Find vegan, vegetarian, organic, healthy food at these Treasure Coast restaurants

Treasure Coast restaurants often have healthy and even organic choices, but few are strictly vegan (no animal products) or vegetarian (no meat). Only a handful in Martin, Indian River and St. Lucie counties are even vegan or vegetarian friendly.

Longtime vegan and animal lover Amber Eichling, 37, is surprised there aren’t more vegan-only and vegetarian-only eateries here. When the Cocoa Beach native moved to Stuart about 12 years ago, she couldn’t find anywhere to eat.

Like other vegans, vegetarians and pescatarians who eat fish, she found some solace at Asian restaurants, especially with vegetable sushi rolls. But that wasn’t enough.

“Sometimes it’s hard to find a decent meal when you’re piecing things together at another restaurant,” she said. “I had this idea to maybe open up a little salad bar — just someplace vegans could go or people who wanted something fresh and healthy.”

In March 2015, she opened Fruits & Roots Vegan Cafe, which grew to be the only full-service vegan restaurant in the area. About three years later, she expanded the successful restaurant into a larger space in the same Shoppes on Colorado plaza.

She said vegetarian and vegan restaurateurs shouldn’t worry about appealing only to a small, niche audience because she’s found loyal customers in people who do eat meat and animal products.

“When it’s all vegan, people think it’s going to lack flavor,” she said. “It’s not just tofu and granola. There are so many flavors.”

All the food is made from scratch, including vegan desserts such as cheesecake, and takeout comes in compostable, biodegradable packaging to help the environment.

“Veganism isn’t just what I eat, but it’s a lifestyle,” she said. “I really think it’s helping the planet. We need more vegan restaurants out there.”

Here are some of the options for people looking to dine out as healthy as possible, minus the plethora of naturally healthy Thai, Japanese and sushi restaurants.

Martin County

Fruits & Roots Vegan Cafe

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Eichling’s small juice bar and cafe grew into the full-service restaurant it is today. Head Chef Dustin Dinter is versed in Southern, Mexican and Japanese cuisine, and constantly researches and experiments with plant-based ingredients to make every meal a work of art. 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.

BunkHouse Coffee Bar

Kelly Adams transformed a former World War II bunkhouse into a plant-based coffeehouse that opened in November 2016. It focuses on healthier foods with organic coffee, smoothies and açaí bowls, gluten-free and vegan baked goods. Nondairy creamers for hand-crafted beverages include almond, coconut, soy, rice, oat, hemp and cashew. Her brand is about organic and having a healthy spin on delicious treats.

Spritz City Bistro

This unique downtown Stuart bistro, with its casual but upscale atmosphere, is known for tapas and small plates, but has vegetarian and gluten-free items and a specific vegan menu. Appetizers include curried cauliflower, Vietnamese rolls and grilled vegetables tacos. Entrees feature a summer risotto, broccolini aglio e olio and cauliflower steak. Plus, it has vegan flatbreads, sandwiches and salads.

Planet Ozone’s 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

• Website: planetozone.com

• Hours: 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday

• Phone: 772-403-2199

​​​​​​3Natives

Founded in Tequesta in 2013 by Anthony Bambino, 3Natives started as a small 900-square-foot juice bar and grew to 18 locations across the state. 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.

• Address: 2873 S.W. Cafe Court, Palm City

• Website: 3natives.com

• Hours: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday

• Phone: 772-266-4980

• Social media: Facebook, Instagram

• Address: 870 S.E. Indian St., Stuart

• Website: 3natives.com

• Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday

• Phone: 772-266-9431

• Social media: Facebook

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. The word “ital” is derived from the word “vital” and is the act of eating fresh, raw foods.

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.

