Youfoodz | Image credit: Ariana Gillrie
As you’ll be well aware from the amount of time you’ve been spending on the couch watching GOT lately, winter is coming, and with it winter podge (sorry, but you’re not fooling anyone with that baggy jumper).
We all know the call of the hot beverage on a cold afternoon (and the accompanying sweet bikkie), we’re constantly on the brink of a cold-induced carb-frenzy, and we’re using red wine like a liquid hot water bottle. Add to all this the fact that exercising when it’s frosty out is like a cruel and unusual torture, and we’re staring down the barrel of a bad case of winter Dad-bod.
If your idea of winter cooking involves calling your local pizza joint, than you should take a gander at our hit list of Brisbane’s best healthy takeaways. Fresh, warming, and ready in a flash, these healthy takeaway options are the edible answer to your winter diet woes.
Youfoodz
Everywhere!
We’re nuts about Youfoodz for a bevvy of delicious reasons—it’s fresh, never frozen; it’s nutritionally balanced (hello, bikini season); and you can order on a Wednesday night, and get a fridge full on your doorstop come Thursday morning—but we’re particularly rapt with this healthy food delivery service because they make the kind of gourmet meals we would cook, if we had an extra 6 hours in the day.
When it’s cold out, we can’t go past dishes like the slow-cooked beef cheeks with winter mash, chicken and mushroom carbonara (yes, they make a carbonara that’s good for you. No, we don’t know how they do it), and a sticky date and chia seed pudding we don't have to feel guilty about. Win! Faster than any restaurant (meals are ready in two minutes flat) and a whole lot cheaper, Youfoodz is one of the best healthy takeaway options around for the time poor. Check out their delicious winter warmers here.
Sichuan Bang Bang
Kenmore
If you're yet to check out the delightful Sichuan Bang Bang, then you need to get your lazy ass into gear, because takeaway in Brisbane doesn't come much better. The soups are sublime, the stir-frys spicy, and the vegetable options many and varied.
Little Saigon Grill
Brisbane CBD
Authentic and fresh Vietnamese is one of our healthy takeaway fall backs, and one of Brisbane best Vietnamese restaurants is Little Saigon Grill, with two CBD locations, Eagle Street and Albert Street. Easy on the wallet, and boasting more Viet-delights than you can poke a satay-stick at, including Banh mi, pho, street-food style snacks, salads, plus an epic coconut slushie, Little Saigon Grill is easy takeaway at its best. Heads up: Little Saigon Grill is only open for dinner on Friday nights, but is a cracker of a CBD takeaway lunch option.
Northern Thai
Hamilton
I know what you’re thinking, “Thai takeaway, how original”. But, bear with me, because I bet you your House of Cards DVD Set you haven’t been ordering your Thai right. Thai salads are the bomb, and have enough gusto and heat to warm your cockles. Larb—a Thai mince salad that’s equal parts hearty and hot—is one of our fave healthy takeaway options, and Northern Thai do it well.
No No's Lebanese
Red Hill
Say yes to No No’s, a Brisbane Middle Eastern institution where the kebabs are the fresh and tasty variety, not the greasy, kebab-shop kind you find yourself eating when you’ve had a few. Our pick for a healthy takeaway option is the falafel kebab with hummus and tahini, along with a selection of their authentic Lebanese sides and salads for good measure.
Quan Thanh
West End
A bowl of Vermicelli salad, or better yet, pho, from West End fave, Quan Thanh, is the answer to your winter chills. Stuffed with herbs and metabolism-boosting chilli, Vietnamese is a cracking cuisine to take away in the cooler months.
Swampdog Fish and Chips
South Brisbane
Fish and chips might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you’re thinking healthy takeaway in Brisbane, but the salty sea-dogs at Swampdog know that “fish” doesn’t have to mean battered and greasy. Their market specials are fresh out of the sea and come with tasty salads. Our pick is the rainbow trout with basil, tomato, onion, and salsa verde. And Swampdog’s fish’n’chips taste even better because they only use sustainable fish that’s locally sourced. Legends.
Mizu
Teneriffe and West End
When you’re thinking takeaway, Japanese might not be the first cuisine to spring to mind, but we’re big fans of a steaming box of Japanese deliciousness when you’re craving something wholesome to take home to the couch. Mizu’s takeaway menu has both the expected (sushi, sashimi, tempura) and the unexpected (gorgeous Japanese salads, substantial meaty mains, and fresh seafood), and it’s all good.
Pamela’s Pantry
Red Hill
This Brisbane institution has a range of takeaway meals on offer, ideal for swinging by and picking up when the desire for home-cooked grub strikes. Pamela's has a takeaway salad bar is on hand bursting with the best of every salad genre (Thai-style slaw, Russian egg and beetroot, silken ginger chicken and noodle, we could go on) plus a range of more substantial dishes made to be eaten you’re your slippers on.
Taro’s Ramen and Café
Brisbane CBD and Ascot
Ok, so the jury’s out on whether ramen is “healthy”, but we’re firm believers that soup don’t count, and anything that can warm your soul so proficiently as a bowl of ramen is worth a few extra cals. Taro’s makes the best ramen in town, and a steaming bowl on a cold winter’s night is nothing short of perfection.
We're chuffed to partner with Youfoodz to bring you our Healthy Hit List series—our guide to the best healthy food, fitness, and fresh fun in Brisbane. Our Healthy Hit Lists are researched and recommended by The Urban List, and delivered by Youfoodz—the fresh food delivery service saving you time for more important things. Find out what's on the menu this week!