If healthy and cheap is your thing, Buds is your new friend. Offering a succinct menu of hearty vegan sandwiches, Mexican food and filling salads, Buds is a great spot for a quick lunch.

Delectable vegan sandwiches are the foundation of Buds’ menu. Housemade cheese sauce, rich pesto and a marinara that would impress my Italian grandma make every sandwich delicious. Soy strips are treated in different ways to re-create the flavor of steak and chicken. And it all comes together on a toasted sourdough hoagie for $6.50 or less.

However, one of my favorite dishes is the taco salad. This monster of a salad is only $6.50, and I can usually get two meals out of it. The salad consists of fresh lettuce, chopped tomato, sweet red onions, killer housemade guacamole and a handful of tortilla chips for substantial crunchiness. But what makes this salad unique is jackfruit standing in for the usual shredded beef or pork. Jackfruit is simmered with a smoky, sweet chipotle sauce for hours, then mixed with hearty black beans, becoming savory and downright meaty. Tucked underneath inches of salad is a warm grilled tortilla, which make the salad pretty filling. A drizzle of cool ginger sour cream and a zesty cilantro-lime dressing is a tasty contrast to the barbecued jackfruit. The different textures and tastes make one hell of a scrumptious salad.

If salads aren’t your jam, you can have the jackfruit experience on a sandwich or even a burrito; all are excellent choices. And don’t forget to grab a decadent zucchini chocolate-chip cookie for dessert. You’ve earned it by eating healthy.

No matter what you order, Buds always comes through with choice vegan options. The next time you need a quick lunch downtown, skip the fast food and clogged arteries and try something new.

BUDS
509 E. 300 South
801-521-4522
BudsSLC.com