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Avocado toast topped with radishes and microgreens
Avocado-radish toast at Wonder Press.
Courtesy of Big Red F

18 Healthy Denver Restaurants to Energize You in 2021

Salads, soups, smoothies, sushi, and so on

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Avocado-radish toast at Wonder Press.
| Courtesy of Big Red F

Organic produce and sustainable proteins. Meat-, dairy-, and allergen-free alternatives. Superfoods and adaptogenic herbs. Ancient grains and heirloom crops. The criteria for healthy eating these days go far beyond the rigid wheat germ–and–bean sprout regimens of old — and these 17 places all meet their fair share in style.

Speaking of good health, of course, these restaurants all offer to-go and/or delivery service as well. Though Denver’s dining rooms are currently open at 25 percent capacity, takeout is still a diner’s best bet for safety as the country weathers the next few months of pandemic uncertainty. One thing we are certain about? Any restaurant on this map will have dishes that will make you feel good while being good for you too.

Don’t see your favorite healthy restaurant? Leave a note in the comments or send a tip to denver@eater.com.

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Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process.

Vital Root

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While strictly vegetarian, what ultimately defines the menu at — and ensures the popularity of — Edible Beats’ fast-casual haunt in Berkeley is its free-ranging creativity. Think blue corn and purple sweet potato pancakes with pepitas, popcorn, and burnt maple whip; bánh mì-inspired tacos with lemongrass tofu and edamame pâté; and beet brownies with cashew frosting.

Sunflower risotto with almond butter and seasonal vegetables
Though it has evolved over the years, Vital Root’s sunflower risotto with almond butter remains a greatest hit.
Annette Slade

Green Seed Market

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This Denver Central Market greengrocer whips up salads, soups, smoothies, and bowls that are anything but, well, garden-variety. Options range from the Loosey Goosey salad with arugula, lentils, pickled enokis, candied pecans, gooseberries, and goat cheese mousse to the K-Leo bowl featuring quinoa kale, almonds, broccoli, and more in apple-balsamic vinaigrette; vibrant as is, they can all be customized with a surprising array of add-ins. 

Arugula salad with farro, pomegranate, pears, almonds, and feta in a cranberry-thyme vinaigrette
Green Seed’s King Tut salad with arugula, farro, pomegranate seeds, pears, almonds, and feta in a cranberry-thyme vinaigrette.
Katie Knoch

Superfruit Republic

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This fast-casual cafe in Central Park (along with its downtown Denver satellite) specializes in açai and pitaya bowls filled with sustainably sourced, nutritious ingredients such as gogi berries, pumpkin seeds, and bee-pollen granules. Smoothies, toasts, and grain bowls round out the menu.

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Prosper Eats

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Formerly ProsperOats, this LoHi counter has expanded its menu far beyond the oatmeal-, açai-, and yogurt-based breakfast bowls at its core. Though those are still available — complete with a choice of four among 36 toppings, including cacao nibs, hemp hearts, and naked pea protein — so are toasts, salads, and wraps like the smoked salmon roll with chive cream cheese, capers, pickled red onion, and more on any of three flavored tortillas. 

Breakfast bowls with oats and fruit
Oats and açai are key to the Prosper Eats menu.
Facebook

Wonder Press

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In addition to its thriving Boulder flagship, this cold-pressed juice and coffee bar now has a bright and shiny new sibling on Platte Street, whose menu covers all the basic food groups for today’s on-the-go lifestylists. That means not only a selection of 13 juice blends and a full slate of espresso drinks but also five nut-milk concoctions; six different booster shots; and myriad lattes, broths, smoothies, and cups of cacao laced with adaptogenic herbs and superfoods. Of course, there are toasts and other light bites such as oatmeal and soups to boot. 

Four smoothies in glasses on a table
Wonder Press makes 11 smoothies in all, including matcha–mint chip and maca-pecan.
Courtesy of Big Red F

Just Be Kitchen

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Paleo- and Keto-friendly, vegetarian/vegan, Whole 30–approved, and all, this LoHi café ably accommodates a wide range of diets. Supplemented by a few seasonal dishes, its staple items include agave-sweetened grainless granola; gluten-, dairy-, egg-, and nut-free chicken and dumplings; and veggie curry over cauliflower rice.  

