Lemonade

I was kind of disappointed with Lemonade. I think other cafeteria style restaurants are better such as Urban Plates. There’s not as much selection here as I had hoped. The descriptions sometimes didn’t match the taste. Items were lacking in flavor.
I tried the croque Monsieur which really should just be called a ham and cheese sandwich. It didn’t look anything like the example one in the case. There was way too much bread and it was hard to eat. It was haphazardly put together and didn’t look complete. It came with no sides unless you want to pay more which was a bummer. Quality of ingredients was good though. I also tried the panzanella side and the avocado/​tomato side. The panzanella was good but the avocado/​tomato lacked flavor. My Arnold Palmer also wasn’t very good. It was not the proper ratio of lemonade and iced tea. I also tried the caramel fleur de sel macaroon. My husband and I both thought it tasted like pumpkin with very little pumpkin or salt flavor. It still tasted good and the size was impressive! The line moved slowly and service was okay.
Overall I’m in no rush to dine here again.

Had been on my radar quite a while to try this place; but the okish review on Unilocal never made it a priority. Yesterday me and a couple of friends were catching a movie at arclight and wanted a quick place for dinner, so finally I tried it out .
I absolutely loved the décor — bright, modern and clean. If you are going there for the first time the menu does become confusing but once you see the stations, the concept becomes clear .You have options to choose from a variety of their salads, hot sides, entrees or sandwiches, and of course the awesome lemonade flavours .I like that they have a lot of options for vegans and vegetarians which is such a plus. Also, all the dishes were super healthy so a great way to keep your calories in check during dinner as well as lunch-​I imagine this place to be suited more for lunch and snack than dinner .
Within our group we tried lot of dishes — creamy mashed potatoes, pasta, Israeli couscous, kimchi noodles, quinoa salad, roasted beet salad, broccoli and a couple of chicken dishes. While all were not upto par –especially in taste– the couscous and broccoli especially seemed bland, the pasta and salads were really good. I liked the guava limeade and cucumber mint both, but found the cucumber one to be very sweet for my taste. As most Unilocalers have stated it gets pricey, I think if you watch the number and kind of portions you order, you will get a good meal for the price.
All in all, I think it is a good place while shopping or for lunch, but only a couple of dishes are worth spending the money on.

Came to eat lunch here today and I must say i really love it here! So it’s cafeteria style like Urban Plates. The kale kumquat salad was very good! I had the herb roasted chicken sandwich as well. My boyfriend got the turkey blt sandwich. We both got their Mac n cheese. Both flavored (white truffle nd regular). The lemonade a we got were guava limeade and blueberry mint. So good! We ended our meals with dessert. Chocolate peanut butter tart and peanut butter chocolate cupcake. The customer service was superb! That’s why I’m giving Lemonade 5 stars. Also the music that was playing was awesome. They were plying future, drake and Kendrick. Best restaurant at UTC mall.

While walking around the mall, we got thirsty so we decided to check out Lemonade to see what they had.
This was our first experience at a Lemonade so we asked quite a few questions, thank goodness the place wasn’t busy at the time. It’s more of a cafeteria style dining so you pretty much point out what you want as you go.
The guys that work here are all very friendly and helpful. So helpful, that we ended up eating here as well.
I wasn’t too hungry so I just went with a cup of creamy mashed potatoes and boy was it creamy and delicious!
Joshua went with the white truffle mac ‘n cheese and a red miso beef short rib with an order of basmati rice. He loved the mac, but wasn’t as crazy about the beef because the rice was a little hard.
Owen went with the pickled red beets and seared ahi tuna, which Joshua ended up attacking.
We each got a different flavor of lemonade and enjoyed them with our meals. So glad we decided to stop by… also saw that they are planning to open one up in NorCal close to my house. Yay!

This place is so great. My eyes were bigger than my stomachs, but their food makes great leftovers. Everyone who works here is super helpful and since I have a gluten allergy, celiacs, they helped me with whatnots gluten free oh so easily. I tried 3 salads, they had a spicy chicken salad that was absolutely amazing. The curry cauliflower was just ok. Not a ton of hot dishes that were gluten free that wasn’t fish. They did have HUGE macarons that are simply amazing and ohh so bad for my diet. They lemonade flavors are really amazing and you can try them all, I almost did. I got the blood orange, but the cost was too steep on a sugary drink like that. I will come back for the food but skip the lemonade, and only get a macaron every once in a while.

