Don't be turned away by the prices, because the food here is WORTH it. I like to make my own bowl, and their selection of different toppings can be intimidating, but they're really nice at helping explain things. I like to make my salads with Kale+Quinoa, Sweet Potato, Corn, Broccoli (they're broccoli is nicely seasoned and has some extra flavor), edamame, lemon chicken, avocado, and green goddess dressing. I prefer the lemon chicken to jerk chicken because the lemon chicken has slightly more flavor. They toss the salad really nicely, and for the price you're paying, you get good quality food and a really filling meal. read more

When you think of healthy food, you may think of plain and boring greens. But Forage Kitchen is far from that - there are bold, delicious flavors in their food and their ingredients are fresh (and good for you!) I chose the Power Bowl and was able to substitute the chicken for tempeh (which I was super excited about). The serving was pretty big and I was able to eat the bowl for two meals. My favorite parts of the bowl was definitely the tempeh and the guacamole. The guac was super fresh and really added a lighter feel to the heavier proteins in the dish. I might build my own dish next time so I can customize it a bit more, but overall it was a great meal! read more

Forage Kitchen - The Power Bowl - Salad Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Only place near where I was staying that served anything "healthy", by my standards. First time ordering and I went with the Thai bowl. More food than I was expecting and it was absolute fire! The Thai pesto or whatever it was on top tasted amazing, and the fresh cilantro tied everything together real nice. Liked all the optional add ons to choose from, I added some pita chips on top. Would definitely eat there again. read more

FORAGE IS OVERWHELMING AT FIRST, BUT YOU NEED TO GO MULTIPLE TIMES TO FIGURE OUT THE PERFECT SALAD FOR YOU!!! The first time I went here I felt rushed, uncomfortable, and unpleased. I had no clue what lettuce, toppings, or dressing I wanted, and they weren't listed anywhere. The second time I went I took my time. I asked for help from the employee and she let me sample dressings. I found something that worked for me! The salads are overpriced and the best stuff is charged for extra, which is kind of a bummer, but I love how clean the food is and the variety they offer. On top of that, the people that work there are super helpful! read more

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I came here because I saw this place while I was walking on State. I was with a girlfriend and we wanted a healthy meal. We came in and were pleasantly surprised! Tried the Thai Grain Bowl and it was amazing. They also had siracha sauce on the side which is always a plus. This bowl was amazing and a lot of food for only $9. I loved the way the Thai chicken tasted. There are a lot of other options here like salads that I would really like to try. As well as this there are Acai bowls which look really yummy! I probably could come here for breakfast lunch and dinner and be happy. There are also energy bites which were really tasty. My girlfriend bought the Power bowl and it was delicious. Came with yummy guac-esq stuff on top that tasted 10/10. Yum! I also like that there isn't an option to buy pop. Because all the drinks are healthy too. Service was fast and employees were really nice and helpful! I really really enjoyed my food here. I am from Canada so I'm so surprised to see people leaving YELP reviews complaining about the price. Where I'm from this kind of food would be at least $15 a bowl. So quit ya complaining! read more

Forage Kitchen - Thai Bowl - Salad Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I generally like Forage. I love their fiesta bowl in particular, but I find that the quality has declined over time (e.g., they used to serve it with whole beans and now serve it with some sort of mashed bean type thing). Their meat substitutes are also quite lacking. As a vegetarian, I expected to frequent the restaurant much more often given that salad spots are usually ideal for plant-based meals. However, Forage offers only 2 plant-based proteins: tempeh (which, anecdotally, is every vegetarian's least favorite meat alternative) and lentil meatballs (a newer addition). Before the pandemic, I tried the lentil meatballs and they weren't too bad; however, after ordering them a second time more recently, I thought they were terrible--it was almost like 2 huge scoops of mushed lentils on my meal. Combined with the mashed beans in the fiesta bowl, my meal was just like 60% mashed beans. I really hope that they add more popular plant-based proteins sometime soon (e.g., tofu, seitan, other meat substitutes, or just better meatballs!). read more

