Balance

You're after lunch that doesn't feel like a compromise, and Balance gets it. This spot on Lower Marsh—nestled between the railway arches and all the proper restaurants of Waterloo—does salads the way they should be: built with actual thought, decent proteins, and dressings that don't arrive in a sad little pot. The formula is simple: pick your base (leaves, grains, whatever), load up on roasted veg and quality ingredients, and watch it come together. It's the kind of place where you don't feel like you're being punished for choosing salad over a sandwich, which frankly puts it ahead of most.