SOOO good! I love this place! You get to choose your food, usually each choice is about $ 3 – 4 dollars.
Here is what I got: Brussel sprouts, white truffle macaroni, pineapple chicken salad, and guava limeade. All were seasoned very well.
My absolute favorite was the Brussel sprouts. Best Brussel sprouts I’ve ever eaten in my life. Even better than urban plates!
The pineapple chicken salad was really good too. It has red chili pepper in it, so has a nice tangy spicy edge. Delicious.
And if you like sweet+ citricsy drinks, guava limeade is for you.
I also love that you can get samples here to try first before buying. Of course, not as easy to do when the store is busy… I went on a wed dinner and there weren’t that many people.
A bit on the pricier side, but portions were not bad at all as I couldn’t finish my meal. My meal came out to be about $ 14.
Only downside is, meat is a bit on the pricier side ($ 7). So I didn’t get meat.

Kind of disappointed to say this wasn’t as amazing as I hoped it would be.
The only things I would come back here for are the mac and cheese, and the lemonade. The flavors of lemonade they offer are all amazing. Worth getting one cup, and then refilling it (which comes at a lower price).
I had some sort of mushroom cous cous cold side, and it was just okay. Nothing special, and it would’ve been better warm in my opinion. I also had a chicken side dish that was not warm, which I thought should have been warmed. The sides all sound pretty good, would have to try more of them!
The macarons are HUGE — I got excited and tried the pistachio and the salted caramel. Bad decision — there’s a reason macarons aren’t normally this big. WAY too sweet! There’s an excessive amount of filling that was a little overwhelming for me. Between the two, the pistachio was better.
Lighting, ambiance, décor, and service was all great. It’s a cute place to sit (and maybe take a few picture of), but the food is nothing special.

Whats all the hype about? Its a trendy, healthy, classy cafeteria style atmosphere. This location is at the mall and people want to be in and out with no confusion. Luckily, right when I walked in I was looking around like where the heck do I start, whats going on kind of expression, and to my surprise there was a helpful staff member greeting me with a menu card and explaining how it all works. I was really assuming by the price list that 1 portion would be small so I thought perfect lets try a few 1 portions. Its true, it really adds up when your eyes are bigger than your stomach.
Ordered 3 portions: Seared Ahi Tuna Radish Salad with snap pea and ginger, the Fat Ramen Noodle with kimchi, edamame, peanuts salad, and the Green Lentil salad with wild rice, chickpea, feta, and zatar. All were very healthy and filling. The hot portion was a generous tub of Mac ‘N Cheese for the little one. And one Braise portion: the Red Miso Beef Short Rib which looked like the most fattening menu item on our table. Drinks: one Coconut Apple Lemonade and one Cucumber Mint Lemonade.
All of this came out to $ 20. So you can see how much stuff really adds up quickly here. Besides the costs, the restaurant is fairly large, the lines are long but go quickly, and the seating outside is perfect for a cloudy or sunny day. The bright clean décor makes it look very modern, chic, and fun. Don’t you wish your school or work cafeteria looked like this? Its a very cheerful atmosphere and its a nice break. We enjoyed the patio seating while people, kid, and dog watching. It is a good pit stop for healthy foods for everyone’s lifestyles while shopping at the mall.

Today was my first time eating at Lemonade for lunch. While there are some pro and cons, overall it is an ok place.
When we first entered there was a bit of a line. One of the workers was greeting people as they came in and explained the concept and how the process works. Although someone briefly explains the process, the first time is quite confusing. There are several menus on top with several options and pricing. Not knowing what food is later down the line makes it a bit hard to determine what to get initially and how much. I took a brief walk down the line and poked to see the types of food available. There are so many options of what you can order and combine (good and bad).
They do provide samples, but when you first come, you kind of want to sample several things before you decide what to get. Because it is cafeteria style, you do feel like you have to keep the line moving, so it is hard to look at everything and decide. I know we all felt like we had to choose something and move on.
All of the workers kind of had the same attitude, as in keep the line moving. Aside from the initial greeting when we entered, everyone was focused on the line. When we sat down, we mentioned it would be good to have bread or rice with the meal, and then realized we accidentally missed that section/​option. We contemplated going back in line to order it, but the line was getting longer and we already had our food.
I kept my lunch simple and ordered the Kale Salad from the Market place, Vegetable Chili, and a cucumber mint to drink. We shared an ahi stack amongst ourselves. The vegetable chili had a bit spicy, but good and had a good amount of various vegetable.
For what you get, I do think it is a bit pricey. My salad, chili, and drink was just over $ 10. Others that had two entrees and no drink paid over $ 16.
I’m happy I tried this place once, and I may come back if someone else really really wants to.

