Los Angeles, and Santa Monica in particular, makes it easy to eat nutritious food that goes beyond basic salads and is still packed full of flavor. Whether you’re starting a new diet plan like Paleo or Whole30 or you have dietary restrictions like gluten-free or vegan, these are some of the best healthy restaurants in and around Santa Monica to keep you on track without feeling like you’re in health-food purgatory.
Alfalfa
Salad-focused Alfalfa got its start as a farmers market stand in Hoboken, New Jersey and then opened its second location in Los Angeles, where one of the co-owners had lived for a few years. There are a number of tasty salad choices on the menu (we’re fans of the date-filled West Coast and the Peruvian Chicken), plus the option to build your own bowl. For balance, they also serve breakfast burritos and small, gluten-free donuts made fresh daily.
- Location: 2309 Main St., Santa Monica, CA 90405
- Website: eatalfalfa.com
Meat On Ocean
Meat On Ocean is a meat-centric, modern steakhouse in Santa Monica that offers both a sense of adventure and breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean. Beyond the offerings of a world-class steakhouse, Meat On Ocean features an artisanal charcuterie bar, an exhibition dry-aging room and a variety of prime beef - from dry-aged domestic cuts to Japanese A-5. Integral to the operation is a highly trained crew of servers and butchers, who communicate directly with Guests about the beef, organically farmed chickens, house made sausages, choice seafood and more.
Located on the corner of Ocean and Broadway, Meat On Ocean is steps from the action - including the Santa Monica Pier, shopping and hotels.
Starting May 2024, Meat On Ocean is also your headquarters for private dining and events, with customizable spaces that are perfect for social events, corporate meetings, birthday parties, anniversary celebrations, wedding receptions and ceremonies, with full audio/visual connectivity.
Read also: Healthy food access with Highmark Wholecare explained.
The Curious Palate
For us, cooking is all about connecting with people - and with the earth. The Curious Palate is much more than a place to have a meal. It is a meeting house for coworkers and friends. We’ve got a comfortable dining room and spacious patio just steps from the Arclight movie theater neighborhood on the dining deck of Santa Monica Place. For us, cooking is all about connecting with people - and with the earth. That means we’re always exploring new ways of supporting artisans and local producers who can provide us with fresh, sustainable, natural ingredients.
Blue Plate Taco
Blue Plate Taco is a coastal Baja-meets-Santa Monica destination on Ocean Ave. We are dedicates to creating all our food from scratch including the agua frescas and margaritas from the bar, the tortillas are made by hand fresh all day, and our salsas are made daily. The entire menu is fresh, light and delicious. We hold most of our tables for walk-ins so if you don't see any reservations, don't fret! We'll get you seated after a short wait while you're admiring the Pacific and taking in the famous Santa Monica pier.
Reservations are limited to 90 minutes, we hold reservations for 15 minutes.
Orto Santa Monica
I fell in love with food as a child watching my stepfather, once nominated a top chef in Italy, work in restaurant kitchens and floors. Moving to California in 1991 and subsequently to Santa Monica and experiencing the Farmers Market inspired me to start Orto - Italian for “vegetable garden” - where I meld local ingredients and organic herbs grown here at the restaurant to create traditional Italian recipes. At our bar you’ll find a cocktail list created from fresh herbs and premium spirits, and our wine list focuses on sustainable and organic producers. Andrea Inio
Happy Hour Monday-Thursday 5-7pm
Read also: Healthy Eating on the Run
Validated parking is available for $7 for 3 hours at 501 Santa Monica Blvd (enter on 5th street, behind the Citibank)
Main Squeeze
Main Squeeze is a fun smoothie shop in Santa Monica that overfills their cups with an extra "nipple" on top.
Tender Greens
Tender Green’s relaxed cafeteria-style eatery boasts fresh, healthy, chef-inspired and farmer’s market dishes at affordable prices. With many locations, this Santa Monica eatery is one where the lines can be long, so get there with time to spare. From marinated steaks, herb brushed albacore to grilled and roasted vegetables, you can choose to have it on a plate, in a sandwich or as a simple salad. Self-control will be tested with their bakery section, at the end of the counter.
Beaming
This superfood cafe focuses fully on plant-based foods using ingredients like almonds, chia, walnuts, hempseed, spirulina, and chlorella, among others. As for actual things you can order, think cold-pressed juices, smoothies, snacks, and salads to fuel your healthy day.
- Location: 1426 Montana Avenue, Santa Monica, CA 90403, USA
- External Link
Cafe Gratitude
The popular organic plant-based cuisine supports local farmers, sustainable agriculture and environmentally friendly products. With a very extensive menu, there is something here for everyone. Start with roasted garnet yams, with a choice of spicy cashew nacho cheese or a coconut mint chutney. For a sandwich or wrap, choose between lasagna, a Mediterranean raw wrap, a veggie burger made in-house with a black bean patty or try a variety of bowls, like the community bowl featuring shredded kale, black beans, garlic tahini sauce, local brown rice or quinoa.
Read also: Mobile Dining Revolution
Le Great Outdoor
Le Great Outdoor is an outdoor restaurant in Santa Monica that feels like a backyard barbecue.
North
At North, we focus on what we do best: Italian from scratch. Enjoy any of our handmade pastas and pizzas, created with seasonal ingredients and inventive flavors. Or, try a different signature dish, prepared with our fresh flavors from the garden, farm, and sea. We’ve hand crafted seasonal cocktails that pair great with our food, creating a real modern Italia experiences perfect for any occasion.
