Good-for-you grub: Healthy restaurants in Calgary

Health is usually not top of mind when dining out, but for people who are watching their waistline, or just want to eat better, there is a growing number of Calgary restaurants offering healthier fare, which happens to be downright delicious.

Good-for-you grub: Healthy restaurants in Calgary
Vincci Tsui By

The Main Dish

1
903 General Ave NE, Calgary, AB T2E 9E1

Looking for a hot and healthy meal in a hurry? The Main Dish offers a wide selection of ready-made meals, including many gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian and vegan options that you can enjoy at the restaurant or take home to heat and eat. The nutritional information for all of the restaurant’s dishes is posted on its website, so you can make sure what you are eating fits your nutrition goals.

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:

Our Daily Brett

2
101-1507 29 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2T 1M4

Tucked away in a strip mall on 14th Street Southwest, Our Daily Brett bills itself as a specialty market. The pint-sized place has somehow managed to squeeze a tiny seating area into its small space. Here you can sit down and enjoy salads, sandwiches and coffees while ogling the eatery’s eclectic array of packaged food products. Our Daily Brett also offers grab-and-go dinner entrees, which are often gluten-free or vegetarian. The menu changes weekly, so there is always something new to try.

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:

Buddha's Veggie

3
100-5802 MacLeod Trail SW, Calgary, AB T2H 0J8

Buddha’s Veggie is one of the oldest vegetarian restaurants in Calgary. It’s well known for its vegetarian versions of popular Chinese dishes, like Kung Pao chicken and sweet and sour pork. Several years ago, the restaurant expanded its menu to include some meats, increasing its total dish selection to over 200! Buddha’s also offers vegetarian dim sum on Saturdays and Sundays, making it the perfect place to take friends who are squeamish about chicken feet.

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:

Cafe Koi

4
100-1011 1 St SW, Calgary, AB T2R 1J2

Café Koi is a funky little space on First Street and 10th Avenue Southwest that features local art, nightly live music, and delicious and nutritious Asian-fusion food to boot. The menu even features many vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free dishes. This is one restaurant that definitely does not skimp on the veggies – you can even ask to sub the rice or noodles in the signature bowls with more vegetables!

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:

Ambrosia Veggie Restaurant

5
1009 4 Avenue SW, Calgary, AB T2P 0K8

Located in Avatamsaka Monastery on Fourth Avenue Southwest near the Louise Bridge, Ambrosia Veggie House serves an all-vegan Chinese menu according to Buddhist custom. Though there are some mock meats on the menu, the restaurant tends to favour less-processed ingredients, including tofu and various mushrooms, as a substitute for meat. Like Buddha’s Veggie Restaurant, Ambrosia also offers a selection of dim sum and congee, rice and noodles for weekend brunch.

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:

Hearts Choices Vegan Cafe

6
9679 MacLeod Trail SW, Calgary, AB T2J 0P6

Known for its popular stall at the Calgary Farmers’ Market, Hearts Choices opened a standalone café on Macleod Trail Southwest in late 2014. The menu offers vegan and gluten-free versions of well-known Thai dishes such as pad Thai, larb salad and yellow and green curries using mock meats in place of real beef, pork, fish and chicken. The café also has a small grocery section where you can stock up on popular vegan products, Portobello mushroom jerky and cashew “cheese.”

This business is featured in the following Smart Lists:

Watercress Express

7
1322 17 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2T 0C3

The fresh wraps at Watercress Express are a take on Vietnamese salad rolls. With a variety of flavours such as tamarind beef and nuoc cham pork, the wraps make a light yet filling meal. Watercress Express also serves up a selection of other Vietnamese fusion dishes.

More from Vincci Tsui Vincci Tsui
Vincci is a registered dietitian, food lover and eater. She is passionate about guiding people towards better health in ways that are practical and delicious. Aside from her weekly nutrition blog, Vincci is a contributor to Avenue Magazine and is very active in the Calgary food scene and on social media.
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