The Green Door Restaurant & Bakery

You can’t help but feeling healthy coming for a meal at the Green Door Restaurant & Bakery! This buffet offers so many options, you’re bound to find one or a hundred things you might want to try. If, like me, you suffer from your eyes being bigger than your stomach, you’ll want to be mindful here as you pay for your food by its weight! You may want to refrain from piling up your plate high 😉 The food always looks amazing, it’s hard not to want it all. I have never had a bad meal here. Everything I have tried has always been absolutely delicious!! To give you an idea, the plates shown in this post were about $20 each. The staff is friendly. There are quite a few tables but it does get quite busy. Even so, we’ve never had to wait. They have takeout containers and also allow people to bring their own to fill. There is parking on the street or beside and behind the plaza.

Fresh, healthy, and full of flavour! Loved the variety of vegetarian options at Green Door. The moong bean salad was a standout — so delicious! Great spot for wholesome, feel-good food.

A great restaurant with a unique concept. Buffet style, you plate your food options and pay by the weight of it. Food is amazing, very rich flavours and big variety of desserts, salads and main dishes. Busy place (because of the good food) Highly recommended place to have a good meal, try it and I’m sure you will fall in love with this place.

Excellent food, very well set up with the buffet and clearly labeled for allergies. I got a bit of almost everything that was vegan and it was flavourful and hearty: I will definitely return! The price is high but it's nice for a special night out. The lentil patties were particularly amazing.

Self serve salad bar and hot items and they are a vegetarian restaurant. But I don’t think that’s what brings people in. It’s the snobby, pretentious atmosphere. $15.86 for a few small broccoli florets, 3 cubes of beets, 3 pieces of avocado and a spanakopita. Yes, I knew the price per kg, but seriously.

This place was so cool! It’s buffet style where you pick your food from a huge assortment and pay by weight. There are so many desserts and many were vegan. The cheesecakes were delicious, chocolate peanut butter balls extraordinary. We will definitely be back to try more!

It's been close to 20 years since my last visit but still just as tasty as I remembered it. What warm and inviting place to spend a lazy afternoon with family.

The food is good… that can be said. Unfortunately not an actual buffet, it’s pay by weight and I do consider it a pretty expensive place, around $30 per plate on average and I’m usually left not fully satisfied and wanting a second. Would kill for them to offer an actual buffet, even if it was pricy. Please consider it, owners? Always the same or almost the same selection of food items every time, I wish they’d offer new and more interesting things rather than what they always have on rotation Plates and 2 person tables are simply too small, cutlery is weak too. Very crowded and cramped around the buffet especially. Just an annoyance every time

Great food in a clean and thriving establishment. This is a vegetarian (not vegan) pay-by-weight cafeteria-style place, but with nice tables, indoors and out.

Très jolie resto végétarian ou tu paye selon le poid de ton assiette. C'est vraiment excellent et le choix est très varrié. Petit parking a l'arrière. Le staff est super friendly et la place cozy on si sent bien.

The food is really good and I like how it's all pay by weight. My main issue is that it is insanely overpriced. I'll get a tiny amount and it'll come to $15 and it's vegetarian so should be cheap considering meat and fish are the expensive ingredients at most restaurants. For the price of basically a few bites of food, I can go to Burrito Gringo and get a burrito bowl that's 5x the size.

I love green door! Their food is delicious and I absolutely adore the broccoli/tofu stir fry. My other favorites include the mashed potatoes, kale salad, and cauliflower bechamel. I am not a huge fan of their desserts. I have found their pies and cakes to be underwhelming. I did enjoy their chocolate chip cookie and brownie. Additionally, they are very expensive.

Many many dishes that were all delicious. I really liked the curried cauliflower. And a noodle dish made with cellophane noodles. Ambiance is a bit cafeteria style and was noisy inside but thee was street patio seating which was lovely. Service was good tables cleared and waters filled at regular intervals. Worth a trip. We will return before too long

Excellent concept, chill atmosphere, yummy eats and friendly staff! I just moved around this area and was highly recommended to check this place out. I love to eat vegetarian as much as possible and this place has many tasty options. Lots of salads, vegetables, healthy options and some vegetarian junk food. They charge by weight and I found the price to be quite reasonable (cost around 30$ for two people and it was a ton of food). Desserts are a bit on the pricier side and we didn't try any this time. They also do takeout at a slightly discounted price! Will definitely be returning here!

