Orlando's Guide to Healthy and Delicious Dining

Orlando, "The City Beautiful," offers a diverse culinary scene that caters to health-conscious individuals. This guide will explore some of the best healthy food restaurants in Orlando, focusing on establishments that offer fresh, nutritious, and flavorful options. Whether you're a local or a visitor, this guide will help you discover the best spots to eat fresh and feel great in Orlando.

Earthy Picks: A Plant-Based Latin American Experience

Located minutes away from Lake Eola in Downtown Orlando, Earthy Picks is redefining vegan dining with its vibrant, plant-based dishes inspired by Latin American culture. Earthy Picks blends Colombian vegan roots with a vibrant Latin twist, creating a unique culinary experience. More than just a vegan restaurant, Earthy Picks is a movement for health, connection, and sustainability.

  • Plant-Based Delicacies: Earthy Picks offers plant-based delicacies inspired by Latin American culture.
  • Nutrient-Packed Vegan Meals: The vegan meals are packed with nutrients and flavor to nourish your whole self.
  • Community-Driven: Community is at the heart of everything they do.
  • Sustainable Practices: Earthy Picks is committed to protecting the planet with every meal, from sourcing eco-friendly ingredients to reducing waste.
  • Family-Friendly Options: They offer healthy, delicious meals that even the pickiest eaters will love.
  • Gluten-Free Choices: Earthy Picks provides clean, gluten-free meals made with ingredients that love your body back.

Earthy Picks also offers catering services, bringing the best in healthy, flavorful food to Orlando events. From burritos and tacos to bowls, smoothies, and healthy sweets, their menu has something for everyone. They also host community-driven events in Orlando, bringing people together over wholesome, delicious food. Earthy Picks' mission is to build community around delicious plant-based foods, nourishing the body, mind, and spirit.

Dr. Brooke’s Top Dining Spots for Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Options

As an advocate for health-conscious dining, Dr. Brooke has curated a list of top dining spots in Orlando that excel in offering delightful options for those seeking gluten-free and dairy-free meals.

  • Chipotle Mexican Grill: A popular choice for customizable bowls and salads.
  • Whole Foods Hot Bar / Salad Bar: Offers a variety of options to create a balanced and delicious meal. Try to have a plan in place by breaking down your container into categories such as: greens, vegetables, proteins, extras (nuts, seeds, croutons..) and dressing/sauces.
  • Publix: In addition to offering a full grocery store and pharmacy, Publix has a popular deli department where you can build your own sandwiches or wraps.
  • Fresh Kitchen: This restaurant offers 100% gluten-free, dairy-free, anti-biotic free meats, and no processed sugar in their food choices.
  • Bolay: Offers fresh and bold ingredients with 8 custom spice blends from chefs from all around the country.
  • CAVA: Offers fast Mediterranean options where you start with a base of greens, grains, or other options followed by dips, spreads and a protein.
  • Blaze Pizza: This custom make-your-own-pizza place offers 3 delicious gluten-free crust options- their original GF dough, Cauliflower dough, and the Keto dough.
  • Chicken Guy: Features all natural fresh chicken tenders and many sauces to choose from.
  • Sus Hi Eatstation: This fast-paced restaurant has customizable sushi rolls, bowls and burritos. They are the first restaurant I’ve seen in Orlando with gluten-free seaweed.
  • Salata Salad Kitchen: Offers fully customizable, tossed-to-order salads, wraps and soups.

Other Notable Healthy Restaurants in Orlando

  • Black Rooster Taqueria: Contemporary Mexican tacos, bowls & ceviches can be served with coffee and a variety of drinks amid colorful decor.
  • The Hangry Bison: Located in Winter Park, this restaurant has hand-built burgers with a create-your-own burger concept and is committed to sourcing the freshest ingredients within our community.
  • Kabooki Sushi: Diligent detail is put into each dish, as well as creative freedom, showcasing the best from many parts of the world.
  • Ta-Ke Sushi Bar & Grill: Ta-Ke Sushi has a cozy and comfortable atmosphere, offering sushi, a variety of appetizers, and hot entrees.
  • Blu On The Avenue: Located on Park Avenue in Winter Park is this seafood restaurant featuring fresh, made to order, sushi, seafood, brunch, salads, sandwiches, and more.
  • Roccos Italian Grille: This romantic Italian restaurant is located just a 10 minute drive from downtown Orlando, offering a warm wood-accented interior, bar and even a scenic garden.
  • Francesco’s Ristorante & Pizzeria: An excellent option for upscale/casual where service is engaged. This authentic Italian restaurant also offer gluten-free pasta options along with oven-fired comfort food in an antique-chic space with a bar.
  • Sixty Vines: A comfortable and sophisticated restaurant inspired by California wine country. This space features an open exhibition kitchen, several dining spaces to choose from, and even a greenhouse patio.
  • AVA MediterrAegean: This restaurant located in Winter Park offers a culinary journey around the Mediterranean and Aegean.
  • Terramia Ristorante & Wine Bar: Drift into a tranquil escape inspired by the design and lifestyle of Italy’s native Rosario Spagnolo. The menu boasts genuine, Italian cuisine cooked in Rosario’s signature style- and a thoughtful selection of artisanal, hand-tossed pizzas, prepared in their specially designed brick oven.
  • Kres Chophouse: This steakhouse serves both steak and seafood with a Mediterranean twist. They have been rated the best Orlando steakhouse experience, located in the heart of downtown Orlando.
  • Christner’s: At Christner’s, each ingredient is carefully selected- with a serious focus on beef. Every USDA Prime serving is corn-fed, aged in house and cut-to-order.
  • Hungry Pants: Located in the heart of SODO (South of Downtown Orlando), this restaurant offers whole and balanced food for your pleasure!
  • Greens & Grille: If you are in the Millenia Mall area, this restaurant offers salads, wraps, sandwiches, soups, and more!
  • SoFresh: This fast, casual, and fresh restaurant is located in Longwood and offers hot bowls, salads, wraps, broth bowls, smoothies, and juices.
  • Fresh&Co: Located on West Sand Lake Rd, this family-owned restaurant group partners with local farmers to serve 100% vegetarian-fed, hormone-free poultry & meats + non-GMO, natural ingredients.
  • Seasons 52: This restaurant has a rotating menu of seasonal American dishes alongside international wines in an upscale setting.
  • Piggza: This is a modern Italian-styled restaurant located in Orlando’s Mills 50 District offering a contemporary twist on classic Italian dishes.
  • The Ravenous Pig: Since 2007, this gastropub has served sustainable food created with passion and prepared using ingredients sourced in Florida.
  • The Pinery: Experience premier lakefront dining at this trendy first-floor restaurant overlooking Lake Ivanhoe in the heart of Orlando.
  • Greenbeat: This company is devoted to the idea that healthy, vibrant, and flavorsome food should be accessible to everyone.
  • Tap Room at Dubsdread: Culinary excellence in a historic Orlando setting! This restaurant proudly offers fresh fish, prime cuts, homemade desserts and Orlando’s best burger.
  • Gnarly Barley: This is a compact, no-frills sandwich shop with a sizable selection of craft brews & frequent specials.
  • Equilibre Healthy Food: Offers a variety of healthy options.
  • Whisper Creek Farm: The Kitchen: In the lobby of JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes, you can find this farm-to-table dining experience.
  • The Alfond Inn: This Winter Park boutique hotel offers traditional southern fare prepared with a modern twist and served in a warm setting.

