. Given that it was lunch hour, I understand how busy it was but still, if you're going to show two major desserts, at least make sure they're properly stocked for customers! Other than that, for the several times that I've been here, Sweet Tomatoes doesn't disappoint.
(4)Les K.
My wife and daughter told me about Sweet Tomato and while were in the area we stopped in. No meat for a growing boy, but what they did have was fresh and well made. A pretty standard salad bar with every fixin' you can think of, all of it well presented and as fresh as you can get. The soup (I had the potato leek) was a 10, wish I had tried others. Lots of breads and the desert area was fine. The soft serve ice cream, which I tend not to like was actually very good. Price was fair, we used coupons so that helped lower the cost a bit. We got "the works" and it came to 32.00 for the three of us. Remember, it's all you can eat, and I got my money's worth. The only issue I have (and the reason it's not 5-stars) is that they should regularly include a few gluten free baked items. I understand they had them at my families first visit, but none this time. I'd go again in a second.
(4)Caroline M.
Despite my professor telling me that Sweet Tomatoes was a "hot bed" for various bacteria, I went for lunch one day. At about 11:30 am it was not busy at all. For a buffet and drink it's about $12. Pretty good food, but I wouldn't make this place a usual. The salad plates are large, but all the other plates are small. The baked potato didn't even really fit on the tiny plate they had next to it. The corn bread with honey butter was great. For being a "healthy" salad bar, they should really have some healthy desserts besides brownies and ice cream.
(3)Ed P.
A great place for vegetarians and those that are not but like veggies. No service but smiles all around, and they clean your tables noon stop. My only peeve is that sometimes is too cold for my taste, but nothing a good sweater would not solve. Lovely all around.
(5)Anthony U.
I am a huge fan of Sweet Tomatoes. And it was this Lombard location that won me over. But my last three visits to Lombard have been less than perfect and I hope to reward them more stars in the future. We all understand why they encourage customers to pile up on salad first. It's a whole lot cheaper for them. With that said, I've always found the main salad bar to be full and fresh. But often (and every recent visit) the four pre made salads at the front of the line are over dressed and limp. Many times there are ingredients in one or two of those salads that are not available on the build-your-own section so it's a tough decision to make to take something limp and over dressed or skip a special ingredient. Some day I hope they get that front salad area figured out. I deducted one star for limp and over dressed pre made salads. The soups are often the highlight of the meal for me. On occasion the soup can need a bit of salt (I add almost no salt to foods, even at home) but that is minimal and I'd rather need to add salt than have a soup be too salty. This is the part of the meal I enjoy the most. I was always a huge fan of the large slices of crusty sourdough bread with some soft and whipped honey butter on top. My last three visits have either had empty bread or empty spreads (all three - honey butter, regular butter, and margarine) and the one associate behind the hot tables scrambling to keep foods put out is always running and either never makes eye contact with the waiting customers or doesn't hear people asking for assistance. The bread and butter may be a small section but it's pretty important to me and got a one star reduction. (See photos below) The pasta area tends to be cold and firm and could be made in smaller batches and updated more frequently (yes, by that one lonely associate working the hot tables). On my last visit the special was an asparagus lemon penne. The word Asparagus wasn't on the "Lemon Penne with Capers" sign so I thought the tiny green limp stuff in the pot was spinach. After I had taken some and found it bitter I didn't finish it. Right before I left they placed a new batch out and there was the easy to see asparagus. That old batch must have been in the hot pan for way over an hour. I don't expect much from their pasta area but that was a huge failure. The bread area includes baked potatoes, muffins, corn bread, and different focaccia varieties. A couple weeks ago they had a Grilled Cheese Focaccia on the menu. I only got a center slice (those had the layer of cheese in the center) once during my two visits the weekend they had it. It was awesome! I believe if you've got a special item (that is super popular) and you've sent out an email about it and made a big in-restaurant sign that even if the item is a high food cost to the restaurant and your profit may be decreased slightly, what is the cost to the restaurant when you upset a current good customer and they pick a different SW location or stop eating at SW all together?? Same thing with the Gluten Free Coconut Muffins. The couple weeks they were on special it was fairly impossible to get a taste of one. It almost feels like bait and switch to heavily advertise items and then not have them in sufficient quantity. The selection of tea bags and the lemonade are my favorite drinks. Good stuff. When I've got plenty of salad and soup to eat I'll usually fill up on on those and skip the dessert section. It's nice that they offer no calorie or low fat desserts including some fresh fruit options. The ice cream machine is often a mess and abused by children but I blame parents for that and the employees have a hard task keeping up with that area. I can't blame the restaurant on that one. There was a time when the table cleaning staff would bring around warm cookie samples for people. I then often saw customers buy a bag of cookies before they left. I haven't seen a cookie hand out in about six months but I wouldn't deduct stars for it but sure do miss it. I hope Sweet Tomatoes Lombard can get their offerings back on track. I'll be checking them out two weekends in May and hope to be won back. The Aurora location is farther from me but will be my next visit if Lombard can't get things going correctly.
