The USHFC Reveals List of the 25 Most Healthful and Sustainable Restaurants in Chicago

As part of its efforts to help Americans eat better, the United States Healthful Food Council (USHFC) released a list of Chicago’s 25 most healthful and environmentally sustainable restaurants. Also known as the Chicago REAL25, the initiative is part of the Responsible Epicurean and Agricultural Leadership (REAL) program, and is aimed at making it easier for consumers to find health-centric establishments near them.  Announced in conjunction with the National Restaurant Association (NRA) Show, the USHFC has teamed up with Tasteful App to make finding good quality food easier, for tourists and locals alike.

“Chicago is home to some of the world’s top restaurants, but they have not historically been known for being healthy or sustainable,” said Lawrence Williams, founder and CEO of the United States Healthful Food Council. “By announcing the Chicago REAL25 prior to the National Restaurant Show, we’re hoping the attendees will make sure to patronize restaurants that are not only good, but good for them and good for the planet.”

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The REAL25 algorithm takes into account a variety of factors such as: sourcing, scratch cooking, healthy ingredients and dietary restrictions.  In addition, the curated list is analyzed by a Chicago Local Advisory Board comprised of restaurateurs, chefs, nutritionists and authors with on-the-ground experience and expertise. All NRA Show attendees can easily access the REAL25 Chicago list in the Tasteful app.

The Chicago REAL25 includes (in no particular order):

1.     Frontera Grill/Topolobampo

2.     Green Zebra

3.     The Publican

4.     Protein Bar

5.     Lula Café

6.     Blackbird

7.     Beatrix

8.     LYFE Kitchen

9.     Uncommon Ground

10. Amitabul

11. Chicago Diner

12. Perennial Virant

13. Longman & Eagle

14. Naha

15. Native Foods Café

16. The Bristol

17. Xoco

18. Handlebar

19. A10 Hyde Park

20. Blind Faith Café

21. Boka

22. Nana

23. North Pond

24. Heartland Café & General Store

25. Farmhouse

In addition to the recognition, each REAL25 restaurant is eligible to be audited and REAL Certified at no cost, due to the financial support of the healthy food finding app, Tasteful. Other REAL25 sponsors include Steelite International and Sourcery.

*You can find more information about REAL25 and REAL25 Chicago on the REAL Certified Blog

About Eat REAL

Eat REAL® is a 501(c) (3) Public Health nonprofit organization based in Richmond, California. Eat REAL is dedicated to transforming food in K-12 schools, creating a healthier next generation and planet. Launched in 2012, Eat REAL Certified is a nutrition and sustainability best practices certification program working with school district food service leaders to raise the bar and make food in schools more nutritious and sustainable. Eat REAL’s core program currently supports 237 schools, reaching over 116,000 students.