Eating healthier has definitely been a growing trend in the past few years. Luckily, more healthy options are popping up all over the city of Rockville.
The new chain restaurant “Chopt” on Rockville Pike is a perfect example of one such business that is offering healthy yet cheap food. They serve salads of all sorts for a very affordable price. They opened recently in Rockville this past summer and have multiple other locations in North Carolina, Washington D.C. and New York.
Walking into the restaurant I encountered a modern and minimalistic vibe. The logo is a simplistic loop that resembles a smiley face. As soon as you step foot into the establishment, you are hit with a whiff of freshness which is very reassuring and adds to the overall healthiness. The menus are posted above the salad-making station and give brief descriptions and pictures of each item.
On the walls adjacent to the menu, the featured salads were written on a chalkboard and had fun designs. Behind the cash register, there was the soft drink dispenser as well as Chopt’s very own Ice Tea and Lemonade which had five selections; Sweet and Unsweet Ice Tea, along with Strawberry, Raspberry and regular lemonade variations.
There is a two-part process to ordering a salad. First, a Chopt employee will ask you what type of salad you want and if you prefer any extra toppings or want to take certain things out. They add all the ingredients of your choice and sit it on top on a small bar behind the sneeze guard while you wait for the next employee to prepare your salad. Very classy.
When the next employee is available, they will chop up all the ingredients with a very fancy looking lettuce knife. They ask you when you want them to stop which was a little difficult for me since the process was so mesmerizing. However I pulled it together and finalized my order.
I ordered the Classic Cobb Salad ($10.29) while my dad ordered the Smoky Spanish Caesar Salad($10.99). My dad and I were surprised at how huge the salad bowls were and ended up taking some home after not being able to finish the bowl in one sitting. Our check came to a total of $28.47. This was a little pricy in my opinion but my we did order two of the most expensive salads so it was expected.
The day we went it was particularly cold inside the restaurant. We sat inside for about six minutes before we decided to leave and find seating in a warmer, more accomodating environment. Fortunately, Congressional Plaza (the area in which Chopt is located) offers a ton of places if you choose to sit outside to enjoy your meal.
Overall, the salad I chose was absolutely one of the best salads I have ever had. My dad said the same except he could not enjoy his as much due to how spicy it was.
I highly recommend trying one of their salads if you have not previously done so, or if you happen to be headed in the direction of congressional plaza. However, I would stay away from the Baskin Robin’s ice cream shop nearby so you can stay on track and keep the healthy streak.