I’ve been to Fresh City several times. Each time the restaurants were in service centers on the Massachusetts Turnpike. Most recently I was at the Framingham
Mass. Turnpike West location. The exact address is Site 7w, Milepost 115. Each one I’ve been in has a huge parking lot connected to it. There are 13 locations with two opening soon, one in Massachusetts and one in Chicago, Illinios. Most are in Massachusetts but there is one in New Hampshire. one in Rhode Island and one in Connecticut. They are not all at service centers. About half of them are. One is in Logan International Airport. Their hours vary by location. The Framingham location is open 10:00a.m. to 9:00p.m.

A bit of history:

In 1992 brothers Bruce and Larry Reinstein were running their father, David’s, chain of successful Souper Salad restaurants. But they wanted something different. In 1996 they came up with the “Fresh” notion and the name Fresh City. From www.freshcity.com

"“So… what if we did a fresh food marketplace…” Bruce went on to describe the notion he and Larry had been concocting, “where you could go to different stations to choose noodles or salads or wraps or smoothies?

At Fresh City, we serve what we call “Fresh Fusion” cuisine. It’s like jazz, but blending foods instead of music. It’s a blending of ingredients, ideas, and styles to yield a unique, often unexpected, yet delightful result. It’s a celebration of cultural diversity. It’s genuine American cuisine."

How they fare:

At this location there is a Boston Market right next to Fresh City. The Fresh City in Framingham is in a food court setting with a counter at which I ordered. I really like Boston Market. So why didn’t I go there? The line at Boston Market was long. There was no line at Fresh City. Now that doesn’t mean Fresh City isn’t as good as Boston Market. It may just mean that Fresh City is healthier or at least looks and sounds it. Not to over generalize too much but we all know that obesity is a huge health problem in the U.S. Many people shy away from healthy eating opting for the delicious crust of the chicken pot pie at Boston Market instead.

I spent a long time looking at the board where the food is listed and looking at the food which is displayed in front of the customer but behind a screen. It looks very much like Boston Market in that respect. There are no chickens cooking but the counters look alike with Fresh City serving chips, fruit and homemade cookies. The counter and the condition of the food and veggies in the dishes looked good. Everything was clean and wiped down.

I was waited on immediately since I was the only one there but given time to choose. They have prepared salads in a cooler like Boston Market serves. The difference is that at Boston Market a hunk of chicken is added to the salad after I chose it. On one occasion I got the prepared chicken salad and the chicken pieces were already in the salad. It was good. This was the Mandarin Sesame Chicken with romaine lettuce, mandarin oranges (not canned), plenty of tomatoes, red peppers, crispy wonton strips (as opposed to the thin canned noodles) and a delicious homemade Sesame Ginger dressing that was tangy but not sour and had tiny sesame seeds. The veggies were fresh. The chicken was good.

From the website “Fresh City is proud to announce its partnership with Raised Right Chicken. Our new All-Natural chicken breast is fresher than ever and roasted in-house to perfection, providing the undeniably superior flavor along with all of the benefits that “all-natural” brings to your table. No-preservatives, artificial flavors or antibiotics find there way into our chicken. It is certified to be free of growth stimulants, hormones & steroids. They are fed a strict diet of sun-ripen corn and pure soybeans and live in a stress free and natural environment."

It tasted fresh and now that I read that I feel even better having eaten it. That statement alone, which I believe, would prompt my going to Fresh City more often.

They also serve vegetarian meals which are noted on their menu as such. You will also know the level of spiciness of their foods. For example their Buffalo Bleu salad has 2 peppers meaning “getting warmer.”

My husband got a Caesar salad which has romaine lettuce, cheese, croutons, which I tried to see if they were crisp and they were, and their Caesar dressing. It can be ordered with chicken, steak or salmon. He got the chicken though I was curious about the salmon because they call it natural. To me that means not farm raised.

As noted above they serve smoothies. You can get a “charger” such as ginseng, ginkgo biloba and protein powder. They have many others which can be found on the website. I have had the protein powder added to mine. I use protein powder. I know that I make mine without tasting the protein powder. I couldn't taste the powder at Fresh City either though I watched them add it. Any additional add ins cost $.50 which is very reasonable. Their smoothies can be made as non dairy. I have had the tropical creamsicle which is delicious. It has mangoes, strawberries, pineapple. Bananas, juices, and fat free yogurt. I have had enough smoothies to know that they are not chintzy with their portions because the smoothie is so tasty. The yogurt thickens it just enough to make it close to a meal. You can see their smoothies at www.freshcity.com or leave me a comment and I will let you know what other kinds they offer. You won’t be disappointed I don’t think unless you hate smoothies!

You will also find Coffee Smoothies. They make a low fat caramel banana. I only drink decaf but if I didn’t I would try this one which has espresso, skim milk, caramel, bananas and fat free vanilla yogurt.

The service was very good. The young man who helped me was pleasant and smiled. He may not love his job but at least if he doesn't he didn't take it out on me. That has been my experience at Fresh City the times I've gone. I was very impressed with the manager who saw me taking a menu. She told me that they just had new ones made and went out of her way to get one for me.

Prices:

Salads range from $4:99 to $6.29
Sandwiches range from: $5.19 to $6:19
Beverages range from $1.49 to $4.59 (for a large smoothie)
The Chicken Teriyaki is: $6.29
The Mandarin Sesame Chicken is also $6.29
The Great Caesar with chicken is $5.99 and with salmon is $6.49

Please note that some prices and menu selections may vary by store.



Recommended: Yes