Saw at least a couple of actual cockroaches lmao don't eat here. I guess I haven't had the chance to try most of their menu but I don't plan to! Just your pretty average $10 for a salad read more

I was visiting Madison and was looking for a healthier option and stumbles on this place. I really enjoyed all the options and whether you wanted meat or vegetarian. This was a quick place to grab lunch or dinner. I did the Tempeh and it was delicious. This place is by the University so be aware you will need to pay for parking! read more

I always order pick-up in order to be more covid conscious. My order is always correct and tastes so good!! The bowls are large and I'm always super satisfied afterwards. Inside the store they are also doing really well with social distancing and encouraging people to order pick up! read more

Fresh & tasty. I am a big fan of the Batata ranchers, yum. That salsa roja dressing is delicious. The roasted jerk chicken is high quality, and all of the additional toppings make it supreme. Caesar is my other go to,the egg is a nice touch. Best part, you feel better after eating their food. :) read more

The college student. Hungry. Fatigued. Disoriented. She seeks out sustenance before continuing her long and arduous journey of studying for her upcoming finals. Not far from her nest, aka Memorial Library, she begins... her Forage. JK. So maybe this isn't a nature documentary about the poor, starving student (aka me) on her quest to find food, and maybe more about the ironically-named restaurant where students go to pay overpriced rice/salad bowls (aka me, again). Nevertheless, there won't be any foraging at this conveniently located eatery. If you want a quick, healthy bite that tastes good and is close to campus, I'd recommend adding this place to your repertoire. My favorite is the Thai bowl, which includes black rice, sweet potatoes, and pickled carrots/daikons over yellow curry. Second favorite is the power bowl, which includes jerk chicken, sweet potatoes, guacamole, and lentils. Expect to pay about $10.50 for either bowls. read more

I love this place! For years, I struggled to find enough convenient and tasty health food options near the Madison campus, but once Forage opened, I was in heaven! Though the prices seem a bit steep, they use extremely tasty and fresh ingredients, and the portions are generous! I love that Forage serves up dishes that are as quick as fast food, but as healthy/high quality as a nice restaurant. When I was a UW Madison student, I would always get the power bowl. Every veggie in it is delicious, and the homemade guac on top is amazing. Plus, the chicken is super flavorful and cooked to perfection. They also serve awesome kombucha that is made in-house, and the staff is super friendly! read more

Solid bowl place, lots of alternative grains, large portions. Perfect for visitors looking for filling takeout

My go to for work lunches. Fast and healthy, doesn't make me feel like crap after I eat it. It is kind of expensive, but there aren't a lot of options like it for competition. My main request, if the store should see this, is to please add a calorie estimate to your menu! At least the standard bowls without mods. Please! read more

Clean, good service, Ukrainian food, wraps, sandwiches. Farm to table. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Portions way smaller than used to be. Power bowl didn't even fill the bowl half way. Pieces of cabbage were way too large. Very disappointing, used to love this place. read more

I randomly dropped by Forage last week for a quick lunch and was blown away by the quality and speed of Forage. I had walked by Forage dozens of times, thinking it was a high class farm to table restaurant that I would probably never go to. However, after scouting out the menu before going, I made the leap and realized it's a great, down-to-earth farm to table restaurant. The restaurant is similar to a fast casual move on down the counter to order place, we are all used to. You can create your own bowl or salad or choose from one of the pre-chosen options. I went with the Power Bowl, which was chock full of forbidden rice, spiced lentils, sweet potatoes, slaw, guacamole (included in the price!), and a light green goddess dressing. For this masterpiece of a power bowl, I was expecting to pay $10-13. Nope, it was only $7.50, which is such a good deal, especially with the forbidden rice---do you need a license to serve that? I was so happy with how many helpful employees there were there to help keep the line moving during the lunch hour. I would say, from walking in the door to walking out, it was less than 5 minutes. If you are in the area, drop into Forage and check out this hidden gem! If you're feeling daring, try the forbidden rice! read more

