Where to Eat When You Want to Be Healthy but a Cleanse Sounds Like Hell

For a meal that is as delicious and impeccably presented as it is wholesome, there are few better choices than Japanese cuisine. And for some of the best in the city, look no further than Zushi. The Barangaroo location — one of three outposts in Sydney — boasts a semi-open kitchen, a dedicated sushi bar and a gorgeous outdoor dining room.

Committed to using local, sustainable produce, the menu strikes the perfect balance between innovation and authenticity. For the healthiest meal, skip past temptations like the pork gyoza and popcorn chicken, and opt instead for wholesome delights like the superfood salad, which features a whole host of health heavyweights like quinoa, brown rice, kale, salmon, and tofu.

If you’re a vegetarian or vegan — or have one in your crew — you’ll know how tricky it can be to find affordable fast food. Bondi stalwart Laurie’s has been filling this niche for years, garnering itself a loyal horde of followers. The menu at this unpretentious hole-in-the-wall is a simple affair, featuring six hot meals and five salads, which you can mix-and-match to your preference.

Basically, it’s simple, nourishing and very quick. Make sure to take a peek into the little fridge of homemade desserts, featuring delights like apple crumbles and tapioca puddings. Note that tables are limited here (plus, the decor is nothing to write home about), so if the weather is good, we recommend getting your veggo feast to go and having a little picnic on nearby Bondi Beach.

Image: Katje Ford.

This sweet little cafe draws in a loyal crowd of locals with its wholesome food and chill vibes — think walls plastered with bright murals of smiling fruit and bikes hanging from the ceiling. During the day, poached and fried egg ciabatta, fried rice bowls, avo toast with smashed pea and dill hummus, and organic hazelnut and raw cacao granola rock the menu.

Or, go on a Thursday or Friday night, when the doors stay open into the evening hours for their highly-lauded vegetarian dinner. The $55 degustation takes you through a lineup that includes homemade pastas (we’re head over heels for the ricotta gnocchi), local cheeses, fresh salads and moreish-but-still-kind-of-healthy desserts. Even better? The price includes BYO corkage, so you can bring along your favourite organic wine.

Widely touted as one of the healthiest cuisines in the world, Vietnamese is a good place to start when you want food that’s equal parts wholesome and delicious. For some of the best Vietnamese fare in town, make your way to Mama’s Buoi.

With three locations in the city, this delightful place churns out healthy hits like oh-so-fresh rice paper rolls, lemongrass-marinated barramundi steamed in banana leaves and coconut-wrapped tiger prawns. With a stunning fit-out that oozes old-world charm — think distressed, paint-chipped decor, brights tiles and hanging greenery — a meal here will leave you feeling both sanctimoniously healthy and totally satisfied.

For the quintessential Surry Hills vegetarian experience, Yulli’s is the place to go. This long-standing eatery has been satisfying tastebuds for years in gloriously unpretentious style. The atmosphere is cosy, with wooden walls, low lighting and an eccentric collection of furniture made of recycled materials. The tapas-style menu sees dishes like edamame and coconut moneybags sitting besides papadums and Vietnamese pancakes, and the chefs have clearly scoured the globe for influences, which has paid off to delicious effect.

Go with a group of friends so you can work your way through as much of the menu as possible, but make sure to save room for dessert — it’s truly a revelation. We’re obsessed with the matcha and black sesame cheesecake, but the vegan sticky date and banana pudding is also a strong contender.

The pioneer of market-fresh breakfasts in Sydney, Bills is practically synonymous with wholesome brunch fare. Fancy a meal after a Bondi to Bronte stroll or an ocean swim? This is the place to go. The Bondi location appropriately mixes casual beachy vibes with plentiful touches of urban glam, while the menu strikes the right balance between classics and novel dishes that maintain their healthy simplicity.

While it’s hard to say no to the world-renowned scrambled eggs, the salmon gravlax, quinoa amaranth and buckwheat porridge are smash hits in their own right, as are the almond milk chia seed pots. Honestly, there’s practically nothing on the menu that doesn’t burst with fresh flavours and colourful ingredients, so you really can’t go wrong.

For farm-to-table eating at some of its most authentic and delicious, there are few better places than Camperdown Commons, the community hub that’s home to Pocket City Farms and Acre Eatery. Surrounded by veggie patches, Acre’s clean lines and lofty ceilings are the perfect setting for tucking into a gorgeous seasonal menu, a sizeable chunk of which is grown on-site.

Anything you choose here is going to be wholesome, colourful and utterly delicious, but we’re particularly partial to the house salad — a filling ensemble featuring kale, eggplant and hummus — as well as the hefty free-range lamb shoulder served with salsa verde. And, while alcohol isn’t the best choice when you’re trying to be healthy, the cocktails here feature abundant edible flowers and herbs, so you can pretend you’re imbibing them for the health benefits.

As you drink and dine with your American Express, reap all the sweet rewards of being a Card Member. Explore the many ways American Express has your back here.