Bowl of biscuits in gravy with veggies
Just Be Kitchen’s Keto-friendly biscuits and gravy with kale chips.
Sarah Addy Photography

Whole Sol Blend Bar

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With locations in Denver and Boulder, Whole Sol serves next-level bowls, toasts, juices, and more that are 100-percent organic (not to mention gluten- and dairy-free). The Mayan, for instance, is made with a dragon fruit base and topped with mango, strawberry, coconut, and granola, while the tofu scramble is sautéed with kale, tomatoes, mushrooms, cabbage, and more.

Matcha meal at Whole Sol
Facebook/Whole Sol

Kaffe Landskap

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With a native Swede who also operates a New York roastery for a partner, this LoDo coffee shop exudes clean Scandinavian chic right down to the wholesome, eats. Regulars might kick off their mornings with organic, gluten-free potato-lingonberry pancakes or a vegan almond-vanilla granola bar, then return in the afternoon for smoked-trout salad with beets, potatoes, and fennel or a veggie sandwich layered with sweet potatoes, mozzarella, kale, avocado, pumpkin-seed pesto, aquafaba mayo.

Vegan kale-avocado-cashew salad and wrap with quinoa, egg, and kale
Kaffe Landskap’s Buddha salad with kale, chickpeas, buckwheat, avocado, cashews, hemp seed, and more alongside an egg-quinoa wrap with more kale, beet-almond hummus, pickled red onion, and pumpkin-seed pesto.
Ruth Tobias/Eater

With two downtown locations, Troy Guard’s bowl concept puts the fast in fast-casual, churning out orders in three minutes or less. Emphasizing ingredients and influences from the Pacific Rim and Latin America, the signature combos and build-your-own options alike combine a base of rice, rice noodles, or salad with a choice of proteins, vegetables, dressings, and garnishes galore — everything from sushi-grade tuna and organic tofu to jicama slaw, hearts of palm, and crispy wonton strips.

poke bowl with chopsticks
The Aloha bowl comes with green beans, edamame, kimchi, wakame, and bubu arare in a soy-onion dressing.
Courtesy of Bubu

Kaffe Landskap

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With a native Swede who also operates a New York roastery for a partner, this LoDo coffee shop exudes clean Scandinavian chic right down to the wholesome, eats. Regulars might kick off their mornings with organic, gluten-free potato-lingonberry pancakes or a vegan almond-vanilla granola bar, then return in the afternoon for smoked-trout salad with beets, potatoes, and fennel or a veggie sandwich layered with sweet potatoes, mozzarella, kale, avocado, pumpkin-seed pesto, and aquafaba mayo.

Vegan kale-avocado-cashew salad and wrap with quinoa, egg, and kale
Kaffe Landskap’s Buddha salad with kale, chickpeas, buckwheat, hemp seeds, cashews, cranberries and more next to its egg-quinoa power wrap with more kale, beet-almond hummus, pickled red onions, and pumpkin-seed pesto in a spinach tortilla.
Ruth Tobias/Eater

Watercourse Foods

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Now all-vegan, this Uptown institution is the first name in comfort food for Denver’s herbivores, known for the likes of cauliflower and seitan wings, barbecued jackfruit and blackened tofu sandwiches, and carrot “lox” on toast with non-dairy cream cheese.

Fried cauliflower with buffalo sauce and celery
Watercourse’s buffalo-style cauliflower wings to go.
Ruth Tobias/Eater

City O' City

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A late-night favorite in normal times, Watercourse Foods’ funky Cap Hill sibling is still going strong under the current restrictions on business hours and capacity. Chalk its loyal following up to such plant-based pleasures as kimchi stew with tempura tofu; tempeh bacon–veggie hash; and an excellent sunflower seed–walnut burger — not to mention smart seasonal cocktails like the orange-cinnamon margarita.

River and Root Photography

Parsley

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Serving everything from fresh juices and smoothies to vegetarian-friendly sandwiches, salads, and soups, this Golden Triangle charmer is a longtime magnet for locals on lunch break. An emphasis is placed on sustainable and organic sourcing as well as other green measures such as on-site composting, rooftop gardening, and recycling.

Tomato-mozzarella sandwich with lettuce on wheat bread
Parsley’s vegetarian Caprese sandwich features tomato, fresh mozzarella, balsamic vinaigrette, and basil pesto.
Courtesy of Parsley

Sushi Cup

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The menu at this Cap Hill takeout counter veers wildly from sushi “burritos” to Spam musubi to birria ramen, but at its heart are elaborate poke bowls — some 16 in all. The signature Red & Orange is a colorful case in point, containing both salmon and tuna along with corn, cucumber, scallion, daikon, seaweed salad, and sesame seeds.

