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Post & Beam’s catfish in Crenshaw, California. — Post & Beam

17 LA Restaurants Offering Healthy Foods With Plenty of Flavor

Where to find a vegetable-focused Mediterranean feast, staple jerk catfish, traditional gambas with plenty of garlic, and more

by Mona Holmes Updated Jun 1, 2021, 1:19pm PDT

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Post & Beam

| Post & Beam

by Mona Holmes Updated Jun 1, 2021, 1:19pm PDT

2 comments / new

After a year of consuming comfort foods to help keep 2020 at bay, some folks are ready to move to a healthier menu for a little while. After all, this is Southern California, where eating less fatty, less processed foods does not mean a lack of flavor or experience. The region’s combination of locally-grown produce, livestock, and seafood (plus LA’s many innovative chefs) means a healthy meal doesn’t need to feel like a sacrifice here.

For your summer convenience, here are 17 sit-down restaurants with delicious food that just happens to be healthy, presented north to south.

Added: Avra Beverly Hills Estiatorio, Gasolina Cafe, Heritage Long Beach, Post & Beam, Qusqo Bistro, Shiku, Surawon Tofu House, Swift Cafe

Removed: Crossroads Kitchen, Green Temple Vegetarian Restaurant, Han Bat Sul Lung Tang, Kitchen Mouse, Seabirds, Sqirl, Sun Cafe Organic

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Gasolina cafe

Chef Sandra Cordero’s Gasolina Cafe is quite the spot, thanks to her Spanish menu that includes grilled asparagus, striped sea bass with a salsa verde, or traditional gambas with plenty of garlic.

21150 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills, CA 91364

Visit Website

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by GASOLINA cafe (@gasolinacafe)

Also featured in:

California Chicken Cafe

Whether one prefers rotisserie chicken on a plate, in a tasty wrap, or on a bed of crunchy greens, local micro-chain California Chicken Café has endless ways to create a delicious meal.

Open in Google Maps

15601 Ventura Blvd, Encino, CA 91436

Visit Website

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by (@californiachickencafe)

Kismet

It’s a vegetable-focused Mediterranean feast at Kismet, where the dinnertime menu varies from lamb meatballs to Morrocan-spiced carrots, or the fresh squid a la plancha. Chefs Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson make sure to put flavor and detail at the heart of everything they and their team make.

4648 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Visit Website

Kismet’s Turkish-ish Breakfast — Kismet

Also featured in:

Tocaya Organica

If it seems like there’s a Tocaya Organica everywhere, that’s because the company’s been expanding at a rapid rate throughout the Southland. The chain has hit a comfortable stride by serving organic tacos, burritos, bowls, and salads, with just the right amount of flexibility for differing diners.

Open in Google Maps

6550 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028

Visit Website

Tocaya Organica — Tocaya Organica Hollywood

Forage

Take a tray and choose from the many healthy options at Forage, including its signature market lettuce salad with radish and shallot. Or go for the salmon bowl with brown rice, pickled radish, egg, and garlic.

3823 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026

Visit Website

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Forage (@foragela)

Also featured in:

Botanica Restaurant and Market

Part celebrity magnet, part healthy dining destination, Botanica has cemented itself into an all-day Silver Lake fixture that offers a takeaway marketplace to boot. The rotating menu clearly wants vegans to feel comfortable with a roasted cauliflower and other hearty mains, but meat eaters as well by offering grilled proteins like spice-brined chicken, and a green curry cod.

Open in Google Maps

1620 Silver Lake Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026

Visit Website

Botanica Restaurant and Market

Also featured in:

M Café

M Café touts macrobiotic cuisine, translating to food without refined sugars, eggs, dairy, red meat, or poultry. That means fish is still on the table, with plenty of delicious options from sushi to grain bowls to please just about everyone.

