A Local's Take on the Best Healthy Restaurants in Seattle

Finding the best healthy restaurants in Seattle can seem hard. There are just so many good, gluttonous eats!

Luckily, it is possible to find healthy food in Seattle. You just have to know where to look (and, ok, have some willpower too). Here are my favorite healthy restaurants in Seattle that I frequent when I don’t want a belly bomb meal.

I have to say this before you dive into this list: I’m not a dietician. This is a roundup of healthy places to eat in Seattle that don’t make me feel gross afterwards. Hopefully it’s the same for you too. Use your best judgement when ordering!

Also, I hope you choose to eat at healthy restaurants because you want to avoid feeling full or have certain dietary restrictions. I don’t condone diet culture…in fact, I’ve never done a diet in my life! I just know that when I want something that won’t make me feel heartburn or bloated, I need to search Google for “healthy restaurants” so I put together this guide for you if you’re in need of the same thing.

Best Healthy Restaurants in Seattle

Here are my favorite places to get a healthy meal in Seattle for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

Bounty Kitchen

website | neighborhoods: Queen Anne & Denny Triangle | breakfast & lunch | best for: their good morning sandwich

Bounty Kitchen is a casual, order-at-the-counter restaurant. It’s Instagrammable as hell and is one of the best South Lake Union restaurants in Seattle.

Most of their menu items are healthy leaning. For example, you’ll find a lot of different salads and grain bowls.

While they serve lunch, my favorite item on their menu is the good morning avocado sandwich. It comes with roasted cherry tomatoes, which sounds simple, but offers the most complex flavor to an otherwise basic sandwich. You can also get the sweetheart version with ham on it.

This dish is definitely one of my favorite healthy breakfasts and brunch in Seattle, so give it a try!

The Fat Hen

website | neighborhood: Ballard | breakfast & lunch | best for: Italian-leaning brunch

Warning: this cute-as-a-button cafe is small and gets really crowded. However, it’s worth waiting if you have the time.

You’ll find a small, but focused menu with Benedicts, salads, and baked goods. I love the prosciutto Benedict, but it’s admittedly not the healthiest. Instead, try one of their many lighter dishes like the homemade granola served with fruit or the vegetable Benedict.

Portage Bay Cafe

website | neighborhoods: Ballard, U-District, Roosevelt, & South Lake Union | breakfast & lunch | best for: organic brunch

“Eat like you give a damn,” is Portage Bay’s slogan. This mostly refers to their use of local organic ingredients, but their menu also has good options if you give a damn about nutrition, too.

For example, you can get oatmeal, French toast, or buckwheat pancakes and bring it up to the topping bar, where you’ll find a lot of fresh fruit and nuts. You can also get one of their grain bowls that are packed with veggies.

Pro tip: If you’re with kids but still need to find a place that serves healthy breakfast in Seattle, this is the best option. The kiddies love the topping bar.

Poke Square

website | neighborhoods: Ballard & Eastlake | lunch & dinner | best for: poke bowls

I’m obsessed with finding the best poke in Seattle. Poke Square is my go-to since it’s near where my house and a quick weeknight meal.

If you think Chipotle-style ordering but sub in poke, you know what Poke Square is like. You choose your base (rice, salad, or a mix), protein (fish or tofu), and toppings to assemble a unique poke bowl.

Avoid mayo-based sauces and go light on the rice (or nix it completely), and you have the perfect healthy lunch in Seattle. My favorite thing to do is ask them to give less rice and do a salmon and tuna mix.

Eve

website | neighborhood: Fremont | dinner only | best for: breakfast bowls

You’ll find a lot of veg-forward dishes at Eve, a restaurant in Fremont not nearly enough people are talking about. Their menu changes frequently, but you’ll always find a lot salads and healthy-leaning bowls. Plus they have inspiring decor that would look great on Instagram.

Since I love poke, I highly recommend their poke bowl that has no mayo if it’s on the menu. Other great options include their squash salad or eggplant wrap.

Preserve & Gather

website | neighborhood: Greenwood | breakfast & lunch | best for: toasts

Preserve and Gather is another Instagrammable cafe that serves a dope chocolate chip cookie. But since we’re here to talk about healthy restaurants in Seattle, you’ll be happy to know everything else on their menu fits the bill.

One of my favorite things to get is their ricotta toast. They make their ricotta in-house and serve it with constantly-changing ingredients. I’ve had it with just honey and I’ve had it with roast squash. Whatever it is when you’re there, be sure to get it!

They also serve Fulcrum Coffee, one of the best Seattle coffee bean roasters. So stop here if you need a java fix!

Mr. Gyro’s

website | neighborhoods: Wallingford & Ballard | lunch & dinner | best for: chicken shawarma

Mr. Gyro’s serves the best lamb gyro in all of Seattle. But the healthiest thing on their menu is also one of my other favorites: their chicken shawarma. I love it so much I feature it in my self-guided Seattle food tour of Ballard.

The portion is huge, so as long as you eat half of it, this chicken dish is a healthy option. It’s grilled chicken served on top of rice with a Greek salad, hummus, and tzatziki sauce.

Next Level Burger

website | neighborhood: Roosevelt | lunch & dinner | best for: vegan burger

Burgers are not healthy, so when I say Next Level is a healthy restaurant in Seattle, I mean it’s healthy for a burger. That’s because all its burgers are vegan.