Sushi wrap filled with purple rice, fish, and garnishes
Sushi Cup’s “sushi burritos” are essentially giant hand rolls.
Ruth Tobias/Eater

The Corner Beet Cherry Creek

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The Cap Hill original exudes a bohemian vibe, while the Cherry Creek outpost is a sleeker, more modern affair — but both branches of this vegetarian cafe/coffeehouse sport a menu centered on toasts, salads, pressed juices, and superfood lattes. With tamari-glazed baked tofu and pickled veggies, the bánh mì toast is a standout alongside, say, the Taproot, a coconut milk latte flavored with beet, ginger, and cinnamon. 

Salad with avocado, black olives, and tortilla chips.
A generously portioned salad at the flagship Corner Beet in Cap Hill.
Courtesy of The Corner Beet

Vert Kitchen

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Organic and sustainable sourcing, combined with a gourmet approach to casual fare, have long set this Wash Park fixture apart from the lunchtime pack. Sichuan peppercorns and peanuts give vegan lentil bisque a kicky twist, while a seasonal tartine might feature butternut and delicata squash, beet spread, avocado, and arugula-kale salad in tahini dressing — and the signature tortilla española is reimagined as a sandwich, served on French bread.

Vegan sandwich on a baguette with a side salad
Vert’s sandwiches come with your choice of seasonal side.
Ruth Tobias/Eater

Somebody People

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Denver’s most stylish plant-based eatery has shifted its business model a few times during the pandemic, so right now its Instagram feed and online ordering platform are the best sources for daily updates on its offerings. But whether it’s a recipe kit for wild rice pilaf with mushrooms or a five-course Sunday supper featuring dishes such as delicata squash with maple ricotta, fried sage, and pine nuts, the fare is consistently elegant as well as healthful and eco-friendly.

A close up shot of the house-made funghetto pasta with garlic cloves and carrot bolognese at Somebody People
Pasta is a regular feature of Somebody People’s seasonal menu, like this funghetto in carrot bolognese.
Jonathan Phillips/Eater

Turtle Boat - Colorado Poki Salads

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This Rosedale poke shop does everything right. Not only is owner Jeremy Song staunchly dedicated to sustainable seafood, robust vegan alternatives, and local produce, but he also goes to great lengths to maintain a staunchly creative selection of toppings and sides that includes “poi’tato” salad, kohlrabi slaw, homemade furikake, and much more. The options here are therefore nearly endless.

poke salad on greens
Turtle Boat’s customizable poke bowls can incorporate everything from Colorado striped bass and cuttlefish to wasabi guacamole and vegan masago.
Ruth Tobias/Eater

Vital Root

While strictly vegetarian, what ultimately defines the menu at — and ensures the popularity of — Edible Beats’ fast-casual haunt in Berkeley is its free-ranging creativity. Think blue corn and purple sweet potato pancakes with pepitas, popcorn, and burnt maple whip; bánh mì-inspired tacos with lemongrass tofu and edamame pâté; and beet brownies with cashew frosting.

Sunflower risotto with almond butter and seasonal vegetables
Though it has evolved over the years, Vital Root’s sunflower risotto with almond butter remains a greatest hit.
Annette Slade

Green Seed Market

This Denver Central Market greengrocer whips up salads, soups, smoothies, and bowls that are anything but, well, garden-variety. Options range from the Loosey Goosey salad with arugula, lentils, pickled enokis, candied pecans, gooseberries, and goat cheese mousse to the K-Leo bowl featuring quinoa kale, almonds, broccoli, and more in apple-balsamic vinaigrette; vibrant as is, they can all be customized with a surprising array of add-ins. 

Arugula salad with farro, pomegranate, pears, almonds, and feta in a cranberry-thyme vinaigrette
Green Seed’s King Tut salad with arugula, farro, pomegranate seeds, pears, almonds, and feta in a cranberry-thyme vinaigrette.
Katie Knoch

Superfruit Republic

This fast-casual cafe in Central Park (along with its downtown Denver satellite) specializes in açai and pitaya bowls filled with sustainably sourced, nutritious ingredients such as gogi berries, pumpkin seeds, and bee-pollen granules. Smoothies, toasts, and grain bowls round out the menu.

