Pluto's

Location

500 1st Street, in the Davis Commons shopping center

Hours

Sun-Thu 11:00AM-10:00PM

Fri-Sat 11:00AM-10:30PM

Phone

(530)758-8676

Web site

http://www.plutosfreshfood.com

Slogan

"Fresh Food For A Hungry Universe"

Pluto's serves food in a fun, stylish atmosphere. Think "The Jetsons". The food is served cafeteria-style. You first take a "guest check" (order form) as you enter. Then you find the food(s) you desire and tell the server(s) behind the counter what you wish. They'll hand you your order and fill out your order form. Give the form to the cashier when you pay. The advantage of cafeteria-style service is that it eliminates the labor needed to bring food to tables. A worker will bus your table after you leave.

The guest check order forms are now obsolete, though still provided. The preparers have forms that create a carbon copy, one of which is given to you and the other of which stays with your food until you pay.

The menu is divided into these categories:

Greens & Things Pluto's salads are incredible. You can choose up to seven additions to either romaine or a mix. Delicious, sauces, bread and an option for meat finish them off. These are delicious, not to mention an excellent value.

Meats & Poultry They have a nice hot gas grill operating right in front of you to cook your meat. The options include flank steak, sausages, chicken, and roast turkey.

Veggies & Spuds This category includes all sorts of delicious side dishes. They usually even have brussel sprouts. The garlic potato rings and onion rings are incredible. Note that the onion rings come with spicy BBQ sauce by default; mild is available on request.

Sweets Lemon bars, brownies and cookies fill a glass-covered cake case next to the register. Prices are a little high for the quality of the treats.

Quenchers Water, beer and a good selection of non-standard sodas are available, amongst other things.

Little Astronauts (the children's menu)

And it is so fun. Really, you walk in, grab a menu form, and as you make your rounds to each different category, the chef behind the counter fills out your form. Then you check out at the counter and voila! Eat your stellar meal. If you eat there often, be sure to ask to be put "in the book". They'll enter your name in the binder and after 10 meals, your 11th is free!

Pluto's also has a handful of other restaurants in nearby galaxies. For a full listing, check out their webpage at http://www.plutosfreshfood.com.

Meats & poultry counterSalad ingredients and tossing actionMixed greens salad with chicken and au jus sandwich with garlic fries

This article is in need of a Photo. To add an image to this page, click "Edit" then click the "Files" button.

Add a Review

Note: You must be logged in to add comments

• Reviews from 2005 ~ 13 comments
  

• Reviews from 2006 ~ 10 comments
  

• Reviews from 2007 ~ 22 comments

2009-06-05 BEWARE! A handful of my friends and I all got food poisoning from sandwiches we got from this place last weekend. In talking to others, I found out we weren't the only ones. I also heard that this isn't the first report of people getting sick from Pluto's food. Too bad! :( I loved their food. But it's not worth what we all went through last weekend (and it was unquestionably the sandwiches).

2008-01-07 03:09:40   This has become one of my favorite places for a quick bite when I'm on my own. The only vegan salad dressing option here is the cilantro-lime vinaigrette, but it is delicious. I do agree, the size of the salad depends on the person making it. Sometimes, you get someone stingy (or in a rush), & the main salad comes out looking like the side salad just on a bigger plate. The garlic fries are great, but I do recommend you ask them to go easy on the garlic, as they do pile it on. And $4 for a nice, decent glass of wine, you can't beat that. *NOTE to vegetarians/vegans: I noticed they were grabbing the chicken meat with the same tongs they grab the veggies with while making salads. I emailed corporate, & got a response from them saying they will make a change to ensure they remain veggie friendly. I was happy to hear this! —AprilAries

2008-06-01 14:12:05   I love this place, although I think the quality has gone downhill ever since they got rid of the glazed walnuts. They're salads are great, but they have some pretty decent sandwich options as well. I like to get a turkey sandwich with cranberry sauce and stuffing on the side. Makes it feel like it's Thanksgiving all year long. —StephanieRobinson

2008-07-06 02:40:55   This is one of the better places for Salads in this town. You would think with the fricking tree huggers there would be some good options for salads but this and Super Supper are really it. I must say I really like their orbital rings as well. I'm hungry I think I may need to return soon. Oh and best part is that they are open late. —SeanMartir

2008-07-29 01:26:03   ~How funny I was thinking the exact same thing the other day when I was craving a salad, I was thinking for a tree hugger town there aren't too many options than just a few places oh well...the salad I had was fantastic so it worked out. —csmith

2008-08-06 22:14:09   i don't think i've ever tasted a better salad!!!!! I love the way they mix it...there's magic in the way they do it, cuz i sure can't replicate it in it's entirety. —PalakKapasi

