If Olivia Wilde’s salad recipe made you want a bowl of your own—these cafes across India have got you sorted

Recently, actor and Don’t Worry Darling director Olivia Wilde shared her infamous salad dressing recipe on her Instagram story, which was in the middle of a divorce drama between her and her husband Jason Sudeikis. According to their former nanny, Sudeikis was devastated when Wilde made the salad dressing, which has red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, garlic, salt and olive oil, for her current partner Harry Styles. Drama or not, salads have been a celeb favourite—from the cobb salad Jennifer Aniston used to eat on the set of Friends to Alia Bhatt’s favourite beetroot salad that she shared on her YouTube channel. If all this talk about salads has got you hankering for some of your own, then this list is for you—we’ve rounded up the best places to grab a salad from in Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru. 

Mumbai

Sequel

We love: Avo, baby burrata and sauerkraut bowl
Sequel Café in Bandra is known for their organic, vegan-friendly spread and they have an extensive salad section on their bistro menu with eight salads. Pick the wholesome bowl that has a medley of avocado, zoodles, lettuce, heirloom tomatoes, and other seasonal veggies, all tossed in a zippy mint and sumac dressing or if you are a fan of seafood, go for avo halloumi and pomelo salad with pan-seared sea white prawns that comes dressed with a punchy aji lemon pepper vinaigrette. They even have a seven-day salad programme, where you get a signature Sequel salad delivered to your doorstep every day. 
 

Project Hum

We love: Sabbich
Project Hum is the latest eatery in Bandra’s Pali Hill that is all about shining a light on the people who really make our food—the farmers. This is reflected in their farm-to-table fast casual menu that is a mix of
hearty bowls, trays, and salads along with toasts and desserts. There are two salad sections on the menu—the seasonal one has dishes like lentil + shrimp that has herbed shrimp, crunchy sunflower seeds, mixed with a unique solkadi vinaigrette. The chef crafted salad section is equally eccentric—think omega miso with fish of the month and veggies in a curry leaf vinaigrette or the their take on the classic Caesar salad where kale, zoodles, zaaatar croutons, and beets are present with the usual suspects of parmesan shavings and a house-made Caesar dressing. Our favourite is the sabbich, which has roasted eggplant, chickpeas, broccoli, millets and egg in a spicy sriracha dressing. 
 

Delhi-NCR

Fig and Maple 

We love: Power up 
Fig and Maple, which recently opened an outpost in Goa (its second) after the success of its Delhi branch, has been serving dishes that highlight local produce through re-imagined European fare. Millets get the spotlight in Fig and Maple’s Power Up salad, which comes with pearl barley, seasonal veggies, and a zingy cilantro vinaigrette. If you’d like to go the more traditional route, then pick Noho, which has spinach, orange, cranberries, and glazed pecans for an added crunch. There are three more salads on their menu—Asian food lovers will particularly enjoy the soba noodle salad that is made with buckwheat noodles along with julienned seasonal veggies, and chicken and is doused in a spicy dressing.
 

Olly

We love: Beets and pots 
Olly, Olive’s first all day café and bar in Gurugram’s chic Cyber Hub takes inspiration  from its more popular sibling Olive in both its décor and menu, which is all about fun and fresh offerings. It has four salads on the menu—from a classic Buddha bowl with roasted sweet potato and tofu and a super food bowl that has red quinoa, charred corn, feta and a mix of nuts and greens, to a citrusy number called mellow pomelo that features tart raw mango, mint, shallots and peanuts in a star anise vinaigrette. The beets and pots one particularly has our heart—it stars earthy roasted beetroot and sweet potato with hummus and grilled halloumi. 
 

Bengaluru

Lavonne Café

We love: Hearty cobb salad with chicken, boiled eggs, and bacon 
Lavonne Café, which is the all-day eatery by Chef Vinesh Johnny, is known for its stunning desserts. It also has an extensive savoury menu if you would like to balance out your sweet intake with a salad. The brûléed figs with roasted beets and mozzarella sounds delectable, so does the seasonal cold fruit salad for those days when you just can’t eat a hot meal. 
 

Smoke House Deli
 

We love: Asparagus + grape
Smoke House Deli, that has three branches in Bengaluru itself and outposts in Mumbai and Delhi too, is known for serving uncomplicated comfort food that is at once wholesome and organic. While their steaks, burgers and pastas are crowd favourites, their salads are just as good. Smoked figs plus white balsamic vinaigrette come together for their bestselling asparagus and grape salad and if you would like a hefty salad with a dose of protein, then the menu also has three chicken-based dishes—from the smoked chicken and caperberries salad in an orange dressing to the wholesome kefir-soaked chicken salad with organic red rice and brown rice flakes.
 

Lead image: Sequel Mumbai/Instagram