A family favorite for years. Consistently fresh dishes, always containing quality ingredients.

Cafeteria style where you serve yourself. Then you bring your plate to the register and you pay by weight. Desserts are priced per piece. There is outdoor and indoor seating. Staff are friendly and they keep the food stations well stocked. Went on a Friday night. It was busy but didn't have a hard time finding a table for two. Food is very tasty and there is variety to choose from. Ingrédients taste fresh too. Love the cheesecake and avocado salad.

Our favourite. Nice variety and friendly people. Healthy too! The cauliflower is amazing.

It's not cheap but the food is really good. There's a fair selection and the veggies are not over cooked. I had a good curry, some roasted oats iota, and many other delicious bits. The berry pie was amazing. I don't understand why the spanakopita was individually priced. Overall quite good value. Staff friendly and very clean. I will go back the next time I'm in Ottawa.

First off the hours are wrong here - it's open and we're eating as type. This is an amazing restaurant run by great people - absolutely fantastic. To the owners - please kindly remove the tip function from the registers and simply pay a fair wage to the cashiers - whatever that is. I'm not paying a tip just to have someone weigh and ring in the food I just got when someone else is serving tables making the same amount. Just a suggestion but w your higher prices (understandable) i didn't include a tip for the reasons above (and usually i'm a 15%r for good service) and the gal was clearly not happy - not would I be if i was relying on tips. Hope you take this in the best way possible.

An Ottawa staple! Some of the best vegetarian comfort food you can find :) can definitely get a little pricey but it is always worth it!

What I ordered: This is a buffet style restaurant with pricing based on weight to conserve food. My dish (see pictures) was ~$13. Pros: - I'm not a vegetarian and don't eat vegetables very often but I thought this was the best vegetarian restaurant I've been to because of the huge selection and freshness of food. You can eat healthy and still have the food taste good! - This restaurant has been in existence since the 80s and still grows its own vegetable garden. - This place is quite busy but has a lot of indoor and outdoor seating. - Desserts were my favourite as they don't use butter or flour to come up with many unique dishes. - Customers are responsible for putting their dishes away and cleaning up. Cons: - paying by weight can get costly depending on what you get - dense food like lasagna and avocados can cost more, desserts that come in a bowl can be heavier. - Wasn't sure if there was a drinks station, but it would be nice if there was!

My mom doesn't think it is worth it to take her to a buffet since she doesn't eat that much. True for an AYCE place, but The Green Door is a pay by weight type of buffet serving vegetarian fare. It is $22 CAD per kilo with some items priced a la carte. It was nice having a healthy meal during our trip to Canada since veggies are normally scant on vacations. Everything was labeled, each with its own serving utensils. Reservations are accepted as evidenced by the sign I spotted on their one nice long table that fits 12. Bathrooms are downstairs with one accessible one located on the ground floor.

The food is very tasty but for a buffet style it is pricey. Lunch there is anywhere from $16-20 (+ tax and tip) which is fine every once and a while, but not often. For a $20 lunch I would rather go to a sit down restaurant.

Consistent good food. Even though I am not a vegetarian I go here sometimes when I want to eat something wholesome and tasty. One downside is that the sweets are terrible. I guess that's the price you pay for making vegetarian deserts.