Everytable
Everytable’s mission is to make healthy food affordable and accessible to everyone, and they do so by offering ready-to-eat meals you can grab-and-go from their multiple storefronts around Los Angeles and beyond. They also adjust their pricing according to each neighborhood as part of this mission. Everytable’s menu is wide-ranging from the vegan tofu larb with rice noodles to a heartier curry chicken created as a collaboration with a local pop-up, Trap Kitchen from Compton.
- Multiple locations; everytable.com
True Food Kitchen
A restaurant founded by a well-known doctor of integrative medicine is bound to have a focus on health, but True Food Kitchen makes the menu approachable. Here, eating healthy is all about balance and making small changes towards better alternatives instead of extreme diets. Menu favorites include the grass fed burger with a flaxseed bun, hearty salads, flavorful grain bowls and pescatarian dishes full of superfoods.
- Multiple locations; truefoodkitchen.com
Gjelina
Gjelina is a restaurant specializing in New American cuisine. until 11pm, serving breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner. For breakfast, try 9 grain pancakes with butter and maple syrup or warm banana buckwheat loaf with butter and jam of the day. Brunch options include Moroccan baked eggs and 7 grain porridge. Gjelina offers a variety of oysters, crudo, charcuterie and salad options to start at lunch and dinner. Main courses include pizzas from our wood fired oven and entrees like duck confit, house made pastas and roasted organic half chicken.
Only ADA certified animals are allowed in Gjelina
A 20% Mandatory Service Charge is added to your check. Our belief is that every hourly Gjelina employee contributes to your service and 100% of the MSC will be distributed amongst them.
Additional Healthy Options Around Los Angeles
While Santa Monica boasts a variety of healthy restaurants, the greater Los Angeles area offers even more choices for health-conscious diners. Here are a few notable establishments:
- Tulsi Indian Eatery: A modern Indian eatery with a completely plant-based menu, including vegan alternatives for dishes like "chick’n" tikka masala. They also serve healthy regional specialties. Multiple locations; tulsieatery.com
- Mother Tongue: Located in a members-only fitness club in West Hollywood, Mother Tongue offers a global menu of reinvented comfort foods using nutritious ingredients. Each dish is labeled to indicate whether it is plant-based, keto-friendly, anti-inflammatory, or good for cognitive functions.
- Botanica: In Silver Lake, Botanica focuses on healthful and nourishing cooking with a vegetable-heavy menu, natural wines, and cocktails featuring farmers market products.
- Honey Hi: This restaurant uses mostly organic produce purchased at local farmer’s markets and avoids refined sugars and additives. They offer nutritious bowls and salads, as well as healthy twists on indulgent dishes like gluten-free brioche French toast.
- Bonjuk: Specializing in Korean rice porridge, Bonjuk offers a variety of options with listed nutritional benefits, perfect for a comforting and healthy meal.
- Sumac Cuisine: This Hollywood eatery offers healthy Mediterranean dishes prepared with family recipes, including fattoush salad, hummus, falafel, and lesser-known items like moudardara.
- Ganchic: This takeout and delivery-only spot puts a healthy twist on kimbap, using quinoa instead of rice and fillings made without refined sugar.
- Gracias Madre: A plant-based Mexican restaurant in West Hollywood with a great patio and a menu featuring ceviche made with hearts of palm and jackfruit carnitas tacos.
- Destroyer: This daytime cafe in Culver City offers inventive dishes made with the freshest ingredients, with many healthy, vegetable-forward options.
- Shojin: A vegan and gluten-free Japanese restaurant that focuses on macrobiotic diets and uses organic and all-natural ingredients.
- Kismet: This popular Middle Eastern restaurant in Los Feliz features inventive and beautifully-presented dishes inspired by local, seasonal produce, with plenty of plant-forward options.
- Âu Lạc: A Vietnamese-influenced vegan restaurant that was one of the pioneers of LA’s vegan food scene, offering plant-based pho, lemongrass "fish," raw food items, cold-pressed juices, and elixirs.
- Crossroads Kitchen: An upscale, fine dining vegan restaurant with inventive dishes like artichoke oysters and a vegan cheese plate.
- Zhengyalov Hatz: This Glendale spot serves only one thing: a vegan flatbread made with 15 finely minced herbs, sunflower oil, and salt.
- M Cafe: LA’s original macrobiotic cafe, offering minimally processed, mostly vegan items alongside sustainable seafood options and gluten-free choices.
- Rahel Ethiopian Vegan Cuisine: Located in Little Ethiopia, Rahel offers a completely plant-based menu with flavorful dishes like lentil stew and chickpeas, served with injera.
- The Butcher’s Daughter Venice: The Butcher’s Daughter Venice is a plant-forward restaurant, bar, juicery, and “vegetable slaughterhouse.” Located in the vibrant Venice neighborhood, we treat fruits and vegetables with the same care a butcher would meat: chopping, filleting, and carving fresh produce into healthy vegetarian dishes and pressing them into vibrant juices. Under the guidance of our Culinary Director Richard Rea, our menu changes every season, offering 100% vegetarian dishes with many vegan and gluten-free options. We take pride in our great selection of wines, craft cocktails, and mocktails, ensuring there’s something for every taste. We also offer take-out and delivery for those who prefer to enjoy our meals at home. Named one of the best supper spots in Venice by the LA Times, we serve breakfast, lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch, creating a celebrated dining experience with in-season ingredients that nourish both body and soul.
- Rabano: At Rabano, we believe a happy, healthy life starts with what we eat. That’s why every dish is crafted with care using the freshest local ingredients-from produce and meats to oils and seasonings. We’re passionate about sustainability too, partnering with eco-conscious farms and using compostable packaging. The result? A menu full of fresh, flavorful dishes that are as good for you as they are for the planet.