The best healthy restaurants in London

Japanese, vegan and organic? What’s not to love – and, rest assured, we do love this cool little miracle near King’s Cross station. Only the slurping of noodles disturbs the tranquillity, as punters dip into a virtuously healthy menu that makes the most of a few key ingredients (expects lots of tofu and seaweed). Laidback staff go with the flow, while zealous foodie workshops, art exhibitions and live music make Itadaki even more lovable.

More spacious than Islington’s Ottolenghi and buzzier than Soho’s Nopi, this smart-casual outlet from Yotam Ottolenghi sizzles with bright, healthy ideas on small plates. A big chunk of the menu is veg-based and focussed on fermentation, so dive in and lap up the eclectic global flavours, from coffee baked beetroot with buckwheat praline to vegan butternut crunch pie with crispy sage. Meat and fish are also given the healthy treatment.

Chef Rishim Sachdeva’s brilliant (mostly) vegan small-plates restaurant Tendril makes meat-free dining both easy and unquestionably delicious. Sachdeva is an alumnus of restaurants including The Fat Duck and Chiltern Firehouse, and that shines through in his imaginative technique-driven approach. His  lovingly created small plates draw inspiration from the Middle East, China and beyond.

With a plant-forward, root-to-peel, sustainable menu, exec chef Daniel Watkins is making culinary magic in Notting Hill. The schtick is based around the twin pillars of ‘fire and ferment’, which means creative dishes made with smoked beetroot, crispy celeriac, and chocolate tahini ‘mousse’ for pud. Holy smokes. 

Roketsu specialises in a high-end, not-cheap kaiseki experience. If you afford it though, this is seriously good stuff, with the best – and freshest – seasonal ingredients coming together in a delicate, fish-heavy tasting menu. Nine courses it might be, but each is light and fresh, even our hearty final flourish of salmon roe rice with a side of gentle Jerusalem artichoke soup. Here, the food never seems to stop coming, but at no point do you feel like you’ve over exerted yourself. If only all meals were this relaxing. 

This white-walled homage to flavour is inherently healthy, firstly because founder Yotam Ottolenghi is obsessed with vegetables and grains, and secondly because the sharing plates are so small you’ll struggle to overeat. However, every mouthful of Middle Eastern/Asian fusion food is worth it. Try branches of Yotam’s Ottolenghi café chain for slightly cheaper lunch deals.

Mallow, from the folk behind long-running veggie chain Mildreds, is an all-day, 100 percent plant-based eatery just off Borough Market serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Expect vegetables with a side of vegetables – but these are fancy vegetables in decent portion sizes and dishes in all the colours of the rainbow. 

Those outdoorsy Aussies have taught us a thing or two about healthy living over the years, and the bright and breezy Beany Green café sells Londoners the whole package in a colourful modern setting compete with a hip-hop soundtrack and a funky heated balcony. Expect to find vegetables loaded into almost everything, from daisy-fresh salads, yoghurt flatbreads and high-protein chargrills to quinoa and millet porridge. Also try Beany Green in Little Venice and Regent’s Place.

Raw fish is manna to healthy eaters and this calming Mayfair Japanese spot shows the way with a fine selection of sushi and sashimi. The chefs at the counter take their art seriously – witness platters of cut rolls tightly wrapped with nori or glistening slices of fish, beautifully presented with slivers of vegetables and dots of wasabi. There’s plenty of other healthy stuff on the menu, especially if you’re into izakaya-style sharing in the harmoniously neutral dining room.

A slender sunshine strip of a restaurant promoting ‘clean eating’ within the swanky surrounds of The Ned hotel/club complex, Malibu Kitchen feels like a slice of California in the City. The menu favours veggie and vegan over meat and fish – although there’s something for everyone, including fans of raw food. Vegetable and mango rolls with spicy nuts, poké bowls and zesty salads all fit the bill. For a full-on LA trip, wash it down with some lip-smacking green juice.

A Nando’s for clean-living Londoners, Cocotte serves healthy French-reared rotisserie chicken on wooden boards alongside a choice of homemade sauces, pretty superfood-packed salads and other accompaniments. Brunch offers up acai bowls with oat milk, almond butter, banana and granola. There’s are spin-offs in Shoreditch, South Ken and Parson's Green, too.

Japanese chefs often go where others fear to tread, and nose-to-tail gastronomy is part of their DNA – just look at this offshoot of Yashin Sushi, which serves all manner of esoteric piscine delicacies with a typically healthy spin. The menu is littered with appealing possibilities, from clean-flavoured carpaccios and sashimi (without soy) to hot tapas plates and protein-packed specials from the robata grill. Don’t miss the miso cappuccino topped with tofu espuma.

South-west London is well-served by Megan’s, and the Balham branch has all the necessary neighbourhood credentials. During the day, its twee interiors, flower wall and roofed garden are manna for local yummy mummies wanting brunch, coffee and cake, or simply a zesty salad and some invigorating juice. In the evening, thoughts turn to posh deconstructed kebabs, sharing boards and naughty cocktails – although just about everything is given some sort of healthy spin.