Pluto’s

Thinking of eating here? Simple answer: yes, do it!
Here’s how it works: you go in, walk straight to the back and grab a paper menu from the counter. They have a pretty good variety of sandwiches, salads and side dishes. You can pick from their menu items that are already designed for you or you can create your own.
I always get a salad (tip: a side salad is a pretty good size. A main salad is good if you’re really hungry).
They’ll ask your choice of greens, meat choice, and then you choose 7 (yes 7!!) things to add into your salad. After that, you choose your dressing and they will hand you a paper. You take your paper to the cashier and pay while they mix up your salad for you. If you want a sandwich or any other sides, you let the guy in the middle know on your way to the cashier.
Of course I think the food is delicious because I design my own every time I go so I get everything I love, ha!
One thing I want to add: the staff is great! So hard-​working, quick and friendly!
Pros: Good food, love being able to decide between choosing my own or having something pre-​designed, great staff!
Cons: they say you get 3 oz of meat on salad but it seems less.
just a friendly tip: don’t sit by the door, the breeze comes through and can be chilly :)

Great salads and sandwiches at a really great price! I was overly pleased upon my first visit. I’m a bit of a salad snob so to be able to pick your greens, SEVEN salad toppings and additional protein starting at $ 8…win! If I lived nearby, I’d probably be there every other day.

Disappointing! Got a salad and the plate was filthy– greasy and streaked! The veggies were ok and the bread was nice and soft, but the dressing and some of the ingredients were definitely sweetened. It wasn’t enough food so I ordered onion rings, which was a mistake. The onions are very thin so you’re getting mostly batter, and it’s not the kind with bread crumbs, either– just floury batter fried in poor quality oil, with sugary barbecue dip on the side. If you are used to quality eating, you will leave here disappointed. The people were nice.

Food is good, lots of options and I like that you get to create your own meals. The side salads are huge and you get so many toppings which is great. But my review is about the take out service. I called at 1:30 (lunch hour) and was put on hold for 3 minutes. Called back because I assumed they forgot, and they put me on hold again. Hung up after 5 minutes the second time. I get they’re busy during that time, but they shouldn’t forget about their phone customers.

One of my favorite restaurants in the sunset area. Always get some turkey and mashed potatoes. Reminds me of a good olé fashion home cooked thanksgiving meal.

The options alone for creating your own salad make this place awesome. It’s not cheap, but it’s nowhere as crazy expensive as Tender Greens. The staff is always friendly. they have some good hot food selections also, but it’s more about their salads.

Fantastic sandwiches! The portobello is my favorite, though I’ve tried a handful now that have all been good at worst. You’re kind of on your own as they don’t have a large variety of pre-​set recipes, but if you’re not feeling confident making choices the employees will usually help out.
Definitely take-​out rather than eat-​in.

This place is yummy! Upon entering, it was a bit confusing on where to order. There’s a salad bar all the way in the back, the sandwich station in the middle, and the cashier in the front. If you want to order a side, you order at the cashier station.
I ordered a diy side salad with romaine, croutons, sautéed mushrooms, corn, cucumber, balsamic onions, tomatoes, broccoli, and steak (1.50). My choice of dressing was balsamic vinaigrette. I really liked my salad. I had also ordered the garlic curly fries (2.50) and those are hella good. It’s not overly garlicky and it was very crispy. Initially, they forgot about it but were very apologetic when we told them about it. The fries were worth the wait.
Anyways, the employees are nice and friendly and the food is good. I will definitely come back when I’m lacking on my greens.

This was the place to go back in high school when Friday’s got let out early. The garlic curly fries as a side order to split and one of their gigantic salads is the way to go.
Pluto’s is a bit funky when it’s your first experience ordering. It’s split into two stations – the sandwiches and the salads. It can be a bit harrowing ordering when there are so many options, so read through the menu thoroughly to know the type of bread, meat and toppings you want.
The salads are always fresh and surprisingly filling. I always opt for the side because to be honest it’s built out more like a main salad. You get the choice of seven fresh toppings and a side of bread so you can be sure you’ll be good to go.
It’s a nice place to dine at if you’ve got a little more time on your hands than a typical to-​go order, but keep in mind that this is a self-​serve kind of joint. You get your own water, utensils, and pick up your food at the counter