Open in Google Maps

7119 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046

Visit Website

The M chopped salad at M Cafe in Los Angeles — The M chopped salad at M Cafe

Avra Beverly Hills Estiatorio

Beverly Hills’ Avra not only has one of the more spacious and well-lit dining rooms in the city, it’s also got some of the city’s freshest fish, much of it prepared on a charcoal grill. The raw bar is front and center along with New York strip steaks and oven-baked sea bass, just keep in mind that this is Beverly Hills, and you’ll likely be spending accordingly

Open in Google Maps

233 N Beverly Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Visit Website

Avra Beverly Hills — Avra

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Surawon Tofu House

Surawon, like many soondubu jjigae restaurants, amplifies the flavor of its tofu by producing its own silken version on the premises, then flavoring it with rich spicy broth and ingredients like mushrooms and seafood. Every order comes with an array of pickled and seasoned banchan that will provide a nutritious meal.

2833 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90006

Visit Website

Soontdubu and fried mackerel combo at Surawon in Koreatown. — Surawon Tofu House

Also featured in:

Shiku

Former Baroo chef Kwang Uh and his wife/chef partner Mina Park know the backbone of a great Korean meal is banchan, the seasoned and often pickled or fermented vegetables that are essential for every meal. Uh and Park’s stand at Grand Central Market boasts some of the finest banchan in LA for takeaway, though you get banchan with some of the dosirak too, including vegan fried temple mushrooms.

Open in Google Maps

317 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90013

Visit Website

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Shiku 식구 (@shikulosangeles)

Also featured in:

Qusqo Bistro and Gallery

Qusqo’s chef/owner Lucy Haro developed a menu with traditional Peruvian dishes that can easily be customized with meat or to simply add more vegetables. Try the beefy and saucy lomo saltado, fried plantains, and ceviche.

11633 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025

Visit Website

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Qusqo Bistro & Gallery (@qusqobistro)

Flower Child

The work of True Food Kitchen’s Sam Fox, Flower Child boasts naturally-raised proteins and local produce in farmer's market-inspired digs. The expansive space — that’s also kid-friendly — offers plenty of salads, bowls, plates, and wraps with such proteins as grass-fed steak, sustainable salmon, and organic tofu.

Open in Google Maps

1332 2nd St, Santa Monica, CA 90401

Visit Website

Salad from Flower Child in Santa Monica, California. — Flower Child

Post & Beam

Post & Beam’s menu is an ideal choice for produce, seafood, and meats like the staple jerk catfish, espresso-rubbed hangar steak, or the grilled vegetable skewer with romesco.

3767 Santa Rosalia Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90008

Visit Website

Post & Beam’s catfish in Crenshaw, California. — Jerk catfish from Post & Beam

Also featured in:

Swift Cafe

Chef Kyndra McCrary worked with a nutritionist before opening up Swift Cafe in 2019, and she brings that experience to her daytime menu. Her protein-filled bowls are one of the many stars on Swift’s menu, but her jerk chicken and salmon gremolata with mixed greens are also standouts. Always check her instagram to see if she’s making the seafood pasta or gumbo, too.

4279 1/2 Crenshaw Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90008

Visit Website

Gumbo from Swift Cafe in Leimert Park. — Gumbo from Swift Cafe

Also featured in:

The Butcher's Daughter

Originating in New York, Butcher’s Daughter found a spot on Abbot Kinney, and built a menu that locals favor. They start early, where lattes, juices, smoothies, and pancakes are available, while others prefer the later menu that prioritizes burgers, stone-oven pizzas, and a solid wine list.

1205 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, CA 90291

Visit Website

The Butcher’s Daughter

Also featured in:

Coni' Seafood

Inglewood’s longtime staple Coni’seafood is still as popular as ever, with expansions in the LAFC stadium, and in Del Rey. That means more of the city can sample owner Coni’s mariscos menu, including fresh grilled fish, ceviches, and aguachiles.

