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Regardless of whether you choose to call them by a more appetizing name (maybe “lunch”?), there’s no denying it: “Slop bowls” have come to rule our culinary existence. Or at least the culinary existences of those of us locked in corporate shackles, who must opt for quick food options near our office buildings so we can optimize our time toiling away on Excel sheets or attending Microsoft Teams meetings or, in my case, cowering in front of the mocking maw of an empty Google Docs draft. Typically, slop bowls are the products of venture capital–backed restaurant chains, which make a killing in the financial districts of major cities and the shopping plazas or malls of suburbia. These spots are identifiable not only by their location, but by their high prices compared to your local sandwich spot and by their silly names that are either overly literal (I’m looking at you, THISBOWL) or sound like two words smashed together (what, pray tell, is a “honey grow” or a “sweet green”?). They are also identifiable by what they sell: Slop. Locally sourced, “healthy” slop that tries to account for a variety of dietary restrictions, sure. But in the end, it’s usually a bunch of chopped-up ingredients mixed with a sauce and placed in a compostable bowl, resulting in vessels of food that resemble spaceship nutrient slurries more than they resemble, well, food.
But, contrary to what my slop-skeptical tone might indicate, I didn’t come here to stomp all over the concept of “slop bowls” (ew, can you imagine?). For one, other people have already done that. And two, I think the fact that we as a society have cheekily arrived at the term “slop bowl” is already telling and sad enough. Instead, I’m here to provide a service. You see, these fast-casual lunch offerings might all be slop, but they’re not all bad slop. When you’re out there in the workaday trenches, hungry and stressed and searching for the right slop, it’s good to have some guidance. Therefore, I present to you my completely objective, entirely scientific ranking of the slop-bowl eateries du jour!
I judged each place on four different criteria: taste, presentation, satiation (how long will it keep you full), and a deviation for any outstanding aspects. Deviations include a wide range of considerations; for example, if the bowl is cheaper than other bowls I might throw it a point, or if it’s ridiculously expensive I might dock it a point. Or, if the brand has undergone significant controversy, I would factor that into the overall score as well. That last one, of course, comes with the caveat that all of these eateries have stepped their foot in it at one point or another—seriously, don’t google “[favorite slop bowl place] + controversy” unless you want to be scarred, because I am—but we’re talking big issues covered by large media outlets. Because I needed to have access to these places as a Brooklynite, there is a New York City bias to the locations on this list—sorry! With that, let’s get started, in order from sloppiest slop to slop supreme.
Chipotle
Many may associate this place with its massive burritos, but if I had to identify the OG slop bowl, it would undoubtedly be Chipotle. It is credited as one of the originators of the fast-casual genre of restaurateur-ism—which is no surprise considering the first of these “Mexican Grills” opened in Denver, Colorado, in 1993. It’s known for being one of the most accessible fast-casual restaurants for everyone, especially teens and college students. Going to a Panera or Chipotle with your friends in high school is damn near a rite of passage. It’s so ubiquitous that there are even sports nutrition influencers guiding audiences on how to order for days where they have to physically perform. But, as with most things that have been around as long as me, I have recently found myself saying “The quality isn’t what it used to be!” with regard to the popular eatery.
Taste: 2.5/5
I cannot stress enough how deeply “just OK” I find Chipotle to be. The flavors? Fine! The quality? Totally normal. Nothing to write home about or balk at.
Presentation: 1.5/5
I find that the bowls usually look fairly gnarly (not in the Katseye way, in the “this looks inedible” way), even if they taste fine!
Satiation: 5/5
You might not even be able to finish the whole bowl. Plenty of people treat Chipotle as a two-meal investment for this reason.
Deviation: As my Slate colleague, homepage editor Hannah Docter-Loeb, noted, Chipotle is fairly cost-effective provided you don’t get skimped on with only half a scoop of chicken or something. A bowl with the infamous guacamole upcharge is still less than $15 before other additional-price add-ons. That earns it a +1. However, Chipotle has a nasty history of making people sick, even paying out a $25 million penalty in 2020 for food-safety failures (reportedly, the “largest fine ever imposed in a food-safety case”) that resulted in over 1,000 patrons falling ill with norovirus: so −2. Also, Slate staff writer Nitish Pahwa alerted me that he refuses to eat at Chipotle until they “finally hammer out a contract with my unionized homies in Lansing. It’s been three years!” That’s another docked point, for a total deviation of −2.
Total: 7/15
Qdoba
Look, I’m gonna be honest, I have never seen much discernable difference between Qdoba and Chipotle when it comes to Mexican spots you might find in a strip malls. Both places leave me feeling the same way: poorly, and regretting my nutritional decisions. However, Qdoba has better queso (if you care about that, which I don’t really), more protein options, free guacamole, and it is, as one of my colleagues pointed out, one of the more available options on this slop-bowl list to those who live in less culturally-glamorized major U.S. cities.
