Trust me, I know – eating healthy in college can become pretty tricky sometimes. But even in the midst of exams, papers, and other stresses, it is important to prioritize adding healthful, balanced meals into your day. Luckily, Atlanta has a large assortment of easy and healthy options for lunch or dinner. In this list, I've compiled the top 10 best healthy restaurants Atlanta has to offer near Emory's campus.
1. True Food Kitchen
Located in Buckhead at Lenox Square, True Food Kitchen is an amazing option for a healthy lunch or dinner. True Food offers a variety of options including salads, bowls, pizzas, burgers, and more. They also offer many gluten free and vegan options. My personal favorites include the Spaghetti Squash Casserole and the grass-fed Steak Tacos. No matter what you get, you definitely cannot go wrong here.
2. Kale Me Crazy
One of my favorite lunch spots is Kale Me Crazy. With many locations across Atlanta including Toco Hills, Morningside, and Decatur, Kale Me Crazy is a super convenient and delicious option. Their menu is a ideal for breakfast or lunch, and they offer a variety of acai bowls, salads, toasts, wraps, smoothies, and more. This food will definitely fuel you up and make you feel good inside and out. My go-to lunch order is the chicken pesto wrap and a smoothie!
3. Upbeet
Upbeet is located a little farther from Emory's campus than the other restaurants, but if you can make the drive it is totally worth it. They offer a variety of salads, bowls, and smoothies, or the option to create your own. I especially love being able to customize my own greens or grain bowl, adding any vegetables or proteins I want to it. Everything there is super delicious, and the atmosphere is a super cute vibe.
4. Flower Child
Like True Food Kitchen, Flower Child is another food chain located near Lenox Mall in Buckhead. Flower Child has a super lively and colorful environment. This fast-casual restaurant offers lots of tasty options including salads, bowls, and vegetables as sides. Many of the sides are especially unique, including the gluten free mac & cheese!
5. Recess
One of the more formal restaurants on this list, Recess is a great place to go out to dinner with friends. Located within Krog Street Market, Recess has become one of my favorite places in Atlanta. I recommend the Superbowl or the Dirty Bird sandwich. Take a stroll around Krog Street Market when you are done eating, or pop up to the Beltline.
6. Cafe Sunflower
Located in Buckhead, Cafe Sunflower is a completely vegan cafe. The diverse menu offers entirely plant-based options including nachos, dips, salads, noodles, plant-based burgers, and more. This cafe is a great option for a Sunday brunch if you want to balance out your weekend with a healthy meal to fuel your body.
7. Moonbowls
One of my newer discoveries, Moonbowls is one of the lesser-known restaurants in Atlanta. Nonetheless, they offer a completely gluten-free menu with delicious options – which is ideal if you have Celiac like I do! Moonbowls promises "feel good" gluten-free options, including a wide array of bowls. They also offer amazing sides such as potstickers, cauliflower fried rice, and BBQ cauliflower wings. Moonbowls is a great option if you want feel-good food on every level.
8. Gusto!
Another fast casual favorite, Gusto! has many locations throughout Atlanta. Like many of the other places on this list, Gusto! is a quick and easy place where you can customize your own bowl. There are many locations near Emory's campus which makes it a super easy and convenient location for the school week.
9. Sweetgreen
Being from New Jersey, I have been going to sweetgreen for years. Coming to college in Atlanta, I knew that I would not be able to find a sweetgreen here. However, I was extremely excited when I heard that sweetgreen was opening in Ponce City Market, and more recently at the Lenox Mall in Buckhead. My friends and I love to hit up sweetgreen whenever we can, and create our own delicious and fresh salads. Their miso sesame ginger dressing is a must try!
10. CAVA
Another restaurant that I was excited to see expanded into Atlanta is CAVA. One of my personal favorites back home in New Jersey, I was ecstatic to find out that they were opening a location near Emory's campus. CAVA is a delicious Mediterranean restaurant where you can customize a salad or bowl with a variety of ingredients including different types of proteins and hummus. CAVA is definitely one of my favorite go-to spots for a quick and casual dinner.