Top Pick San Gabriel Valley Restaurants

Having spent 9 months living in Californias San Gabriel Valley I must admit I’ve don’t my fair share of research about restaurants in the area. To be totally honest we picked where we wanted to live based on proximity to restaurants that fit my picky criteria. I know, I know it sounds totally crazy but there’s logic behind it.

I like to know what’s in my food. I prefer to eat organic and GMO free as often as possible so I prefer to eat at restaurants that I can feel good about feeding my family. Yes, sometimes I look the other way and go with ignorance is bliss but even with eating out I like to apply the 90/10 rule. Do the very best you can 90% of the time and then don’t even worry about the rest of the time. I’ve gotten a lot better about not worrying about that 10% of the time and just relaxing and enjoying the quality time with friends and family. It’s also gotten easier since my daughters gluten sensitivity has gotten better after two full years being gluten free and she can tolerate a bit of gluten here and there.

What can I say, we like to go out to eat every once in a while and there’s less arguing when we’re in driving distance to restaurants that provide quality that I love and food that my husband and daughter love and if you know L.A traffic you know that driving even 5 miles away can sometimes feel like cruel and unusual punishment.

So here’s my list. If I missed any other great ones please let me know and I’ll add them! They are not all 100% organic (some are) or GMO-free but they’re the best that I found. Enjoy!

Pasadena:

Urth Café – Brunch, sandwiches, salads, bakery, organic coffee and tea

Kind Kreme – vegan ince cream and lunch items

Tender Greens – stand in line and order with salads, sandwiches and hot items prepared in front of you

Bistro 45 -we never got around to eating here but I wish I had.

Real Food Daily – vegan, organic and delicious

Le Pain Quotidien my very favorite for every meal of the day

Sharkys Mexican Grill GMO free Mexican fast food style

Major Daves Fried Chicken GMO free fried chicken

AKA Bistro  a little bit of everything

The Luggage Room delicious organic sourdough pizza

San Gabriel

Green Zone – Organic Asian Cuisine

LA

Breakaway Bakery – Organic and gluten free bakery with vegan options. This is where we got my daughters birthday cupcakes!

Sierra Madre

Mother Moo Creamery Ice creams and pies made with organic ingredients

Arcadia

Natural Selection casual wraps, salads and sandwiches

Blend it Healthy smoothies with some organic options

Glendale

Organic Green Corner Café everything from gluten free crepes to burgers

Mi Corazon organic Mexican food

Orange County – because we spent a lot of time there too!

True Food Kitchen

Mendocino Farms

Crow Burger

Le Pain Quotidien