Updated February 19th, 2022

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You can find something healthy to eat at most Atlanta Restaurants if you try hard enough. It might be a little tricky at all the BBQ and fried chicken and waffle places around the city though. Sometimes you need to not worry about it and just dig in! Other times you want to reach your daily fruits and vegetables quota easily. These healthy restaurants in Atlanta are just what you need.

I always hated how road-trips meant stopping at fast food restaurants. I love the new trend of fast casual restaurants focused on healthy options that are quick and closer in price to the greasy burger drive-thru joints. The healthy places to eat in Atlanta below are mostly fast casual counter service places.

The Best Healthy Restaurants in Atlanta

The Atlanta healthy restaurants that are included in this post are marked on the map. There may be locations OTP (outside of the perimeter), but only the locations within the perimeter, ITP, are included.

Salata

With how much I go on and on about food it is probably surprising how much I love a create your own salad place. The secret is out, I love them! The problem with eating salads at home is it takes so much time to prepare. To make them interesting you need a lot of ingredients that go bad if you don’t use them up right away. The first few healthy places to eat in Atlanta that I included in this post are all create your own salad places. Just so we are all clear, you are deciding what goes in your salad, but an employee is putting it together for you.

At Salata you start creating your salad by choosing your base of arugula, kale, spinach, or other greens. Then you choose as many vegetables, cheeses, toppings, and fruits as you would like. Most are at no additional cost so the salad ends up being cheaper than other places if you like a lot of toppings. Proteins are $3 – $4 extra.

Salata is mainly a salad place, but you can have your salad as a wrap. They usually have a couple of soups and desserts as well. I like that Salata also offers a side with their salads. Select the baked pita chips and enjoy the salty crunch for not a lot of calories! Speaking of calories if you are counting calories, Salata makes it easy for you online to see exactly how many calories each ingredient has.

I usually order ahead of time and choose pick up as I like taking my time looking at all the options without an employee staring at me. You also earn reward points by using the app.

Upbeet

Upbeet is very similar to Salata, but they only have one location in West Midtown. This area has a lot of great restaurants, but they are on the pricier side. Upbeet is a little more expensive compared to other places to find healthy food in Atlanta. Their base price is a couple of dollars less than Salata, but you only receive four toppings included.

Bases include different types of greens and grains. They have a huge selection of fruit and vegetable toppings, as well as premium toppings and proteins for extra. One dressing and one dry topping is included. I didn’t like the curry coconut dressing. Maybe the bright yellow reminded me too much of mustard, which I despise. The flavor was ok at first, but the quick aftertaste did not catch my fancy. They do have a wide selection of dressings though.

It can be tricky choosing from over 40 toppings, but I love the selection here. If it is too overwhelming, they have several bowls and salads on their menu that you can order as is. Smoothies are also available.

Sweetgreen

I jumped for joy when I learned Sweetgreen was coming to Atlanta at Ponce City Market. It was my favorite create your own salad place when I lived in New York. I’m not too happy with them for getting rid of their loyalty program though. Their app has changed in other ways as well and can be quick finicky. 

You can create custom salad and grain bowls with a wide array of topping choices. Like Salata you can see the calories for each item when you create your order in the app or online. Up to 10 toppings and 3 dressings are included. Premiums include special vegetables, cheeses, avocado, eggs, and proteins. 

One of the reasons I love Sweetgreen so much is because of the spicy cashew dressing. I’m really picky with dressings and often go without one, but this dressing is my favorite across all salad places! Bread comes with the salads too.

While the fast casual place is at Ponce City Market, take note that it is not in the food hall. In the last six months new locations have sprouted up in Buckhead and Midtown. A new Sweetgreen will be opening soon in West Midtown. 

Chopt

Chopt is another of my favorites from New York. I admit I haven’t been to any of the three Atlanta locations, but I am taking a chance recommending them as a great place to find healthy food in Atlanta based on having a consistently good experience at many of the NYC spots.

Same deal as the other places, you can either create your own or order a set menu item. Chopt has destination specials. Currently there are some Mexican inspired specials. I’m a die hard create your own lady, but their specials look so good that I sometimes have to try one!

When crafting your own you can see the calories and choose from a lot of grains, greens, vegetables, and proteins. I really like their crunch options. The parmesan quinoa crisps are tasty! Just as the name implies they chop and mix your salad well. It’s a small act, but it really does make the salad easier to eat! Bread also comes with the salads.

Salad Express

Salad Express is a smaller chain with only five locations. The location within Atlanta is in Lavista Park.

After deciding on a salad base at Salad Express you continue to customize your salad with the toppings of your choice. There are not quite as many choices as other places, but still plenty of options. Online there isn’t an option to order or see the full selection either. You’ll just have to go in person and actually talk to somebody like the old days!

Everything tasted really fresh and I was surprised with the generous portion of chicken given. In addition to salads, hot sandwiches, baked potatoes, soups, and wings are also served.

Souper Jenny

Salads can’t have all the attention! In “Hot” Atlanta it makes sense that there aren’t as many strictly soup places, but it does get cold sometimes. Souper Jenny has a rotating menu of 5 – 6 daily soups.