After celebrating Thanksgiving with lots and lots of meat, Dex and I decided to get salads at Pluto’s for lunch before we marathoned the Star Wars movies. I was a huge fan of Pluto’s when I went to college in Davis, so I was very excited!
Besides salads (pre-​designed or make your own!), they also offer sandwiches, veggies, sides, and sweets. Their DIY salads are around $ 8, and you can choose 7 toppings. I like to get the main salad with romaine lettuce, broccoli, tomatoes, sweet corn, croutons, sauteed mushrooms, and avocado (add $ 1) with balsamic vinaigrette. You can also add on meat for an additional cost. Your salad also comes with a slice of bread. Mmm carbs!
Most times, salads remind you of rabbit food… but not the salads at Pluto’s! They’re both healthy and tasty. Win win!

I’ve been to Pluto’s a few times and I have to say it’s really not bad at all! I had my reservations about opening myself up to a salad place, but I was pleasantly surprised! The service is good, it’s not super crowded during lunch time, and its such a nice place to sit, enjoy a healthy, delicious meal, catch up with a friend or just hang out and relax for just a while before getting back to the grind. I like the atmosphere, and that in combination with the service and food are really important to me.
So far, I can just tell you how the salad works. $ 6:50 for a side salad and $ 7.50 for a main salad. Both are sizable — I actually would opt for the side (as it was still very filling for me).
Choose your veggie: romaine, mixed greens or spinach.
You get to choose 7 items to add to your salad and items like eggs (+$ 1) and cranberries (+$.50) are extra. You can also add meat (steak, chicken, crispy chicken etc.) and that will range from from $ 1 – 2 dollars more or $ 3 for double meat. There is a wide array of items you can add, my favorites at the moment are sweet potato and edamame. There is also, mushroom, corn, tomato, carrots, peas, green beans, broccoli etc. Then you can choose a dressing. I recommend the pan-​asian vinaigrette. It’s really delicious! Lastly, the bread! Foccacia please! Now, you’re all ready to pay! This will total you to less than $ 10 for a fantastic healthy, really delicious and filling lunch!
I haven’t yet tried their sandwiches and other hot foods offered, but I really look forward to it — I love the space and can’t wait to visit again!
~chow!

I really have to agree with the 4 star rating here…
But, it is true that when I walked in, it was confusing and cumbersome to order at each station. Then you are waiting for different parts of your order as they come out.
Also, the poor register checker is struggling to expedite and keep up. Orders and coming out out of sequence.
I was certainly hoping the food tastes better than the confusing order system, but, I got my order, steak sandwich on ciabatta bread w/​fries, the casher guy was very nice and helpful.
Basically, I’m not a green person, I am more like brown person.
I eat salad at my house, but I almost hate having a salad at any restaurant.
Fxxx all those crap like spinach, onions, carrots, cucumber, bell peppers, beets, roasted peppers, fennel, green beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, etc.
And, edamame beans? Do you know that «mame» means beans in Japanese? You don’t need to say beans twice, do you?
If I hear someone sayin’ «Shiitake mashroom», I’ll fxxxing kill you twice because «take» means mashroom in Japanese.
Btw, my steak sandwich was pretty good.

I keep coming back because the salads are very good! Plus my boyfriend loves this place. Gotta keep him happy! Pick all the fixings your little tummy desires… Go to town. :)
This was actually the 1^st time, I ordered from the «Meat» section as in, roasted turkey, Tri-​tip etc… I asked for roasted turkey (too dry). sauteed mushrooms
(tasty) and mashed taters (not too good, too much chicken broth).
I will just stick to my yummy salads! Oh wait, they have 805 Beer on tap!

