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When searching for a perfectly fresh and filling salad, NYU students need not look much farther than Just Salad, an appropriately named clean and healthy cafeteria-esque salad and smoothie spot.

Nestled in the heart of the NYU campus on 8th Street between Broadway and University, Just Salad chops up hearty and healthy salads with a variety of choices and seasonal options (so you know it’s fresh), all locally sourced and organic.

With  locations all over the City, Just Salad just celebrated its 10-year anniversary in May and is expanding to Chicago. Derrick Moore, the manager of the 8th street location, hopes to make this store the NYU students’ healthy haven and says he is already planning specials for NYU students, such as a promotion for Freshman Welcome Week.

“One of our bigger focal points is serving students,” Moore said.

Even without the special promotion, Just Salad is already the perfect place for health-conscious students – most of their salads are about $10 and so hearty that they are the perfect post-workout meal. You can also buy a reusable salad bowl for just $1 and save the rest of your salad for later. If you end up going with the reusable bowl, reuse it at the store and you’ll get a free cheese or two free “essentials” on your next custom salad.

Most of the items in your salad are grown locally by farmers in the NYC vicinity. Just Salad also has rotating seasonal salads four times a year. One of their summer seasonals is the “Tulum Getaway” with crunchy tortilla chips and pumpkin seeds, smooth avocado, fresh corn and beans atop romaine. The salad has a little kick, thanks to the smoky poblano ranch dressing, and is tasty and filling. If you’re looking for something more classic, “The California” is a great, healthful option with chicken, egg whites, avocado and some surprising and mouth-watering roasted almonds. If you want to indulge a little, you can still grab a coke or snapple and a bag of chips or go the healthy route with a smoothie at the smoothie bar.

Photo by Tamar Lapin

 Just Salad also has a culture of promoting health outside of the store. Each location has a    nutrition and fitness ambassador customers can contact for a FREE consultation or personal training session. You’ll find the name and contact info of your local ambassador pinned to a very student-friendly bulletin board right by the door.

Even Moore, the 8th Street location manager, said that Just Salad helped him get in shape and feel healthy. Since he started working there three years ago, he lost 94 pounds by taking advantage of the free personal training sessions and by being inspired to eat healthy, thanks to Just Salad’s creative menu. Moore said he’d never really taken advantage of free meals at his other restaurant jobs but that Just Salad’s offerings like the “Buffalo Kale Caesar,” the inspired dressings and the avocado smoothie opened his eyes and palate when it came to healthy, tasty food.

“I feel clean. I feel like I’m eating clean,” he said.

With their monthly specials and the loyalty rewards program on their app, Just Salad strongly believes in making eating healthy fun and affordable. It’s the perfect, well-priced refueling station in the heart of NYU.

If you choose to hang out at this clean and airy restaurant, with its lime green walls and beige beachwood panels, make sure to bring a sweater because the A.C is pumping. And stop by next month for the smoothie special happy hour, with $1 smoothies between 3 and 6 pm.

By Tamar Lapin

Enticed by Just Salad and looking for an extra student deal? Check out this Campus Clipper coupon here:

For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the NYC Student Guide, which encourage them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing and services.  

At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful ebooks, we give them a platform to teach others. Follow each new blog post to read a chapter of our various books and to learn how the Campus Clipper can help you follow your dreams!

Check our website for more student savings on food and services and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during last year’s Welcome Week.

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