(2)Mike G.
Usually Sweet Tomatoes is pretty good, but today the spinach was totally wilted and the soups all had a thick layer of 'something' sitting on the top..... come on guys you can do better than this.
(2)Molly C.
I just had my first experience and this place is amazing! Super clean, everything is very fresh and the price is unbelievable!
(5)M G.
I like it, good food, good price, and nice staff. Minus a star for the sticky bathroom door. Ick... That's my only gripe really Update second gripe: Being viciously crop dusted by a plate clearer. Almost puked, wish I did to be honest.
(2)Tanya K.
Look this is an all you can eat salad and carbs cafeteria. Nothing is of exemplary quality but in the same, nothing stands out as being abhorrent in quality either. For about $11 per person you can fill your belly with prepared and build your own salad, pizza breads, pasta dishes, baked potatoes, muffins, assorted soups, and a dessert bar your grandma, who doesn't know how to cook, prepared. Think jello and dry brownies. There is also soft serve. Beverages will cost an extra $3. This restaurant is light and clean. No complaints. For what it is, it deserves five stars, but I just can't give five stars to Sweet Tomatoes. I really only go here because for kids, especially toddlers, it is a mecca! My daughter loves picking her own foods and not having to wait to be served. Ages 2 and under eat free!
(3)Amanda W.
My husband and I come here at least once a week! We absolutely love it! Their salad bar is extremely fresh. Anything you can make a salad with, they have it. As well as a couple pre made salads as well. Their soups are to die for, all are home made and fresh. There are chunks of chicken in a few of them that is tender and flavorful. Baked potatoes with all the toppings, bread, and pasta! So much good food to eat. Who can say no to a build your own sundae bar? Exactly! Yumm. Alex the manager/asst manager is awesome, and such an awesome guy. Our new favorite place to eat!
(5)Joe I.
My kids love this place and it's also good for me to go and feel like I'm eating relatively healthy fare. Of course all of that goes out the window when I approach the warm dessert table. Jiminy Christmas! I fall for the vanilla ice cream on the warm brownie, or cobbler, or crumble... *sigh* Look, this is not a gourmet experience but it's definitely the better option to keep the kids eating decent (my favorite word) food when I'm not up to cooking, or just lazy. Worth the price and it's always consistent. Which, to me, means everything in the service business. Mazel.
(4)Davo B.
we don't go as often but did enjoy it when we did, decent soup, especially the mushroom, boy that was great, there are other nice side dishes to enjoy although I never tried the pasta stuff the little pizza slices were OK. Got to love the free refills on the deserts and coffee both are pretty good. Nice people work here too
(4)Shyam S.
I am a huge Sweet Tomatoes fan and now that I am visiting locations in other states, a bit of a roadie as well. This is by far the coolest looking location I have seen yet. A lot of natural light, very bright and cheerful and just a cool layout in general. It kind of cracks me up to read some of the comments because these folks are apparently missing the point of ST. This is not a place for exciting entrees and organic cuisine. This is a salad bar! With a few pastas and several soups! This is not a Ponderosa or Golden Corral.
(5)Nari H.
I'll admit, when I had first eaten at Sweet Tomatoes years ago when they came to the Midwest, I wasn't impressed. Having just recently visited, I was actually rather impressed with this recent visit. Came for lunch. Ate my heart out for only $10 plus $2ish for a drink. I don't come here often, but I'd come back. It's clean, it's got a lot of green options, it's got baked sweet and regular potatoes, some good drink options and friendly service (they come to your table when you're done and clean it up for you).
(4)Mark P.
