I love a good Cobb salad. The Cobb salad was invented in 1937 at the Hollywood Brown Derby and named after owner Robert Howard Cobb, who reportedly concocted the salad late one night by throwing together ingredients he found in the kitchen – chicken, bacon, avocado, boiled eggs, tomatoes, blue cheese, and green onion. These days, you can a great Cobb salad anywhere in the country. Here are 8 restaurant chains with the best Cobb salad.
Panera Bread – Green Goddess Cobb Salad with Chicken
Panera Bread
One of my favorite twists on the OG Cobb is courtesy of Panera Bread. The chain’s Green Goddess Cobb features antibiotic‑free chicken, avocado, bacon, cage‑free egg, and grape tomatoes, but adds pickled red onions and Green Goddess dressing for tasty tweak.
First Watch – Cobb Salad
First Watch
First Watch is best known for breakfast food, including delicious pancakes and avocado toast, but their Cobb Salad is a fan favorite. It comes with organic mixed greens, romaine, bacon, turkey breast, a hard-boiled cage-free egg, tomatoes, avocado, and Bleu cheese crumbles with buttermilk ranch dressing.
Au Bon Pain – Chicken Cobb Avocado
Au Bon Pain
The Chicken Cobb Avocado is a popular lunch item at Au Bon Pain. It includes chicken, romaine and field greens, avocado, smoked bacon, gorgonzola, hard‑boiled egg, tomatoes, and cucumbers—served with a choice of dressings.
Honeygrow – OG Cobb Salad
Honeygrow
Honeygrow has become my go-to spot for salad and stir-fry. The OG Cobb is a delicious rendition of the original, made with chopped romaine, roasted chicken, hard-boiled egg, crispy bacon, apples, grape tomatoes, avocado, and crumbled blue cheese, served with white balsamic vinaigrette, a total of 850 calories.
Le Pain Quotidien – Grilled Chicken Cobb
lepainquotidienus/Instagram
The Grilled Chicken Cobb at Le Pain Quotidien offers a French twist on the original Cobb, swapping out blue cheese with ourme d’Ambert cheese. It also features chicken, bacon, avocado, egg, cucumber, mixed greens, and smoked‑tea vinaigrette—paired with artisanal bread for a thoughtful touch.
Sweetgreen – Garden Cobb
Sweetgreen
You can’t go wrong with the popular Garden Cobb at Sweetgreen, which has a slightly modern twist. The salad features spring mix, romaine, roasted sweet potatoes, avocado, hard‑boiled egg, tomatoes, roasted almonds, red onions, and blue cheese with balsamic vinaigrette.
Saladworks – Avocado Cobb Salad
Saladworks
Saladworks made-to-order Avocado Cobb Salad is a popular creation. It includes iceberg and romaine, grilled chicken, avocado, bacon, egg, tomatoes, and blue cheese with dressing options including Thousand Island, creamy bleu cheese, and lemon‑olive‑oil vinaigrette.
Chick‑fil‑A – Cobb Salad with Nuggets or Grilled Chicken
If you are in a hurry, order the Cobb Salad at Chick-fil-A, one of my personal go-tos. It features their signature nuggets (or grilled chicken), mixed greens, roasted corn, shredded cheese, bacon, egg, grape tomatoes, and can be paired with Avocado Lime Ranch. Popular for fast‑food convenience with fresh ingredients.