Facebook

Prosper Eats

Formerly ProsperOats, this LoHi counter has expanded its menu far beyond the oatmeal-, açai-, and yogurt-based breakfast bowls at its core. Though those are still available — complete with a choice of four among 36 toppings, including cacao nibs, hemp hearts, and naked pea protein — so are toasts, salads, and wraps like the smoked salmon roll with chive cream cheese, capers, pickled red onion, and more on any of three flavored tortillas. 

Breakfast bowls with oats and fruit
Oats and açai are key to the Prosper Eats menu.
Facebook

Wonder Press

In addition to its thriving Boulder flagship, this cold-pressed juice and coffee bar now has a bright and shiny new sibling on Platte Street, whose menu covers all the basic food groups for today’s on-the-go lifestylists. That means not only a selection of 13 juice blends and a full slate of espresso drinks but also five nut-milk concoctions; six different booster shots; and myriad lattes, broths, smoothies, and cups of cacao laced with adaptogenic herbs and superfoods. Of course, there are toasts and other light bites such as oatmeal and soups to boot. 

Four smoothies in glasses on a table
Wonder Press makes 11 smoothies in all, including matcha–mint chip and maca-pecan.
Courtesy of Big Red F

Just Be Kitchen

Paleo- and Keto-friendly, vegetarian/vegan, Whole 30–approved, and all, this LoHi café ably accommodates a wide range of diets. Supplemented by a few seasonal dishes, its staple items include agave-sweetened grainless granola; gluten-, dairy-, egg-, and nut-free chicken and dumplings; and veggie curry over cauliflower rice.  

Bowl of biscuits in gravy with veggies
Just Be Kitchen’s Keto-friendly biscuits and gravy with kale chips.
Sarah Addy Photography

Whole Sol Blend Bar

With locations in Denver and Boulder, Whole Sol serves next-level bowls, toasts, juices, and more that are 100-percent organic (not to mention gluten- and dairy-free). The Mayan, for instance, is made with a dragon fruit base and topped with mango, strawberry, coconut, and granola, while the tofu scramble is sautéed with kale, tomatoes, mushrooms, cabbage, and more.

Matcha meal at Whole Sol
Facebook/Whole Sol

Kaffe Landskap

With a native Swede who also operates a New York roastery for a partner, this LoDo coffee shop exudes clean Scandinavian chic right down to the wholesome, eats. Regulars might kick off their mornings with organic, gluten-free potato-lingonberry pancakes or a vegan almond-vanilla granola bar, then return in the afternoon for smoked-trout salad with beets, potatoes, and fennel or a veggie sandwich layered with sweet potatoes, mozzarella, kale, avocado, pumpkin-seed pesto, aquafaba mayo.

Vegan kale-avocado-cashew salad and wrap with quinoa, egg, and kale
Kaffe Landskap’s Buddha salad with kale, chickpeas, buckwheat, avocado, cashews, hemp seed, and more alongside an egg-quinoa wrap with more kale, beet-almond hummus, pickled red onion, and pumpkin-seed pesto.
Ruth Tobias/Eater

Bubu

With two downtown locations, Troy Guard’s bowl concept puts the fast in fast-casual, churning out orders in three minutes or less. Emphasizing ingredients and influences from the Pacific Rim and Latin America, the signature combos and build-your-own options alike combine a base of rice, rice noodles, or salad with a choice of proteins, vegetables, dressings, and garnishes galore — everything from sushi-grade tuna and organic tofu to jicama slaw, hearts of palm, and crispy wonton strips.

poke bowl with chopsticks
The Aloha bowl comes with green beans, edamame, kimchi, wakame, and bubu arare in a soy-onion dressing.
Courtesy of Bubu

Kaffe Landskap

With a native Swede who also operates a New York roastery for a partner, this LoDo coffee shop exudes clean Scandinavian chic right down to the wholesome, eats. Regulars might kick off their mornings with organic, gluten-free potato-lingonberry pancakes or a vegan almond-vanilla granola bar, then return in the afternoon for smoked-trout salad with beets, potatoes, and fennel or a veggie sandwich layered with sweet potatoes, mozzarella, kale, avocado, pumpkin-seed pesto, and aquafaba mayo.

