Dee Ann M.
Yelp
We routed our road trip from Austin, Texas to Las Vegas, Nevada to go to Sweet tomatoes in Tucson, Arizona.
If you weren't a fan before, then you might not understand the nostalgia of this restaurant. In May 2020 all Sweet Tomatoes closed due to COVID. They never reopened but thanks to social media getting the word out, we saw one and only one spot say it was open April 2024. We did so much research to make sure that this place was actually open and not a hoax. In June 2025, one of our road trip spots was Tucson, Arizona strictly to go to Sweet Tomatoes. Our hotel was even chosen to be close.
When we arrived at the parking lot my son and I both got really excited and nervous at the same time. How can this be the same? Can it be as good? Are we kidding ourselves to think we can go back to that pre-Covid restaurant we love so much? But the minute you walk in it's all the same. You are flashed back to that time and that smell!!! The trays still boast sweet tomato logo. You still get those red orange and yellow plates. You walk your tray and plate down the line getting either the premade incredibly and tastefully designed salads or you make your own with a boost of so many options.
Like I said, the rundown is incredible. You have carrots, cucumbers, olives, sweet pickles, regular pickles, chickpeas, peas, beets, Romain, lettuce, spring mix, sunflower, seeds, croutons, few options of cold pasta salads,broccoli salad, & cheeses, etc. As you arrived to the end of the bar you purchase your salad bar and drink cups. We paid $.50 extra to have a to go cup. The price is still super reasonable and they even have a rewards set up for people who regularly get to go. Unfortunately we live too far away to go regularly. I did ask if they honored sweet tomatoes previous gift cards and they don't. That was OK because I was happy to be there anyway.
We sat down in the dining area. They had booths and tables and all was still the sweet sweet design that we loved and remembered from all of the original restaurants. They even have the cute little notes on your table that say "be ripe back" or "see you next thyme" so you can place them on your table so your weight staff knows whether or not you're coming back to your table. Even the drinks were still the same. There was this lovely herbal iced tea (I'm so sorry I can't remember exactly what it was, some kind of hibiscus blend) and they still had it. They also had strawberry lemonade, lemonade, sodas, and regular iced tea. They still have their hot bar with two different kinds of focaccia cheesy bread, pastas and delicious mac and cheese, muffins, cornbread, gluten free options, 5 seasonal and changing soups (we got chili, & broccoli cheese, cream of mushroom), baked potatoes, sweet potatoes and all the fixings, a honey butter for muffins, desserts like banana pudding, fruit, cookies, chocolate lava cake, and soft serve ice cream. There is so much here. I love that. There's something for everybody's taste bud and they don't skimp on anything. Everything tasted phenomenal, fresh and clean.
The service was great. We were greeted as we walked in the door and the girl attending the salads was super friendly and told us how busy they can get and how luckily we were that they weren't as busy today and we didn't have to wait in line. I've seen that this place can get really busy even before Covid so I can only imagine how nuts this place gets being the only one open. Trust me people do travel here from other states to go here. Be patient and kind to all the employees. We want this place to stay forever.
They don't take reservations so be patient if you get there and have to wait. They do only accept card for payment so please make sure you bring cash for a tip.
For a buffet salad bar this is way more than five stars. The staff, the quality, the taste, the cleanliness, all make this top of the line.