Probably my favorite place to eat at UTC! Came here opening week, but they were temporarily closed, so they gave us a free Lemonade coupon. (It was no biggie; I just had to wait another 30 minutes.)
On my first visit I felt rushed. There were hoards of people behind me, so I felt compelled to make my selections as quickly as possible. In the marketplace area I went with the pineapple chicken salad. It was coated in jerk seasoning/​sauce, which proved to be a little too spicy for my taste buds. Nevertheless, it was very tasty. For my hot dish, I went with the red miso beef short rib. The tenderness and flavor made it one of the best short ribs I’ve ever had. For my complimentary lemonade, I went with the blood orange. I’m sure all of them are fabu, but this had just the right amount of sweet and tart.
All in all, such a wonderful addition to UTC!

Revamped cafeteria food. Literally was. Two people greeted me at the door when I walked in and when they found out it was my first time, one of them started updating me on the selections.
You line up the same as if you were in a cafeteria and basically choose what you want — one or two portions of whatever you desire. Just remember that there is also a menu that posts the price of each portion’s price that you could find to the right of you once you grab a tray when at the salad section. There was quite a selection to choose from. You also get a number assigned to you so whatever you ordered they just entered it into your number at each station. I ended up getting the Asian Pears, Arugula, Blue Cheese, Sherry Vinaigrette; Cauliflower, Golden Raisins, Almonds, Curry; Truffle Mac N Cheese; and Napoletana Pizza. Pretty tasty — I love the Asian Pears mixed salad along with the Cauliflower Curry salad. Napoletana Pizza was a small pizza but it was a delight to finish. Lemonades/​drinks you order at the cashier.
I ended up taking the remaining for lunch the next day. Truffle Mac N Cheese did have a rather strong taste but the remaining salads were still good the next day! Very sweet of them to have containers right by the way out if you needed to take anything to go. Workers there were all very accommodating and always asked to check how everything was.
It was a bit pricey in my taste but the food was pretty good. Would not mind dropping in once again.

Yuck, I was really disappointed with the food here. Maybe I went on a bad day because I don’t get why so many people like this place; the meal I’ve eaten tasted like glorified cafeteria food. I’ve been wanting to try this place after my roommate raved about how good it was. Well, I got my shot one day after work when I did some late minute Christmas shopping. The food here is overpriced and I was so mad at myself for spending so much money on it. My meatball soup tasted like something from Chef Boyardee and my salad was less than thrilling. The only good thing I got to eat was my flatbread, but does anyone really mess up flatbread?! I threw half of my food away; the only reason why I even ate the first half of it was because I was starving.
Service was nice and the lemonade is great. But I’m still really pissed that I threw away a bunch of money on food that was hard to swallow. If I really wanted to spend that much money on «healthy» food, I should’ve headed over to Tender Greens or Veggie Grill. I’m never coming here again.

When I first walked into Lemonade, I was initially overwhelmed by the number of options I had to choose from but I liked how I was able to try many different samples to see what I liked and didn’t like. I think what keeps me coming back is their variety of food choices and different flavors of lemonade that make me curious for more. The food may seem a little pricey, but the food is surprisingly really filling!
If you LOVE spicy food like me, they don’t have many spicy choices but they do have Tapatio hot sauce packets to give a kick to your food. I personally brought my Sriracha2Go bottle.
Some things I’d recommend are the Pineapple Chicken, Asian Noodle Salad, Truffle Mac and cheese, and the Pulled Pork. I found myself getting sick of a few food items after a few bites but I enjoyed these 4 and wouldn’t mind getting them again.
In terms of drinks, I fell in love with the Watermelon Rosemary lemonade! I don’t like drinks that are too sweet and sugary, and this one was really refreshing with just the right amount of sweetness. For me, the flavor of the Blueberry Mint lemonade was a little too concentrated for my liking but my friend diluted it with water and she said it tasted a lot better!