Grocery Stores with Healthy Options

  • Whole Foods Market: Known for its organic selections of foods and strict quality standards.
  • Trader Joe’s: Offers unconventional, delicious, and interesting products that are high quality while keeping costs relatively low.
  • Sprouts Farmers Market: This specialty grocery chain now has 3 locations in central Florida, all offering natural and organic grocery items to purchase.
  • Publix GreenWise Market: An organic grocery store that offers a natural way to shop with earth-friendly prepared foods and products.
  • Fancy Fruit & Produce: Fresh fruit and produce every day, delivered directly from the producer to the store.
  • Fresh Market: Offering easy meals and fresh foods, including meats and seafood, as well as premium fresh produce in a friendly environment.
  • Earth Fare: This supermarket has a unique food philosophy that pledges that their food is free of added hormones, antibiotics, artificial fats/trans-fats, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, artificial preservatives, bleached or bromated flour, and artificial colors or flavors.
  • Chamberlin’s Natural Foods Market: A store that has been recognized as one of the most innovative retailers of natural foods.
  • Costco: There are many natural and organic finds that you can discover at Costco, both in their warehouses in person and also online.
  • Freshfields Farm: A cute barn house grocery store that provides local produce, meats and even an ice cream shop!
  • Frog Song Organics: This farm was founded on six acres 15 miles east of Gainesville in 2011.

Clean Eatz: Healthy and Affordable

Located at 2205 S Orange Ave. Unit A, Clean Eatz in Orlando offers a variety of delicious and affordable 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 their café menu and meal plans, healthy food options at Clean Eatz in Orlando include Grab ‘N’ Go meals, protein smoothies, healthy snacks, and catering for all occasions.

Read also: Healthy food access with Highmark Wholecare explained.

Purple Ocean: Açaí Bowls and Caribbean Flavors

Enjoy the best açaí bowls in Orlando at Purple Ocean, where fresh, healthy food meets vibrant Caribbean flavors. Conveniently located near UCF, Waterford Lakes, and Hourglass District, Purple Ocean offers vibrant, health-forward meals for every lifestyle. They also offer private events and catering. Purple Ocean’s vegetarian and vegan options are a vibrant journey for your taste buds.

Healthy Dining in Downtown Orlando

Downtown Orlando is rapidly becoming a hub for health-conscious diners, offering a range of restaurants that cater to a variety of nutritional preferences and dietary needs. These restaurants prioritize high-quality, fresh ingredients and offer innovative menus that combine nutrition with culinary expertise.

Kres Chophouse: Vegan Options Praised

KRES CHOPHOUSE offers a variety of vegan options that are praised by many reviewers as 'delicious', 'outstanding', and 'beautiful'. They also offer fresh seafood and creative vegan dishes that cater to diverse dietary needs.

Other Notable Restaurants

  • LUCA TURCI: An Italian Culinary Experience in Winter Park, Florida.
  • Maxine's on Shine: Located in the charming Colonialtown South area of DTO, just east of Lake Eola.
  • Reel Fish Coastal Kitchen & Bar: A contemporary version of a classic fish camp, serving fresh Florida seafood prepared in a southern style.
  • Bosphorous Turkish Cuisine: Offers variety of authentic Turkish food from many regions of Turkey.
  • Adriatico Trattoria Italiana: Brings true Italian, time inspired recipes and traditions to College Park, Florida!
  • Tabla Indian Restaurant: Offers a wide variety of Indian, Chinese and Thai dishes with options for different spice levels.
  • BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse: A place where you can make the most of any meal.

Navigating Dietary Needs

It is important to note that every body is different, and discovering what works for you can be fun. Going gluten- and dairy-free seems to be a great way to still stay social while decreasing inflammation and shifting your system into a healing mode naturally. Many restaurants now offer gluten-free and dairy-free menu options, and it is completely okay to let your server know ahead of time that you are eating gluten and dairy-free.

Read also: Healthy Eating on the Run

Read also: Mobile Dining Revolution

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