Being an avid meat lover, I decided to try this place half out of curiosity and half expecting to be underwhelmed. And I must say, it was phenomenal. The salad options, as expected, were a lot. But the hot food options were also impressive. I especially loved their tap water option that's both environmentally friendly and convenient and encourages drinking tap water instead of sugary drinks like most other places. A few pointers if visiting for the first time: If you walk in at 6 to 6:15 pm, you will most likely miss a long line up. Right after 6:15 to until 7:30 there is bit of a wait, at least on weekends. But they do take reservations for groups of 5 or more. Parking is $3 an hour and there's a lot almost next to the place. Some limited street parking is also available. Once you are at your table, the way it works is a cafeteria style service. So you load up your plate and before going back to your table you pay for your food by weight. Bear in mind not to forget your wallet at your table because then it kinda gets awkward and they give you that I'm-trying-to-be-nice-but-you're-being-annoying smile while they hold the line for you to rush to your table to grab your wallet. So yea, don't forget your wallet before getting in line. Since the payment is grams wise. (I think it was $2 something per 100 grams) so it's easy to load up on the salads before getting to the hot food and then ending up paying too much for mostly salad. I paid about $20 for my plate- picture attached. I wasn't a fan of the lasagne but the pasta was good and the avocado salad was especially well made. It's a little hard to figure out what's what through the labels so just going by what looks good isn't a bad idea. Cheesecake is a must try!

A Vegan Buffet !!! What how amazing is that. I was so happy that I had found an organic vegan buffet. They also had street and cheap parking in the parking lot. It was very busy when I arrived at 1:30 pm but there is a lot of seating in the place. So they have vegan and vegetarian options. As well they have amazing soy and gluten-free dishes. They also pay per weight of items and per dessert. Which was good I found it very affordable for 2 people for drinks, food and the dessert for $33.00. It's comparable to anywhere else. I liked the variety of options in the buffet from soups, salads, veggies, pastas, lasagna and other main dishes. As well they had many different dessert options like cheesecake, chocolate cake, cookies, brownies and pies. They as well have free filtered water and different drinks to purchase such as tea, coffee, juices and pops. I was however unimpressed that's why the 3. My daughter and I were serving ourselves and the staff came out to fill it up. He stood beside us and sighed because we were in the way. Which if he would've politely asked us to move we would've. I would go back but I didn't find the staff so friendly or amazing. It was however great food and venue. They accept all forms of payment. It was worth it but wasn't happy with the service. My tips: The signs tell you what is in each dish. Vegan, gluten free, etc. It's per weight get some good and light salads too add value and make it less expensive ! Try the brownie and skip the cookies ! My daughter and I tried two different ones and they weren't great !

This cafeteria style vegetarian restaurant really is unique. You fill your plate & the weigh it to figure out what to charge you. As a carnivore myself I wasn't going in with very high expectations. That being said the food was excellent and value was pretty good. My plate cost me $11.25 and everything I'm guessing is made fresh. I likely won't be back unless dining with someone who is vegetarian but am glad I tried it.

Very good vege spot. Tons of options. End up a full plate just for the cold. Only $11! Next time will try the hot area when I am back to Ottawa.

The Green Door is an amazing little gem on Main Street, everything is always so fresh and there are always so many options to choose from. 5 STARS!

Overall we probably wouldn't eat here again but it was nice to try something new and it would have been great for someone who liked curry or has a heavily restrictive diet. I've heard so many great things about this restaurant and I was a little disappointed by the cafeteria clean your own table style for the price of the food. They had some great options and some yummy things but LOTS of dishes with curry which we aren't a fan of and left us eating mostly lasagna and salad. As said in previous reviews the desserts are by weight as well and it can get pretty expensive for a small slice of anything but they are rich and full of flavour and we loved the brownies.

The Green Door is by far one of my favourite eating spots to visit whenever I find myself in Ottawa. I often find myself craving a few of their usual dishes frequently, namely, their Roasted Yam Salad; which is bathed in a sesame oil that pairs so well with the other vegetables in it, and their Mashed Potato Kale; which is so hearty and warm. The last time I went to the Green Door was just like every other time before --their ingredient quality is always superb and consistent, the vegetables that they use are always fresh and the food they prepare and present is always exciting (even their usual classics). This time, myself and my date had the following dishes from the buffet (you pay by weight): - Kalamon Olive Tapenade - Avocado Salad - Spicy Eggplant Salad - Spicy Mango Salsa - Raw Almond Pate - Roasted Carrot Salad - Roasted Yam Salad - Yam and Leeks with Miso - Mashed Potato Kale - Coleslaw (made with vegan mayonnaise) Out of everything that we had (and aside from my favourite Roasted Yam Salad and Mashed Potato Kale), I would also recommend the Coleslaw, the Roasted Carrot Salad, and the Spicy Mango Salsa (along with nacho chips). My nieces and nephew are also big fans of the Green Door's Avocado Salad, which also goes along very well with the nacho chips, or on its own. And for desert, we split the Trifle Cup (Vegan) between us. I was a bit skeptical of how this desert would taste initially, as it did not look like a typical trifle cup, and the burnt beige colour looked a bit off-putting. However, it was delicious and the 'cream' portion of it tasted very creamy, and like a caramelized banana. Despite often choosing and loving many of the other Green Door cakes and pies, I would definitely have the Trifle Cup once again, and highly recommend it. The Green Door provides a great dining experience, and the ambience of the place is really enjoyable during both lunch and dinner. The walls of the restaurant are covered in art, and the dining space feels very open and friendly. Parking can be found cheaply near by, or on the surrounding streets.

