Whether you’re staying on track for your dieting goals or you’re simply looking for something fresh and light, these Queen City eateries have plenty of healthy options to enjoy.
Maplewood Kitchen and Bar 525 Race St., Downtown; 5065 Deerfield Blvd., Mason Maplewood serves up dishes and ingredients that would be right at home on the West Coast: cold-pressed juices, superfood salads, egg-white omelets and somewhat nutritious cocktails, like the roasted tomatillo bloody mary. Made with Tito’s vodka, house tomatillo bloody mary mix and cold-pressed Super Greens juice (kale, celery, spinach, romaine and pineapple), it’s topped off by a purple cabbage accouterment. Helmed by Thunderdome, popular Metropole menu items include avocado benedict, vegan power bowl and the housemade veggie burger. Photo via Facebook.com/MaplewoodKitchen
Fausto 44 E. Sixth St., Downtown Fausto, located in the lobby of the Contemporary Arts Center, is the latest offering from the Ferrari brothers — Tony and Austin — and their expanding local food service empire. The menu is contemporary and upbeat and feels like the culinary equivalent of the light that streams into Fausto’s seating area through the CAC’s massive panes of glass. Tony describes the food as “California cuisine” with splashes of citrus and extra-virgin olive oil, not full of fat or butter. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Rooted Juicery + Kitchen 3010 Madison Road, Oakley; 6844 Wooster Pike, Mariemont; 17 E. Sixth St., Downtown Everything is sourced as locally as possible at the always-organic Rooted Juicery + Kitchen. They offer fresh, healthy and made-from-scratch menu items ranging from the Rainbow Noodle salad to the Almond Thai Bowl, plus a wide variety of fresh juices and smoothies. Photo via Facebook.com/RootedJuicery
Sleepy Bee Cafe 3098 Madison Road, Oakley; 9514 Kenwood Road, Blue Ash; 8 E. Fourth St., Downtown A family-friendly breakfast and lunch spot, the Sleepy Bee offers bright and fresh menu options made with locally sourced ingredients. Some of their popular dishes include the Ember Avocado Toast, the Queen City Bee breakfast sandwich and the Avi Tofu Scramble. Expect a healthy wait on weekends for healthy and hearty brunch fare. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Fusian 600 Vine St., Downtown; 3780 Paxton Ave., Hyde Park; 8060 Montgomery Road, Kenwood Fusian’s fast-casual approach lets you build your own custom sushi roll, bowl or salad with their selection of “simple, natural and (when at all possible) local ingredients.” They offer a diverse selection of non-traditional proteins, including steak, chicken and roasted tofu, but the classic tuna and salmon rolls remain among the most popular. Photo via Facebook.com/EatFusian
The Loving Hut 6227 Montgomery Road, Pleasant Ridge The mission behind Loving Hut is to offer affordable, healthy, vegan cuisine. The restaurant’s environment was created using many found, reclaimed and reused materials. For disposable goods like containers, cups and utensils, they choose biodegradable and/or recyclable products. As far as the menu, there are tons of panini, wraps, sandwiches and burgers to choose from. Photo via Facebook.com/LovingHutCincinnati
Essen 1 Findlay St., Over-the-Rhine Essen is no ordinary take-away. The take-out and delivery kitchen, which opened in the fall of 2018 in Over-the-Rhine, aims to bring a new kind of menu to the Cincinnati restaurant scene. Sure, Essen serves soups, salads and sandwiches like any other respectable establishment, but there aren’t any chicken Caesars or ham-and-Swiss sammies to be found here. In fact, this kitchen doesn’t stock any meat, dairy or eggs at all: The entire menu is plant-based. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Melt Revival 4100 Hamilton Ave., Northside Vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free diners aren’t an afterthought at Melt. But no worries — the carnivorous can feast, too. A plethora of sandwiches, wraps, soups and salads tempt every palate. Sandwiches include items like the veggie cheesesteak made with seitan and The Rachel, a smoked turkey sandwich with red cabbage, apple sauerkraut and Swiss cheese. Don’t forget the incredibly delicious vegetarian chili. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Abigail Street 1214 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine The Mediterranean-inspired menu of small plates revels in Italian, Spanish, Turkish and Greek influences, with unique twists — chorizo-stuffed dates, grilled octopus, batata and more. Wines are available on tap, by the bottle or the glass. Photo via Facebook.com/AbigailWineBar
Total Juice Plus 631 Vine St., Downtown Family-owned and operated since 1997, Total Juice Plus has been serving healthy options to the downtown area for over 20 years. Their wraps, smoothies and fresh-squeezed juices include vegetarian-friendly options and offer a healthy alternative for lunch hour at a reasonable price. Add boosters to your smoothie like spirulina, bee pollen, ginseng or brewers yeast or just stop in for a wheat grass shot. Photo via Facebook.com/TotalJuicePlus