Taste: 2.5/5
Presentation: 1.5/5
Satiation: 4.5/5
I do think Chipotle edges it out here, just due to sheer portion sizes!
Deviation: Qdoba earns a +1 for being better priced than Chipotle and for having more protein options, but I find the flavor profile of what Chipotle offers to be marginally better, especially when it comes to their veggie-meat options. So I’m giving it a final deviation of +0.5.
Total: 8.5/15
CAVA
CAVA is the classic go-to slop bowl for Mediterranean food, a cuisine (alongside Middle Eastern cuisine) that seems to have cornered the slop market with a wide range of establishments, including but not limited to NAYA, Taim, and Rōti. CAVA rose to fully dominate the space when it acquired another popular Mediterranean restaurant chain, Zoës Kitchen, in 2018. Now, CAVA is so popular that even their dips and dressings, like their traditional hummus and lemon-herb tahini dressing, are sold at national grocery store chains like Whole Foods. (Pro tip: One of my Slate colleagues alerted us that they have a strategy for CAVA-maxxing, which is to order a kid’s meal—which comes with a “proper pita stuffed to the max,” pita chips, a dip, and a drink—for nearly half the price of a bowl.) It’s certainly fast and casual with a good selection of protein options and flavorful dips. However, I must mention that during my five-year stint as a pescatarian, every time I ordered their falafel, it was tasty, but soft instead of crunchy on the outside.
Taste: 3.5/5
Presentation: 2/5
Their bowls can look pretty or pretty unnatural depending on how well-sauced they are! Additionally, the physical CAVA bags themselves have reportedly been tested and approved as top-tier vessels for holding alleged cash bribes by the current administration’s officials. Unfortunately for CAVA, “border czar” points don’t count here or in any scientific equation I’d ever make.
Satiation: 3.5/5
Deviation: CAVA gets +1 for being fairly cost-effective and +1 for having the best pita chips in the game. However, CAVA also gets −2 for making the New York City comptroller’s list of worst employers in the city, for a total deviation of 0.
Total: 9/15
Sweetgreen
If you’ve heard your friend with the 9-to-5 job in the financial district complaining about paying umpteen dollars for a “mid salad,” the culprit is likely Sweetgreen. It is the most prominent salad option of the slop circuit, at one point so prominent that the D.C.-originated company used to host its own music festival—with major headliners like Kendrick Lamar and the Strokes—from 2011 to 2016: the Sweetlife Festival in Maryland. Now Sweetgreen is back to partnering with the latest hot influencers and chasing the latest health trends (like ridding their foods of seed oils) in order to get you to buy their greens.
Taste: 3.5/5
I find that with Sweetgreen your personal choice combo could take your salad from a 2.5 to a 4.5!
Presentation: 4/5
Satiation: 3/5
Deviation: Sweetgreen earns −1 for being so high-priced despite being a mid salad. Though, I must admit that I have had some bangers from time to time.
Total: 9.5/15
Playa Bowls
Taste: 5/5
Presentation: 5/5
Satiation: 0.5/5
You will feel healthy and great, but you will be hungry in an hour or two.
Deviation: Playa Bowls is likely the biggest rip-off on this list, as their standard bowls, which usually only include two to three toppings, range from over $15 to over $17. For that, they get a deviation of −1.
Total: 9.5/15
Chop’t
Chop’t is another fancy salad place, just like Sweetgreen (even down to the commitment to use locally sourced ingredients). And, to be honest, I have heard that their salads tend to be slightly less interesting or flavorful than their competition’s. So, for this ranking I decided to venture out and get one of their signature warm offerings, which was a miso-ginger salmon bowl.
Taste: 4/5
The biggest surprise, and what edges it out for Sweetgreen for me, was that the Norwegian salmon tasted slightly smoked? I wasn’t expecting that nuance of flavor from a slop-bowl place. The rest was business as usual.
Presentation: 2/5
It looked somewhat unappetizing, though I persevered.
Satiation: 4/5
A little more filling than Sweetgreen, though they would likely be the same were I to order a salad.
Deviation: You might have heard about a woman in Greenwich who alleged that she found a severed human finger in her salad. Well, that case was dismissed and nothing came of it, so I think we can consider Chop’t safe from large-scale, major infractions.
Total: 10/15
Pokéworks
Pokéworks stands on our list as the representation for fast-casual poké restaurants, which are quickly growing in popularity. This specific spot initially became popular for its poké burrito (a culinary portmanteau also referred to as a sushi burrito or sushirrito), but I went all-in for the bowl, given the task at hand. This was my very first time trying a fast-casual spot for the Hawaiian raw-fish delicacy, which I was skeptical about for health reasons (don’t worry, they also had chicken and tofu options for protein). But everything turned out all right! The bowl was yummy, it sustained me for a long time, and the service I received walking into the establishment near New York’s Union Square was the nicest I had ever received at a fast-casual spot (thank you, Nicole!).