Just okay. I wasn't WOWed by the food. Decent but not delicious. After I ate, I left feeling hungry - despite the fact that I loaded up my plate. And I don't have a big appetite. I found the chocolate cake dry, the food cold and too over-priced - as well as the drinks. The food is weighed which I didn't care for. The buffet area isn't big enough, so you're often trampling over people to get your food. The tags can be confusing and the food isn't properly labeled. The vegan and vegetarian food should really be separated as it's easy to accidentally eat something with egg or dairy in it. The girl behind the counter wasn't very friendly either. She didn't make eye contact and didn't say hello. When my grandmother asked if she could get some water, the girl pointed behind us and rudely said, "over there". The water comes from a tap/sink that's very easy to miss. In my opinion, it's not the best place in Ottawa for vegan/vegetarian food. Try Asian Stars on Clyde Avenue or Chickpeas near the Walmart Trainyards. Much tastier. I won't return.

I would give this restaurant 8 stars if I could. This restaurant is easily one of the best vegan concepts I've ever seen. They have a massive dinner buffet (I went on a Saturday and the place was thriving with people) with numerous vegan and gluten-free options, and everything clearly labeled regarding dairy, nuts, and basically every dietary preference and allergen that I am aware of. Some of the delicious options included a chocolate and tofu cake, seaweed salad, a tofu and quinoa take on pate, and much more. They have fantastic desserts, coffee, and great bottled beverages. The vibe of this restaurant is amazing, totally the right balance between upscale health food eatery and crunchy hippie vibes. They have a huge amount of seating (some outdoor) and are only a short ways down the street from a great bookstore. Honestly, just go to this restaurant, especially if you are at all vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, nut-free, or leaning towards any of the above. You really won't regret it!

Disclaimer: I'm not a vegetarian by any means, but I definitely like the healthy lifestyle! I was really curious about this place after all the good reviews and figured why not? With a ton of variety of dishes, you can't go wrong! It's by weight though. So be careful as it can quickly add up! A few dishes (hot ones, and desserts) only come in pre cut pieces so you can't get a smaller bit. You walk in, grab a tray and plates and pick from a myriad of hot and cold items. I got a tiny bit of almost everything. Taste wise, a lot of dishes were really unique and hearty. Some were pretty typical, but my favs were the mashed "potatoes", spanakopita, and chocolate "truffles"! It was good but I was not really full after the meal (my portion was about $12). I can imagine it being a hit with vegetarians though!

I did not have a good experience on my first visit. I had a lot of questions, due to food allergies, and this seemed to frustrate the staff members I dealt with. After we figured out food options, I ended up having to clean my own table. The options I did get, as well as my partners were quite good, and well prepared.

Excellent vegetarian and vegan buffet. Lots of choices including quiche, soups, stews, curries, salads plus desserts. Filled me up without leaving me hungry. Venue is kind of funky without any pretense. Waitstaff were friendly. I'm not vegetarian but would go again.

The best vegetarian restaurant ever! The food is simply amazing. I have been coming here for 24 years and have had literally thousands of meals. I have never been disappointed. We have celebrated so many birthdays and anniversaries at the Green Door that it feels like home. We have also spent time here after taking our medically challenged son to CHEO/General Hospital and have always found comfort in the food and great service after a stressful day of medical procedures. The new renovations are fantastic! So happy we can now find a table at noon. Thank You Green Door!