CRZY MONK 627 Main St., Downtown From the minds that brought you Huit, Neuf, Dope! Dumpling & Noodle Bar and Lalo comes Crzy Monk, a similar-style Asian-fusion lunch restaurant that focuses on dumplings, buns, noodles and sides. The restaurant focuses on the health benefits of each ingredient that goes into their meals. Their small-batch dumplings are made daily and are stuffed with fillings like chicken, corn and spinach or shrimp and zucchini. The novel bao-wich is a steamed bun sandwich layered with either pork belly or tofu and mushroom fillings. Photo via Facebook.com/MonkCincinnati
Waggle Breakfast and Bowls 3440 Burnet Ave., Avondale Cincinnati breakfast chain Sleepy Bee Cafe opened a new concept in Avondale this winter. The name behind the quick-service eatery refers to a special dance that honey bees perform when searching for their food. The new restaurant mirrors Sleepy Bee’s focus on community, quality and health but offers an experience more catered to “busy, buzzy lifestyles.” The menu supplies a variety of breakfast and lunch dishes, ranging from pancakes (both buttermilk or gluten-free) and egg scrambles to made-to-order lunch bowls. They also offer locally-roasted coffee and teas. Photo: Khoi Nguyen
Sitwell’s Act ll 324 Ludlow Ave., Clifton Next door to the Esquire Theatre, Clifton’s longtime boho cafe got a welcome reboot when a young couple freshened up both the menu and the ambiance. Featuring works by local artists, Rock & Roll memorabilia and mismatched furniture add a decidedly Clifton feel to the room, and it’s a great place to relax while enjoying one of the regular poetry readings or music performances. The menu offers vegetarian and vegan options, like the Greek gyro, made with seitan; several grain salads; and soups like Vietnamese pho, vegan chili and a rotating soup du jour. Photo: Hailey Bollinger
The Wildflower Cafe 207 E. Main St. Mason With local farm-raised, grass-fed beef and an extensive wine list that features products from Cincinnati-area vineyards, Wildflower is dedicated to producing the freshest and best-quality food at an honest price. Foods are local, sustainable and seasonable to offer peak freshness. Photo via Facebook.com/WildflowerCafeMason
The Whole Bowl 364 Ludlow Ave., Clifton When native Cincinnatian Tali Ovadia opened a food cart in Portland, Oregon 15 years ago, she had a novel idea: streamline the menu and serve a single dish. Her titular Whole Bowl features brown rice, beans, black olives, cheddar, avocado slices, salsa, sour cream and a lemon-garlic sauce. It’s simple, wholesome, delicious and comes in two sizes — big or bambino (smaller). Photo via Facebook.com/TheWholeBowlCincinnati
Harmony Plant Fare Findlay Market, 1801 Race St., Over-the-Rhine The deli offers a variety of vegan deli options ranging from cold cuts, salads, dips, housemade seitans and vegan cheese (that melts!) to sandwiches and vegan pantry essentials. Photo via Facebook.com/HarmonyPlantFare
Conscious Kitchen 2912 Short Vine St., Corryville Located on Short Vine near the University of Cincinnati campus, this health-conscious eatery offers a chef-crafted menu of items like salmon, turkey or veggie burgers; veggie or “aquatic” egg rolls; hearty salads; and more. Photo via Facebook.com/ConsciousKitchen513
Flavors Eatery 4 S. Broadway, Lebanon Featuring ”California style foods with an emphasis on variety,” Flavors Eatery prides itself on maintaining a menu that complements all of the most popular diets such as keto, paleo, Atkins, vegan and gluten-free. Thai, barbecue, Cajun, Italian, Mediterranean, burrito and fajita options are sufficient for every kind of craving. Photo via Flavors Eatery / Facebook
Northstar Cafe 7610 Sloan Way, Liberty Township Northstar’s menu is prepared for a variety of customer cravings and moods, offerings salads and bowls, sandwiches and burritos or burgers. The menu includes popular items like the chicken and avocado sandwich or the Buddha Bowl. Photo via Facebook.com/NorthStarCafe
Vinaigrette Salad Kitchen 7747 Kenwood Road, Kenwood Salads, seasonal soups and grain bowls are at the center of Vinaigrette Salad Kitchen’s menu. Locally-sourced and far from lacking in vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free options, Vinaigrette has an abundance of healthy lunch options. Top it off with one their housemade lemonades of watermelon, strawberry, lime or original. Photo via Vinaigrette Salad Kitchen
Buddha Barn Thai 6625 Gracely Drive, Sayler Park Using family recipes and those gained from experience in New York City Thai restaurants, owner Niruti Puakkawe makes classics and new Thai dishes. Find Pad Thai, curries, soups and Thai iced tea. BYOB. Must try: Something from the “Out of the Ordinary” section, like GaGa Gangpa — pork or beef cooked in coconut-less red curry sauce with anchovy, squash, string beans, peppers, Thai ginger and basil. Photo: Provided by Buddha Barn Thai

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