I Ate Gardencup’s Salads All Week—And It Finally Broke Me of My Drive-Thru Habit

How Does Gardencup Work?

Gardencup is a meal delivery service that ships nationwide, specializing in salads, soups and snacks. They're all served in plastic, reusable cups, so they're easy to take on the go. (Remember when mason jar salads were all over your Pinterest feed? Picture that.) You can choose from six to nine packs, delivered weekly or biweekly, with the price varying depending on the cups you choose. A Snackcup of hard-boiled eggs, for example, costs $6, whereas Soupcups—featuring dishes like Tuscan Cannellini Bean Stew and classic chicken noodle—range from $8 to $10. A salad (known as a Gardencup) or grain bowl (AKA a PowerCup) are about $11 to $12.

Since I was interested in having lunch taken care of for me, and the snacks felt a bit pricey to justify having delivered (I’m lazy but not that lazy, OK?), I stuck to all Gardencups for this review.

So, What Did I Think of Gardencup?

Honestly, I was hesitant to try the protein-packed salads—we’ve all had grisly, rubbery or strangely slimy cold chicken and ham on packaged greens, right? I worried this would be the same. Thankfully, that was not the case. The grilled chicken was tender, not chewy, and it was decently moist without being questionably uh, damp. Ditto for the ham in the chef’s salad.

Better yet, though, was the ratio of mix-ins to greens. Each salad cup was jam-packed; so much so that it was easier to dump the salad into a large bowl and toss the dressing in it than try pouring in the dressing and shaking the cup. (The latter did work; it just took a lot of shaking and prodding.)

While that may be a con to some—fully enjoying a salad means bringing a bowl to work—it underscored just how much they crammed into each cup. I often felt full before finishing the salad, and most cups were around 340 to 360 grams, or roughly 12 ounces of food. Two days of the week I actually split my salad with my husband. Here’s my ranking of the flavors I tried:

Thick curls of Parmesan and a hearty layer of grilled chicken really make this meal. While I love the salty flavor this salad imparts—which also includes gluten-free croutons, romaine and green leaf lettuce and Caesar dressing—it ultimately ranked lowest on my list, because this was the easiest to recreate at home. And, like all Caesar salads, it starts to feel a bit one-note to me after a few bites. The quality was great, but given the variety of other options available, I’d probably reorder other cups.

The house-made avocado ranch makes this meal. It’s creamy and tangy, livening up a straightforward mix of spinach, green leaf and romaine lettuce, cucumbers, grape tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, carrots and cheddar. While I’m not the biggest fan of turkey and ham on a salad, I liked that their take featured smoked meat, providing a nice depth of flavor to round out the meal.

Sold with or without grilled chicken, this salad will satisfy mozz fans everywhere. Rather than shortcut things with shredded mozz, this Gardencup features a layer of fresh mozzarella pearls speckled with cracked pepper, which provide a nice contrast to the tangy tomatoes and balsamic vinaigrette. I also appreciated that they didn’t skimp on the fresh basil, which helped lend to a palate-cleansing finish when mixed with the green leaf, romaine and spinach.

Restaurant chains, eat your heart out. Gardencup’s take on the fast-casual staple is every bit as delicious—and cheaper than what you could buy there. And unlike chopped salad kits, which often feature salad bits and stems more akin to roughage, this too features Gardencup’s blend of “Gardengreens” (romaine, green leaf, spinach). Add to that diced Roma tomatoes, bell peppers, roasted corn pico, black beans and Fajita-seasoned grilled chicken, all topped with avocado ranch and tortilla strips, and you have a fiesta in a jar. There was nothing sad about this desk lunch—aside from the moment I realized my plate was empty.

If you like salads with variety, this is it. Its notes of ginger, sesame and peanut offer tons of flavor, and texturally, it’s just as vibrant, thanks to the crunch of carrots, red onion and roasted cashews and sesame sticks. Layer that with the pop of edamame beans and a tender blend of Gardengreens, and you’ve got a meal you could serve on repeat that you won’t tire of by day two.

I’m a sucker for a Cobb salad, but most packaged ones are a bland, soggy letdown. This keto-friendly blend features that signature Avocado Ranch, but what I loved most were the tangy bleu cheese crumbles and thick, hickory-smoked bacon crumbles (Bacon Bits these were blessedly not). Piled high with Gardengreens, chopped hard-boiled eggs, grape tomatoes and sunflower seeds, this meal was hearty and satisfying. I probably would’ve gone lighter on the red onion if making it myself, but that’s the trade-off for ease. (And hey, no eye-watering while dicing.)