Cincinnati's culinary scene is blossoming with options for health-conscious diners. Whether you're a dedicated vegan, gluten-free enthusiast, or simply seeking a nutritious and delicious meal, the Queen City offers a diverse range of restaurants committed to fresh, sustainable ingredients and innovative preparations. This guide highlights some of the best healthy food restaurants in Cincinnati, ensuring you can maintain your wellness goals while enjoying a vibrant dining experience.
Fresh and Sustainable: Restaurants with a Mission
Melt
Located in the Northside community, Melt has been a staple for over 15 years, dedicated to serving fresh and sustainable foods made from scratch daily. Their mission is to use as many local and organic ingredients as possible. With options for vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and carnivorous diets, Melt provides an inclusive menu for everyone. Shannon and Diane, long-time fans of Melt, moved back to Cincinnati from San Francisco in 2017 to continue this mission. Shannon, a Cincinnati native and vegan chef with over 20 years of experience, brings her passion for innovative, healthy dishes, while Diane's culinary influences are primarily whole-food based with a vegan/vegetarian slant. Melt sources local and organic ingredients through the Ohio Valley Food Connection whenever possible.
Bouquet Restaurant
Located in Covington, Kentucky, Bouquet Restaurant is an upscale farm-to-table bistro committed to local and sustainable farming. They source the best products from over fifty farmers and purveyors, offering a fine-tuned seasonal menu to ensure the freshest ingredients. Bouquet specializes in made-to-order seasonal menu items and accommodates most allergies and dietary restrictions.
Lighter Twists on Classics: Casual Spots with Health-Conscious Menus
Maplewood Kitchen and Bar
Maplewood Kitchen and Bar, part of the Thunderdome Restaurant Group, is a casual brunch spot in Downtown Cincinnati that offers West Coast-style cuisine emphasizing healthier food with local and seasonal ingredients. They pride themselves on making your favorite breakfast and lunch classics with a lighter twist. Maplewood Kitchen and Bar serves up dishes and ingredients that would be right at home on the West Coast, such as cold-pressed juices, superfood salads, and egg-white omelets.
Northstar Café
Northstar Café, an Ohio restaurant chain with a location in Liberty Township, offers healthy meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Known for delicious salads and grain bowls, Northstar focuses on providing customers with the best ingredients and a menu filled with plenty of options.
Read also: Healthy food access with Highmark Wholecare explained.
Sleepy Bee Cafe
With multiple locations in Oakley, Downtown Cincinnati, Blue Ash, and College Hill, Sleepy Bee Cafe offers locally sourced foods that taste great and make you feel good. Their salads and bowls are great balanced options for lunch. The Cincinnati breakfast chain Sleepy Bee Cafe opened a new concept in Avondale, mirroring their focus on community, quality, and health but catering to "busy, buzzy lifestyles." The menu includes pancakes (buttermilk or gluten-free) and egg scrambles to made-to-order lunch bowls.
Globally Inspired, Locally Sourced: Restaurants with Unique Flavors
E+O Kitchen
Located in Hyde Park and at the Banks Downtown, E+O Kitchen cultivates dishes that fit a fresh Asian cuisine. They choose from the highest quality local ingredients possible, putting their twist on traditional Asian cuisine to create refreshing and balanced dishes.
Teak Thai Cuisine
For those who enjoy Thai food, Teak in Over the Rhine offers a large menu with plenty of options that cater to a healthy lifestyle. Most dishes have a decent balance of protein, veggies, and whole grains.
Andy's Mediterranean Grille
Andy's Mediterranean Grille, an award-winning Lebanese restaurant located near Eden Park, offers Mediterranean, Lebanese, and Greek food made from the freshest ingredients daily. The Hajjar family prepares dishes with freshly baked pita bread and offers gluten-free, diet-friendly, healthy, vegan, and vegetarian options. They've even been recognized as a heart-healthy restaurant by Christ Hospital.
Cafe Mediterranean
Cafe Mediterranean believes in quality and simplicity, preparing and cooking truly authentic Mediterranean food. The food is bursting with flavor and nutrition, made fresh and served fast.
