The Best Vegan Restaurants and Cafés in Ottawa (Plus One in Gatineau)

When I stopped by Equator, one of Ottawa’s leading fair trade coffee shops, I was stunned to see a whole glass case of vegan pastries.

“And we have a vegan donut of the day, too,” the server told me.

But I’d already eaten a vegan pastry elsewhere! That’s the kind of dilemma a vegan can face in Ottawa: an abundance of good stuff.

There was definitely too much to eat on my four-day trip. Here were some of the standouts.

The Green Door Restaurant and Bakery

The Green Door Restaurant and Bakery has operated its vegetarian buffet since 1988. And people aren’t tired of it yet, judging from the crowd I found on a weekday afternoon. Since seats were scarce, two friendly women let me join their table.

The buffet is huge, with clearly marked vegan and vegetarian dishes. It seemed a random sampling of veg takes on international favorites.

I wound up with a plate of assorted salads—kale, papaya, chickpea—glass noodles, a few olives and green beans, banana cake, and a lemon soda.

Sitting with locals Paulette and Michelle, I ate my weird mix of food, slipping green beans to Michelle’s service dog, Tucker, who lounged beneath the table.

They told me about Ottawa’s long, frigid winter—skier Paulette loves it, while Michelle hates it. Their friendliness reminded me how much we are all ambassadors to our own countries, and how a little kindness shapes our ideas of places.

Wild Oat Bakery and Cafe

The all-vegetarian Wild Oat was bustling on a Sunday afternoon when I visited for lunch. It’s in the Glebe neighborhood just south of downtown, where you can browse bookstores and boutiques.

You can order off the menu or help yourself at the small buffet. My eyes were all over the bakery case full of vegan goodies. So I went light on the main course, sticking with fresh homemade bread and dahl from the buffet.

Then I stocked up on baked treats to go. The chocolate maple truffle was a standout.

Wild Oat has its own farm 50 kilometers outside of Ottawa, where it grows organic, pesticide-free vegetables for the café. The restaurant provides compost, which turns into soil to grow the vegetables. It’s a perfect symbiotic cycle between farm and café.

Peace Garden

When I stepped into Peace Garden and saw workers in Indian garb and a photo of Sri Chinmoy on the wall, I flashed back to a restaurant I’d liked as a teenager in San Diego.

Sure enough, co-owner Pushparani Piner told me that many students of the esteemed Indian meditation teacher reflect his teachings in their work lives.

“He often would inspire people to open businesses like vegetarian or running shops, or things that contributed to the health of people,” she said.

Devakripa Cohen opened Peace Garden 31 years ago, and Pushparani has worked there almost the entire time. “It’s part of our spiritual practice to serve others,” she said.

“We’re just happy to have a place that’s positive and it’s peaceful. We really want people to leave with a positive feeling, and to be happier than when they came in the door when they leave.”

I visited in the late afternoon and enjoyed the quiet, friendly vibes. The restaurant has a wide menu. Vegan, gluten-free lasagna and vegan burgers are popular, but Indian food is the real specialty.

I would have tried the thali plate, but I was on my way to a sunset kayak outing on the Ottawa River with Escape Tours & Rentals, and wanted a to-go dish that I could eat for dinner.

Later, I sat near the Ottawa River eating my Healthy Bowl—a combo of beets, carrots, tofu, cashews, and brown rice. I thought Sri Chinmoy would approve of this nourishing vegan dinner, post-kayak, watching the last of the setting sun. So very peaceful.

Pure Kitchen

Pure Kitchen features super healthy bowls, wraps, and sandwiches, plus a full juice bar, in three locations. I sat outside on a still, warm, and steamy summer night to people-watch on Elgin Road.

The food is mostly vegan with some dairy choices sprinkled throughout, such as cheese curds and dairy cheddar instead of plant-based versions.

I started with the Shine cold-pressed juice, a combo of orange, grapefruit, turmeric, and ginger. Then I ate the Rainbow Bowl, which resembled a salad roll in a bowl, with vermicelli, grated carrots, red radish, delicious fried tofu, and sweet chili sauce.

Astoria Bistro Botanique

One of the fun things about Ottawa is that it’s right across the river from Gatineau, Quebec. Walk across a bridge, and the signs are all in French. Downtown Gatineau has beautiful murals and artsy tiles embedded in the sidewalks.

I ate at Astoria Bistro Botanique for lunch on a Saturday. The restaurant was busy, though the surrounding area was quiet, proving it’s a destination for many folks.

Astoria’s brunch menu has a lot of vegan comfort food, like chicken and waffles, Benedicts, and a hangover poutine with dairy-free cheese curds. I ordered the black bean burger, which had a delightfully crispy outside, and fries.

There’s also a Beyond Burger option, but I recommend going with the house-made, less processed black bean variety.

The restaurant prides itself on a rich botanical cocktail menu and makes many syrups in-house. There’s plenty for nondrinkers like me, too. The menu has a good mocktail section, as well as a mocktail of the day. I had a summery hibiscus drink.

Not all the customers are vegan. Many are government workers with jobs in the area.

“We want to make vegan food something that’s accessible to all,” said manager Lana Pacheco.

“You don’t have to be 100% vegan to have vegan options in your diet. So we make it really fun and comfortable.”

Astoria has an event room that hosts comedy nights, wedding receptions, paint and sips, and other lively occasions.

Thali Coconut Lagoon

Thali Coconut Lagoon isn’t a vegetarian restaurant, but they made the best vegan thali I’ve ever had. I only regret that I couldn’t take leftovers, as I was flying the next morning.

The thali is enough for two people. I ate less than half and was still full two hours later. Standouts included mushroom curry, okra in coconut milk, and a chickpea salad.

I’ve been to many Indian restaurants around the world and this one really impressed me. Chef Joe Thottungal has won all kinds of awards for his cooking. He’s also the author of My Thali: A Simple Indian Kitchen.

If You Go

I stayed in the huge and historic Lord Elgin Hotel, which opened in 1941 to solve a wartime hotel room shortage.

Plus, to elevate the Canadian capital by having really nice rooms for visiting dignitaries. It was a good base from which to walk around and see the city.

And the restaurant is fairly veg-friendly.

Several people urged me to try an Ottawa specialty called a beaver tail. This fried pastry originated from a family selling them at a humble community fair in 1978, and is now franchised.

The dough itself is vegan, so if you ask the server to skip the butter and just add vegan toppings, you, too, can enjoy this Ottawa delicacy.

On weekends, the Beaver Tail outlet near my hotel stayed open until midnight.

But I ate so much good food in Ottawa, I did not manage to fit an extra hunk of fried dough in my stomach. Next time. For sure.

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Author Bio: Teresa Bergen is a Portland, Oregon, USA-based travel writer focusing on outdoors, eco, vegan, and sober travel. She’s on a campaign to normalize nondrinking. And she’s also trying to kayak or SUP in every US state and Canadian province. Teresa’s work has appeared in MSN, AAA, the South China Morning Post, Sierra, Spirituality and Health, USA Today and many other online and print publications. She is the author of Easy Portland Outdoors and Sober Travel Handbook and is co-author of Historic Cemeteries of Portland, Oregon.

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