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A grain bowl from Honest Mary’s
A grain bowl from Honest Mary’s
Kate LeSueur

27 Healthy Austin Restaurants That Won't Make You Hate Life

Grain bowls, salads, roasted vegetables, vegan fare, and much more

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A grain bowl from Honest Mary’s
| Kate LeSueur

After a few weeks of overeating and indulging in treats, it’s time for truly healthy meals. Keep your eyes and stomachs aimed at hearty grain bowls with roasted vegetables and hummus, salads chock-full of fresh produce, and post-workout juices that energize and detoxify. Luckily, there is no shortage of healthy fare in Austin.

Take a look through Eater’s updated guide to Austin’s healthiest restaurants. Pick up a salad at Baby Greens’ drive-thru, stop by the Beer Plant for plant-based bar foods, enjoy brunch staples from Café No Se, store that yoga mat at Flower Child for grain bowl and cold Kombucha, indulge in great bowls from Honest Mary’s. This update includes Cava and Better Half.

Keep up the healthy eating trend with juices, salads, vegetarian and vegan fare, gluten-free dishes, paleo-friendly spots, and, for those sweet cravings: special diet desserts.

If a go-to healthy food spot missing from the map, let Eater know in the comments or through the tipline.

With updates by Nadia Chaudhury.

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Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process.

Flower Child

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The bohemian-inspired Flower Child offers healthy food that focuses on gluten-free, vegetarian, and organic ingredients. Choose from custom salads, grain bowls, soups, and wraps for your meal and pair it with a cold beverage. The space includes a seasonal iced tea and lemonade station and offers Kombucha on tap. There's a second location in downtown Austin too.

Flower Child’s salad
Flower Child’s salad
Shveta B./Yelp

Mad Greens

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The Colorado-based salad chain brings along mixed greens and vegetables to Austin with several locations around town. Opt for salads or any of the other dishes: paninis, wraps, soups, and fresh-pressed juices.

Salad at Mad Greens
Salad at Mad Greens
Mad Greens/Facebook

Honest Mary’s

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The fast-casual grain bowl restaurant focuses on fresh ingredients, from rice to vegetables to proteins.

A grain bowl from Honest Mary’s
A grain bowl from Honest Mary’s
Kate LeSueur

Baby Greens

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Baby Greens serves salads and wraps from its drive-thru. Packed with fresh veggies, any menu option is bound to please. Choose between grilled chicken breast, grilled tofu, or walnuts, and add that to any salad or wrap for a protein boost.

Baby Greens’ salad
Baby Greens’ salad
Baby Greens/Facebook

Cooking up mostly paleo-friendly dishes, Picnik is a progressive restaurant that offers healthy options like the banh mi chicken wrap, spaghetti squash lasagna, and bone broth. Find a limited menu at its two trailers on South Lamar and East Cesar Chavez Street.

Picnik’s Harvest Hash
Picnik’s Harvest Hash
Picnik/Yelp

Snap Kitchen

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Snap Kitchen prides itself on making fresh food with no GMOS, artificial preservatives, flavors, or colors. You can browse options by category, dietary needs, protein, or simply what you’re craving. Snap favorites include the spaghetti turkey bolognese and the bison quinoa hash.

Brisket hash at Snap Kitchen
Brisket hash at Snap Kitchen
Snap Kitchen/Facebook

The Steeping Room

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With healthy dishes like garden vegetables, hummus, healthy bowls, salads, and sandwiches, the Steeping Room’s menu is just as inviting its afternoon cup of tea.

The Bangkok bowl and tea at the Steeping Room
The Bangkok bowl and tea at the Steeping Room
Steeping Room/Facebook

The Beer Plant

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It’s all about plant-based eating over at the Beer Plant, which focuses on fermented items like breads, pickled vegetables, and cultured vegan cheeses and butter. Order bar food favorites like buffalo cauliflower wings, nachos, or the Blacksmith Burger for an different gastropub experience.

Beer plant’s crispy buffalo cauliflower
Beer plant’s crispy buffalo cauliflower
The Beer Plant/Facebook

Of the newer fast-casual Mediterranean restaurants that opened up in Austin, it’s Cava that delivers with great build-your-own bowls of salads, grains, and pitas with all sorts of hummus spreads and more. Plus there are locations in downtown and Westlake.

Cava’s food
Cava’s food
Cava [Official]

Austin Daily Press

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For an enjoyably healthy meal, Austin Daily Press’ array of sandwiches, like the caprese, the falafel, or the Lucy, a lemongrass braised pork torta with sriracha, aioli, onion, sweet and hot pickles, cilantro, and mint, will do the trick. Or, skip the sandwich entirely and opt for one of its fresh salads.