Taste: 4/5
Presentation: 2.5/5
This is highly dependent on what you get. Other photos of pokébowls here look lovely, but I love a crunch, so I opted for multiple different crunchy toppings, which made my bowl look like a mountain of crispy onions and seaweed flakes.
Satiation: 4/5
It happened to be the only real meal I ate that day! I think this was due to the large amount of rice as the base and because I also added avocado.
Deviation: None!
Total: 10.5/15
Honeygrow
Honeygrow, the stir-fry establishment, started in the best city on Earth (Philadelphia) by a guy who went to the best school on Earth (Temple University). Beyond all that, it’s just so smartly simple: It’s stir-fry. A noodle base (with gluten-free options!), some veggie and protein mix-ins, a sauce, and some toppings, served to you in a fancied-up Chinese takeout container. They’ve also got salads if you don’t want to go the stir-fry or rice route. But the true star of Honeygrow is their “honeybar,” a dessert-yogurt bar. Still, though, there’s nothing truly distinguishable about it in a larger culinary sense—the food won’t amaze you—but it will leave you full and happy you skipped the salad spots from time to time.
Taste: 4/5
Presentation: 4/5
I think noodles are beautiful.
Satiation: 4/5
Deviation: None!
Total: 12/15
Moonbowls
I tried this newcomer, an entirely gluten-free slop-bowl slinger inspired by Korean cuisine, for the first time for this ranking. Moonbowls is slowly expanding, and upon trying it, I can see why. It tasted pretty good (opt for the meat options if you want more flavor; the tofu was slightly blander) and it felt like one of the cleanest bowls going down. I have a ton of GI issues, which maybe means I should have opted out of doing this ranking? But I also love to eat! And I didn’t feel any discomfort in my tummy after eating here, which is rare. I think ordering a mix that ensures your bowl will have some acidity is key here.
Taste: 3.5/5
Presentation: 4.5/5
Satiation: 4/5
The sweet-potato noodles are an extra charge, but I think they really did the trick on satiation!
Deviation: I would like to knock Moonbowls points for the totally confusing experience ordering at the Downtown Brooklyn Doordash Kitchen, but that’s not Moonbowls’ fault so I will abstain.
Total: 12/15
THISBOWL
THISBOWL is the newest kid in sloptown. The chain, which began in 2016 in Australia (where it has a much better name: Fishbowl, in normal capitalization), opened up its first NYC location in April of last year. Since then, it has become the new trendy slop lord, sporting long lines and inspiring a robust conversation on TikTok. Interview Magazine claims that the Aussie chain, which specializes in Asian-influenced cuisine with five-spiced seasoned meats and miso-glazed salmon, “will change your life, if you let it.” I first had it as sustenance after reporting on the Timothée Chalamet Lookalike Competition last year, which feels like the perfect occasion to try NYC’s latest trendy slop spot. I promise not to let that cloud my judgement with positive feelings.
Taste: 4/5
The flavors are good!
Presentation: 3.5/5
Satiation: 4/5
Deviation: THISBOWL gets a −0.5 for allegedly making people sick. My experience was fine, but be sure to check the doneness of your salmon!
Total: 12/15
Dig
Finally, we arrive at Dig—our winner (by a slim margin)! The restaurant, which used to be called Dig Inn, started in NYC in 2011 and is one of the few options on this list that feels like you’re eating real food when you go. Like many places on this list, they try to offer as many locally sourced ingredients as they can, but the true draw is that there aren’t many ingredients to begin with. You can choose a veggie or carb base, with sides like roasted whole carrots, Brussels sprouts, or broccoli, and a simple offering of only a few proteins. Their kale Caesar salad is the best around, but nothing holds a candle to their Jasper Hill Mac and Cheese. As my colleague Nitish put it: “The most delectable mac n cheese and crispy tofu that any joint ever had, for all you deskbound sickos who shamelessly embrace the ‘slop’ in ‘slop bowl.’ ”
Taste: 5/5
It’s good and hearty, your honor!
Presentation: 4/5
Satiation: 4/5
Deviation: I would like to give Dig a −0.5 for changing their name from Dig Inn to Dig and, soon, back to Dig Inn again? If anything, the oscillation between two (frankly: bad) names makes this place hard to talk about. Have you ever asked someone not in your office if they’ve “ever been to Dig”? It’s demoralizing.
Total: 13/15
So what have we learned here, after wading through all this (mostly) tasty slop? Capitalism may ruin everything, but that doesn’t mean we have to abandon the practice of discernment. Not all slop is created equal, even if the places that serve it up share the same tenets and commitment to minimalist absurdity in their branding. Real food can be found, even when you’re up against the clock. All you have to do is spread your wings (and your wallet, unfortunately) and hunt for it. Oh! Also, on occasion: Get the mac and cheese.