This salad place is pretty decent. I got one of the station salads, which unfortunately was saturated with so much oil. I was too busy talking to my friends that I forgot to let them know!
The place caters to people who love options. Whatever you want, they’ll make it! Oh, at a price. I didn’t mind paying extra for an egg.
Other than that, the salad was really good — tasty, yummy and flavorful. It was also pretty quick too.
Make sure to add meat to your salad too. I got the grilled herb chicken, which was a good add-​on. I’ve had the steak before too, which is delicious! They actually warm it up right in front of you.
I skipped the sides because they didn’t too appetizing. I’ve had the onion rings before though, which weren’t terrible!
Service was very quick and efficient. No complaints. It was pretty pricey for a salad though. It was like $ 11 bucks. But hey, healthy is always expensive (ironically). I would come here again when the cravings kick in.
Parking could be a nightmare here.
Pro tip: get the salad to go and eat it at the golden gate park!

Drove back to San Francisco but this time to go to UCSF. I remembered about Plutos since I used to go there a lot when my sister lived at Davis and when I lived in San Francisco. The décor looked the same and the food was just as good as I remember it.
I ordered the make your salad (large) with steak. The portion was huge and the steak cooked to my liking, medium. The side bread, however, tasted a little old and stale. It was really warm inside the restaurant. I always want to order a sandwich but I always end up with the salad. Oh well maybe next time.

3.5 stars
Plutos is still the same as always. Great salad bar and sides. Just wish they would do a refresh of the décor inside! A little updating wouldn’t hurt!

Always like to come here for a detox or a simple meal. I love their concept for a salad as many places do not do what Pluto does. You can make your own salad with the MANY MANY toppings that they have! You can pick your salad from three different types of mixes and then choose 7 toppings (edamame, potato, cucumbers, corn, etc) and you can even add meat for extra. The main salad ($ 7.50) is a HUGE portion! They even give you a choice of bread with it, which I recommend the focaccia! You are guaranteed to be full from the main salad. Staff is also super friendly and welcoming! Love coming here! Parking unfortunately can be harder because of the busy area but I definitely recommend it!

Yumyumyum. This is the best place for customized salads!!! I love how you can choose every aspect of it – the greens, the toppings, and the dressings!
It’s cafeteria style, so you walk in and get in the correct line (one for salads, one for everything else) and order away! I usually go with a side salad for $ 6.50 (it’s huge!!! Big enough/​possibly too much for one meal for me) and add the crispy chicken asteroids, an extra $ 1.25. I think they have more than 20 different toppings to dress your salad with, and you can see all of them through the glass so it’s really easy to choose the 7 you want. After that, they mix it for you, put it on a plate, pay, find a table, then eat!
The salads are always well dressed, and because of all the toppings, it’s super filling. I’ve also tried the garlic curly fries and the mac and cheese here and they’re both heavenly!
I’ve always had good experiences here even when it’s crowded. The servers are friendly and quick so the line moves fast. My friends and I like to come here when we’re trying to be healthy haha.
One suggestion I have is to get a shorter glass between the server and the customer. I always have to tippy toe and yell because it’s hard to hear through! But I guess I do understand it’s probably for sanitation reasons, as all the toppings are uncovered.

1– Steak classic Cesar salad is great here.
2– Sweet potato fries with the sauce is amazing!
3– I don’t know about the rest.
I stick to # 1 always. It’s my favorite. I like the location on Irving St.

There’s no better DIY salad bar than Pluto’s. For a HUGE grilled fresh per order main STEAK SALAD with mixed greens and 7 various toppings including beets, roasted peppers, fennel, edamame beans, green beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, etc, choice of salad dressing, and a hearty bread slice of choice (sourdough, whole wheat, etc) — your total comes out to be less than $ 10!
Pluto’s is a great choice of you’re looking for some easy, fast, healthy, and delicious. I love that their steak is grilled to order, and the salads are tossed to your liking. I always ask for my salads to be tossed with ½ the typical dressing amount.
It is a partial service restaurant so you order and pay at the counter, then seat yourself at any open table, and get your own utensils and water. They do however bust the tables for you afterward. It’s bit dark inside — the natural sunlight doesn’t travel far into the restaurant. Some people like the dim setting, but I love the sun so I always opt to sit up on the counter table in front of the windows and people watch while I enjoy my hearty salad.
Street parking can be a bit tough since it’s in a busy part of SF. You’re luck ting of you find free parking, but there’s lots of metered parking available. Golden gate park is only 1 blocks away and there’s usually lot of free parking in there. Also a nice place to walk around afterwards.