Love this place. Concept seems simple enough… Delicious mixed salads (1 – 6 portions) and all other entrees a la Carte… Everything looked amazing-​even the mashed potatoes. From the braised meats, stews/​soups, desserts, entrees, and salads. I was envious my thanksgiving dinner wasn’t more like this! And a lemonade of course. It’s fine cafeteria dining at affordable prices, fantastic service with personality who encourage you to sample before they plate it for you!
I had the Brussels sprout/​fennel salad with chopped dates and miso salmon (super tender) on sautéed ramen noodles. My friend ordered an ahi tuna, watermelon radish salad with tuna/​avocado/​chickpeas Sriracha tartar mix topped with sesame seeds. Hi quality food, for two at $ 23.22. And two simple yet delicious lemonades added on later. Eyed the biggest macaroons I’ve ever seen but decided to keep it healthy… Everything was so light, and flavorful! Perfect spot to hit up after a lovely morning hike at Torrey Pines.
There’s plenty of seating (inside and out), cafeteria style but very classy feeling without the stuffy ambience at high prices! I’m definitely going back. They have multiple locations !

An overpriced experience, but definitely a great experience!
My mom is quite the picky eater, so I was definitely surprised when she REALLY liked this place! She loved the healthy options in addition to the braised options.
Of course, this place is AMAZING for Lemonade. Only $ 3? Let me grab that instead of Jamba!
We ordered:
–1 blood orange lemonade /​/​YES. SPOT ON. YESSSSSS. I don’t even know what else to say…
–1 mini napoletana /​/​MEHHH. I’ve seen better for $ 4. Literally looks like carbs with fat (aka cheese).
–1 miso short rib (braised item) /​/​$ 7, but would be AMAZING with white rice! Well braised, and pretty decent chunks! Just wished it was in a bigger cup.
–1 truffle mac n’ cheese /​/​I LOVE the hint of truffle in it, that slowly lingers on your tongue. WORTH.
–4 portions: braised chicken with green beans, couscous with pomegranate, kale with mushrooms, soy edamame with turnips. /​/​I highly recommend all of these! All super distinct in flavor and super fresh!
–3 portions: couscous with mushroom, pasta (?) with tomato and cheese in pesto sauce, braised chicken with green beans. /​/​Recommend the couscous! Light, soft and super «fluffy» looking!
Pros:
–Great service! They let you sample… and are not hesitant to let you try. Also super patient with you deciding what order you want.
–Good scoopfuls! My server was super generous in how much she gave us for each item. WOOT!
–Awesome atmosphere! I love that you can just sit here comfortably and just talk with friends! Definitely a great place for a first date. (Girls, feel free to eat… it’s healthy!)
Cons:
–Pricey. I’m sure this is everyone’s concern… but what can we do?! Not an every day type of deal, but definitely come here if you want something quick or if you feel like treating yourself to a platter of sunshine.
–Awkward lining up. Since it’s relatively new, new folks coming in probably want to see the options before buying. That being said, it kind of holds up the line. (I’m guilty…) I just wish there was a better system to getting your food! (Aka, more servers helping out instead of just one girl.)
Tips/​Observations:
–Easy to find! Right next to Starbucks and it’s brightly decked in yellow!
–ERMMM. Get the lemonade please. You will NOT regret!
Overall, great place! I always feel happy leaving this place…“Escape 2017″ is definitely off to a great start!

lovely lovely Lemonade… how I love your lemonade.
I created this concoction with the female cashier. I picked the blackberry mint with the coconut apple with some old fashion mixed in. I love Lemon, so I will definitely be back.
When I first came in I remembered that one show called Pushing Daises…
I love the picnic benches and the ceiling lamps shaped as abstract lemons. Yellow is a happy color, and when I came in I felt eased and relaxed. I was very clean and fresh. I will come back and order food with that wonderful lemonade.