Sandwiches at Austin Daily Press
Sandwiches at Austin Daily Press
Annie Ray Photography/Austin Daily Press/Facebook

Better Half Coffee & Cocktails

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Throughout the neighborhood cafe’s menu are healthy gems, like the soothing brothy greens and grains bowl with optional tempeh, green chopped salad, and even tater tots made with cauliflower.

The greens and grain bowl at Better Half
The greens and grain bowl at Better Half
Alison Narro Photography/Better Half/Facebook

Blue Dahlia Bistro

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Inspired by lighter, French-influenced fare, Blue Dahlia’s menu is full of small bites, tartines, soups, and salads. This east side staple creates simple, yet tasty dishes using fresh, local, and organic ingredients.

A salad at Blue Dahlia Bistro
A salad at Blue Dahlia Bistro
Blue Dahlia Cafe/Facebook

True Food Kitchen

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True Food Kitchen delivers up what it considers “honest food,” which means vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free dishes like the beet bruschetta, the ancient grain bowl, or the sustainable seabass.

A fish dish from True Food Kitchen
A fish dish from True Food Kitchen
True Food Kitchen/Yelp

Koriente

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Escape the hustle and bustle of Red River and Dirty Sixth by heading over to Koriente for a healthy, Asian-inspired dish. The Korean restaurant uses minimal oil, sugar and salt, and no MSG. From curries and bibimbap to warm miso soup, all dishes are fresh and delicious.

Bibimbap at Koriente
Bibimbap at Koriente
Yummy T./Yelp

Blenders and Bowls

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Austin’s acai café specializes in smoothies and bowls that feature the superfruit, Each bowl comes loaded with vitamins and antioxidants in the forms of organic granola, fruit, and honey. It doesn’t hurt that it’s pretty, too.

Acai bowls at Blenders and Bowls
Acai bowls at Blenders and Bowls
Blenders & Bowls/Facebook

Casa de Luz

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The restaurant and educational community center focuses wholly on macrobiotics. With a new menu daily, guests can enjoy vegan, organic, and gluten-free meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Dishes at Cada de Luz
Dishes at Cada de Luz
Wendy T./Yelp

Bento Picnic

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For a quick-and-easy meal, head over to Bento Picnic’s kiosk within the Austin Bouldering Project. Bento's food philosophy covers what it deems as the five elements of tastes, colors, and techniques, for Japanese-style meals that are healthy, fresh, and pretty. Boxes range from curry, noodle, rice, to garden.

One of Bento Picnic’s bento boxes
One of Bento Picnic’s bento boxes
Bento Picnic/Facebook

JuiceLand

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It’s never a wrong move to visit JuiceLand. The extensive menu includes thick smoothies, fresh juices, boosters, and an assortment of vegan meal options. It’s easy to end up trying a little bit of everything.

One of JuiceLand’s burritos
One of JuiceLand’s burritos
JuiceLand/Facebook

Veracruz All Natural

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Veracruz All Natural’s migas are some of Austin’s best. Known for its fresh tacos and salsas and the homemade tortillas and chips made daily, the taco trucks and restaurants does authentic Mexican food right.

Migas tacos at Veracruz All Natural
Migas tacos at Veracruz All Natural
Veracruz All Natural/Facebook

Mr. Natural

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Mr. Natural offers Tex-Mex with a twist, offering a variety of classics like enchiladas, flautas, and tamales that are gluten-free, non-dairy, vegan, or vegetarian. The menu also offers smoothies and juices made from never-frozen ingredients.

Chilaquiles and a spinach-pineapple agua fresca at Mr. Natural
Chilaquiles and a spinach-pineapple agua fresca at Mr. Natural
Mr. Natural/Facebook

Curcuma

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Another vegan trailer, Curcuma emphasizes superfoods in its dishes from turmeric milks, butter coffee, bowls with mung beans, chia puddings, and more.

Bowls from Curcuma
Bowls from Curcuma
Curcuma/Facebook

Counter Culture

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With dishes like the mac and cheeze and a Philly seitan sandwich, Counter Culture offers some of Austin’s best vegan comfort foods. Don’t forget to look over the dessert menu, where the dishes are sweetened with dates.

A sandwich and salad at Counter Culture
A sandwich and salad at Counter Culture
Rosanne P./Yelp

Conscious Cravings

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The vegan trailer, with two locations (the other up in Mueller), is all about plant-based wraps, filled with spiced chickpeas, wheat protein nuggets, barbecue seitan, tofu in various styles, and more.

