Eater Inside

Here's What Chicago's First Sweetgreen Salads, Now Open, Looks Like

Check out the menu from the D.C. chain with big Chicago plans

by Ashok Selvam@Shokdiesel Aug 22, 2016, 4:21pm CDT

Via To open first Chicago restaurant, Sweetgreen had to first find the farms [Tribune] | Photography by Christopher Barrett

sweetgreen chicago — Sweetgreen opens its first Chicago restaurant on Tuesday in River North.

Ashok Selvam is the editor of Eater Chicago and a native Chicagoan armed with more than two decades of award-winning journalism. Now covering the world of restaurants and food, his nut graphs are super nutty.

Make a few friends and get in line starting on Tuesday when Sweetgreen opens its first location in the Midwest. The Washington, D.C.-based chain is opening its 50th restaurant at 11 a.m. Tuesday at 621 N. State St. in River North. The chain also has plans for locations in the West Loop and The Loop.

A trio of Georgetown University grads back in 2007 founded the chain, which counted Shake Shack’s Danny Meyer and Momofuku's David Chang as investors. Their River North location is a former salon and takes up about 2,300 square feet.

The Tribune delivers an extensive rundown of the chain’s quest to ensure those salad bars are stocked with local ingredients. That requires building relationships with nearby farmers, something the East Coast chain needed to forge when arriving in the Midwest. The Trib also mentions Sweetgreen brass is eyeing spots on Fulton Market and West Town for new locations.

Salads range from $9 to $12 and the dressing are house made. Take a look at the photos below, as well at the full menu.