New York City's Best Salads To Enjoy This Summer

Forbes

25-05-2025

Some of New York City's most beloved spots are honoring the season with creative and beautiful summer salads.
These are dishes that are best enjoyed with a crisp glass of wine or a chilled cocktail while dining and enjoying the city at its most beautiful time of year.
Cathedrale's Salad Verte.
At Cathedrale in New York City, this salad from Chef Jason Hall is made with baby lettuce, red radish, petite pois, Persian cucumbers, and a homemade sherry vinaigrette.
'For me, a green salad at a restaurant is the barometer for how good the meal is going to be. When a restaurant is paying attention to something as simple as a green salad, you can tell they're paying attention to every other detail that goes into your experience,' said Hall. "We make a sherry vinaigrette with a 25-year old aged sherry vinegar, and it's just a great, classic brasserie salad that has become a must order for all of our regulars and anyone who sees it passing by - we see it ordered as an appetizer as well as to share with main courses, it really can fit in anywhere in the meal to add a brightness."
Chilled Asparagus Mimosa Salad at New York City-based restaurant Clara.
Celebrity chef Alex Guarnaschelli's new New York City-based restaurant Clara at New York Historical Museum has a salad inspired by a special memory.
'The poetry of the story starts with the first time I ate this dish in a tiny bistro in Paris," said the chef of the salad which is comprised of chopped hard boiled egg whites and yolks sprinkled over lemony-mustard dressed asparagus.
The Lobster Cobb Salad at Rosanna Scotto's Fresco by Scotto.
A beautiful salad filled with fresh summer ingredients. The Lobster Cobb Salad at Rosanna Scotto's Fresco by Scotto is made with avocado, gorgonzola, bacon, champagne vinaigrette.
The Mayahuel Salad from Mayahuel in the Astoria area of New York City.
A crisp refreshing standout from Mayahuel in the Astoria area of New York City, the Mayahuel salad is made with lettuce, avocado, tomatoes, onions, cucumber, queso fresco, and freshly grilled corn, then the ingredients are tossed in a bright house-made dressing of Dijon mustard, honey, lemon juice, and emulsified oil.
Chef Gerardo Duarte (previously of Atla and The Black Ant) wanted to add a crisp, refreshing counterpoint to the richness of dishes like mole amarillito or zarandeado shrimp that is served at Mayahuel. 'Our entire menu is a love letter to corn — so we had to add fresh grilled corn to our salad,' says Chef Duarte. 'It adds smokiness, warmth, and a little memory of summers in Mexico.'
Potato Chip Salad at Stretch Pizza in New York City.
Made with frisee, rube watercress, herbs, this salad is found at Stretch Pizza in New York City.
Celebrity chef Wylie Dufresne says: "The idea behind this salad was to be both playful and a bit clever. I have always loved potato salad but have struggled with traditional leafy salads. I love potato chips, but they couldn't be the main focus of an appetizer. Leafy salads can lack texture ad I've always loved the classic friseé salad with herbs. So I thought perhaps there's a way to bring all these components together in a whimsical way. "
Arancini Salad from JR & Son.
From JR & Son, Williamsburg's storied bar and restaurant that reopened its doors earlier this month, Executive Chef Patricia Vega's menu is a combination of Italian-American classics, and also dishes inspired from some of New York's most renowned taverns.
The Arancini Salad is a crowd favorite, with its smoked mozzarella, watercress, and radicchio. About the salad, Chef Vega says: 'Our arancini salad at JR & Son is a playful nod to tradition with a global twist. Inspired by khao tod, a crispy Thai rice salad, we serve golden, fried broken arancini over fresh herbs and greens with a bright, citrusy dressing. It's crunchy, and refreshingly unexpected.'
Chopped Tulum Cobb at Rosa Mexicano.
At Rosa Mexicano, the Chopped Tulum Cobb, a bold, south-of-the-border twist on the classic Cobb salad, combines Romaine lettuce, avocado, Monterey Jack cheese, black beans, cherry tomato, fire-roasted corn, and habanero pickled red onion.
'When creating the Chopped Tulum Cobb, we wanted to reimagine a classic salad through a vibrant Mexican lens. The pickled habanero onion and tropical vinaigrette bring a zing that wakes up your palate, while the crispy tortilla bowl adds just the right crunch. It's fresh, bold, and exactly what you'd expect from Rosa Mexicano," said Chef Raul Celiz.
Hummus Cauliflower Salad at Kubeh in New York City.
From Kubeh in New York City, the Hummus Cauliflower Salad is a light, yet filling, vegetarian option, mixing creamy hummus topped with arugula, tomato, cucumber, pistachio, almond, pomegranate, tahini, yogurt and cauliflower.
Chef Melanie Shurka says: "Hummus Cauliflower Salad is everything you want from a salad. It combines Kubeh's favorite things all in one dish and then some."
Jumbo Asparagus & Kale Salad at BLACKBARN.
BLACKBARN, the farm-to-table restaurant in the NoMad section of New York City, has a Jumbo Asparagus & Kale Salad, that includes red quinoa, heirloom tomatoes, avocado, spiced sunflower seeds, baked ricotta and green goddess dressing.
'Jumbo Asparagus & Kale Salad showcases our commitment to featuring fresh, seasonal ingredients to create a dish that's as visually stunning as it is delicious," said Chef/Owner John Doherty.
Cilantro Caesar at Kellogg's Diner.
At Kellogg's Diner, based in Brooklyn, there's a menu of diner favorites and Texas-inspired dishes from Executive Chef Jackie Carnesi, including the Cilantro Caesar, which consists of romaine, queso fresco and croutons. Executive Chef Jackie Carnesi says: 'The inspiration behind the Cilantro Caesar was a deep desire to inject copious amounts of cilantro into every dish I make. I love a Caesar and salads really lend themselves to herb usage, so it felt like a great opportunity to marry two of my great loves. We use parmesan in the dressing, but chose to use queso fresco to blanket on top of the salad.'
Avocado Salad at KYU.
At KYU, which has locations in NYC, Vegas and Miami, the avocado salad, is made with avocado as the starring ingredient, but also crumbled feta, lemon, ginger and microgreens.
Chef Raheem Sealey says: "When my friend's homestead farm overproduced Florida avocados, he brought the excess supply into our Miami location and I saw it as an opportunity to get creative," says Chef Raheem. 'I started playing with flavor profiles that would complement the richness of avocado, like chili, ginger, and Asian-inspired notes with soy. I used microgreens instead of traditional lettuce for a fresh, unexpected twist. The salad was an instant hit at KYU, and with guests constantly asking for it - even when it was briefly taken off the menu - we knew it had become one of our staples.'