BEST HEALTHY RESTAURANTS IN GENEVA
NEW YEAR – NEW YOU
by Chené Koscielny
Forget fondue and chocolate, Geneva has woken up to healthy superfood, vegetarian, vegan, and raw food in a big way. We share some of our favourite healthy restaurants in Geneva where you can tuck in guilt free.
TAKINOA – WIN A CHF30 GIFT VOUCHER!
12 rue du Nant, 1207 Genève and FNAC, 16 rue de Rive, 1204 Genève
The Swiss start-up Takinoa (the name is a play on Quinoa and the Greek word takhys – which means quick) has been around now for a few years, although their rue du Nant branch has only recently opened in Eaux-Vives. The company was born out of founder Eric Lebel’s desire to provide healthy, environmentally friendly, slow-cooked lunches created from local, organic ingredients.
The Takinoa philosophy is Food for Joy!
The weekly menu has great options for vegetarians (70%) and vegans (20%), but also for flexivores like me! Raw food is in abundance too.
We were treated to a lunch at the bright and spacious rue du Nant restaurant in Eaux-Vives – which is a little hidden, but well worth visiting.
I opted for their most popular dish – a fresh chicken salad comprising sweet and sour chicken served on a bed of soya vermicelli noodles and bathed in a tasty honey and gluten-free soya sauce topped with sesame seeds. I enjoyed the rich flavour and the fact that it was a filling and super healthy lunch!
The selection of quinoa salads and gourmet bocaux (meals in glass jars) such as lamb moussaka with feta and coriander also looked delicious.
My partner opted for a half wrap (homemade bio houmous, steamed pumpkin and avocado) and a carrot and coconut milk soup – great to have the option to go half/half!
We tested the tofu chocolate pudding with bio blueberries and acerola (a red berry) and homemade granola – a lovely combination of silky texture with crunchy topping, which left my sweet tooth just satisfied.
Takinoa also sells a range of organic, healthy meals for babies produced by Delikits in the cutest of baby jars.
For under CHF20 you can enjoy a formule of a meal and a drink that will be light on your diet and your purse.
Drinks included local iced teas and juices, as well as a great selection of homemade smoothies.
To find out more about Takinoa click here to see their website. Click here to see their Facebook page.
OPENING HOURS: rue du Nant branch – Monday to Friday from 11am-7pm, Saturday 11am-3.30pm. FNAC branch – Monday – Wednesday 9am-7pm, Thursday 9am-8.30pm, Friday 9am-7.30pm, Saturday 9am-6pm.
GIVE AWAY:
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TAKINOA, WE’RE OFFERING A CHF30 GIFT VOUCHER FOR THEIR EAUX-VIVES BRANCH.
TO ENTER: Answer this simple question and send your answer to us at info@thingstodoingeneva.ch before Wednesday, 17th of January 2018. Winners will be informed by email and announced on Facebook.
QUESTION: What is the Takinoa philosophy?
ELSALAD
9 rue d’Étuves, 1201 Genève and 4 Carrefour de Villereuse, 2107 Genève
Elsalad tops our healthy list with their fresh, seriously tasty and inventive flavour combinations. Everything is freshly made to order, which may mean waiting a few minutes, but they are definitely well worth the wait (alternatively, you can pre-order on-line and pick it up at a time that suits you, skipping the queue or arrange an office delivery).
Take away and eat in options are available at their restaurant, take away only is available at their food truck which is located in five different places during the week. Check our foodtruck article for more info here.
Choose between any of their seasonal wraps – the Autumn Cobb with mixed greens, grilled chicken, avocado, bacon, sweet potatoes, apples, walnuts, cranberries and goats cheese), the vegetarian option of The Quinoa Crunch (mixed greens, quinoa, peppers, cucumber, carrots, spring onions, mint, coriander and sesame seeds), the man salad (Chunky Chilli Beef) with mixed greens, chilli with beef strips, red kidney beans, tomatoes, red peppers, an avocado, tomato and red onion salsa, yoghurt and mint, or the Thai Coconut Shrimp – mixed greens, marinated shrimp, avocado, red cabbage, peppers, spring onions, peanuts and coconut flakes. Check their website for their current selection of salads and wraps. Prices from CHF16.
See our article on how Elsa and Seb started their amazing business here.
Click here for their Facebook page. Click here for their website.
OPENING HOURS: rue d’Étuves: Monday-Friday 11.30am-4.00pm (closed Saturday and Sunday). Villeureuse: Monday-Sunday 11.30am-7.00pm.
Food Truck 11.30am-2.30pm (click here for daily locations).
PEPPER
12 rue du Conseil-Général, 1205 Genève
In the heart of Geneva, close to Place Neuve, Pepper is a fantastic new healthy eating restaurant that serves both breakfast and lunch from Monday to Friday. Delicious soups, salads, poké bowls, sandwiches, tartines, as well as smoothies and juices are on offer, using products that are locally sourced and organic. Beautifully decorated – a stylish monochrome colour scheme, broken up by fresh plants in suspended macramé holders.
Try their soup of the day – we had the parsnip which was a meal in itself. We also loved the interesting combination of a chocolate cake with lemon and poppy seed.
Click here for their Facebook page.
OPENING HOURS: Monday to Friday from 8am-6pm. Breakfast is served until 11am and lunch until 4pm.
GREEN GORILLA CAFÉ
8 rue de la Confédération, 1204 Genève
Geneva’s first exclusively superfood café Green Gorilla Café opened in 2017.
