When you’re on a diet as restrictive as the paleo diet, going out for a meal with friends or family can be a nightmare. You don’t want to break your diet, nor do you want to simply order a plain chicken breast and salad leaves from a regular restaurant.
You deserve to treat yourself to a meal cooked by someone else without feeling guilty for having a cheat day!
In a city like Los Angeles, filled with an abundance of foodie havens, it might seem like there are considerably more non-paleo options than paleo options. While this is true, that doesn’t mean there aren’t paleo restaurants and cafes available in the City of Angels.
If you’re desperately looking for a paleo-friendly place to eat, here are the best 15 paleo restaurants in Los Angeles!
When it comes to finding paleo-friendly restaurants in LA, your top pick has to be Amara Kitchen.
This restaurant is all about healthy eating with organic and delicious ingredients, with an expansive menu that is suitable for every kind of eater – especially paleo dieters and vegans. Each dish either is or can be paleo-fied, so you won’t have to feel guilty about going out for a meal!
The highlight of the menu are the paleo pancakes, which are a great source of protein. Plus, they taste delicious.
Mexican food is a savior in the world of paleo eating. Filled with flavor and paleo-friendly foods, El Rio Bravo is a unique Mexican restaurant that offers an array of foods on their menu for paleo and non-paleo eaters alike.
El Rio Bravo offers an expansive selection of foods, including a paleo-friendly fish salad and other dishes that can be made paleo-friendly. Just ask the staff for amendments and suggestions!
Aside from the menu, El Rio Bravo offers live music, live sports on the television, cocktails, and more!
The Source Cafe is all about organic, detoxing, nourishing, and ever-so-healthy food. With a variety of dishes on their attractive menu, this cafe can cater towards a range of eaters, including vegans, gluten-free eaters, and paleo eaters.
Just look for the distinctive “p” next to the dishes on the menu to see if they’re paleo-friendly! Customers rave about the paleo chicken panini and the power bowl.
Not only is The Source Cafe creative, organic, and experimentative with their flavors, but it’s also one of the most Instagram-worthy cafes in Los Angeles.
Hey, who said paleo food needs to be completely vegan? Jar is one of those special places for paleo eaters to dine at for a special occasion.
A modern chophouse, Jar has created a stunning menu of items that would have Paleolithic cavemen dribbling. Make sure to ask which items are paleo-approved, but all you have to do is pick your protein, a sauce, and then a delicious side.
Kye’s is all about energy-fueling foods that can be easily adapted to suit paleo dieters, as well as vegans and gluten-free eaters. Based in Santa Monica, there’s no better place to boost your energy after a walk on Santa Monica pier.
The standout menu item is the Kyerito, which is essentially a paleo-friendly salad encased in a romaine lettuce or seaweed wrapping.
Everything at Kye’s is made with high-quality organic ingredients with an aim of combating climate change and aiding those with autoimmune diseases. With an ethos that celebrates diet diversity, there’s something for everyone at Kye’s!
The name of this restaurant is certainly an honest one! Animal Restaurant is all about serving parts of animals in a stylish, creative, and comforting way that can only make Paleolithic cavemen feel weak at the knees.
Not only does Animal Restaurant support organic and local farming, but each dish can be modified to a paleo diet. A critically acclaimed restaurant, Animal Restaurant is certainly the place to go for a special occasion.
Yojie Japanese Fondue is a unique small chain restaurant that accompanies organic foods with home-style cooking. Not only do they serve paleo dishes, but customers are left to cook their meats and fishes at their own table, allowing for an immersive experience.
With a range of delicious meats, including kobé beef and kurobuta pork, there’s certainly something delicious for everyone. The best part? No dish comes with unnecessary added oils, grease, or MSG – allowing for a healthy and guilt-free experience for all.
Unfortunately, not all chain restaurants offer paleo alternatives of favorite dishes, which can be frustrating for paleo eaters.
Chipotle Mexican Grill, however, is one of the few chain restaurants in LA that offers great paleo and primal options to their dishes – especially the burrito bowls and salad bowls. Customers can be reassured that Chipotle Mexican Grill’s meat comes from naturally raised animals.
Hey – not all paleo foods have to be completely healthy. Sometimes, you might just want to sink your teeth into a tasty and guilt-free burger, which is exactly what In-N-Out can offer for paleo eaters!
If you ask for their secret menu and choose the protein burger, you are met with a high protein paleo-approved burger encased in lettuce instead of a burger bun. Just make sure to ask for no cheese!
In-N-Out is a great option for paleo eaters looking for a quick lunchtime restaurant with non-paleo eater friends.
With five locations across Los Angeles, Granville is an adaptable, upscale restaurant that can make virtually any dish into a paleo-approved alternative. The beef burgers are non-GMO and sourced from grass-fed cows, and virtually all the other meats and fish meals are humane and ethically sourced.
Aside from the extensive and tasty menu, Granville comes across as an upscale yet comforting and welcoming restaurant. Defining themselves as a “modern-casual restaurant”, Granville certainly isn’t one to miss.
Fancy a light lunch? Salata is one of the best places for salads. Named after the Latin word for salads, Salata is all about create-your-own fresh salads to suit any and every diet – including paleo diets.
With an array of fresh and locally sourced vegetables, lettuces, fruits, nuts, fish, chicken, and more, you’re sure to feel refreshed and satisfyingly full after a meal at Salata. Just make sure to stay away from the cheese options!
If you’re a plant-based paleo eater, you have to try Veggie Grill in Santa Monica. Sure, you’ve got the plant-based burger patties that almost definitely aren’t paleo-approved, but the expansive range of foods available at Veggie Grill make for a tasty and satisfying meal for paleo eaters.
Plus, if you don’t fancy going to eat inside the restaurant, you can just order a Postmates straight to your door! Not exactly how the Paleolithic cavemen ate, though.
11633 San Vincente Blvd (Darlington), Los Angeles, CA
Transport yourself to Northern Italy in Los Angeles’ Toscana, a neighborhood trattoria (Italian-style eating place) that is about as authentic as it gets. Surrounded by Italian scenery, music, welcoming staff, and a remarkable menu, Toscana certainly isn’t the place to miss.
While they don’t have any paleo-specific items on the menu, almost everything can be paleo-fied if you just ask the knowledgeable staff.
Customers have raved about the vegetable soup, beef fillet, and salmon with rocket. Everything can be made gluten-free and vegan, also (other than the meats!).
Sometimes, you just need to treat yourself to a great burger that isn’t from a fast food chain restaurant. Burger Lounge, as the name suggests, serves some of the best burgers in the Santa Monica area. With an extensive burger menu that is suitable for omnivores, vegans, vegetarians, gluten-free eaters, and keto dieters.
On the secret menu, paleo dieters can ask for a burger wrapped in lettuce with grilled zucchini. In fact, almost every burger can be paleo-fied if you ask nicely.
The best part about Burger Lounge is that they don’t pretend to be anything they’re not. They simply make simple burgers with natural, healthy ingredients. The meats are sourced from grass-fed animals, and they keep things satisfyingly uncomplicated.
Lemonade
Various Locations
Lemonade is a refreshing, exciting, and tasty restaurant to experiment with seasonal foods with unexpected twists. Virtually any of their meals can be paleo-fied, with customers raving about the fennel crunch salad, steak and green beans, and citrus poached salmon.
There is also the option to make your own salad bowl with paleo options (including a base of baby greens and a wide range of paleo-friendly toppings!).