• Address: 15 S.W. Osceola St., Stuart

• Website: passionjuicebar.com

• Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily

• Phone: 772-678-6176

Indian River County

SeaLantro

The European cafe offers healthy, ready-to-eat packaged meals that change weekly and dine-in options that focus on vegan, keto and paleo dishes. Healthy desserts include a vegan, gluten-free strawberry cheesecake or vegan cinnamon rolls. Owner and CEO Jayne Withers is a holistic health practitioner with qualifications in nutrition, functional exercise and transformational coaching. A former travel magazine publisher, she left the corporate world in 2004 when her unhealthy lifestyle on the road took its toll. As she researched ways to improve her health, she found herself on a new career path teaching long-lasting healthy habits to frequent travelers globally. Her husband, Executive Chef Michael Clifford Jr., is a Vero Beach native who began his culinary career under British Chef Bruce Turner of former Black Pearl Brasserie & Grill fame and currently The Tides. Clifford started in restaurants as a dishwasher at Grand Harbor when he was 16 and worked his way from busboy to bartender at Riverside Café. He loves to take clean, healthy food and add bold flavors with an Asian or Caribbean flair.

• Address: 2060 Sixth Ave., Vero Beach

• Website: sealantro.com

• Hours: 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday (closed Sunday-Monday)

• Phone: 772-492-3614

A Kitchen of Her Own

Professional artist Shari Pierce sees AKOHO as a social art installation, an applied art project devoted to creating space and means of empowerment for females who suffer from domestic violence, sexual abuse and any type of devaluation based on gender. The restaurant 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.

Sammy’s Mediterranean Café

The cafe uses fresh ingredients and authentic recipes, and it offers a variety of options that include vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free appetizers, soups, entrees and desserts. Its hummus appetizer of whipped garbanzo beans is served with warm pita bread. Its healthier version of moussaka is a gluten-free vegan dish, consisting of sautéed roasted eggplant, tomatoes, onions, chickpeas and Mediterranean seasoning.

Chelsea’s Gourmet

The gourmet market includes a cafe that serves breakfast and lunch and features a coffee menu, a salad bar, a pizza menu, sandwiches, smoothies, smoothie bowls and cold-pressed juices, as well as some vegan and vegetarian options. The Amazonian bowl consists of açaí or pitaya (cactus), banana, blueberry, strawberry, almond butter or cashew butter, hemp seeds, grass-fed whey and coconut milk, topped with granola, banana, strawberry, blueberry, coconut flakes, honey, goji berries and chia seeds.

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 late 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.

La Tabla

La Tabla, a breakfast and lunch spot on Royal Palm Pointe that offers fresh and wholesome food, 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. They focus on quality ingredients. The restaurant offers fresh food, organic coffee, made-to-order juice blends and protein smoothies, as well as simple, healthy and local food. It works with as many local farms and vendors as possible.

St. Lucie County

Beach Bowls

Michael Croke opened Beach Bowls in May 2020 in downtown Fort Pierce because he wanted to share his love of açaí bowls. 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. He adds granola, honey, blueberries, bananas and strawberries, but 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. His smoothies contain oats, dates and almond milk. His menu items have no added sugars, fillers, preservatives or artificial coloring. He tries to use organic and local items when possible, buying fruit from Nelson’s Family Farms in Fort Pierce and honey from Hani Honey Co. in Stuart.

More: Beach Bowls brings healthy food to downtown Fort Pierce

Zen of Sushi

In addition to tofu and vegetable options, Zen of Sushi offers 10 different vegan rolls. The Futo-Veggie roll is done futomaki-style with cucumber, spinach, asparagus and Japanese pickles. The Mushroom King roll with shiitake and cucumber is topped with avocado and vegan eel sauce. The Yam-Yam roll has tempura sweet potato, avocado, eel sauce and sesame seeds on the outside.

• Address: 8950 S. U.S. 1, Port St. Lucie

• Website: zenofsushi.com

• Hours: 5-9:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 5-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday (closed Sunday)

• Phone: 772-337-9777

• Social media: facebook.com/zenofsushi

3Natives

See Martin County listing above for a description of the restaurant and website.

• St. Lucie West: 1413 St. Lucie West Blvd., Port St. Lucie

• Tradition: 10795 S.W. Tradition Square, Port St. Lucie

• St. Lucie West phone: 772-800-3151

• St. Lucie West hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday

• Tradition phone: 772-345-6684

• Tradition hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily

• Social media: facebook.com/3nativestradition, instagram.com/3nativestradition

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

• Website: ihkem.com

• Hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Saturday, closed Sunday

• Phone: 772-249-5065

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 at @TCPalmLaurie or Facebook at faceboook.com/TCPalmLaurie.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Eat vegan, vegetarian, organic, healthy food at local restaurants