If you’re anything like me, finding a lunch that is quick, genuinely healthy, and actually tastes good can sometimes feel harder than it should. I’m always on the hunt for spots where I can grab something nutritious without settling for a sad, boring salad – and I think I just found a new go-to in Naples.

Giardino Gourmet Salads isn’t new to Southwest Florida, but somehow it took me until now to finally try it. The Naples location actually opened in 2018, and after our first visit, I can confidently say we’ll be back.

Giardino is a Florida-based fast-casual concept centered around fresh, whole ingredients and customizable meals. The company was founded in 2004 by former elementary school teacher Ody Lugo and her husband, Kenny, after an experience with her students inspired her to teach people more about where real food comes from. In fact, “Giardino” means “garden” in Italian, and that idea carries through the brand’s “Garden to Bowl” philosophy.

What We Tried at Giardino Gourmet Salads

I ordered the K & Q, which comes with kale and romaine greens, organic quinoa, roasted sweet potatoes, garbanzo beans, goat cheese, sliced almonds, ginger dressing and toasted pitas.

As tempted as I was to build my own salad with all of the fun ingredient options, after reading the description, I felt like the K & Q was made for me.

There were enough hearty ingredients that it felt like an actual meal rather than a bowl of lettuce. It was hearty, and the combination of ingredients gave it so much flavor.

I ordered the Piccolo, which is actually the smaller of Giardino’s two salad sizes, and it was huge. I only ate about half of it and brought the rest home. If you have a bigger appetite, you can upgrade to the larger Basta size for not much more, or turn any of the handcrafted salads into a wrap.

My husband ordered the Caesar with fire-roasted chicken, made with romaine, bacon, shredded Parmesan, fire-roasted chicken, Caesar dressing and garlic croutons.

He almost ordered the larger size and was very glad he didn’t because he couldn’t even finish the Piccolo! We ended up bringing his leftovers home for our four-year-old daughter and even she loved it.

It was a good reminder that healthy food doesn’t have to taste bland or feel like you’re sacrificing something. Everything we tried was packed with fresh ingredients but still tasted like food you’d genuinely crave.

More Than Just Salads

Giardino has also recently rolled out sandwiches, so obviously we had to try one.

We ordered the creamy Alaskan Salmon Capperi sandwich on white bread, made with their wild Alaskan salmon and capers (my favorite!) What really stood out to me was learning how they prepare their ingredients. The salmon used for their salmon salad comes in actual fillets, not out of a can, and is prepared in-house.

That attention to freshness was noticeable across everything we ate, including the chicken on our salads. The ingredients are SO fresh, the produce is hand-cut, and nothing had that prepackaged fast-food feel.

Build It Exactly How You Want It

You definitely don’t have to order one of their signature combinations, either. Giardino’s “My Way” option lets you build your own salad, grain bowl or wrap, and the company says it offers more than 75 fresh and scratch-made ingredients, including gluten-free and vegetarian options.

Their menu also includes warm grain bowls, gourmet wraps, homemade deli salads, soups, proteins and a surprisingly large selection of dressings, vinaigrettes, sauces and toppings.

So whether you’re looking for something light, trying to pack in more protein, avoiding certain ingredients or just happen to be an extremely particular salad person, you can pretty much make your meal exactly what you want it to be.

Fresh, Filling AND Affordable

The other thing that really impressed us was the value – especially compared to other similar concepts in the area.

With how fresh everything tasted and how large the portions were, I expected it to be considerably more expensive. Instead, we thought the prices were really reasonable, especially considering both of us had enough food left over to take home.

There are plenty of places to grab a quick lunch, but finding something that checks the quick, fresh, nutritious, filling, affordable and delicious boxes all at once is a little harder. Giardino did. And while Giardino has multiple locations throughout Florida, the Naples restaurant is currently the brand’s Southwest Florida location.

You can find it at 3370 Pine Ridge Road, Suite 3 in Naples.

If you’re looking for an easy, healthy lunch in Naples that doesn’t actually feel like you’re eating “healthy food,” add this one to your list.

We’ll definitely be back!