As I prepare to move from my little corner of downtown London I feel it neccessary to pay homage to the incredible local businesses that have kept both my heart and tummy happy over the past year. I am constantly telling my patients to check out these places and know that more than a few of us now have a Haven's Creamery addictions (we talk about the latest flavours during appointments...). Being celiac for most of my life, it has always been a novelty to find yummy treats while eating out but now it is almost too easy to find delicious healthy eats right outside my doorstep (literally all less than 1km from my house)! If you live in London or are making a visit be sure to check out some of these awesome spots!

Haven's Creamery

Owner, Alana Coughlin has literally found the key to my heart. An ice cream that doesn't make my tummy upset?!? It is literally a dream come true! Haven's Creamery is a batch by batch ice cream parlour which offers unique and seasonal flavours that are out of this world. Using local dairy products (and offering vegan options as well) Alana makes each and every batch of ice cream herself from scratch. My current favourite is the strawberry sorbet using fresh strawberries from Heeman's (a local berry farm outside of London) but my long time favourite has to be the London Fog. Go ahead, try both, you'll have no regrets.

What to get: London Fog ice cream

Plant Matter Cafe

Formerly "The Ground Up" cafe, Plant Matter Cafe is part of the Plant Matter brand of vegan eateries in London. With two other restaurant locations, Plant Matter Cafe is focused on healthy salads, smoothies and juices that are great for a quick, healthy lunch. The cafe hosts a giant community table where I post up many weeks to work on this very blog.

What to get: The Coconuck- basically a "healthy" version of a double double- coffee, coconut cream, and some maple syrup.

Margo and Tuffy

New to the game and providing amazing healthy eats is Margo and Tuffy. This is a grab and go style place has an assortment of amazing salads and local healthy snacks. Their creative and amazingly delicious slushies are thebomb.com and are the greatest pick me up on a hot summer day. They are constantly coming up with new tea and kombucha slushie blends so don't let the summer pass without picking one up!

What to get: Booch Kombucha Slushie

Boombox Bakeshop

One of my very first gluten-free finds in London was Boombox. This place is AMAZING! Aesthetics are on point, cupcakes the best and their creativity is off the charts. With icing flavours such as fuzzy peach, bubblegum and chai latte you can literally never go wrong! I use to make the mistake of buying 1-2 cupcakes at a time but as I get older and wiser, I now know 6 is the ONLY way to go. Their gluten-free cupcakes are kept in the freezer and made to order but they always have fresh vegan cupcakes ready to go at the counter- so pick your poison and enjoy! Their cupcakes stay good in the freezer for a few weeks but who are we kidding, I've never needed to test that theory.

What to get: 6-pack of gluten-free cupcakes (cause 1 IS NOT ENOUGH)

Locomotive Espresso

If you are serious about your coffee then you seriously need to get to Locomotive. We are lucky to have some great coffee shops in London but I have to say they win my # 1 cup in the city. This place has a great community vibe, the staff is super helpful (when I can never decide what to order) and their treats are on point. Right now they have a chia seed cocnut milk pudding with homemade strawberry rhubarb compote and fresh Ontario peaches and damn is it good. Stop by here for a healthy and delicious start to the day, get some work done and leave happy!

What to get: Chia seed pudding and the brew of the day

Origins Co.

Origins Co. is another new healthy eats location that came on the scene this spring. They have an assortment of plant-based smoothies, bowls and beverages. They also have treats from the local Boho Bakeshop so if you want a gluten-free, vegan treat, they have that too (the Nanaimo Bars are amazing!). Tucked just outside of the busy Richmond Row, Origins Co. is a quiter spot to head if you want to have a good conversation or get some serious work done. They are also one of the only places (if not the only?) in London to get a Keto-Coffee, so all you bulletproofers, this place is for you!

What to get: Java Ice- vegan soft serve ice cream blended with vegan marshmellows and coffee...ummm yum!

Have suggestions of places I should try in London? Post them below! We are so lucky to have so many wonderful eateries and local business booming with greatness! Thanks for keeping me running guys!

You Gotta Eat Here