Let me just say that I'm not a vegetarian or salad lover by any means. I stopped in today with my 14-year old daughter and I was very happy with the selection. My daughter only had one salad and a muffin, so for $12, it wasn't a great deal for someone her size. Kids under 17 should be less expensive. I found the food to be fresh and tasty. Since it was early, there were no crowds or lack of anything. I stuck to the salad bar so I can't comment on the soup, pizza, etc... but there were plenty of things to choose from. I'd much rather spend $24 for two-people here than for less variety and quantity at someplace like Panera. Also, Soda should be included in the price as well. That seemed a bit cheap to me. I think we'll go back sometime.
(4)Elise Z.
Having checked out this location, the one in Aurora, and the one in Schaumburg, this is definitely my favorite, in terms of cleanliness, employees, restaurant layout, etc. Yes, the food is a bit overpriced. Even with the coupons, it still feels a bit too expensive for the selection. However, I have my favorite items here and they are worth it enough to spend the money every once in awhile. The salad bar is always great. Plenty of options in terms of toppings, dressings, and pre-made salads. Their ranch dressing is probably my favorite of any restaurant or store-bought brand. (Not the fat-free ranch, though. That one just tastes off). For me, the soups are the main entree. I always get the chicken noodle and the chili, and will try others if they appeal. The turnover is usually quick enough that, if the soup you want has been sitting out awhile, you can grab another to try and a new pot of the one you want will be out by the next trip up. The breads and muffins are a close runner-up as well. Foccacia breads are always tasty, and you can't go wrong with the cornbread muffins with honey butter! The biggest areas that ST lacks in would probably be the pasta and the desserts (minus the soft-serve frozen yogurt). Coming from a pasta fanatic, I'm always disappointed by the pasta there and usually avoid getting it. Same with the desserts. I will always save room for a dish of vanilla frozen yogurt with rainbow sprinkles, though!
(4)Christina B.
I love Sweet Tomatoes. My mom and I go here all the time. The staff is extremely friendly; we're regulars. I love their salad bar, especially the Cesar Salad which does not have raw eggs in it. Their options are great as far as veggies to put on salads. The one thing I'm struggling with now is: I'm newly vegetarian. The soup options are so limited for vegetarians. There's usually only 1 or 2 at most that are vegetarian. This kind of upsets me because I feel like at a salad soup buffet, you're partly catering to vegitarian customers. Otherwise, this place is fabulous. Make sure you sign up for their coupons. They save you a bunch of money. :)
(4)Jim R.
I would question anyone who gave this place less than 5 stars. This place is a dream for a vegetarian or vegan. If you are a soup and salad person this is your place. I highly recommend the chipotle tomato soup. They also have a brownie bar that I will be checking out before I leave.
(5)Dinah T.
I like Sweet Tomatoes. This place is in it's own strip mall across the Yorktown Mall. The place is clean and organized. Bring your coupons for this place or they will also take a online app coupon from your phone too! You can also sign up of their email list and get coupons there or special birthday free of something like fresh chocolate chip cookies! It does get pretty busy during the weekends, especially with lots of kids since this is a kid friendly place. The place is clean and they are pretty good in keeping the food items well stocked and staff are friendly cleaning up after you. Hubby and I would get a 2 plate salad; one with a little bit of their specialty made salads (chicken oriental salad is good). 2nd place is my own creation...I need my roughage! Their soups are pretty good. I like that they offer seasonal specialties of salads, soups, pastas, breads, and desserts. My favorite is when it's Lemon season. I really LOVE their Lemon orzo pasta! I will come back here if I'm in the area!
(4)Chris V.
I LOVE this place!!! I am a huge fan of salad bars and this place is the Mall of America of Salad bars. They pretty much have anything you could ever want to put on to your salad. I am talking about multiple leaf lettuces and spinach, tons of veggies, beans, nuts, dressings and other salad toppings. They even have a couple pre made salads in case you aren't feeling creative at the moment. That is just the one part there is also another bar that has just soups and they normally have about 8 different soups which are being constantly replenished with new soup so you don't get stuck with a bowl full of broth. There is also a bar that has things like pizza, and muffins and pasta, which are all great items. They have these awesome corn bread muffins that I could probably eat a couple dozen of. Then of course there is the dessert bar which is stocked with all kinds of desserts including soft serve ice-cream. When I am in the Lombard area this is my go to lunch spot, because I can load up on food and not feel bad about it!!
(4)Jason M.
I love everything about Sweet Tomatoes. Kids eat really well here, there is a huge variety and everyone in the party can pick what they want and have all they want. Fresh ingredients, relatively healthy, and every time we visit they have new things to try. This location has plenty of seating but the parking situation can get a little tight.
