San Diego Healthy Travel Guide
San Diego has always been one of my FAVORITE places to visit…and now I am lucky enough to call it HOME! <3 Arguably one of the best parts about it is that it is SO easy to be healthy and feel GOOD while you’re here. As a frequent visitor and now resident, I’m here to share the best healthified spots in town with you! :)
Healthy Food —
- Coffee, tea + matcha!
- Parakeet Cafe — Loveee this spot (many locations around San Diego)!
- Nectarine Grove — More than just drinks, but they have great options (Leucadia location is my go-to, but they also have a smaller spot with less options (but still great choices) in Del Mar).
- GOODONYA — their protein matcha is my favorite, but they have so many yummy/healthy drinks
- Revolution Roasters — I love their house made almond milk matcha latte :)
- Communal Coffee — super vibey, especially Oceanside location
- Palmy’s Cafe
- Aura Gardens
- Holy Matcha — My FAVE Matcha shop (it has changed a little in the last year or two, but I still love it!)
- Coffee dose (if you’re easily offended… don’t go here lol! Swear words everywhere but it’s honestly so funny/such a vibe. Highly recommend going for the experience and yummy drinks/foods. Just request low sugar or healthified versions of things/they have good options but some of the initial items aren’t the healthiest).
- Restaurants
- Nectarine Grove — Everything is paleo and SOooOO good.
- GOODONYA Organic Eatery — SUCH good food for organic cafe dishes.
- Haggos Tacos — the BEST healthy taco place, ever. SO many GF/DF options, all seed oil free.
- GOOP Kitchen in Del Mar (new/amazing!!!)
- Parakeet Cafe — cute vibes, good/healthy food & lots of locations
- Campfire — Lively/Vibey spot for wood-fired eats (one of my FAVORITES!!! You HAVVEEEEE to make reservations and you HAVE to order the roasted broccoli dish… trust me)
- Jake’s Del Mar — Beachside seafood, steak and wine
- Sweetgreen — great place for salads and bowls
- Coasterra — Modern Mexican food with views! BEAUTIFUL dinner spot.
- JRDN Restaurant — Beautiful American food on the beach!
- Burger Lounge — Grass-fed burgers and a great paleo spot (a go-to of ours)
- Tribute Pizza — Healthier pizzas!
- Odie’s — Sourdough Pizza in Oceanside (gf/df options, so good!)
- Tender Greens (easy/healthy options)
- Cava — easy/quick lunch option (so delicious)
- Little Italy Food Hall
- Elixir De La Lune
- Paradisaea
- Mia’s
- Palmy’s Cafe - cute little cafe w/ outdoor seating & delish drinks/food
- Wildland in Carlsbad, so good & such a good vibe.
- Second Nature (it says it’s Vegan on google, but it’s not just vegan, they have great high quality animal protein options! I LOVE the GF/DF Salmon Caesar salad, and the “Hot Wangs”… so many delicious options)
- Smoothies/bowls vibey juices!
- Parakeet Cafe
- Nectarine Grove
- Choice Juicery
- Shine Natural Market in Encinitas
- Earthbar — Juices and other raw foods! Also they have Nowhere bakery GF/DF treats!
- Trilogy Sanctuary — Vegan cafe and juice bar with the cutest vibes.
- Vitality Tap — Cold-pressed juice, smoothies and more
- Stores
- Lazy Acres — Supermarket (kind of Erewhon vibes!)
- Sprouts
- Whole Foods
- Frazier farms
- Jimbo’s Naturally
- Krisp Beverages + Natural Foods — Health food store
- The Ecology Center Farm Stand
- Farmers markets almost EVERYDAY (google San Diego Farmers Market calendar, Leucadia Farmer’s Market on Sunday’s = my FAVE!)
- Sweet treats
- Lots of healthier sweet treats at listed cafes like Nectarine Grove, Parakeet Cafe, Goodonya, Earthbar, etc.
- GelatoLove Carlsbad Village — Italian-style gelato
- The Goods (gf/df donuts in Carlsbad.. not HEALTHY per say but delish and GF/DF)
- Frost Me Cafe and Bakery — Delicious GF/DF/V treats.
Cute Neighborhoods —
- Little Italy — walking distance to everything downtown, so many good food spots & you’re super close to waterfront walks. These spots are on the louder side though, so keep that in mind! (When I would come from Seattle, sometimes I would get a flight + hotel in downtown San Diego through Expedia “bundles” and it worked out so well several times… so affordable!)
- La Jolla if you want quieter/but access to the prettier beaches/healthy food spots!
- Encinitas/Leucadia chill surfer town vibes with lots of good food and cute shops
- Coronado Island for the best day trip or weekend! SO cute and so many good spots. Visit the Del for a magical experience!
- Del Mar for walks, good food & good vibes
- PB, Carlsbad, Encinitas, Coronado for good beaches & hangs!
Hikes/Walks/Activities —
- Annie’s Canyon (Slot Canyons) — Short hike/but cool views & vibes in Del Mar
- Torrey Pines Hike
- Walk along the water from Encinitas to Cardiff
- Paradise Mountain — Longer hike outside of the city
- Self-Actualization Fellowship Meditation — Meditation Center in Encinitas (overlooks the ocean/so gorgeous!)
- Rooftop Cinema Club Embarcadero — Outdoor Movie Theater, so cute!
- The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park — Great spot for live music!
- Little Thai Massage & Bodyworks — Thai Massage Therapist… the best and most intense massage of my life lol
- LIVKRAFT — Wellness Center
