I thought Portland was the mecca for healthy dining establishments—then I spent some quality time in San Diego and I’ve got a new favorite town to go out to eat. Here is a list of some of my favorite restaurants in San Diego.

Lotus Café and Juice Bar, located at 3955 Fifth Avenue in the coveted Hillcrest district offers a mind-bogglingly large menu full of smoothies, salads, pitas, sandwiches and delectable desserts. Vegan and gluten-free menu items are clearly marked.

zpizza, located at 5175 Linda Vista Road, serves fresh salads, unique pizzas like the pear and gorgonzola pizza, and, of course, vegan and gluten-free options as well.

Evolution, located at 2965 Fifth Avenue, is a 100 percent vegan fast food joint that serves up tasty burgers and desserts. I recommend the Portobello mushroom sandwich or the homemade bean burger. And be sure to add fries and a drink with that. They are super generous with their fry portions!

Veg N Out vegetarian eatery located in North-Park neighborhood at 3442 30th Street offers friendly service along with a huge variety of veggie and gluten-free appetizers, salads and burgers. Try the ultimate vegan burger on one of their homemade soy-free, gluten-free burgers or the T-Bird Burger which is a unique hash brown patty burger. Don’t forget to add a side of potato wedges. These behemoth-sized fries will have you begging for more. For an appetizer, try the magic mushrooms with the zingy rosemary vinaigrette dipping sauce.

Extraordinary Desserts – If you want to treat yourself to some of the most visually stimulating and tasty desserts don’t pass up a visit to this appealing dessert restaurant at 2929 Fifth Avenue.

Plumeria located at 4661 Park Boulevard in University Heights serves up Asian-inspired vegetarian cuisine in a hip, casual atmosphere. Menu highlights include a tantalizing Tom Kah soup, See-ew with Tofu and the Yellow Curry.

Snooze an AM Eatery – Lavender Lollipops was what my daughter exclaimed when we got our first taste of a gluten/free cinnamon roll pancake from this hip, cheery, festive, fun eatery located in the coveted Hillcrest district at located at 3940 Fifth Avenue.

Ranchos Cocina at 3910 30th Street in the happening North Park district is a cozy vegetarian Mexican restaurant that has a ton of vegan and gluten-free options.

SipZ Vegetarian Fuzion Café located at 3914 30th Street in the North Park district is an Asian fusion café features an amazing variety of Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and Thai dishes.

Café Virtuoso, located at 1616 National Avenue, is where you’ll want to visit when you’re seeking your java fix. This super-friendly, customer service oriented coffee house serves up all Fair Trade, organic blends that are locally roasted for maximum freshness. The Peruvian French Roast is a delightful dark roasted coffee that is easy on the belly. It’s a super zippy coffee that really gets you going, so if you’re sensitive to caffeine try a blend of the French Roast and Decaf Pacifico on your first visit.