3544 W Imperial Hwy, Inglewood, CA 90303

Visit Website

Coni’ Seafood restaurant’s grilled fish — Pescado zarandeado at Coni’ Seafood

Also featured in:

Heritage

Chef Philip Pretty’s second Long Beach restaurant — his Heritage Sandwich Shop operates on the other side of the same building — will always have his selections from local farmers markets including Pasture bird poultry to scallops or smoked pork belly. Depending on the harvest, some vegetables and herbs come straight from Petty’s on-site garden.

2030 E 7th St, Long Beach, CA 90804

Visit Website

Heritage Long Beach — Heritage in Long Beach

Also featured in:

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Gasolina cafe

21150 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills, CA 91364

Chef Sandra Cordero’s Gasolina Cafe is quite the spot, thanks to her Spanish menu that includes grilled asparagus, striped sea bass with a salsa verde, or traditional gambas with plenty of garlic.

21150 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills, CA 91364

Visit Website

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by GASOLINA cafe (@gasolinacafe)

California Chicken Cafe

15601 Ventura Blvd, Encino, CA 91436

Whether one prefers rotisserie chicken on a plate, in a tasty wrap, or on a bed of crunchy greens, local micro-chain California Chicken Café has endless ways to create a delicious meal.

Open in Google Maps

15601 Ventura Blvd, Encino, CA 91436

Visit Website

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by (@californiachickencafe)

Kismet

4648 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027

It’s a vegetable-focused Mediterranean feast at Kismet, where the dinnertime menu varies from lamb meatballs to Morrocan-spiced carrots, or the fresh squid a la plancha. Chefs Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson make sure to put flavor and detail at the heart of everything they and their team make.

4648 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Visit Website

Kismet’s Turkish-ish Breakfast — Kismet

Tocaya Organica

6550 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028

If it seems like there’s a Tocaya Organica everywhere, that’s because the company’s been expanding at a rapid rate throughout the Southland. The chain has hit a comfortable stride by serving organic tacos, burritos, bowls, and salads, with just the right amount of flexibility for differing diners.

Open in Google Maps

6550 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028

Visit Website

Tocaya Organica — Tocaya Organica Hollywood

Forage

3823 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026

Take a tray and choose from the many healthy options at Forage, including its signature market lettuce salad with radish and shallot. Or go for the salmon bowl with brown rice, pickled radish, egg, and garlic.

3823 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026

Visit Website

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Forage (@foragela)

Botanica Restaurant and Market

1620 Silver Lake Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026

Part celebrity magnet, part healthy dining destination, Botanica has cemented itself into an all-day Silver Lake fixture that offers a takeaway marketplace to boot. The rotating menu clearly wants vegans to feel comfortable with a roasted cauliflower and other hearty mains, but meat eaters as well by offering grilled proteins like spice-brined chicken, and a green curry cod.

Open in Google Maps

1620 Silver Lake Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026

Visit Website

Botanica Restaurant and Market

M Café

7119 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046

M Café touts macrobiotic cuisine, translating to food without refined sugars, eggs, dairy, red meat, or poultry. That means fish is still on the table, with plenty of delicious options from sushi to grain bowls to please just about everyone.

Open in Google Maps

7119 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046

Visit Website

The M chopped salad at M Cafe in Los Angeles — The M chopped salad at M Cafe

Avra Beverly Hills Estiatorio

233 N Beverly Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Beverly Hills’ Avra not only has one of the more spacious and well-lit dining rooms in the city, it’s also got some of the city’s freshest fish, much of it prepared on a charcoal grill. The raw bar is front and center along with New York strip steaks and oven-baked sea bass, just keep in mind that this is Beverly Hills, and you’ll likely be spending accordingly

Open in Google Maps

233 N Beverly Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Visit Website

Avra Beverly Hills — Avra

Surawon Tofu House

2833 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90006

Surawon, like many soondubu jjigae restaurants, amplifies the flavor of its tofu by producing its own silken version on the premises, then flavoring it with rich spicy broth and ingredients like mushrooms and seafood. Every order comes with an array of pickled and seasoned banchan that will provide a nutritious meal.