Vegan kale-avocado-cashew salad and wrap with quinoa, egg, and kale
Kaffe Landskap’s Buddha salad with kale, chickpeas, buckwheat, hemp seeds, cashews, cranberries and more next to its egg-quinoa power wrap with more kale, beet-almond hummus, pickled red onions, and pumpkin-seed pesto in a spinach tortilla.
Ruth Tobias/Eater

Watercourse Foods

Now all-vegan, this Uptown institution is the first name in comfort food for Denver’s herbivores, known for the likes of cauliflower and seitan wings, barbecued jackfruit and blackened tofu sandwiches, and carrot “lox” on toast with non-dairy cream cheese.

Fried cauliflower with buffalo sauce and celery
Watercourse’s buffalo-style cauliflower wings to go.
Ruth Tobias/Eater

City O' City

A late-night favorite in normal times, Watercourse Foods’ funky Cap Hill sibling is still going strong under the current restrictions on business hours and capacity. Chalk its loyal following up to such plant-based pleasures as kimchi stew with tempura tofu; tempeh bacon–veggie hash; and an excellent sunflower seed–walnut burger — not to mention smart seasonal cocktails like the orange-cinnamon margarita.

River and Root Photography

Parsley

Serving everything from fresh juices and smoothies to vegetarian-friendly sandwiches, salads, and soups, this Golden Triangle charmer is a longtime magnet for locals on lunch break. An emphasis is placed on sustainable and organic sourcing as well as other green measures such as on-site composting, rooftop gardening, and recycling.

Tomato-mozzarella sandwich with lettuce on wheat bread
Parsley’s vegetarian Caprese sandwich features tomato, fresh mozzarella, balsamic vinaigrette, and basil pesto.
Courtesy of Parsley

Sushi Cup

The menu at this Cap Hill takeout counter veers wildly from sushi “burritos” to Spam musubi to birria ramen, but at its heart are elaborate poke bowls — some 16 in all. The signature Red & Orange is a colorful case in point, containing both salmon and tuna along with corn, cucumber, scallion, daikon, seaweed salad, and sesame seeds.

Sushi wrap filled with purple rice, fish, and garnishes
Sushi Cup’s “sushi burritos” are essentially giant hand rolls.
Ruth Tobias/Eater

The Corner Beet Cherry Creek

The Cap Hill original exudes a bohemian vibe, while the Cherry Creek outpost is a sleeker, more modern affair — but both branches of this vegetarian cafe/coffeehouse sport a menu centered on toasts, salads, pressed juices, and superfood lattes. With tamari-glazed baked tofu and pickled veggies, the bánh mì toast is a standout alongside, say, the Taproot, a coconut milk latte flavored with beet, ginger, and cinnamon. 

Salad with avocado, black olives, and tortilla chips.
A generously portioned salad at the flagship Corner Beet in Cap Hill.
Courtesy of The Corner Beet

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Vert Kitchen

Organic and sustainable sourcing, combined with a gourmet approach to casual fare, have long set this Wash Park fixture apart from the lunchtime pack. Sichuan peppercorns and peanuts give vegan lentil bisque a kicky twist, while a seasonal tartine might feature butternut and delicata squash, beet spread, avocado, and arugula-kale salad in tahini dressing — and the signature tortilla española is reimagined as a sandwich, served on French bread.

Vegan sandwich on a baguette with a side salad
Vert’s sandwiches come with your choice of seasonal side.
Ruth Tobias/Eater

Somebody People

Denver’s most stylish plant-based eatery has shifted its business model a few times during the pandemic, so right now its Instagram feed and online ordering platform are the best sources for daily updates on its offerings. But whether it’s a recipe kit for wild rice pilaf with mushrooms or a five-course Sunday supper featuring dishes such as delicata squash with maple ricotta, fried sage, and pine nuts, the fare is consistently elegant as well as healthful and eco-friendly.

A close up shot of the house-made funghetto pasta with garlic cloves and carrot bolognese at Somebody People
Pasta is a regular feature of Somebody People’s seasonal menu, like this funghetto in carrot bolognese.
Jonathan Phillips/Eater

Turtle Boat - Colorado Poki Salads

This Rosedale poke shop does everything right. Not only is owner Jeremy Song staunchly dedicated to sustainable seafood, robust vegan alternatives, and local produce, but he also goes to great lengths to maintain a staunchly creative selection of toppings and sides that includes “poi’tato” salad, kohlrabi slaw, homemade furikake, and much more. The options here are therefore nearly endless.

poke salad on greens
Turtle Boat’s customizable poke bowls can incorporate everything from Colorado striped bass and cuttlefish to wasabi guacamole and vegan masago.
Ruth Tobias/Eater

Related Maps