6 of the Most Inspiring Sustainable Urban Restaurants

October 20, 2017

As city-dwellers with a yen for culinary exploration, there are few urban experiences we enjoy more than dropping by the latest restaurant openings around town. But dining out can have a downside. Even today, many eateries remain far from eco-friendly. (In fact, a single restaurant can produce between 25,000 and 75,000 pounds of waste per year, while up to 84% of restaurant refuse ends up in landfills. Aaaand, we just lost our appetite.)

All the more reason, then, to celebrate the increasing number of eateries that are getting serious about sustainability. From working alongside local farmers to the use of green energy and composting initiatives, these six sustainable restaurants don’t just have an environmental conscience—they’re serving exceptionally delicious meals, too. Alongside international hotspots like Silo in Brighton, Relae in Copenhagen, and Septime in Paris, they also go to show that sustainability isn’t a trend; it’s the very future of dining.

1. THE PERENNIAL, SAN FRANCISCO: Last year, Bon Appétit singled out The Perennial as one of America's most sustainable restaurants, and for good reason. The San Francisco-based fine dining destination runs an aquaponic greenhouse (where fish are fed on food scraps), sources meat nourished on compost-treated grasses, and makes bread from kenza (a perennial alternative to wheat that's healthier for soil ecosystems). "Fight climate change with delicious food and drinks," goes The Perennial's tagline. Don't mind if we do.

Image courtesy of The Perennial.
2. BLUE HILL AT STONE BARNS, WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NEW YORK: One of America's most esteemed chefs (he was even celebrated on Netflix's Chef's Table series), Dan Barber is a maestro of sustainable, seasonal cooking. His destination-worthy restaurant, Blue Hill at Stone Barns, resides within the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, which is both a nonprofit four-season farm and an education center. Food waste is another concern at the top of Barber's mind, and at his wastED pop-up in New York and London, he experimented with ingredients that otherwise would've been destined for the landfill.

Image courtesy of Ira Lipsky.
3. BROWN SUGAR KITCHEN, OAKLAND: Brown Sugar Kitchen isn't just one of Oakland's most popular dining destinations, thanks to its indulgent take on soul food classics. It's also one of the most sustainable restaurants in the country. Beyond prior composting initiatives and relationships with local suppliers, owner Tanya Holland has also partnered with start-up Blue Cart on its Zero Waste Kitchen initiative with the goal of cutting down waste even further. Two (green) thumbs up.
4. GRAFFITI EARTH, NEW YORK CITY: Chef Jehangir Mehta is known around NY for his creativity in the kitchen; now, with his latest restaurant, he's turning his attention towards sustainability. Another partner restaurant in the Zero Waste Kitchen scheme, Graffiti Earth fills its menu with "ugly" produce, underutilized seafood, sustainable proteins, and other ingredients that would otherwise have gone to waste. Beyond what's on the plate, Mehta's even worked to source furnishings made from renewable sources. That napkin? Yup, it's eco-friendly, too.

Image courtesy of Graffiti Earth.
5. SOUTH CITY KITCHEN BUCKHEAD, ATLANTA: Come to Atlanta's South City Kitchen for scrumptious Southern plates like fried green tomatoes, crafted with a strong sustainable ethos. Led by Chef John Spotkill, the restaurant takes its eco-mission seriously, with thousands of pounds of compost produced each month, a plan to recycle fryer grease, and other sweeping Earth-friendly initiatives. That means you can have your pineapple upside down cake—and sustainably eat it, too.

Image courtesy of South City Kitchen Buckhead.
6. UNCOMMON GROUND, CHICAGO: Uncommon Ground is aptly named, considering its location in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood is home to the country's first organically certified rooftop farm (which supplies the bulk of its produce, houses beehives, and also happens to be made from recycled materials). The farm may be a newer addition, but Uncommon Ground has actually been making the case for sustainable dining since 1991, when its original Lakeview restaurant first debuted. Enjoy the tasty all-day dining and—if you're not driving—you can even opt to wash it down with an organic beer from the companion Greenstar Brewing.

Image courtesy of Uncommon Ground.
1. THE PERENNIAL, SAN FRANCISCO: Last year, Bon Appétit singled out The Perennial as one of America's most sustainable restaurants, and for good reason. The San Francisco-based fine dining destination runs an aquaponic greenhouse (where fish are fed on food scraps), sources meat nourished on compost-treated grasses, and makes bread from kenza (a perennial alternative to wheat that's healthier for soil ecosystems). "Fight climate change with delicious food and drinks," goes The Perennial's tagline. Don't mind if we do.

Image courtesy of The Perennial.
2. BLUE HILL AT STONE BARNS, WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NEW YORK: One of America's most esteemed chefs (he was even celebrated on Netflix's Chef's Table series), Dan Barber is a maestro of sustainable, seasonal cooking. His destination-worthy restaurant, Blue Hill at Stone Barns, resides within the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, which is both a nonprofit four-season farm and an education center. Food waste is another concern at the top of Barber's mind, and at his wastED pop-up in New York and London, he experimented with ingredients that otherwise would've been destined for the landfill.

Image courtesy of Ira Lipsky.
3. BROWN SUGAR KITCHEN, OAKLAND: Brown Sugar Kitchen isn't just one of Oakland's most popular dining destinations, thanks to its indulgent take on soul food classics. It's also one of the most sustainable restaurants in the country. Beyond prior composting initiatives and relationships with local suppliers, owner Tanya Holland has also partnered with start-up Blue Cart on its Zero Waste Kitchen initiative with the goal of cutting down waste even further. Two (green) thumbs up.
4. GRAFFITI EARTH, NEW YORK CITY: Chef Jehangir Mehta is known around NY for his creativity in the kitchen; now, with his latest restaurant, he's turning his attention towards sustainability. Another partner restaurant in the Zero Waste Kitchen scheme, Graffiti Earth fills its menu with "ugly" produce, underutilized seafood, sustainable proteins, and other ingredients that would otherwise have gone to waste. Beyond what's on the plate, Mehta's even worked to source furnishings made from renewable sources. That napkin? Yup, it's eco-friendly, too.

Image courtesy of Graffiti Earth.
5. SOUTH CITY KITCHEN BUCKHEAD, ATLANTA: Come to Atlanta's South City Kitchen for scrumptious Southern plates like fried green tomatoes, crafted with a strong sustainable ethos. Led by Chef John Spotkill, the restaurant takes its eco-mission seriously, with thousands of pounds of compost produced each month, a plan to recycle fryer grease, and other sweeping Earth-friendly initiatives. That means you can have your pineapple upside down cake—and sustainably eat it, too.

Image courtesy of South City Kitchen Buckhead.
6. UNCOMMON GROUND, CHICAGO: Uncommon Ground is aptly named, considering its location in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood is home to the country's first organically certified rooftop farm (which supplies the bulk of its produce, houses beehives, and also happens to be made from recycled materials). The farm may be a newer addition, but Uncommon Ground has actually been making the case for sustainable dining since 1991, when its original Lakeview restaurant first debuted. Enjoy the tasty all-day dining and—if you're not driving—you can even opt to wash it down with an organic beer from the companion Greenstar Brewing.

Image courtesy of Uncommon Ground.