While the cafe is known for soups, they also have daily sandwiches and salads. You can expect, fresh seasonal foods all year round. They often run out of menu items, so don’t wait until closing time!

One of the four locations is at the Atlanta History Center. Museums often have “overpriced, weird” food as my mom likes to say. I love the option of a delicious, healthy, yet reasonably priced cafe at the history center. It’s a cute cafe to sit in a bit and soak up everything you have learned at the museum. You don’t need a ticket to the museum to eat here, but I would definitely visit!

Gusto!

Gusto is a fast casual healthy restaurant in Atlanta with several locations. You have an option to choose a salad, brown rice, ½ & ½, or a flatbread. Then you pick your bowl or as they call it your “gusto” from about six options. Finally you choose your protein.  

You’ve probably noticed that I typically prefer the create your own places so I can customize my meal with exactly the components I want, but I was really happy with the sweet soy sriracha bowl at Gusto. The snow peas, red bell peppers, cabbage, and carrots are already mixed in the sriracha ginger dressing. I can be quite picky with dressings and typically avoid them, but this one was really good. The spicy chicken is spicy, surprise surprise, but I loved it. I just needed to have my water nearby.

All the bowls come with sweet potato chips which are addicting. You get to satisfy your salty craving with a chip that is a little healthier, or at least that is what I tell myself!

Recess

Most of the healthy restaurants in Atlanta that I included in this post are fast casual restaurants where you order at the counter. Sometimes it is nice to be served and eat healthy! This is where Recess comes in. Right now Recess is combined with their sister restaurant, Bar Mercado, a Spanish tapas restaurant as one of the sit-down restaurants at Krog Market. You can order off either of the menus at the same time, from the same table!

The roofed outdoor area is perfect for being outside, but having a little protection from the elements. If you don’t know, it rains a lot in Atlanta!

The focus at Recess is on healthy foods such as salads, grain bowls, and vegetable-centric dishes. Their mission of healthy and delicious is most certainty achieved!

Flower Child

Flower Child is not a sit down restaurant like Recess, but the green and airy seating area feels like one. You receive a number before ordering at the counter. Then your food is delivered to your table. It is nice to receive a little extra service than at the other healthy restaurants in Atlanta. Weekends can be busy and have a wait for a number and a table.

The main menu consists of salads, bowls, and protein entrees with sides. While the salads aren’t create your own, they can be customized a bit. I ordered the butternut squash and organic pear salad and made several substitutions. The person taking my order was very helpful and accommodating to my requests. The salad with my modifications was delicious. I would happily go back just for the lemon avocado dressing.

As much as I loved my salad, I would like to try one of their bowls or protein entrees. The entrees come with chicken, shrimp, salmon, or other proteins. They also include two sides. You can choose from a variety of mostly vegetable sides.

Fresh to Order

Similar to Flower Child, at Fresh to Order you order at the counter and the servers bring you your food.

Fresh to Order’s motto is “fresh food fast”. Paninis, burgers, soups, salads, and more fill out the menu. I always end up choosing a 1/2 salad and 1/2 panini combo.

There’s currently five open locations ITP. You can even eat healthy at the Fresh to Order location in concourse B of the Atlanta airport. I wouldn’t be surprised if the prices are higher there though.

Kale Me Crazy

Kale Me Crazy has a clever name and more locations than any of the other healthy restaurants in Atlanta. While there are locations outside of Georgia, most are in the Atlanta area.

Every place in this post is full of healthy foods, but Kale Me Crazy’s menu items are packed with superfoods. From a tuna poke bowl, to wraps, to salads, to acai bowls, to toasts they have a variety of offerings.

They are also known for their speciality drinks, juices, and smoothies. I tried the Power House smoothie. It was definitely refreshing and packed with nutrients, but it didn’t have much of a flavor. I never like those fake smoothies that just taste like spoonfuls of sugar, but with blueberries, strawberries, and cherries I wanted more of a fruity taste. 

Juice cleanses are also sold at Kale Me Crazy. There are a couple varieties of one or three day cleanses.

Lottafrutta

I saved one of my very favorites for last! The cute name goes great with the fun tiki bar vibe. The colorful outpost reminds me of a colorful shack in the Caribbean. In reality the owner drew from her Mexican heritage and desire for fresh street fruit along with her family’s memories in Central and South America to create Lottafrutta.

No contest Lottafrutta makes my favorite smoothies in Atlanta. Maybe why I love them so much is that you can choose a base of orange juice, pineapple juice, or coconut milk. I love having juice as the base because the smoothie ends up being a thicker juice versus the heavier smoothies made with dairy products. It could be that the smoothies are full of fruits, many of them South American fruits, that make them so amazing.

Along with the South American style smoothies, there are Mexican style fresh fruit cups. Unlike the ones in Mexico which you often have to be very careful with to not upset your stomach, these will leave you feeling happy! Plus there are Cuban inspired sandwiches, Mexican Paletas, and Ecuadorian ice cream.

As you can see there are a lot of healthy restaurants in Atlanta. No matter where you are you and what you are craving you can find a healthy bite to eat. There are no excuses! 

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