Salud is a raw food cafe located behind Remax along NW Franklin Avenue. 

I knew I had to visit Salud Live Kitchen when I noticed its 4.8-star rating on Yelp.

The woman-owned establishment, founded in 2013, is Bend’s answer to clean eating. It’s easy to miss the cafe, which is located behind Remax along Northwest Franklin Avenue, just up the street from The Point Pub and Grill.

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food,” reads an aphorism attributed to Hippocrates below the cash register.

Whole plant foods make up the menu, imitating standard dishes and filling in for starches or fish. The “Say Olé” and “Rawkin” tacos are not held together by taco shells but by two leaves of romaine.

The spicy “tuna” nori roll ($16), which I ordered for lunch, replaced tuna with a creamy walnut mix and cream cheese with ground cashews. The roll was sturdily packed and the edible seaweed offered a satisfying crunch. The nutty flavor of the walnuts and cashews shone next to the brightness of the fresh avocado, cucumber and chopped romaine.

The roll was a burst of flavors that left me only slightly missing tuna salad. A small cup of chipotle hot sauce was served on the side, which I found overpowered the subtle flavors of the plant-based roll.

Everything at Salud is organic and gluten-free. And every dessert in the glass case is the aforementioned while also vegan and free of refined sugar.

On my visit, the case held oat cookies ($6), peanut butter vanilla chocolate mousse layer bars ($9), tropical lime vanilla cheesecake ($9) and peanut butter maca sesame balls ($3.50).

My eye was drawn to the orange, pink and red edible flowers that garnished the small rounds of individual cheesecakes. Each cheesecake was also topped with a fresh slice of lime.

I had more than enough room after the nori roll, leaving me especially looking forward to dessert. The lime vanilla cheesecake did not disappoint. The custard was bright and lemony, balancing the sweet and nutty bottom layer.

The organic, freshly made juice was a highlight, along with the cheesecake. There were 13 juice options, from which I selected the “sweet pink” ($10) with beet, apple, grapefruit, and ginger. The drink had an initial spicy and invigorating kick from the ginger.

The small space is intimate, decorated by multi-colored pillows along one wall, which make up one side of the seating for the four tables. As I ate my meal, the cafe was punctured by the noisy sounds of the kitchen, which faced the dining area.

Location: 431 NW Franklin Ave., #150, Bend

Contact: saludrawfood.live, 541-678-5368

Hours: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Saturday

Price Range: $8-$20 per menu item

Cuisine: Raw food, juice bar