Their food is good and fresh. I have ordered a power bowl with extra chicken for a long time there. It's $16. Now the portion size has gotten to be so small that I will no longer order from here. Even double chicken is almost no chicken. I guess 2 times 0 is still 0. Ridiculous, frankly. read more

Amazing food and atmosphere! My husband, our kids, and I are relatively new to the healthy eating world and were a bit reluctant to try a new place. I got the power bowl, my husband got the Thai bowl, and our children got açaí bowls. Each of us about licked our bowls clean! We are currently trying to recreate the bowls at home and we will certainly be back in the near future! read more

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Probably one of the most popular salad places in Madison! This place is normally full of college students going for a quick salad meal, as the service is very fast. All the ingredients are fresh; they also offer a wide variety of salad toppings from common veggies to unique toppings. They have many premade salad bowl combos to choose from or you can do a build-your-own bowl. I will say though, the food is pretty overpriced. It's not the cheapest, but it does fill the need for a good salad. The dressings and refreshers they feature are all house-made. The take-out containers are eco-friendly which is also a huge plus! read more

Forage Kitchen - Two build-your-own salad bowls in their take-out containers. - Salad Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Wow. Just as good a second trip round. This time had the lemonade which was fine and an acai bowl. Quality ingredients, friendly staff. I will continue to come back while I am in town. Thanks! read more

I stopped in here today with my wife and a colleague from out of town and we were all very satisfied with our meals. My wife and I are vegans and Forage is obviously very vegan-friendly, but I liked how knowledgeable the girls behind the counter were of animal products. You'd be surprised how many restaurants don't know what is in their dressings! Not so at Forager, since they make their own in-house. My wife and I each had a $6.50 make-your-own salad and they were extremely filling. Our colleague had one of the special salads and was stuffed for the rest of the day. We all split a goji acai bowl in two bowls for a dessert. I'd highly recommend walking down to Forage from the Capitol Farmer's Market for a better lunch option than what the junk-food vendors offer around the square. The best thing about eating plants is that there is no indigestion or heaviness afterward. By replacing meats with plants, you eliminate cancer, diabetes, heart disease, diseases of inflammation, and obesity. If you do the research, all are directly attributed to the consumption of meat, dairy, and eggs. For more information, watch Forks Over Knives, or read ANY non-industry funded large-scale/long-term clinical study: The China Study, The Adventist Health Study, The Nurses Health Study, PREDIMED, the Epic Health Study, etc. There is no question in the scientific community that meat consumption is extremely dangerous, so much so that processed meats are even declared Class-1 carcinogens in the US. That should alarm you when ALL meat sold in the US is processed with chemicals for preservation, even the expensive "local" garbage. 5 stars for offering fresh healthy veggies on campus. read more

salads are quite literally exquisite, can make your own or can get something off of the menu

YUM! Daughter took us here for breakfast. Husband doesn't really care for "salads" but this place won him over. Great selection of items, great if you're following a restrictive diet, helpful servers, etc. Go. read more

I came to get a salad and paid for additional guac, the person assisting me took all the black parts and put it in the salad. I asked her if it was possible to replace the guac cause I paid extra for it and put something that wasn't black. She then used her fingers to pick out the black parts of it and then gave me the salad which I then threw away when I walked out. I've been coming for several years now so it sucks that I won't be coming back read more

I visited FK begrudgingly. The reason: It is in the former site (for at least 75 years) of College Barbers-a place I started going to when I was in college and since I moved back 11 years ago, a place I visited monthly. I am a creature of habit and the thought of eating an acai bowl on this hallowed ground was hard to get my mind wrapped around. But....I did stop in and was pleasantly surprised. Think of it as Chipotle meets clean food. Not only can you build your own salad/rice bowl but they have some regular items on their menu. I opted for the Power Bowl. On the menu it's listed as forbidden black rice, rosemary lentils, roasted sweet potatoes, poblano slaw, green onion, house guacamole, jerk chicken, goddess dressing. The reason why my review is not 5 stars is that brown rice was used instead of black. This may be nit picky but forbidden rice has become a hot trend and if you aren't going to use it don't list it. Rice aside, I must admit the bowl was absolutely delicious. Everything was well prepared, fresh tasting, and paired well with the other ingredients. Service was fast and friendly. There are a few tables to dine at but I saw most people take it to go. Kudos FK, you just got a fan. read more