Fans of Le Commensal should visit Green Door instead; everything is freshly made, unlike Montreal's popular vegetarian/vegan chain, which serves some of their food simply in the unfrozen form. The soba noodles are fabulous, as were the mashed sweet potatoes (NOT yams). The mushroom quiche was probably the best I'd had in a while and went fairly quickly as fresh ones were being brought out. Mexican-style black beans were great and the guacamole is served with generous chunks of avocado, tinged with the perfect amount of lemon juice. Everything is salubrious! A caveat: the restaurant feels more like a cramped cafeteria. It is rather small for the large number of clientele it serves and is often busy. Therefore, I felt that it was hard to enjoy your food slowly without feeling guilty for others who are hunting for a table.

Excellent quality and great tasting vegetarian food. They buy their ingredients locally and make it fresh every morning. Desserts are excellent and not your typical super sweet junk. I love that all the food is laid out and you can take as much or little as you like. I always take a bit of everything. They have a water station and glasses too. My go to place for sure. Parking is available for a low fee and a portion goes to charity. There is also street parking. Bicycle parking is also available in front of the restaurant. You can see your bike through the glass windows. Only downside is the construction on Main street but it'll be worth the wait once they're all done!

I visited the Green Door on a Sunday night and found it to be overwhelmingly packed! Despite having to listen to the woman in line behind me tell her companions she could be in and out of that line and have chosen her food in 3 minutes, I took my time to see what was on offer and what I wanted to put on my plate. After all, some of us can't eat 100% of what's on offer at the Green Door and some of us are first-time or out of town visitors! That said, the food was terrific. A decent amount of vegan options in both the hot and cold sections - I had a tofu curry that seemed simple but was amazingly flavourful, a potato & fiddlehead curry which was great. I also tried some of the cold options - green bean salad, wild rice tabouli, pesto rotini, all of them delicious and fresh. Price-wise this wasn't too bad - a plate of this size at Le Commensal here in Toronto would've been $5 - 6 more expensive. I did find the food there to be a bit tastier and more interesting than some of the fare on offer at Commensal, too. Too full to eat dessert at the restaurant, and wanting to get out of the hectic atmosphere, I grabbed some dessert to go, a couple of things that would travel well - a brownie and a piece of choc-mint tofu-cheesecake. Both well executed vegan baked goods, flavoured well, excellent texture, and nicely decadent! I wish i'd had a whole tofu-cheesecake. Wouldn't hesitate to go back to the Green Door if i'm back in Ottawa again, it's just a pity it's a bit tricky to get to if you're in town as a visitor! (Or at least it'd be nice if the #5 bus went more often.)

Thanks to Yelp - I found this vegan outfit. Long distance driving sometimes don't fit into one's diet budget. After driving from DC to Ottawa- time to get some healthy food in my tummy. The place is packed-buffet style, you pay by the weight. The way it works is that is like a college canteen: pick up a plate and a tray, start choosing what you like. Reasonable pricing, very much so . Especially when convert into US dollar at the time of writing. A very large selection of dessert too. Though I did not have any this time. Great vegan/vegetarian spot.

Very delicious vegetarian food! I'm not vegetarian but I'd definitely come back and believe that this restaurant is a favourite for everyone. The food was very fresh and the service was fast (okay, it is buffet style). I really enjoyed the thin, Asian noodles with the sesame oil, the avocado salad, and the eggplant salad. The "spicy" salads u tried were not very spicy. I did my meal takeout but the inside of the restaurant looked clean & nice. No over the top decor but suited the place. The takeout containers were not as recyclable or compostable as I expected. I'm hoping to come back soon

A dream place for all vegan lovers. Everything here is not boring. A must stop. Food purchased by weight. I am obsessed with that new-ish vegan spanakopita too. I can't help but order a plate of food for work the following day to go. I also love how they offer complimentary water in a fountain. Good job Green Door

Great vegetarian restaurant where you really don't miss eating meat. Going to deduct a point because it's so pricey!! I don't really feel like I've eaten 20 bucks worth of food at the end of meal.