The chimichurri seitan wrap at Conscious Cravings
The chimichurri seitan wrap at Conscious Cravings
Conscious Cravings/Facebook

Fresa's Chicken Al Carbon

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Fresa’s South First location makes for an ideal alfresco healthy meal. It’s perfect for large groups or customers with dietary restrictions. The menu offers wood-grilled meats, homemade tortillas, and a variety of grilled vegetables. Try the Yucatan-spiced chicken or the power bol.

A bowl from Fresa’s
A bowl from Fresa’s
Fresa’s/Facebook

Cafe No Sé

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Café No Se serves cafe staples with West Coast flare. The menu includes favorites like avocado toast with a soft-boiled egg, the shredded kale salad, and the autumn bowl. Seafood options include yellowfin tuna, ora king salmon, and grilled shrimp.

A salad at Cafe No Se
A salad at Cafe No Se
Travis Hallmark/Cafe No Se/Facebook

Bouldin Creek Café

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Located in South Austin, Bouldin Creek serves delicious vegetarian and vegan foods in its down-to-earth café. Try the vegan enchiladas or the ruby reuben — these dishes will leave both meat eaters and veggie lovers fully satisfied.

Tacos at Bouldin Creek Cafe
Tacos at Bouldin Creek Cafe
Bouldin Creek Cafe/Facebook

Vinaigrette

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Vinaigrette takes the traditional salad bar to a new standard. The salad bistro offers a variety of savory, sweet, or balanced salad entrees made from locally sourced ingredients, including the owner’s own farm out in Bastrop. Pair the salad with healthy soups, side, or opt for a hearty sandwich instead.

One of Vinaigrette’s salads
One of Vinaigrette’s salads
Vinaigrette/Facebook

Poke Poke

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Poke, roughly cut sashimi grade ahi, can be ordered with or without rice, and is mixed with sesame oil, white and green onions, and sesame seeds. Include ingredients like kale and fresh ginger for an added boost, or choose Poke Poke’s lighter option, the Aloha bowl. There's a second location out in Allandale.

Poke Poke’s poke
Poke Poke’s poke
Poke Poke/Facebook

Flower Child

The bohemian-inspired Flower Child offers healthy food that focuses on gluten-free, vegetarian, and organic ingredients. Choose from custom salads, grain bowls, soups, and wraps for your meal and pair it with a cold beverage. The space includes a seasonal iced tea and lemonade station and offers Kombucha on tap. There's a second location in downtown Austin too.

Flower Child’s salad
Flower Child’s salad
Shveta B./Yelp

Mad Greens

The Colorado-based salad chain brings along mixed greens and vegetables to Austin with several locations around town. Opt for salads or any of the other dishes: paninis, wraps, soups, and fresh-pressed juices.

Salad at Mad Greens
Salad at Mad Greens
Mad Greens/Facebook

Honest Mary’s

The fast-casual grain bowl restaurant focuses on fresh ingredients, from rice to vegetables to proteins.

A grain bowl from Honest Mary’s
A grain bowl from Honest Mary’s
Kate LeSueur

Baby Greens

Baby Greens serves salads and wraps from its drive-thru. Packed with fresh veggies, any menu option is bound to please. Choose between grilled chicken breast, grilled tofu, or walnuts, and add that to any salad or wrap for a protein boost.

Baby Greens’ salad
Baby Greens’ salad
Baby Greens/Facebook

Picnik

Cooking up mostly paleo-friendly dishes, Picnik is a progressive restaurant that offers healthy options like the banh mi chicken wrap, spaghetti squash lasagna, and bone broth. Find a limited menu at its two trailers on South Lamar and East Cesar Chavez Street.

Picnik’s Harvest Hash
Picnik’s Harvest Hash
Picnik/Yelp

Snap Kitchen

Snap Kitchen prides itself on making fresh food with no GMOS, artificial preservatives, flavors, or colors. You can browse options by category, dietary needs, protein, or simply what you’re craving. Snap favorites include the spaghetti turkey bolognese and the bison quinoa hash.

Brisket hash at Snap Kitchen
Brisket hash at Snap Kitchen
Snap Kitchen/Facebook

The Steeping Room

With healthy dishes like garden vegetables, hummus, healthy bowls, salads, and sandwiches, the Steeping Room’s menu is just as inviting its afternoon cup of tea.

The Bangkok bowl and tea at the Steeping Room
The Bangkok bowl and tea at the Steeping Room
Steeping Room/Facebook

The Beer Plant

It’s all about plant-based eating over at the Beer Plant, which focuses on fermented items like breads, pickled vegetables, and cultured vegan cheeses and butter. Order bar food favorites like buffalo cauliflower wings, nachos, or the Blacksmith Burger for an different gastropub experience.