College can be a difficult place to maintain a healthy diet and exercise routine, and eating out with friends can often prove to be tricky when you’re trying to eat clean. Burger joints and pub food can be tempting; luckily, Dublin offers numerous choices for clean, healthy eating for both meat-eaters and vegetarians alike. Dublin has a diverse array of restaurants, cafes, and healthy food shops, many of which are both affordable and delicious! That is why I have compiled a list of my top 5 clean eats around the city.
Cornucopia Wholefood & Vegetarian Restaurant
19-20 Wicklow Street, Dublin 2
My personal favourite, Cornucopia offers up some of the best vegan and vegetarian food in the city. I was lucky enough to discover it in September, and have been frequenting it ever since. It offers a brilliant menu of usually 5-6 hot entrée options (ranging from quiche to curry to gratin), and a large selection of salads. They also offer wraps, soups, and healthy pastries. Every option on the menu is labelled with the associated dietary preferences (e.g. gluten free, vegan, yeast free, etc.), making it easy to navigate for people with all different dietary necessities.
Cocu
9 Baggot St. Upper, Dublin 4
Perhaps the greatest draw to Cocu is its proximity to the UCD campus. Only a ten-minute bus ride away, newcomer Cocu renders spectacular healthy breakfast and lunch menus. Cocu offers both meat and vegetarian options (meat on any dish can be swapped for marinated tofu), including both appetising salads and stuffed baked sweet potatoes.
Blazing Salads
42 Drury St, Dublin 2
Blazing Salads is another wonderful option for vegetarians in Dublin, and believe me, any restaurant in Dublin that specifically caters to vegetarians is a gem. Similar to Cornucopia, Blazing Salads provides customers with a variety of hot dishes and fresh salads and pastries, and also stocks a range of healthy groceries for take-home use.
Chopped
148 Baggot Street Lower, Dublin 2
Chopped is another worthy option for both meat and veg, with an extensive menu of 20 salads plus bowls, wraps, and sandwiches. Being the cheapest option of the 5, most of the menu items price under € 6, which makes it very affordable on a student budget.
Nourish
(Multiple locations in Dublin)
16 Wicklow St, Dublin 2
Nourish is one of my favourite small shops to buy healthy bits and bobs. They carry a lot of items that the bigger grocery stores like Tesco and Supervalu don’t carry, like different types of nut butters and a ample array of grains and seeds. They also stock a huge assortment of healthy chocolates and treats, which is handy when you want a desert that won’t hinder clean eating.
Written by Sela Garza
