ThisItalian chainis typically just a solid choice for kid-friendly meals or (at its Midtown locations) a reliable business lunch. But it also makes a tangy, satisfying shaved raw artichoke salad, tossed in a simple lemon-olive oil dressing, covered with Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings, and served with lemon slices for further citrus spritzing.

One of the city’s top places to find Grecian fare,Taverna Kycladeswhips up a very faithful take on the classic Greek salad. A big hunk of feta sits atop diced cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, onions, and hot peppers, doused in olive oil and a showering of oregano. There’s an East Village outpost in addition to the Astoria original.

With California roots, this longtimepower lunch spotserves a justifiably famous Cobb salad, filled with roasted chicken, thick-cut bacon, blue cheese, cherry tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, and creamy avocado, all dressed in a balsamic vinaigrette. As for the crowd, it’s a media industry favorite, populated by the likes of TV execs, on-air personalities, and Hearst heavyweights.

While there are plenty of light, flavorful, and often vegetable-driven items on stylishABC Kitchen’s menu, the roast carrot and avocado salad is a longtime highlight. The sparse salad consists of carrots roasted in a marinade that includes citrus (both orange and lemon), cumin, garlic, and thyme, finished with a dollop of crème fraîche and toasted sunflower seeds for some crunch.

Jonathan Waxman’s West Village spot gets a lot of love for itssuperb pollo al forno, and rightfully so. But don’t sleep on the kale salad, which has been around for a long time and predates the ubiquity of the leafy dark green on seemingly every menu. Packed with with pecorino, anchovies, and breadcrumbs, it’s simple but flawless, best enjoyed at a sidewalk table.

The seafood salad has been on the menu for over two decades, and is one of the original dishes chef Alfred Portale has served his entire, lengthy time at Greenwich Village’sGotham Bar and Grill.Created as a riffon seafood salads Portale first encountered in Florence, the ultra-fresh dish has Spanish octopus, scallops, lobster, and shrimp, poached to order and tossed with a light lemon-olive oil dressing, herbs, shallots, and spices, served with a bit of avocado and greens.

Thissnug Parisian charmerfrom Jody Williams does a lot of things very well, like any of the delicately steamed egg dishes, for example. The roasted chicken salad is a highlight, too: Tossed with haricots verts, potatoes, and vinaigrette, it’s like a more nuanced, relatively lighter mash-up of chicken salad and potato salad, sans the mayo. Be prepared to wait for it.

The Caesar salad is pricey at Major Food Group’s ode to old-school American Italian fare, but so is everything on the menu.What makes it worth it?It’s a top example of the form, where the salad is prepared table-side, with ample anchovies, croutons made from sister restaurant Parm’s semolina rolls soaked in compound butter, and showered in cheese.

Head to this spicyAlphabet City Thai restaurantfor a multitude of takes on papaya salad, thespicy Northeastern Thaidish that delivers assertive heat and refreshing crunch and tanginess in each bite. There are eight varieties of the salad, which originates from Isan, with additions like mackerel, grilled pork neck, and salted egg, all ringing in at $11 to $15.

The endive salad at Noho charmerEstelamay not look like much, but like the rest of Ignacio Mattos’ acid-driven fare, looks can be deceiving. Mattos simply dresses crunchy endive leaves with vinaigrette and orange zest, and hiding underneath is a pile of crunchy toasted walnuts, anchovy, and ubriaco rosso cheese. The result is absolutely addicting.

Another bowl of kale truly worth ordering in NYC, aside from Barbuto’s version? The chopped black kale salad at Greenpoint go-toFive Leaves. The excellent all-day dining option is currently a spicy riff on a Caesar, with gouda and hazelnuts; a previous iteration had mint, pine nuts, salted lemon, and yogurt.

The main attraction at this airyNolita cafeis the homemade Greek yogurt, available strained or unstrained and in various savory and sweet toppings, but the Greek salad merits a visit, too. A generous slab of feta sprinkled with capers, oregano, and mint leaves sits atop halved cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, red onions, and high-quality Kalamata olives. The bottom has a foundation of Cretan rusks, or nutty crouton-like crackers made in-house, which soak up a generous glug of olive oil.

At thisCarroll Gardens mainstay, there’s a particularly filling, standout salad, composed of warm lamb and romaine. The lettuce leaves are dressed with a tangy buttermilk, mustard, mayo, and red wine dressing and topped with lamb, roasted cauliflower, croutons, fried capers, and a soft-boiled egg.