My experience at Forage Kitchen started out a bit confusing, but I ended up with a delicious and healthy meal. Confusing: For a place that seems like they're really interested in health, they don't have a lot of information readily available regarding their food. For example, I asked for an ingredients list for their meats, and dressings and they were not able to provide that information. (I.e. No binder of ingredients) I ended up speaking to a lovely employee who did her best to answer my questions. Although she could not tell me with 100% certainty what was in each item, she was able to talk with me about my concerns. I ended up with a batatas rancheros with jerk chicken (no black beans, or corn). IT WAS AMAZING. I will be back! :) read more

Truly spectacular food with equally bad service. They have quite possibly the best salad concoctions on the planet. Sadly, their service will make it a one time affair no matter how patient a patron you are. I've even tried using their delivery service to get around it as their Forbidden Salad is just that good. Even then they fail to acknowledge their orders even though delivery services require human confirmation (not just electronic). When called on this, no apologies are offered and they seemed relieved if you cancel as if that makes their job easier to meet demand. I really hate leaving so poor a review for a menu that has such excellent care invested. The service honestly makes this low rating inescapable. read more

Forage Kitchen is really good. I've had the Club Med bowl and it was awesome. It was like a salad from a Mediterranean restaurant, just a little fresher and better. And quite a bit better than a salad I remember getting anywhere else. The reason I don't eat there often is that it's outside of my price range. It was somewhere between $10-$15 for the signature salad. It's not that it's not worth it, because it is. But it's more expensive than what I'd pay for a dish I eat regularly. The location is good- it's right by Memorial Library and the University Bookstore. It has a nice and low-key atmosphere inside the place. They may have outdoor seating, although I haven't actually used it. I had not heard of this place until someone mentioned it was a new place from the owner of Roast. For how good the food was, I'd say Forage is not promoted as much as you'd expect. read more

Pretty expensive for a stand at the counter/build your own/bus your plates kind of place. My salad was large and delicious, so they certainly back up their prices with taste, but my plate was dirty (had some residual red sauce on the outer edges), and the staff wasn't overly friendly. There's not much seating, so this isn't a place to bring papers to grade or things to read/assignments to do, but if you want a big hearty salad and would rather pay around $12 for it than go through the work of making it at home, this place is what you're looking for. read more

I love the fact that they think outside the box when it comes to their ingredients. Instead of the same ol' dressings that most resto's have, they've included zhoug (Mediterranean herb-y sauce), maple sherry dressing, salsa roja, and more. Even their proteins are refreshingly diverse (i.e. lemon & jerk chicken, and flavored tempeh). Kudos to them for expanding people's pallets- the world isn't homogeneous and neither should a salad be. read more

Forage Kitchen - Greens and kombucha on a gloomy day = instant day brightener! - Salad Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

It was okay food, but not comparable to places like Sweetgreen. It's also pretty expensive compared to Salads'up. Healthy? maybe, but it gave me the stomach flu. thumbs down read more

I love Forage! It definitely fills a gap that Madison is missing in quick, healthy, affordable meals. Most of the menu is a "make your own salad" style (although they also have grain bowls). They also have pre-made options with suggested toppings like the one I got, batatas rancheros, which had sweet potatoes, avocado, black beans, corn, and green onion. The original suggestion comes with chicken, but I easily substituted that with their homemade tempeh, which you can do for any of the salads. The place was modern and clean when I was there. It was decently busy, but they seem to have a lunch rush and staff accordingly, as the line moved along nicely. All of their dressings are vegan and gluten-free. Additionally, they make them homemade, so if you have any questions about ingredients, they should be able to answer them. On the way out, my friend and I got an acai bowl and it took about 10 minutes for it to come out. The girl making it seemed to have trouble with the blender and subsequently gave the bowl to the wrong person, so a little bit of a mix up there. I also noticed there was fresh bread at the end of the salad line, but they never offered any when I was in line. There weren't any signs anywhere indicating how much the bread was either. All in all, the food was good, the staff were friendly, and I feel like I got a good value for the price I paid. I'll be back soon! read more