Read also: Healthy Eating on the Run
Tahona Kitchen + Bar
Tahona Kitchen + Bar, with locations in Blue Ash and Loveland, draws inspiration from California cuisine and Mexican street fare. They pride themselves on fresh produce, quality slow-roasted meats, and from-scratch cooking to give you tasty, healthy meals.
Plant-Based Paradises: Vegan and Vegetarian Focused Restaurants
Rooted Juicery + Kitchen
Rooted Juicery is a plant-based juicery and kitchen located in Mariemont and Oakley. They are conscious about the ingredients they put in their food offerings, offering smoothie bowls, vegan desserts, and premade food to take home. Everything is sourced as locally as possible.
Loving Hut
The mission behind Loving Hut is to offer affordable, healthy, vegan cuisine. The restaurant’s environment was created using many found, reclaimed, and reused materials. For disposable goods like containers, cups, and utensils, they choose biodegradable and/or recyclable products. The menu includes a variety of panini, wraps, sandwiches, and burgers.
Customizable and Convenient: Build-Your-Own Concepts
Fusian
Fusian’s fast-casual approach lets you build your own custom sushi roll, bowl, or salad with their selection of "simple, natural and (when at all possible) local ingredients.” They offer a diverse selection of non-traditional proteins, including steak, chicken, and roasted tofu, but the classic tuna and salmon rolls remain among the most popular.
Clean Eatz
Located at 5770 Harrison Ave, Clean Eatz in Cincinnati offers a variety of delicious and affordable healthy food options. Their dine-in cafe menu includes burgers, wraps, flatbreads, meltz, build your own bowls, smoothies, and more. Most meals are under 500 calories. In addition to the café menu and meal plans, Clean Eatz offers Grab ‘N’ Go meals, protein smoothies, healthy snacks, and catering.
Read also: Mobile Dining Revolution
Special Considerations
Seasons 52
Seasons 52, a Darden chain restaurant in Hyde Park, has been committed to a healthier lifestyle from the beginning. While they have expanded their menu, they still offer a specific part that caters toward those looking for lighter fare. Most dishes are filled with plenty of vegetables and a hearty portion of protein. Their food is 100% fresh and never frozen, they use 50+ varieties of produce, and they source their protein with care.
Bakersfield
Bakersfield, a chain restaurant located in Over the Rhine, uses the freshest ingredients in their Mexican dishes. Their tacos include corn tortillas, protein, and vegetables. They also offer salads, such as the Willie salad.
Press on Monmouth
Press on Monmouth, located in Newport, Kentucky, offers breakfast and lunch options that serve a healthy lifestyle. Most of their salads can be turned into bowls, with your choice of protein.
Honorable Mentions
- Sotto: An Italian restaurant in the Central Business District that emphasizes simplicity and fresh ingredients.
- Nolia Kitchen: Located in Over-the-Rhine, this restaurant offers Southern and Creole flavors with creative, seasonal menus.
- Subito: An Italian restaurant in Cincinnati that offers homemade pastas and fresh seafood.
- Vintage on Race: A sports bar with classic American fare and healthy food options.
- Spoon & Cellar: Offers dishes that align with a healthy lifestyle, such as ahi tuna salads and grilled salmon.
- Rusk: A full-service restaurant and bar offering eclectic American cuisine.
- 44 E. Fausto: Located in the Contemporary Arts Center, this restaurant offers "California cuisine" with splashes of citrus and extra-virgin olive oil.
- Essen: A take-out and delivery kitchen in Over-the-Rhine that serves soups, salads, and sandwiches with vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options.
- Crzy Monk: An Asian-fusion lunch restaurant that focuses on dumplings, buns, noodles, and sides with an emphasis on healthy ingredients.
- The Whole Bowl: Features brown rice, beans, black olives, cheddar, avocado slices, salsa, sour cream, and a lemon-garlic sauce.
- Flavors Eatery: Maintains a menu that complements popular diets such as keto, paleo, Atkins, vegan, and gluten-free.
- Vinaigrette Salad Kitchen: Offers salads, seasonal soups, and grain bowls with locally sourced ingredients and vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free options.
tags: #healthy #food #restaurants #Cincinnati