Kerri WaldronKick off the New Year by eating healthy.
The Treasure Coast is filled with juice bars and smoothie shops, but it also has a handful of full-service restaurants with healthy food — including Fruits & Roots Vegan Cafe in Stuart, La Tabla in Vero Beach and Dale Arepa Bar & Healthy Bistro in Port St. Lucie.
Here’s where to eat clean and find organic, vegan and vegetarian food in Martin, Indian River and St. Lucie counties.
Farm to table:At least 11 local restaurants serve farm-to-table dinners on Treasure Coast
MARTIN COUNTY
Berry Fresh Cafe
The father-son chain opened in Port St. Lucie in 2009, then added two locations, in Jupiter and Stuart. Founder Tim Timoteo and son Mitch created a “real food” cafe with chef-driven, adventurous, “made-from-scratch” dishes using the freshest ingredients, mostly from local farms. The menu includes signature jazzed-up comfort foods, as well as healthy vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free selections. The “What’s Fresh” blackboard menu is a monthly showcase for the chefs’ latest creations of seasonal delicacies.
BunkHouse Coffee Bar
Kelly Adams transformed a former World War II bunkhouse into a plant-based coffeehouse that opened in 2016. It focuses on healthier foods with organic coffee, smoothies and açaí bowls, gluten-free and vegan baked goods. Her brand is about organic and having a healthy spin on delicious treats.
Colab Kitchen
The restaurant opened in 2021 at the former location of Ground Floor Farm for lunch, brunch and dinner. Its lunch menu includes creative salads, bowls, appetizers, pizzas and wraps. Its dinner menu includes brisket, ribs, chicken, smoked turkey, pork chops and barbacoa tacos.
Fruits & Roots Vegan Cafe
Longtime vegan and animal lover Amber Eichling opened a small juice bar and cafe in 2015 that grew into a full-service restaurant, which Carra Crehan took over in 2023. Popular menu items include the Buffalo cauliflower Caesar salad, Asian noodle salad, zoodle pasta primavera bowl, black bean burger and grilled cheese sandwich, plus flatbreads, soups, smoothies and juices.
Ital Bowls
Martin County native Zach Bucolo got the vision for his food truck while living on the North Shore of Oahu in Hawaii. He ate açaí bowls at a local restaurant daily because they gave him quality energy without any crash, allowing him to get back to surfing without feeling weighed down. He worked on the food truck in Jensen Beach and opened New Year’s Day 2018 to show people eating healthy can taste good.
Passion Juice Bar
Owner Grace Gillespie is a nutritionist, personal trainer and published author. She aims to serve organic, gluten-free and keto-friendly meals. Everything on the menu is under 300 calories. Fan favorites include the Protein Fervor smoothie, with bananas, peanut butter, flaxseed, chocolate protein and almond milk; and the Revitalizer juice, with apple, lemon, carrot, beets and ginger.
Spritz City Bistro
The unique downtown Stuart bistro, which has a casual but upscale atmosphere, is known for tapas and small plates, but it also has vegetarian and gluten-free items and a specific vegan menu. Entrees feature a summer risotto, cauliflower steak and a roasted vegetable flatbread. Plus, it has salads.
Tabuleh Cafe
Planet Ozone, a green commercial building and gas station in Stuart, is home to Tabuleh Cafe. It offers a variety of all-natural foods that are organic and gluten-free from across the world, including a wide range of spices and olives, as well as halal meats that are grass-fed and all-natural from New Zealand, Australia and local farms. It also has vegan and vegetarian dishes, such as the falafel wrap and veggie platter.
- Address: 1601 S.E. Federal Highway, Stuart
- Phone: 772-403-2199
- Online: Website
3Natives
Founded in Tequesta in 2013 by Anthony Bambino, 3Natives started as a small 900-square-foot juice bar and grew to 30 locations across the state with more on the way. It uses 100% organic and fair trade Sambazon açaí, all-natural chicken breast cooked sous vide, sustainably caught tuna with salt as the only other ingredient, dressings made from scratch daily without preservatives or added sugar, fresh and never frozen produce bought daily from local vendors, honey from local bee farmers and eco-friendly silverware.
- Palm City: 2873 S.W. Cafe Court, 772-266-4980
- South Stuart: 870 S.E. Indian St., 772-266-9431
- East Stuart: 2761 S.E. Ocean Blvd., 772-888-2599
- Hobe Sound: 11750 S.E. Federal Highway, 772-402-5777
- Online: Website, Facebook, Instagram
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY
A Kitchen of Her Own
Professional artist Shari Pierce’s restaurant, known as AKOHO, features gourmet quiches, paninis, curry bowls, soups, pastries, coffee and fresh-squeezed juice. Everything is homemade and created from local, humane and organic ingredients. The daily specials often include vegan and vegetarian options.
Chelsea’s Gourmet
The gourmet market includes a cafe and coffee bar that serves breakfast, lunch, bottled juice, smoothies and bowls. Hot breakfast options include breakfast sandwiches, avocado toast, a breakfast burrito and a sweet potato bowl. Lunch options include signature sandwiches, hot paninis and salad bowls.
