Where To Eat Healthy Food In Miami

The health craze taking over the nation has made its way south, to Miami, and locals and visitors alike can’t get enough of it. From plant-based restaurants and raw food concepts to normal restaurants with healthy menus, Miami has plenty of dining options to keep those workout and bikini bods in check. Bonus? They’re pretty delicious, too.

Read below for our guide to the best healthy restaurants in every Miami neighborhood.

In a city where bikinis are the norm, Miami Beach has a bevy of restaurants with nutritious options that help beach-goers look and feel their best. To combine that chic Collins Avenue lifestyle with healthy eats, head to Plnthouse at the 1 Hotel South Beach. Just steps from the sand, this poolside eatery pairs refreshing ocean breezes and waterfront views with cold-pressed juices, fresh smoothies, açai bowls, avocado toast with shaved vegetables, yogurt with chia seeds and almond-ginger clusters, and even a Keto-friendly cobb salad with blackened shrimp, blistered peppers and a bacon-mustard vinaigrette. A little further north, Essensia Restaurant & Lounge is a farm-to-table Mediterranean concept in The Palms Hotel & Spa. At this serene, tropical spot, dishes and cocktail garnishes are made with ingredients handpicked from the hotel’s onsite Organic Chef’s Garden, and an organic and sustainable wine list offers the perfect pairing for every plate.

Step away from bustling Collins Avenue, and you’ll find even more options. On Belle Isle, Full Bloom serves plant-based food with Latin-inspired flavors, like yellow and red chia arepas with jackfruit “carnitas” and refried beans, vegetable fajitas and tricolor Peruvian quinoa. Icebox Cafe may have rose to fame after Oprah publicly declared her love for its desserts, but did you know it also has plenty of healthy options? In a casual-chic setting, this hangout-friendly spot serves healthier versions of popular comfort foods, like buffalo cauliflower wings, kale and quinoa fritters and a beloved vegan burger made from Indonesian tempeh, mushroom and quinoa.

You’ll forget you’re eating healthy when you try Soul Tavern, Miami’s first vegan gastropub and elixir bar. In a fun, eclectic setting, get plant-based comfort food like a garbanzo and mushroom burger with a pesto-chimichurri mayo and rice paper bacon, along with craft beers, cold-pressed juices and cocktails with house-made Chinese herbal elixirs. The vegan food scene got even hotter when Miami nightlife king, David Grutman, brought Planta South Beach to South of Fifth (SoFi). Led by Executive chef David Lee, this A-list Toronto transplant serves an entirely plant-based menu with options like falafel tacos, “crab” cake tostones with black beans and guacamole, and banana bread with cultured cashew butter. Yum.

Tucked away on an unassuming street in Wynwood, Love Life Café puts an emphasis on both healthy eating and a healthy planet. Go here for a yoga class or to shop at one of its green-friendly pop-up boutiques, and if you’re hungry, get a breakfast, lunch or dinner that is plant-based, nutritious and delicious. For something fast-casual, join the poke bowl craze! Led by a past Makoto chef, Ono Poko serves the popular bowl with fresh, sushi-grade fish, rice and a range of colorful toppings in a bright pink and green, Hawaii-inspired setting. It’s definitely worth a stop, but get there early—the shop closes when it runs out of seafood for the day.

Of course, Miami’s O.G. plant-based restaurant, Plant Miami, sits inside the zen garden of The Sacred Space Miami. Executive Chef Horacio Rivadero creates plant-forward magic out of a completely raw kitchen, meaning there are no stoves or ovens. Colorful cheese plates with white truffle, smoked cheddar and mixed peppercorn cashew cheese are a favorite, as are banana leaf tamales, waffles with coconut whipped cream and passion fruit flan. The restaurant also runs a state-of-the-art raw food cooking school called Plant Culinary Miami, so fans of the menu can learn how to make it, too.

Right in the center of “The City Beautiful,” Miracle Mile is a European-style street lined with restaurants, bars and boutiques spilling out onto the sidewalk. At the entrance, Seasons 52 serves good-for-you good food you don’t even know is healthy. Boasting seasonal menus all year long, this upscale grill and wine bar offers lunch and dinner plates made with ingredients at peak ripeness, and popular dessert “shots” (the Key Lime Pie is a favorite!) with 300 calories or less. Catering to every kind of diet, there are vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and lactose-free menus, plus a wine list of more than 100 bottles.

Sitting on Alhambra Circle, the charming Green Gables Café serves an organic menu made with ingredients that are pastured, grass-fed and hormone- and antibiotic-free. Start your day with a Paleo-friendly breakfast bowl, gluten-free pancakes or an antioxidant-rich smoothie, or stop by for lunch and enjoy carrot ginger soup, “wonder bowls” or a chipotle turkey burger on a sprouted wheat bun. Another café, Green Berry, is part restaurant, part juice bar, part coffee shop and part smoothie shop. You can choose from a range of healthy salads, soups and “nutribowls,” but it’s most known for its detoxifying smoothies and açai bowls topped with greens, banana, pineapple, mango, peanut butter, granola and more.

Located on the side of US1, Grown is the brainchild of former Miami Heat star Ray Allen and his wife, Shannon, who have five children—one with type-1 diabetes. Finding a lack of fast-food options in Miami that were both convenient and healthy, they decided to create one. Their fast-casual spot offers a menu of local and organic smoothies, cold-pressed juices, salads, soups, sandwiches and even a dedicated vegan menu. Right in the heart of South Miami, near The Shops at Sunset Place, Earth has something for every type of diet. This health-conscious concept is rooted in Italian culinary values, where everything that comes out of the kitchen is always made from scratch.

When actress-turned-“Michi’s Kitchen” YouTube star Michelle Posada turned 18, she decided to act on her passion for cooking—she bought a food truck. The rest is history. Today, she owns Michi’s in Doral, where she makes low-calorie versions of everything from Italian and Latin-American classics, to Hawaiian poké bowls, smoothies and more.

Healthy dining has definitely become popular in Miami, so much so that some health-focused restaurants have even opened multiple locations throughout South Florida. At Dr. Smood, get “smart food for a good mood” in Wynwood, Brickell City Centre, South Miami, Sunset Harbor and even Aventura. The menu here focuses on six health benefits: immunity, energy, general health, beauty, detox and power.

With six locations in Miami, Carrot Express’s “less is more” approach to cooking has South Floridians lining up outside the door for its stuffed sweet potatoes, salads, bowls, veggie burgers and more. Husband-and-wife duo, Omer and Jennifer Horev, opened Pura Vida in nine locations in Miami, serving allergy-friendly menus of simple, clean plates made with produce grown right here in South Florida.

There is no need to pack on vacation pounds when you visit Miami! With all of these tasty options, you can both look and feel your absolute best.