Dining In Eco-Luxury: 7 Spectacular Sustainable Menus That Will Keep Your Mouth Watering For Days

–Dietary Makeover: Try out these 7 green restaurants and see how delicious being green can be

1. Pizza Fusion

If pizza is your thing, then check out one of the many nationwide Pizza Fusion joints. These fun and eco-friendly restaurants serve up pizza, salads, and beer made with local, organic ingredients.

The stores are furnished with recycled countertops and other green features. Their motto: “Saving the Earth, One Pizza at a Time.”

2. Bordeaux Quay

Bordeaux Quay located in Bristol, UK, works hard to make the environment a central part of their mission. Food is sourced locally, seasonally, and organically as much as possible and seafood comes from Cornish day boats that fish without the use of trawlers.

Coffee is certified by the Rainforest Alliance and the menu is created with the Slow Food movement in mind. But that’s not all. The building is also green, boasting features as recycled wine crates, sustainable woods, and locally-sourced upholstery. Water is heated by a solar thermal system, lighting is low-energy, insulation is super efficient, and skylights bath the eating area in natural light.

3. Taranta Restaurant

The Taranta Restaurant in Boston, created by Italian chef and restaurateur Jose Duarte, is a bastion of green features. They use eco-friendly cleaning supplies, have fitted the building with a programmable thermostat and waterless urinals, menus are printed with Ecofont to reduce ink consumption, the hand dryers use 80% less energy, and the lighting is energy-efficient, too.

The food is also sustainable, including organic coffee, biodynamic wine, and leftovers are composted. Check out Duarte’s blog which details the green features of the restaurant for more information.

4. Tayst Restaurant and Wine Bar

Tayst Restaurant and Wine Bar, located in Nashville, is certified eco-friendly by Green Restaurant Association.

To be certified by this organization, an eating establishment must take measures to improve water efficiency, reduce waste and increase recycling, use sustainable food, furnishings, and building materials, conserve energy, and minimize the use of disposables as well as chemicals and other pollutants. Restaurants can achieve a two-, three-, or four-star certification. Tayst has achieved three stars!

5. Barr Mansion

If you’re looking for a place to get married in Austin, Texas and you need a venue for your festivities, look no further than the Barr Mansion & Artisan Ballroom. With a 3-star Green Restaurant Association rating, its green features encompass all aspects of the venue’s operations—add in the spectacular location and you’ve got a match made in heaven.

Here’s a quote from their website: “We can no longer afford to have 90% of our food market monopolized by out-of-control corporations, chemical and energy intensive factory farms and profit-at-any-cost retail chains. So….Don’t Panic – Go Organic and join the movement to preserve our community, restore our health and prevent climate chaos!”

6. Greens Restaurant

If you fancy a meal by the sea, then head over to Greens Restaurant in San Francisco. Chef Annie Somerville prepares vegetarian cuisine on par with other fine dining restaurants; with American Southwest meals prepared using ingredients from local purveyors such as The Zen Center’s Green Gulch Farm and Bolinas’ Star Route Farms.

They also have a take-out counter and sell fresh baked goods like bread, scones, and muffins.

7. Draft House

For those interested in pub fare, The Draft House in Dewitt, MI is a fantastic option. This 25 year old restaurant has recently received a Green Restaurant Association certification, and is now reducing its water use by 54% and its waste by 50%.

They have implemented a buying policy to eliminate traditional Styrofoam, installed low-flow faucet aerators, and much more. Plus, the food is legendary.