Chive
Owner Lou Kolbauer opened Chive for quick-creative cuisine in a small space on Old Dixie Highway in 2013. The menu expanded, and he opened a second location on Royal Palm Pointe in 2014. The restaurant moved to Miracle Mile in 2018. When customers place orders, staff members walk them through a three-step process of adding fresh toppings. The menu includes vegan chili and vegetarian options.
- Address: Miracle Mile, 390 21st St., Unit 104, Vero Beach
- Phone: 772-999-5452
- Online: Website, Facebook
La Tabla
La Tabla, a breakfast and lunch spot on Royal Palm Pointe, is Spanish for “the board” — as in surfboard. Owners Naomi and Santiago are from California and Argentina, respectively, resulting in a menu that incorporates contemporary Californian with a European and South American feel. The restaurant also offers fresh food, organic coffee, made-to-order juice blends and protein smoothies.
Palato Café
The cafe’s breakfast options include prosciutto egg pita bread and casserole Neapolitan. Lunch options include salads, sandwiches, tacos, ceviche, wraps and bowls. It also has a coffee bar, pastries, smoothies, juices and limeade.
- Address: 915 17th St., Vero Beach
- Phone: 772-643-4975
- Online: Instagram
ST. LUCIE COUNTY
Beach Bowls
Michael Croke opened Beach Bowls in 2020 in downtown Fort Pierce because he wanted to share his love of açaí bowls. He opened a second location in St. Lucie West. He gets açaí berries from Brazil, where they are immediately flash-frozen and shipped. He blends with only minimal banana and strawberry so they don’t overpower. All bowls can be customized with different fruits, toppings and proteins, such as chia seeds and peanut butter. His pitaya bowl is similar, but uses dragon fruit topped with pineapple and banana.
- Fort Pierce: 217 Avenue A, 772-448-4097
- Port St. Lucie: 1341 St. Lucie West Blvd., 772-807-1456
- Online: Website, Facebook, Instagram
Berry Fresh Cafe
The father-son chain opened in Port St. Lucie in 2009, then added two locations, in Jupiter and Stuart. Founder Tim Timoteo and son Mitch created a “real food” cafe with chef-driven, adventurous, “made-from-scratch” dishes using the freshest ingredients, mostly from local farms. The menu includes signature jazzed-up comfort foods, as well as healthy vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free selections. The “What’s Fresh” blackboard menu is a monthly showcase for the chefs’ latest creations of seasonal delicacies.
Dale Arepa Bar & Healthy Bistro
Husband-and-wife owners Rens and Sandra Leijtens opened a second location of their Miami restaurant in Port St. Lucie in 2021. They wanted to combine traditional Venezuelan dishes with healthier options to encourage diners to maintain a balanced diet while also enjoying Venezuelan cuisine. The arepas are made with cornmeal or oatmeal and proteins that include beef, egg, ham, chicken, tuna salad or black beans. Healthier options include acai bowls, fruit smoothies and hemp and CBD-infused shakes.
- Address: 1758 S.E. Port St. Lucie Blvd., Port St. Lucie
- Phone: 772-353-5093
- Online: Website, Facebook
Fresh Fusion Juice Bar
After making appearances at the Fort Pierce and Port St. Lucie farmers markets, the juice bar opened a brick-and-mortar store in 2020. Acaí bowls, juices and smoothies — such as the papaya, strawberry, turmeric smoothie and the acaí bowl topped with granola, blueberries, strawberries, pineapple and chia seeds — make up a majority of the menu. Breakfast items including avocado toast are also available.
- Address: 1334 S.W. Bayshore Blvd., Port St. Lucie
- Phone: 772-621-4622
- Online: Facebook
Ihkem Premium Juice & Smoothie
This superfood restaurant aims to support healthier living through its juices, smoothies and acai bowls.
- Address: 1560 S.E. Floresta Drive, Port St. Lucie
- Phone: 772-249-5065
- Online: Website
Jugos Mama
Husband-and-wife owners Robert and Gloria Guzman opened their cafe in 2022 in the Sabal Palm Plaza to serve health foods, such as juices, smoothies and salads, in addition to more traditional grab-and-go eats, such as pastries and sandwiches. Juices are hand-pressed for each order using fresh fruit and vegetables.
- Address: 2407 U.S. 1, Suite 2407, Fort Pierce
- Phone: 772-812-4325
- Online: Website
3Natives
Founded in Tequesta in 2013 by Anthony Bambino, 3Natives started as a small 900-square-foot juice bar and grew to 30 locations across the state with more on the way. It uses 100% organic and fair trade Sambazon açaí, all-natural chicken breast cooked sous vide, sustainably caught tuna with salt as the only other ingredient, dressings made from scratch daily without preservatives or added sugar, fresh and never frozen produce bought daily from local vendors, honey from local bee farmers and eco-friendly silverware.
- St. Lucie West: 1413 St. Lucie West Blvd., 772-800-3151
- Tradition: 10795 S.W. Tradition Square, 772-345-6684
- Online: Website, Facebook, Instagram
Laurie K. Blandford is TCPalm’s entertainment reporter and columnist dedicated to finding the best things to do on the Treasure Coast. Follow her on Twitter @TCPalmLaurie and Facebook @TCPalmLaurie. Email her at laurie.blandford@tcpalm.com. Sign up for her What To Do in 772 weekly newsletter at profile.tcpalm.com/newsletters/manage.
Source: tcpalm.com
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