Looking for a healthy restaurant that serves food that not only tastes great but makes you feel great? Look no further than Lifeit Café. Located in an unassuming venue on South Pleasantburg (about 15 minutes from Furman), Lifeit Café serves organic vegan food with a touch of Southern charm. They pride themselves on making healthy food taste delicious, and, in my opinion, they are very successful.
Lifeit Café only opened their doors last year, but they have enjoyed widespread success due to the increased interest in healthy, vegan eating. The “fresh, living foods” served at this quaint restaurant are central to a greater outlook on healthy living that Lifeit promotes. The establishment offers nutrition and lifestyle classes, resources for cleansing, and online recipes and lifestyle tips on how to get fit and healthy.
While the exterior of the restaurant is unassuming, the inside somehow combines modern with welcoming. Bright green walls covered in intricate, alluring pieces of art (which are made by locals) give the restaurant visual appeal. In the center of each table, you will find a box filled with “conversation starters” — cards that ask an unusual question to stimulate conversation. The restaurant isn’t just a great place to enjoy nutritious food; it also makes a great place to just hang out.
Their menu is fairly diverse, offering raw dishes, vegan “comfort foods,” and an array of smoothies. I tried the Barbeque Chik’n Wrap with a side of their tabbouleh salad. The wrap was filled with lettuce, tomatoes, and one of the most deceptive fake chickens I’ve ever encountered. The barbeque flavor was delicious but not overpowering. I was, however, not very impressed by the tabbouleh. It was overpoweringly citrusy and oddly creamy.
My dining partner ordered the Tofurky wrap and was shocked at how flavorful it was despite being composed primarily of vegetables and tofu. The wrap included Tofurky fake turkey slices, vegan mozzarella, lettuce, tomato, sprouts, onion, and vegan mustard and mayo. It was an inventive dish that tasted like a healthier version of your average turkey club.
I look forward to frequenting Lifeit Café to try more of their creative vegan dishes. Their menu is fairly affordable (most entrees are $8-9), but the prices may be a bit inflated due to the organic, high-quality ingredients used in their dishes. This place would make a perfect date spot, especially for health-conscious individuals who are open to trying new things. Lifeit Café manages to present healthy vegan food in a delicious way that would appeal to everyone from meat-eaters to raw vegans.