Choice Greens, located east of Tucson Boulevard on Speedway Boulevard, is a great spot to grab an absurdly customizable salad or a hot panini, but it may not live up to all of your expectations.

Formerly known as “Chopped,” Choice Greens offers menu items that cater to both people on diets and those looking to indulge in the classic, cheesy, delicious combination of a grilled cheese with tomato soup.

Despite the name, Choice Greens doesn’t skimp on the meat. It offers a decent variety of meat add-ins on salads and also serves up some beefy paninis and sandwiches. There are much better sandwich options in Tucson, though, such as Beyond Bread, Bumsted’s and B Line. The selection of sandwiches and paninis resembles that of Beyond Bread the most, but is less extensive. However, two items on the sandwich and panini menu really stand out: the Big Beef and the Two Cheese Grilled Cheese, paired with garlic tomato soup.

The Big Beef is a deli-style mountain of roast beef served on Italian rustic bread that doesn’t skimp on flavor. The beauty of this dish lies in its simplicity as a classic, straightforward sandwich that is very filling, includes chips and costs less than eight dollars.

The Two Cheese Grilled Cheese with garlic tomato soup is the true standout. The soup is not too heavy on garlic flavor, yet remains thick and savory. The Two Cheese Grilled Cheese has a rich yet simple dairy flavor created by the melted American and cheddar cheese within the rye bread. Dip the grilled cheese in the tomato soup to set off a burst of flavor.

There’s also no arguing that if you are looking for an insane amount salad options for less than seven dollars, Choice Greens is the restaurant for you.

Let’s say you have been craving a spinach salad with goat cheese, jicama, radishes and Chinese noodles, all topped in a mango curry. You could order that concoction.

Choice Greens’s protein options cost about two dollars extra. These include ham, tuna, baked tofu and turkey, and each is an excellent way to beef up what might otherwise seem like a very light meal.

The atmosphere at Choice Greens is nothing to write home about though, as the interior looks as though it is trying to capture the essence of a health food restaurant but isn’t quite managing. You’re more likely to see your parents in the lunch crowd on a weekday than any of your fellow students.

While Choice Greens has its moments, the amount of money you’re paying for the food you are getting makes it hard to justify. With all of the top-notch food in Tucson, it doesn’t really make sense to spend eight dollars or more at Choice Greens when there are so many other good dining options in Tucson.

Unless you have some extra CatCash or a salad craving, you may want to take your money elsewhere. Choice Greens is not a bad restaurant by any means, but there are great ones nearby.

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