This was a pretty good casual little vegan/vegetarian restaurant in Ottawa. Buffet style, with everything clearly marked as vegan, contains nuts, gluten, etc. Decent selection of food and reasonable prices, a big plate will set you back around $14/15 (you pay by weight). The raisin bread I had was amazing, and you can buy their bread to take home. Tried a selection of various things from the buffet, nothing really blew me away but I didn't really dislike anything either. Desserts were just so-so, probably the weakest part of the meal I would say.

A taste sensation every time I have come in for a meal. Love the picnic style benches, casual and clean ambiance. Efficient pay by the pound. My go to place in Ottawa East!

Best vegetarian in the city! I don't know where I would have been all these years without my trusty green door to rely on. I was out of town for a few years and was SO happy to see the expansion. It's definitely pricey, but totally worth it.

I am not even close to a vegetarian but it was the closest restaurant to my hotel. Almost everything they have is quite delicious. I tried a lot of things and while some are unique others were just okay. It's like a buffet where you pay by weight. The interior itself isn't anything special. There is no wait staff. So if I have to evaluate food alone I'd give it probably 4.5 stars but other than that it's not so good. The second time I went I actually took the food back to the hotel. I also remember their deserts were really tasty. I think it's an awesome place if you live in the area, but not somewhere I'd take a date. It's also a bit pricey considering some things weight more than others while they don't necessary cost more to make.

Excellent! Tones of options, clearly labeled.They have so many vegan, gluten free desserts!!! Lots of seating, even though they are often very busy. My family loves it here, we go everytime we are in Ottawa. Try the Avocado Salad!

My favorite vegetarian restaurant! It's cafeteria style so you grab what you want, pay for it by weight and find your own seat. When it's busy there will be someone assigning you a seat. There's usually a lineup pretty much every day of the week. I love their broccoli tofu stir fry, avocado salad, and their cakes! By weight so you could get as much or as little as u like

Popular vegetarian buffet. It has everything including large desert selection. You can tell that items have been out s long time. Have fiddlehead ma when in season. The bread is fresh. The apple pie was flat, no cinnamon or nutmeg or lemon zest unfortunately, perhaps they used the wrong variety of apple. Busy and a little pushy at the buffet. Very casual seating. Worth a visit at least once.

Stopped here for lunch on the way to Quebec, and it was excellent. A full smorgasbord of varied (but all vegetarian) foods: cold, hot, salads, soups, mains. It was hard to choose, and I definitely went a little overboard, but everything was so good, I cleaned my plate. My favorites were probably the more Asian-inflected dishes, but you really cannot go wrong. Everything is very fresh and tasty. You pay by weight, so it can get a bit pricey if you're super-hungry, but it's well worth the price. Nice to see this quite large space hopping-busy at the lunch hour.

I am shocked that the Green Door has a 4.5 star rating. Vegetarians should get out more. I am a food lover and eating vegan is part of that LOVE. As this is a restaurant setup as a buffet and pay by weight, how on earth can you give that 4.5 stars? The food is decent, it has been around a very long time and is loved by many. Lot's of choice, but come on it's a buffet line. Not the freshest in my opinion. Things can get over or under cooked because of it. Well worth trying as it is pretty decent, but not 4.5 stars.

Plenty of variety and good quality vegetarian food. All the food was well labelled with allergy related info and whether or not something was spicy. There are more cold options than hot but good options in both categories. The lasagna, the mango Thai salad, and the spicy kohlrabi were my highlights. The vegetarian chili was definitely not one of the best I've had; mediocre. I'll almost certainly be back.

This is the place where my boyfriend learned to like veggies! Really like the mix of food they bring out, and while I would never say I like mushrooms or tofu or beans, they season and bake and cook and fry everything here so amazingly! I lived across the street for a while and the packaging available means it can easily be transported and stored for something to eat the next day! Environmentally conscious, clean-eating at its best!

I have never been to a vegetarian restaurant and I am not even close to a vegetarian or vegan- but this place was amazing. Food was tasty and filling but didn't leave me feeling bloated. On top of that all of the staff had smiles on their face. The venue was chilled out and comfortable. Would definitely recommend.

We have been here several times and love it. The food is fantastic I have not had anything I do not like there yet! Looking forward to going back real soon