Food should be not only tasty, but also healthy – this is the truth that everyone knows. Proper balanced diet is considered to be one of the most important elements of a healthy lifestyle, especially when you travel far from home. Fortunately, if your final trip destination is Los Angeles, then you’re the lucky one! The city offers an abundance of decent restaurants serving healthy food. Local establishments are able to satisfy all the appetites of adherents of organic food.
If you care about your health and try to always choose the right foods, then check the following 5 restaurants serving outstanding meals for a healthy diet. Of course, it’s better to rent a car in Los Angeles to find these spots quickly and without any problems.
Akasha
Akasha healthy food café has got the name of its founder-chef Akasha Richmond. Inspired by numerous travels around the world, she serves dishes of an innovative American cuisine with light foreign culinary accents. The menu varies seasonally, depending on currently available farm products and organic ingredients. For example, for lunch you can order garlic hummus on onion cake with olives (about $8) or burger with organic turkey meat (about $16). Also, the menu offers tofu and a lot of fresh vegetables. Freshly squeezed juices, tinctures of own preparation, organic wine and beer are among beverages served in Akasha.
Address: 9543 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA
Operating Hours: Monday-Thursday 8am-9.30pm, Friday 8am-10.30pm, Saturday 9am-10.30pm, Sunday 9am-9pm
Café Gratitude
(photo by sarafin)
Café Gratitude is an organic vegetarian cafe. It uses the best products from local farmers and offer both cooked meals and raw food. One of the highlights of the establishment is unusual names of dishes. For example, you can start the day with ‘Open-hearted’: a weekend breakfast which includes mixed berries, cashew coconut whipped cream watered with maple syrup. ‘Bonita’ offers mouth-watering corn tacos with brown rice, beans, avocado, cashews and sunflower seeds. ‘Peace’ breakfast consists of raw baked bagel with cashew cream cheese, tomatoes, onions, cabbage and capers.
Also you’ll find many other cheerful names in the menu of Café Gratitude: ‘Magical’ and ‘Awesome’ sandwiches, ’Evolved’ bowls, ‘Amazing’ Thai noodles, ‘Inviting’ and ‘Brilliant’ starters, ‘Hearty’ Hawaiian pizza, ‘Dazzling’ Kale Caesar salad and ‘Wonderful’ pressed juice are among them.
Address: 639 N Larchmont Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
Operating Hours: Monday-Sunday 8am-10pm
Crossroads Kitchen
(photo by L.A. Sates)
The owner and chef of Crossroads Kitchen vegetarian restaurant, Tal Ronnen is one of the most famous chefs in the world and the author of ‘The Conscious Cook’, which is included into The New York Times Bestseller list. The establishment serves dishes of Mediterranean cuisine – mini-snacks, salads, soups, sandwiches, pasta and risotto.
Try a sandwich with mushrooms, tomatoes and spinach (about $11) or sandwich with home-made meatballs, ricotta and basil (about $12), spicy Moroccan carrots with chili and cumin or a Mediterranean salad with lentils (about $5), lasagna cooked in a wood-burning stove (about $18) or banana trifle with caramel and almond cream (about $8).
On weekdays, lunches and dinners are served there, and brunches are also available on Sundays. Every day the restaurant offers ‘dishes of the day’ – pasta, soups, salads and desserts.
Address: 8284 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA
Operating Hours: Monday-Friday 11am-2.30pm, 5pm-11pm; Saturday and Sunday 10am-2pm, 5pm-11pm
M Café
(photo by Jeffrey Zeldman)
M Café is an establishment of modern macrobiotic cuisine. Its concept involves the use of fresh healthy ingredients and the rejection of refined sugar, eggs, dairy products, red meat and poultry. You can taste there one of the best vegetarian burgers in Los Angeles – Big Macro Sandwich with tomato, cucumber, lettuce, onion and soy mozzarella on a toasted whole-grain bun (about $12). On weekdays until 11.30am, breakfast is served – it includes a tofu omelet or a French toast made of spicy bread with cherries, nuts and maple syrup (about $10). Also, the menu offers several soups (about $4-7), salads with greens, vegetables and tofu ($11-17), hot sandwiches on gluten-free bread ($12), rice or quinoa with various additions, as well as noodles and rolls.
Coffee with soy, rice or almond milk and all various desserts will complete the whole picture of the organic dinner.
Address: 7617, 7119 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood, CA
Operating Hours: Monday-Saturday 9am-10pm, Sunday 9am-9pm
Veggie Grill
Veggie Grill is a chain of vegetarian establishments. It serves classic American food, but on a vegetable basis: without meat, eggs and dairy products. The basis of the dishes is vegetables, fruits, seeds and nuts. As for appetizers, order Mondo Nachos – corn chips with caramelized onions, avocado puree, Veggie Grill cheese, jalapeno and soy cream dips (about $7). Then, depending on the degree of your hunger, choose between a light salad called All Hail Kale (about $9) or a hearty Chargrilled Veggie Penne (about $10). Speaking of the main dish, try the local favorite VG-Cheeseburger with soy cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, onions and chili (about $10).
For those who are afraid of fast carbohydrates, a roll in a sandwich will be replaced with kale-style cabbage.
Address: 6374 Sunset Blvd A, Hollywood, CA
Operating Hours: Monday-Friday 10.30am-12am, Saturday and Sunday 11am-12am