(5)Shawn C.
Highly overrated place to eat. Food is cheap and so is the salad bar. The price is expensive for what you get. The bread and the pasta is not up to par.
(2)Michele Y.
Descent enough place to go to when you're with someone on a diet. You can be as good or as bad as you want. Live the cream of mushroom soup and the potato bar. The tuna terrigone salad is awesome. I wouldn't go here alone if you're a meat eater like me.
(4)Larry O.
Good reviews, and we both enjoyed it here. Great salad, soup, they've got chili, Mac and cheese, and other entrees. Baked potatoes, with all the topping, salad with all sorts of toppings, and dressings, and Desserts too. Go back for more if you want they're always cleaning up after you and refilling items.
(4)Luis S.
My kind of place, especially because of their bread section -corn bread is to die for. They keep everything clean, and I feel like it's way cleaner than old country or golden corral. Obviously there are the salads galore as well. Wouldn't recommend this place to a meat lover tho and certainly less choices than either of the previous 2 buffets I mentioned before. Service is fairly well and also price range is on point as they often have some sort of coupons floating. Lastly do like the fact they often rotate their menu. If you are feeling on a healthy mode and sick of subway then I suggest you give this place a try.
(4)Emilie B.
One of my favorite restaurants. I love everything here. Great salads, soups, bread etc...
(5)Christine T.
We've had a pleasant time every time we've come to this location. The different soup specials are always great. The bus boys are very friendly. Tonight the manager was at the register, and was very helpful in regards to our coupon. Great spot for a healthier option, and overall friendly and relaxed atmosphere.
(5)Dwight P.
The salad was very fresh and very varied but they seemed a little overwhelmed with the Saturday evening crowd. We will go again..
(3)Sal K.
If you go here trying to get something slightly healthier than the standard fast-food fare, you will leave satisfied. The staff here was very courteous. Make yourself a healthy salad for your first course, and then treat yourself to garlic bread and dessert later. The non-salad items are just okay, but the selection is good and brownie bites with vanilla soft-serve are never a bad thing. Also try dipping the focaccia bread in the creamy tomato soup!
(5)Antaash U.
Sweet Tomatoes offers an interesting take on the all you can eat model of dining. Cost varies between lunch and dinner and if you subscribe to their mailing list (club veg), you'll get coupons for additional discounts. When you walk in, you're greeted by the biggest salad bar you will ever see. From pre-made salads, to build your own creations (virtually every ingredient you could want is available) awaits. I didn't really care for the dressings, which were really runny and the flavor lackluster. Then, they have at least 6 different soups and 2 pastas that change from month to month (to keep it interesting!). They have a build your own baked potato bar, a plethora of bread/muffins, pizza, a hot dessert and build your own sundae bar. It's a great value for what you get and a vegetarians paradise. It's also kid friendly and a place where even the pickiest of eaters will find something to whet their palette.
(3)Karen G.
Why all the good reviews? I didn't see it at all. lame, lame and oh, kinda lame. 1. We couldn't figure out how this place worked- pay by the pound, fixed price? There is a barrier between the salad bar and the rest of the place, with a cash register at the end of the bar.. and I supposed to do what? buy my salad separate, my soup separate? The three of us finally gave up and asked how it worked. 2. The Salad bar is mostly iceberg mixes and some common cheeses.. Anything of interest- chicken, articokes, good veggies is 2.50 extra. Ahh, no thanks. extra money for croutons? Please. 3. No meat? Really? I thought the other reviews were kidding. 4. How many soups can one possible want to eat when its 102 F outside? They had at least 5 types to choose from . That's just too much hot soup for a summer day. 5. The only good thing was the choice of Edy's frozen yogrut. I ate 4 bowls of this and topping for lunch cause the rest of it just wasn't very good. 6. Screaming kids, oh joy.
(2)Lochin S.
this is a salad bar. and if you are going for salad, its a five star. I like the veggie options, and the dressing options. soup lovers, there are plenty, although, they need to get off the creamy stuff and have more low fat. love that there is frozen yogurt. pass on the potato bar, the pizza/bread bar, and pasta, or you defeat the purpose of this visit.
(5)Melissah L.
This place was just fine. The salad was fresh and I enjoyed the pre-made varieties at the front of the line but the rest of the food was just mediocre. I thought it was funny because I actually remember thinking that it was just like the salad bar in my sorority house... lots of semi-fresh toppings to choose from, but gross dressings. The soups, breads and noodles were like cafeteria food, but I did like the baked potato bar and the frozen yogurt. Yum. I would come back here, but only for a light meal because I know I would only want to eat the salads!