My favorite burger to get is their American burger with the Beyond vegan patty. There is no meat, but somehow it tastes like a damn bacon cheeseburger! I like it so much I included it on my list of the best burgers in Seattle.

Pro tip: While coconut milk is anything but healthy, get the strawberry coconut milkshake…so addictive!

RockCreek

website | neighborhood: Fremont | dinner only | best for: cauliflower salad & raw fish

RockCreek is one of my favorite fish restaurants in Seattle. They have a lovely menu that balances healthier items among more gluttonous.

Their raw or cured fish dishes are always a healthy choice, but my absolute favorite is their cauliflower farro salad. It’s crunchy and, despite having heartier veggies, feels light. This dish has made RockCreek one of my go-to restaurants in Seattle.

Duĕ

website | neighborhood: Capitol Hill, Roosevelt, & Kirkland | lunch & dinner | best for: healthy pasta

You may be surprised to find one of Seattle’s best pasta spots also on the list of healthy restaurants because since when is pasta healthy? Well Duĕ uses ancient grains to create pasta that has more protein and fiber and less carbs that your typical wheat pasta. They also have a gluten free option and list out all the allergens in their dough on their website.

My favorite dish of theirs is admittedly less healthy, but I can’t get over the cacio e pepe. It has pink peppercorns which isn’t typical of this classic cheese and cracked pepper Italian pasta.

Homer

website | neighborhood: Beacon Hill | dinner only | best for: Middle Eastern food

Homer is one of my favorite restaurants in all of Seattle. They serve Middle Eastern dishes mostly cooked over flame. You’ll find a ton of grilled veggies, dips, and the most irresistible labneh yogurt.

Ciudad

website | neighborhood: Georgetown | lunch & dinner | best for: grilled dishes

I love the bright funky decorations in this Spanish-leaning restaurant in South Seattle. They cook most of their dishes over flame so there are a lot of healthy grilled meat and veggies. Make sure to get a side of their burnt honey to slather over everything.

Mainstay Provisions

website | neighborhood: Ballard | breakfast & lunch | best for: rotisserie chicken

Whenever I’m in the mood for a healthy restaurant in Seattle near my house, Mainstay Provisions is my go to. It’s a cafe and grocer known for their rotisserie chicken which you can get in salads or on its own to put over your own dishes at home. I really like their kale salad, but I’ve also had excellent sandwiches and soups here too.

CrackleMi

website | neighborhood: Ballard | lunch & dinner | best for: Vietnamese grill

CrackleMi is a Vietnamese grill in downtown Ballard. They serve banh mis, rice bowls, and noodle bowls with grilled meats or tofu. My favorite is the chicken rice bowl. And don’t sleep on their daikon short rib side soup. The broth is so flavorful!

Sizzle&Crunch

website | neighborhood: Roosevelt | lunch & dinner | best for: Vietnamese grill

Sizzle&Crunch is another Vietnamese grill similar to CrackleMi serving the Roosevelt, Ravenna, and U-District area (though they also have a wide delivery radius). I love their grilled chicken rice bowl with nuoc cham fish sauce and a ton of fresh herbs.

Cafe Flora

website | neighborhood: Madison Valley | breakfast, lunch, & dinner | best for: vegetarian dishes

Cafe Flora is a vegetarian restaurant famous for their brunch, but they also make delicious healthy dishes for other times throughout the day. I’m a fan fo their vegetable forward bowls, like the panzanella salad, but really you can’t go wrong with anything on this menu!

Pho Than Brothers

website | 9 locations around Seattle | lunch & dinner | best for: pho

There are a ton of places to get pho noodle soups in Seattle, but my favorite is the low-brow Pho Than Brothers. I love going in without even looking at the menu and getting a pho ga chicken rice noodle soup. It’s not too fatty but has a ton of flavor!

Juicy Cafe

website | neighborhood: Downtown | breakfast & lunch | best for: healthy bowls and juice

Juicy Cafe is probably the least-known spot on this list of healthy restaurants in Seattle. It’s hidden in the Seattle Convention Center just a few blocks away from Pike Place Market and used to be one of my go-to lunch spots when I worked downtown. I always got their salmon grain bowl with lemon dressing, but they also make a ton of juices and smoothies too.

Cafe Yumm!

website | neighborhood: Downtown | lunch & dinner | best for: healthy bowls

I discovered Cafe Yumm! on a visit to 5th Street Public Market in Eugene, Oregon. This Oregon-based mini chain serves healthy salads and bowls. I love their Hot and Jazzy Bowl with southwest chicken, jasmine rice, organic red beans, jalapeño sesame salsa, Yumm! Sauce®, shredded cheddar, diced tomatoes, fresh avocado slices, sour cream, black olives, and cilantro.

Seattle Healthy Restaurants I Still Need to Try

There’s only one of me and so many restaurants. Here are other healthy restaurants in Seattle that are on my list to try. If they’re good, I’ll add them to my list of besties above!

B-Side – Tiny Cap Hill cafe serving a limited menu of healthy items
HeartBeet Organic Super Foods – West Seattle healthy cafe
KOKU Cafe – Queen Anne cafe focusing on healthy bowls
Retreat – Green Lake coffee shop and cafe with a lot of bowls
Pluto – Organic cafe in Chinatown-International District
Sunlight Cafe – Vegetarian restaurant in Roosevelt with a lot of soups and salads

The Best Healthy Restaurants in Seattle