Is waiting in the line worth the food and lemonade?
Nope!
But that doesn’t mean their food or lemonade isn’t good. In fact, it’s quite tasty! But their food isn’t what I would crave.
For students, it’s not the best option for a cheap bite. I agree with my friend that it’s quite more expensive than buying their freshly made food at Whole Foods.
If you haven’t tried their food, it’s worth stopping inside to see what the fuss is about.
I really enjoyed their beet salad and soups! Make sure to ask if you can taste test everything you’re eyeing ;)

Careful what you order at this upscale cafeteria style café, as it can add up. I chose 3 items and iced tea, and it was a $ 15 lunch. My food didn’t amaze me, but it was interesting enough for me to give them another try.
For $ 5.50, I had the Marketplace 2 Portion lunch, which is at the first section of the line. You choose 2 mini portions for $ 5.50. I had the Seasonal special with seared Ahi, but it had very little ahi and was mainly veggies. The 2^nd item was the Citrus salmon, which had more fish in it. For a 3^rd item I continued further down the line and chose a small Ahi poke with mango & macadamia nut.
My food tasted ok, but just didn’t amaze me for the price. I can get fresher and more exciting seafood at a sushi bar. Perhaps seafood isn’t the best thing that Lemonade offers. Next time I’ll try something else.
I recommend that you give this new café a try, and let me know if you discover what they do best. I’ll be back, as they have a lot of variety, and the dishes are colorful.
Location: Lemonade is near the food court at Westfield UTC mall, but it’s NOT in the food court.

Lemonade is a fast-​casual restaurant chain based in LA and they debuted two new outposts in San Diego this summer. I was waiting for the UTC shopping plaza location to be open and checked it out over the weekend. Their seasonal menu is served in a cafeteria setting and includes freshly baked flatbreads, salads, sandwiches, soups, desserts, and various flavors of lemonade.
Since it was my first time here, I asked one of the workers how it works since I heard the process can be quite confusing. Instead of choosing how many items I wanted, I decided to go through the line and just picked what items I wanted to eat by selecting one of the prepared foods on display. Once you pick your first item, you will be given a number, which seems to keep track of your order. You can even ask for samples if you’re not sure how something tastes. When you’re done, you give them your number so you can order drinks and pay at the register. Flatbreads are made to order, so you will be given a metal stick to place your number on your table.
I ended up getting the ahi tuna and orecchiette pasta with a guava lemonade to wash everything down. For the portions given, the pricing was a little expensive. I liked my selection, but thought the lemonade was a little too sweet. My friends ordered a couple of flatbreads, kale, kous kous, brussel sprouts, and an avocado/​cherry tomato salad. They also thought that their food was alright.
This is a great place to go if you want fresh and healthy food! It’s also fast and convenient since everything is already prepared. Their menu changes frequently, so I might go back and try something else next time!

I like these cafeteria type places where you can see the food lined and choose what you want. I also appreciate the freshness and the quality of the food preparation. It can be a little confusing so pay attention what you order and pile on to your plate. I choose four items and ended up paying $ 14 and some change.
Anyways, I tried the Brussels Sprouts, Orecchiette Pasta, lentil soup, and Buttermilk Chicken Breast. What I found interesting, and not to my liking, was that they served the breaded chicken breast cold. It tasted good, but it was just to cold. The breading was light, but I could not taste much of it and the buttermilk quality to the whole chicken given the coldness. All in all, I thought the chicken was bland, once again cold, and not much to get excited about.
The orecchiette pasta was good and came with a nice dressing. The pasta was cooked well to a semi al dente but on the softer side, and the cherry tomatoes were bursting with flavor. Second to the pasta, another favorite item in the salad were the Perline Mozzarella that dotted the salad. They light and fluffy with a smooth texture with a very mild dairy flavor. This was a very nice salad.
The Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Caramelized Onion with Grape Glaze were pretty good but they were unevenly cooked. Some of the sprouts portions were under done, some over, and a few just right. Their flavor was keen and I liked the addition of the tender and sweet onions. The grape glaze was interesting and had a subtle overtones of grape and provided a little glaze of the sprouts.
My favorite item, oddly enough, was the lentils soup. It was blended into a smooth consistency, similar to a Mediterranean lentil soup and in flavor, in a good way of course. The lentils flavor was full flavored and quite good. All I needed was a little bread to dunk in and I would of been a very happy camper.
In the end, I think my visit was a mix bag, and with a few tweaks here and there and with attention to detail while preparing the food, things will be alright and I will become a fan. For now, I will wait and look forward to visiting the Hillcrest location in the near future.