2833 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90006

Visit Website

Soontdubu and fried mackerel combo at Surawon in Koreatown. — Surawon Tofu House

Shiku

317 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90013

Former Baroo chef Kwang Uh and his wife/chef partner Mina Park know the backbone of a great Korean meal is banchan, the seasoned and often pickled or fermented vegetables that are essential for every meal. Uh and Park’s stand at Grand Central Market boasts some of the finest banchan in LA for takeaway, though you get banchan with some of the dosirak too, including vegan fried temple mushrooms.

Open in Google Maps

317 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90013

Visit Website

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Shiku 식구 (@shikulosangeles)

Qusqo Bistro and Gallery

11633 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025

Qusqo’s chef/owner Lucy Haro developed a menu with traditional Peruvian dishes that can easily be customized with meat or to simply add more vegetables. Try the beefy and saucy lomo saltado, fried plantains, and ceviche.

11633 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025

Visit Website

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Qusqo Bistro & Gallery (@qusqobistro)

Flower Child

1332 2nd St, Santa Monica, CA 90401

The work of True Food Kitchen’s Sam Fox, Flower Child boasts naturally-raised proteins and local produce in farmer's market-inspired digs. The expansive space — that’s also kid-friendly — offers plenty of salads, bowls, plates, and wraps with such proteins as grass-fed steak, sustainable salmon, and organic tofu.

Open in Google Maps

1332 2nd St, Santa Monica, CA 90401

Visit Website

Salad from Flower Child in Santa Monica, California. — Flower Child

Post & Beam

3767 Santa Rosalia Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90008

Post & Beam’s menu is an ideal choice for produce, seafood, and meats like the staple jerk catfish, espresso-rubbed hangar steak, or the grilled vegetable skewer with romesco.

3767 Santa Rosalia Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90008

Visit Website

Post & Beam’s catfish in Crenshaw, California. — Jerk catfish from Post & Beam

Swift Cafe

4279 1/2 Crenshaw Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90008

Chef Kyndra McCrary worked with a nutritionist before opening up Swift Cafe in 2019, and she brings that experience to her daytime menu. Her protein-filled bowls are one of the many stars on Swift’s menu, but her jerk chicken and salmon gremolata with mixed greens are also standouts. Always check her instagram to see if she’s making the seafood pasta or gumbo, too.

4279 1/2 Crenshaw Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90008

Visit Website

Gumbo from Swift Cafe in Leimert Park. — Gumbo from Swift Cafe

The Butcher's Daughter

1205 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, CA 90291

Originating in New York, Butcher’s Daughter found a spot on Abbot Kinney, and built a menu that locals favor. They start early, where lattes, juices, smoothies, and pancakes are available, while others prefer the later menu that prioritizes burgers, stone-oven pizzas, and a solid wine list.

1205 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, CA 90291

Visit Website

The Butcher’s Daughter

Related Maps

Coni' Seafood

3544 W Imperial Hwy, Inglewood, CA 90303

Inglewood’s longtime staple Coni’seafood is still as popular as ever, with expansions in the LAFC stadium, and in Del Rey. That means more of the city can sample owner Coni’s mariscos menu, including fresh grilled fish, ceviches, and aguachiles.

3544 W Imperial Hwy, Inglewood, CA 90303

Visit Website

Coni’ Seafood restaurant’s grilled fish — Pescado zarandeado at Coni’ Seafood

Heritage

2030 E 7th St, Long Beach, CA 90804

Chef Philip Pretty’s second Long Beach restaurant — his Heritage Sandwich Shop operates on the other side of the same building — will always have his selections from local farmers markets including Pasture bird poultry to scallops or smoked pork belly. Depending on the harvest, some vegetables and herbs come straight from Petty’s on-site garden.

2030 E 7th St, Long Beach, CA 90804

Visit Website

Heritage Long Beach — Heritage in Long Beach

Related Maps