(2)Kara Z.
I am a picky eater so I really love places where I can pick the food I like and want and can choose how much I want of each item. I am a big fan of Sweet Tomatoes for this reason but also because I think their food is delicious and very fresh, the restaurant is clean, and the people who work there are very friendly. I recommend you sign up for the email club- you get coupons emailed to you on a regular basis and you also get to hear about their specials coming up. If you're a fan on Facebook you also get to vote on your favorite dressings, soups, breads, etc. They do a great job with marketing and I always go with a coupon I either got through email or in the newspaper. Often they have a buy one, get one free meal (with the purchase of two drinks) but recently I found a $14.99 for two meals and two drinks which might even be a slightly better deal. You start by picking up a tray and a plate (I take two plates- one for my salad creation and one for their already-prepared salad creations). I recommend their Broccoli Madness salad- near the end of the salad bar- delicious! Then you pick up your silverware, napkins and drink cup and pay for your meal. You find a table, flip over the little card on the table to say "I'll be ripe back!" so no one takes your table and then go get your drink (I LOVE the fresh strawberry lemonade!) and other items (soup, bread, baked potato, pasta, focaccia, etc.). I love their honey butter and so eat way too many pieces of their delicious bread. The food is fresh and you can eat very healthy if you so choose. :) It can get quite crowded and sometimes it feels chaotic as you make your way back and forth (and back and forth and back and forth) from your table to the food- there are many near-miss collisions so keep your head up! They've played 80's music almost every time I've been there which I think is really great. The desserts are great too. They have nonfat frozen yogurt with a great assortment of toppings and tiny little ice cream cones. They also have warm brownie muffins that are fantastic and some sugar free desserts and I think some that have fruit but I tend to ignore that. At dinner they add a few extra items- tonight they had warm chocolate lava cake. I've seen warm chocolate chip cookies sometimes but haven't figured out why I can't find them at other times. The only complaint I've heard is from people who say there isn't enough meat available. I always find more than enough to make me happy but I guess this is something some people would want to consider. I hope you check out Sweet Tomatoes!
(5)Justin K.
We have been going to this location once every couple of months for several years. The location - It is located across the street from Yorktown mall. Parking can be tight if you want to be close, but there is plenty of other available parking since Pier 1 closed. This place is easy to get in and out of. It is handicapped accessible, but not an ideal place due to how crowded it can get. The restaurant is kept fairly clean. Expect long waits on peak hours on Saturday and Sunday, especially if there is a good coupon or if there is an upcoming holiday. There is clear signage at the front and if you ask a cashier, you can check out the place before you decide to eat here. Expect to pay around $25 for lunch and $30 for dinner for a couple. Coupons will usually save $3 to $5. You can get take out. The food - Expect at least 6 salads that are premade. Three are at the front that are usually lettuce-based and 3-5 toward the cashier, which are not usually lettuce salads. These are changed regularly. You serve yourself cafeteria style on a buffet line. There are a number of stations. There is one long salad station that has approximately 60 or so salad items and premade salads. There is a drink station, a fruit and ice cream station, a baked good station, a soup station, and a pasta station. The drink station has milk, water, hot tea, coffee, soft drinks, and usually some type of lemonade and iced tea from Republic of Tea (that's a good thing). The ice cream station usually has soft serve vanilla, milk or dark chocolate, and swirl. The fruit section has some sort of jello or pudding and some sort of fresh fruit like oranges or melon. The pasta section usually has two choices. There are usually 8 soups, with chicken noodle soup with huge chunks of chicken and some sort of chili always being present. The baked section usually has 3 types of focaccia, baked potatoes, two types of bread, two types of muffins, and brownie bites. Their website has a menu. Food is prepared onsite and appears to be "made from scratch." By made from scratch, it does not appear to be hardcore made from scratch like they grind their own grains and pluck their own chickens, but it is more so than reheating something assembled in a factory. Food is kept the correct temperature and goes quickly. On busy days, they struggle to keep up with more popular items. Since they make things from scratch, you may be waiting a while to get another piece of bread of focaccia. The flavor profiles offered are vast. Food tends to be on the bland side. For example, when they have Arrabiata pasta, expect something that is not spicy at all. Expect things like pasta to not be salty or peppery. Expect soups not to have a complex herb and garlic blend. This is not a place for foodies that are expecting authentic