salad bar

American  

noun

salad bars plural

1. an assortment of salad ingredients, condiments, and dressings displayed on a serving table or counter, as at a restaurant, so that one can choose and combine ingredients freely.

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salad bar British  

noun

1. a counter in a restaurant or other place where food is sold at which a range of salads is displayed, often for self-service

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• salad bars
  plural

Etymology

Origin of salad bar

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

salad bar

Give me a meal that’s as much about what goes on top as what’s underneath — chili night, a loaded baked potato situation, an old-school salad bar — and I’m happy.

From Salon ● Mar. 25, 2026

The salad bar, a Pizza Hut staple around the world, was a totally new concept in the Soviet Union.

From Slate ● Nov. 13, 2025

"The way they do their buffet and their salad bar, it feels like they are cheapening on their quality and have lower standards...They're giving away so much food and you're like 'How?'"

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2025

They rebuilt the entire place to look like an old Pizza Hut, with a salad bar and sneeze guard.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2024

When I see Ellis at lunch, she’s sitting up near the salad bar with Aimee Hall and her band of merry rumor-makers.

From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King

Related Words

• cafeteria
• smorgasbord