2008-09-17 20:41:17   My Pops and I ate here a few months ago - no joke - he found a screw in his sandwich. The cashier - again, no joke - grudgingly gave him another sandwich. I am positive this is an aberration, but we were both disappointed. I'd eaten here several times and in Palo Alto as well - always been great but I haven't been back since the incident. Anyone have a price range, by the way? —sjoe

2008-09-21 17:29:09   Their sandwiches are decent but the portions are meek. —AvidSpots

2008-10-21 17:52:34   Good place. I like the Tri-Tip sandwich. The salads are tasty as well —ChrisWaterstraat

2008-12-18 20:39:05   I used to like Pluto's, but it has gone way downhill the last couple years. My experience tonight was BAD and I will not go back. I kid you not - there was a cockroach walking on the rim of one of the salad bar containers. I had to point it out to the chef, at which point he simply wiped it off. Only after frowning at my wife did he decide maybe he should remove that container from the ice (however, I had seen it crawl across several containers). No apology or further comment from the salad chef. I'm not so paranoid about a cockroach, but it was symbolic of the rest of our experience too. The food was of poor quality - old and bad-tasting chicken in my salad, poor quality sausage, and it was cold and drafty inside. The garlic fries were good though. —jwe

2009-01-19 14:09:31   I think the salads taste much better than the sandwiches (which tend to be a little dry). A great place overall, considering there is always a line! —renee415

2009-02-02 13:56:11   Great place for a well-priced salad. Lots of ingredients to choose from and they always have an interesting salad dressing flavor. However, during peak hours, it gets really busy and you basically have to shout at the chef to get your order in. —AmanpreetSingh

2009-03-14 20:13:09   Very yummy salads and other tasty treats. Highly customizable. I like their sandwiches too. Their lines are seriously long though. On more than one occasion, I've wanted to just get a dessert item here (which requires you to request it from the cashier), but would have had to wait through the entire line to get it. I eventually gave up hope and went elsewhere. The line is much slower than it needs to be because the cashier, in addition to taking your money, is also performing a lot of other tasks as well. So it can take 2-3 minutes to get an order rung up. If they were to give these duties to someone else, the entire line would move much faster, and I would buy food here more often. —IDoNotExist

2009-05-26 01:28:26   found a bug in my salad today. —Yesenia

• That adds protein! Not everyone gets one. —IDoNotExist
  

2009-05-31 07:47:39   Two words: Garlic fries. They are to die for.

Also, beware of the salads. A side salad is easily enough for a big eater like me, so going for the full size is best reserved for sharing. The rosemary focaccia is absolutely delicious. And of course, my favorite thing to do is come in and try the running special sandwich. I've had some pretty good results with them, never a bad one, certainly.

But yes. Did I mention the garlic fries?
...good. —KBathory

2009-06-02 21:46:03   Their salads are great and the employees are really cool, in my awesome opinion. —RonB

2009-06-20 17:01:12   One of the big words on the wall is "ORGANIC." Are any of their foods organic? I've asked them before but never received an answer. The implication is that the salad bar is all organic; the word is right above it, I think. —jsg718

2009-06-27 10:44:57   No, Pluto's isn't organic. I used to really like this place, but then the salads started getting skimpier, and they decided to start charging extra for walnuts... it's not that fabulous anymore. Most of the time I feel like I'm paying more for the dressing than for the salad (they don't know the meaning of 'go easy on the dressing') and some of the vegetables sometimes appear to be previously frozen/thawed. I personally like the completely bottomless salad at Crepeville (also not organic, but larger and fresher) and the new salad bar at the co-op much better. Even the salad bar at the Nugget on Covell is looking better these days, for the value. —calvin2

2009-06-27 11:47:38   I've got food poisoning from plutos twice this year. I believe it's due to the way they handle the meat. Tried veggie salad yesterday and didn't get sick (amazingly..). It concerns me that the salad is located on the floor. —shraken

2009-07-17 17:41:26   I tend to agree with Calvin2. Pluto's seems to have gone down hill in all but one area, which is the strength and quality of the bleach odor that greets you upon entering into the restaurant. Were it not for outdoor seating, I would not eat here ever. If you have a lung infection, you might disinfect your lungs by breathing the air in Pluto's for a few minutes, but this is not medical advice. Consult your doctor first. —MichaelPlotkin

2009-07-20 20:00:11   While a bit pricey for what you get, this has some of the best food in town. Everything is real fresh. —longboardlover

2009-08-15 22:30:50   the meat always has a lot of fat on it, the kind that is not chewable in any shape form or matter. And i agree with shraken i have definitly gotten food poisoning. but i think it was from the water and the way the cups are washed , if that is possible... —lajolla4joya