ethnic food. Food trends toward the bland side, but it is pretty fresh and it is cooked well. There is a shifting seasonal menu that goes through various ethnicities or flavor types like Thai, Greek, apples, and spring. This is a kid-friendly place. There are kid-specific cups (extra charge) and trays. There are available booster seats and chairs. Booths and tables are relatively uncomfortable. There are no kid-specific bathrooms, but there are changing tables. There is no area for breast feeding. In summary, Sweet Tomatoes is a decent place for non-carnivores to have a meal. There are both healthy and non-healthy options, but fare tends towards fresh, bland, and light. Salad-eating vegans will be happy, but non-salad eating vegans will probably be sad. There are usually at least two vegetarian soup options, one focaccia option, and one pasta option. Dieters will need to exercise restraint, but it is possible to have a meal here for a few hundred calories. If you are really weak with portion control, you can always get a to-go box and limit your portion sizes that way. Price can be steep compared to a Chinese buffet, but you have all-you-can eat healthy food with nary a deep fried option. Considering we spend about the same money for Panera and are often still hungry, I think this is a great option. Expect a clean, self-service, noisy atmosphere. My toddler loves it and our 7-month old like to people watch. This is one of our go to restaurants and we prefer Saturday at 11 AM or around 1:45 PM following or preceded by a nice stroll around the mall. Avoid if you are: a foodie/food snob, a hardcore atheist (sometimes plays Christian music), on a romantic date night, high maintenance, crave service, can't stand lines, can't stand buffets, you want alcohol with your meal, in a hurry during peak hours, can't stand loud places or kids Who will enjoy this place: families with kids, hungry people, health-conscious, dieters, those that like open kitchens, those that want a complete healthy and mostly homemade meal, vegetarians, vegans who like veggies, starch fiends, soup lovers, salad lovers
(5)David B.
I go here a lot when I need a dose of veggies. They have a great selection of healthy food to choose from and their coupons also hit the spot for me price wise. Salad Bar is great and their pizza bread is very tasty. Their soups can be a bit hit and miss but their choices change from month to month. Also can't leave without having a Sunday LOL! Can be crowded at lunch and on the weekends be prepared for a lot families and small kids running around. Really great, casual place if you need some roughage at a great price. Would love to see them offer free Wifi BTW.
(4)Joe H.
If you have boring taste buds you'll love this place. I've gone here three times and each time trying to like it. I always feel it was a waste of money when I realize how little selection there is. At $30 a couple I think that us extremely overpriced for a table of greens. Then they want to charge you extra for premium salad toppings? Really!? I don't consider cranberries, tofu, and chicken a premium topping. Go to the Rivers Casino buffet if you want a real good buffet for only a little more money than sweet tomatoes. I've given this place three tries. Strike you're out! Life's to short to eat crappy food.
(1)Andre E.
Listen if you love all you can eat salad, pasta, soups, and desserts then Sweet Tomatoes is your place. Twenty bucks is all your going to pay for 2 people to enjoy a buffet of great and healthy food. You see today if you really trying to eat out healthy so to speak, with a little flavor kicked in, then once again this is your spot. I have visited several Sweet Tomatoes around the country, but this one is closest to my house in Chicagoland...so if your ever in the neighborhood and want to eat fresh and healthy food go to this location. Eat, Drink, and be Merry my friends.
(4)Susan B.
I really enjoy this Sweet Tomato location over the Schaumburg location. It is more airy and open and also brighter. Every time I have been here, the food has been fresh and all of the food containers have been full. I love that they have a new theme each month where you can try new things in addition to their normal menu. I hope they never get rid of the asian won ton salad, it is delish! And their strawberry lemonade is to die for! I am not sure if it is fresh squeezed or from a mix but there have been times where it hasn't been as good as others. I just wish they would have their creme of mushroom soup available every day and not just Mondays. Their bag of bite size chocolate chip cookies are really good too! Also, if you didn't know...they offer catering. I had a party last summer where we were able to get a jug of the strawberry lemonade!
(5)Beatriz R.
For my first time here I can't complain it was pretty good I came only because I purchase a groupon for 5 towards 10 dollars so basically got my meal for free! The salad bar is great!! I loved it a lot tons a lot of options I choose from. I also had a few different soups and I wasn't wow'd by them I was expecting a little more they looked good but lacked a bit of flavor. Hmmm I made my own. A baked potato and it was good! Desert options aren't the best but nonetheless good. Can't wait for another groupon I don't like knowing I have to pay 10 bucks and there isn't much a variety of food options.