The Café, started by Swedish origin entrepreneur Johan Jakobsson is packed during lunchtime with students, bankers and healthy looking people of all ages looking for a healthier alternative to the usual uninspiring salads drenched in oils.
Jakobsson tapped into the latest nutritional craze of superfood realising that Geneva is missing a trick.
Superfood basically means quality, filling meals created from healthy, fresh ingredients which contain the right mix of vitamins and proteins. This means that they not only look and taste amazing, but it is super good for you as well as it contains no additives, sugar or preservatives.
The focus is on quality – quality food, smoothies, cold pressed juices as well as quality coffee – supplied locally by the Goodlife Company in Lausanne.
We tried the Mango Madness – salad leaves, red lentils, Venere rice, mango, marinated chicken (in a mustard, honey and soya marinade), cranberries, celery, avocado, kale, cauliflower, mint and dressed with a lemon, olive oil, mango vinegar with honey (10.50CHF small or 16.00CHF large) as well as the Shaolin Bowl – salad leaves, sarrasin, edamame, beetroot, kale, spinach, physalis, cauliflower, goji berries, red onion, coriander, samphire, feta and ginger with an olive oil, sesame, lemon and soya dressing (11CHF small/16CHF large).
One of the most popular items on the menu is the Açai Bowls – breakfast bowls made with banana, apple, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, dates, vanilla, cinnamon and include the popular Brazilian Açai seeds, as well as their choice of seven different fruit and veg smoothies – made from recipes gathered from the best juice bars across Europe.
The Café has a jungle feel to it too – with natural wood details and greenery. All the packaging is recyclable.
Stay up to date with other superfood events and news, follow them on Facebook.
OPENING HOURS: Monday-Wednesday & Friday 7am-8pm, Thursday 7am-9pm, Saturday: 9.30am-6pm.
GRANOLA
15 Adrien Lachenal, 1207 Genève
A new address to get your health fix with a fresh and modern design, fantastic friendly service and super healthy and delicious breakfasts or lunches to eat in or take away. Try the protein bowl made with free range chicken, homemade guacamole, organic broccoli, rice, pine nuts and red berries – super nutritious and filling – we loved it!
The poké bowl is also a good option with raw tuna or gravlax salmon, quinoa, avocado, pickled onions, sesame seeds, omega 3 grains and asian marinade at CHF20.
One of their breakfast offerings include a Chia tella with almond milk, chia grains, banana, coconut flakes and nutella drizzle – sounds pretty good to us at CHF9.
Click here for their Facebook page. Click here for their website.
OPENING HOURS: 8am-4pm Monday-Friday.
TURNIP.CH
Superfoods office delivery service turnip.ch is doing their bit to bring an end to the blah cheese or ham lunch sandwich tradition.
Superfood salads, hot meals, soups, desserts, juices and smoothies – all of which are not only rich in nutrients and super healthy for you, but are delicious too can be ordered on their app or online before 11am to be delivered before 12.30pm at your desk.
Owner Melissa has had the opportunity to try out food from all corners of the globe. Her greatest inspiration comes from food in the States (New York and California) as well as Japan where the population eat one of the healthiest diets in the world. This is where her recent inspiration for turnip.ch’s Asian Chicken Salad came from.
Turnip.ch covers the whole of Geneva – deliveries are made on bike (for local deliveries from their Vesenaz location) or by car for further afield deliveries.
Click here to read our article on turnip.ch.
Click here for their Facebook page. Click here for their website.
LES FILLES INDIGNES
10 rue de l’Arquebuse, 1204 Genève
This beautiful coffee shop, located near Plainpalais is also a concept store, small library, take-away and delicatessen all in one.
Les Filles Indignes offers a natural menu with a gourmet spin – prepared using the best seasonal ingredients to create refreshing combinations. You’ll find sandwiches, salads and soups to bagels and quiches of various styles.
Their most popular product is the delicious spinach quiche, which for them is no surprise considering that they have many vegan clients. The bagel vegé accompanied with a salad also comes highly recommended and for dessert we love their tasty vegan brownies.
Click here for their Facebook page. Click here for their website.
OPENING HOURS: 8am-6pm Monday-Friday.
RIPE & RÅ!
Gone are the days of limp pastries and sad sandwiches for business lunches. There is a new concept in town and we can’t wait to try it. Ripe & Rå – the all healthy food catering company.
Hannah and Ulla, two Norwegian sisters and food lovers with a passion for living well and enjoying delicious, healthy food have come up with a convenient catering service, bringing a fresh, healthy and colourful experience to the workplace. They really want you to look forward to your lunch!
They deliver pre-ordered business lunches and are also happy to cater for any event. Various menus are on offer which can be customized to meet your specific requirements and preferences.
We like the sound of a Bali Bowl: Quinoa, mango, red cabbage, carrot, seeds, pepper, avocado, bean sprouts, beetroot hummus at CHF16.
The Detox Salad sounds worth a try too: Cauliflower rice, roasted chickpeas, apple, avocado, shallots, parsley, mint at CHF15.
Business lunches: order from their monthly menu 24 hours in advance.
Click here for their Facebook page. Click here for their website. Contact email hello@ripeandra.com or telephone 079 374 05 33.
POKÉ BOWLS
If you haven’t yet discovered poké bowls – 2018 is the year to do it! Basically sushi in a bowl for the uninitiated – but comes with many different variations and price tags – read our previous post on where to find the best poké bowls in Geneva here.