If the prices were just a tad lower this would be the perfect lunch spot. As it is it is the best place for a healthy yet tasty lunch close to campus. The options are good, but sometimes include unnecessary ingredients. The chicken In the local roots for example is completely unnecessary. And so are the raisins in the big fattoush. So I think I'll stick to the build your own option. Ingredients are fresh and tasty (well most of them are tasty - a few like edamame are quite tasteless). Dressings are really good. Service is mostly ok, but sometimes gets stuck for random reasons way too long. Will be back regularly. read more

Yes! This place is everything. Finally a quick healthy food solution on State Street. This is a perfect place to treat yourself after yoga or in between class. It's guilt free food without the blah taste. Love. Love. Love. read more

Forage Kitchen - Thai Curry Bowl @ Forage - Salad Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

When I first walked past this place and saw the name, I was completely intrigued. Then I read the menu on the window and saw greens and grains and that everything was organic! It's exciting to me that there's a restaurant that I can go to when I'm downtown, that serves healthy and delicious options similar to what I can prepare for myself at home. I wish more establishments would have a few of these options. Sometimes I want to avoid wheat, or would like a healthy vegetarian or vegan meal. So, this first visit I decided to order the Thai grain bowl. It was fantastic. Yummy, yum. Lovely forbidden black rice, sweet potato, and a few other crunchy shredded veggies mingle together really nicely in a curry sauce. Next time I might ask for the sauce on the side because it was quute soupy for me. This Thai bowl also came with chicken. It's fun to watch them put your meal together (they create it in front of you). You can easily personalize your meal if you need something left out, etc. Nice and friendly staff. Interior is not large but there are a few tables. This location is at the bottom of State Street though, so it's super convenient to the memorial union and other hot spots. I can't wait to go back and try something else from the menu. read more

Forage Kitchen - Thai grain bowl - Salad Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

The concept is great, and the online ordering system is easy and convenient. I used it to order a make-your-own salad bowl, which I was a little disappointed with. The portions are generous, but the ingredients were on the flavorless side. I got spinach with brown rice as my base, and added edamame (flavorless), roasted broccoli (this was the best out of all the ingredients), green onion, fingerling potatoes (flavorless), roasted sweet potato, and roasted beets with the Za'atar Spiked Lemon. There wasn't much dressing, and what was there didn't add that much to the salad. There were also protein options you could add, but they're $3 each. I guess since it was a make-your-own, I don't have anyone to blame but myself for a crap salad. I would definitely go back again though. Maybe this time I'll opt for one of their signature salads... read more

Forage Kitchen - Make your own bowl to go - Salad Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I am a big big fan of Forage Kitchen. It's refreshing to have a quick non-sandwich shop AND healthier option near campus. In my few visits, I have really stuck to the signature creations instead of venturing off in the "make your own" territory. The Power Bowl won me over instantly. Flavors on flavors. Jerk chicken, lentils, poblano slaw, guac and more combine to offer a sweet, medium level spicy, and filling option for a quick lunch at only $9. In my opinion, the food tastes more high quality and upscale then anything else in it's Madison cafe demographic. It's quick food, but it's far from the typical stereotypes of fast food: unhealthy, low quality, etc. I can't recommend this place enough! read more

I always get the local roots salad; it's my favorite salad hands down. Solid nutritional value at a rather fair price...that's not always easy to find! I would have given five stars, but the customer service could admittedly be just a bit better. Nothing too bad, yet significant enough to lose a star. Also, I think a better system could be put in place for organization and distribution of mobile orders. read more

It's amazing how terrible they've gotten during COVID. The delivery wasn't perfect, they missed half of my order, but I understand honest business is a new concept for them. read more