(3)Alison G.
Food was very fresh - the salad, bakery, the soup, everything was great. It's way better than the one in Schaumburg. You love this place as long as you love veggies/salad+soup/bread/pasta. You hate it if you are a meat-lover. Bring a coupon when you come it always saves you a few bucks.
(3)Miranda E.
Good, tastes fantastic but I feel like there is only a vast variety in the salad bar and not so much the entres. I wish there was more of an entre selection.
(3)Renita M.
Solid, but not outstanding. It's a buffet, but a little bit of a variation on the traditional. You start with the big ole salad line -- various house-built variations, a pasta salad or two, and the build-your-own option. Load up on the veggies here. Lots of bacon bits and ranch is also acceptable. After you pay and sit, the rest of the buffet includes lots of starch. Baked potatoes with all the toppings. About eight different kinds of soup. (The chicken tortilla was quite good.) Focaccia and muffins and cornbread. Mac & cheese, steamed veggies, etc. Plus fruit and dessert. The good news is that a) it's very vegetarian-friendly b) everything is prepared fresh and is usually pretty freshly put out (I see them replenishing things a lot) c) with a little discipline you can have a healthy meal. It's also very clean and the staff is helpful and friendly. The bad news is that it's a bit overpriced, especially for dinner. Find a coupon. Don't get a soft drink unless you absolutely must (although they do have lemonade and iced tea, including a fruity caffeine-free red one). I like the concept and the food is pretty tasty and feels fresher and healthier than pretty much any other buffet. But $23 for two people when you have a 50% off one adult coupon.... seems a little high.
(3)Ericka A.
As a self-proclaimed meatarian, even I crave some salads and starches sometimes. They have a wonderful selection for building your own salads. The potato salad and tamarind noodle dish were both fresh and flavorful. The Caesar salad was slightly spicy on account of being loaded with garlic. It was tasty, but a bit overwhelming. Sweet Tomatoes' selection of hot dishes leave a little something to be desired. They aren't horrible, but they aren't great either. I was not a fan of the cheesy potatoes. The mac and cheese was alright, and an addition of shredded cheddar and feta helped add flavor. The pepperoni pizza was OK. Their beef chili is yummy. This place mostly caters to vegetarians, so I'll probably return with my veg-head friend and show her there are more options in this world than your basic garden salad. Hopefully I can find a coupon, because $10 without a drink is a little much to spend for lunch.
(3)P B.
Great convenient location Wonderful people work here. Healthy salad bar. Try it you will love it
(5)michael w.
stay away from the bread and dessert bar if you are counting calories, could save you almost 900 to a thousand calories if you do. Stick with one plate of salad helpings and soup(s) of your choice. Always able to find salad and soup to my liking. BEST part for us is they are very coupon friendly and very family friendly. Family of four can use a 19.99 coupon, etc.
(4)Jeannie O.
Considering I LOVE Souplantation in California, I LOVE Sweet Tomatoes here! I can tell it's a more modern Sweet Tomatoes with the high-wall booths and nice spoon/fork doorknobs but it still has the fresh and favorite foods I find in California. The only thing I do notice is their celery isn't too fresh looking and their cucumbers are slightly still frozen. Other than that, I love this place.
(4)Wes W.
As a total low carb option in this world of indescribable indulgence, I come back week after week armed with their lunch or dinner coupons. $8 for unlimited salad? I don't think it can be beat unless you have costco inventory in your kitchen. Sweet tomatos, though the same company as Souplantation, seems to be much cleaner than its other alias. For a limited time only: they have this grilled cheese focaccia next to their pizza that is neglected on a daily basis by those who crave cafeteria style pizza. Do not overlook this item! It may not be the healthiest thing there, but you will undoubtedly curl your toes when you try this. Do it once and don't look back as you regain traction on your perpetual diet. Need to study? Bring your material here and park yourself. Viola! Study central. Eat slow my friends.
(4)Karen Anne B.
I'm not a fan of chain restaurants, but I dig Sweet Tomatoes. You're greeted by what seems to be the world's longest salad bar. There are some pre-made salad options, as well as all the fixins for do-it-yourself salad. The ingredients are fresh and often the veg items are marked as such (unless it's obvious, they don't label the lettuce). You can tell yourself you're eating healthy as you pile on the cheese and egg and slather on the salad dressing. Well, at least you're eating fresh... You get your beverage and pay and go on your merry way to your seat. After your salad is gone, you still have the option of soup, a few pastas, breads, some miscellaneous other items and the dessert bar. Mmm, dessert bar... This particular location did seem to be lacking something in the food department, particularly at the salad bar. And, didn't they once have pizza? I don't know, but I still like it.
(4)Tony H.
I have a like/dislike relationship with Sweet Tomatoes. It would be love/hate, but my attitude toward the food is exactly the way I feel about the food itself: Meh. I get what they're going for. Their concept is "from the farm to your fork in 24 hours." If you need that immediate freshness, then I guess the premium you pay is worth it. Personally, I have never come here without a coupon, and even then, it's like $15 for buy one get one with purchase of two drinks. And at the end of the day, I've filled up on soup and bread. Now, here is where I call out other reviewers. Yes, it's a buffet, so you don't get to take the food home with you. They have paid containers you can buy to fill up with whatever you would like (actually, that's the best value here). And they're already charging like $10 at lunch for the aforementioned soup and bread (yeah yeah, and salads, dessert, etc.), what makes you think your drink is automatically included? If you want your drink included, go to other family buffets or chinese buffets where the low quality meat they serve costs pennies on the dollar. Special shout-out to Baltazar, one of the gentlemen who happily greets guests and is lightning fast at clearing away dishes. He rules.
(3)R J.
Great fresh soups and salads. Can make a meal of just those without the high calorie options here.
(4)Amanda C.
I really enjoyed this place. If you are a soup and salad person, this will be pure bliss for you. There is something very welcoming about this place... it doesn't feel like those yucky over done buffets. Everything here is nice, fresh and clean. Healthy choices.. soups galore. The cheese focaccia was to die for! They had an asian style salad (pre made) and boy was that tasty. I also liked the tomato & basil soup, fresh fruits and ice cream bar. OH and how could I leave out their sour dough bread... super fresh! That creamy honey butter... melts in your mouth. Seriously I can't wait to go back. I had a groupon so for $5 i ate my heart out. Oh yes and they clean up after you pretty quickly, but they weren't over bearing. Don't forget to tip the bus boy! I'll be back... this place is Swweeeeetttttt
(4)Lydia Z.
Sweet Tomatoes is an extravaganza of salads. We used to go to ST about once a month when they would email us buy-one-get-one-free coupons but then we realized it wasn't all that good. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad...it's just not great. Average. Their clam chowder soup is really quite tasty and their chili is good too but it can be overpriced if you dont have a coupon. Service at this location used to be good but the last three times it has been quite disappointing. We went last Friday and two of the employees walked by our table of used dishes at least 4 times without an attempt. Finally when I was going to talk to a manager a different woman came by and picked them up. If this was a one time thing I wouldn't care but it happened the last 3 times.
(3)Jay N.
I am a fan of large cuts of meat, but any meal here satisfies me just as much. They have a wide selection of salad ingredients and they take care to cut them right. You can see that the tomatoes were cored and the zucchini is wave sliced. They have some prepared green salads at the beginning and pasta salads at the end. In between are also cheeses, dressings, and nuts. After paying for the meal (from an online coupon), there are plenty of drink options if you decide to go for a beverage. Fruit drinks, flavored teas and lemonades along with standard Coke products. There's plenty of carbs in the back but I suggest cornbread with the honey whip (whipped honey butter). Plenty of soups in the middle. My recommendation: small scoop of a few soups and then go back for your faves. I was surprised by the lentil soups as they were not salty and had the right touch of herbs. Dinner's a little pricier and they only have a few more options: 1 more pizza, 1 more dessert, 1 more prepared salad. It's usually empty then but the place is much cleaner. Service was really good about clearing room so you can go back for more. It closes at 9 but they're not pushy about making you leave although there's nothing left out to eat.
(4)Abe I.
Went here for the first time a couple days ago. I was impressed with the staff / service , but the food didn't really blow me away. Don't get me wrong, the salad bar was phenomenal, but everything else seemed REALLY bland. The fettuccine alfredo looked and felt like the real thing, but the alfredo was essentially a flavorless paste. The soup was good, but it also lacked a certain taste. I don't know if the food was bland because it's "healthier" than other buffet food, but I was a little disappointed. I would've given this place 2 stars if the staff weren't so nice and attentive.
(3)