~Vegan options for lunch
Thyme & Again
1255 Wellington St West
http://www.thymeandagain.ca/index.php
Thyme & Again is a long time trusted spot in Wellington West which is perfect for anything from meeting up with your mom to a work lunch to a quick stop in to grab some preserves or chocolate. It has that clean and pretty atmosphere with seasonal crafty decor and traditional french catering vibe (think full chef’s uniform and a old fashioned high ceiling location). It looks so inviting from the outside. Some menu items are vegan including soups, salads and mains. Menu changes weekly so best to look online before hand (all marked vegetarian and gluten free).
Pressed Urban Gourmet Sandwich Bar
750 Gladstone Avenue
http://www.pressed-ottawa.com/
Pressed is a small, cute, eclectic place on Gladstone which serves cozy vegetarian and vegan sandwiches on their regular sandwich menu. The black bean sandwich is listed as vegan, but ask for modification if desired to the others. The catering menu also appears quite veggie friendly! Great live music including Bluegrass Mondays.
Freshii
50 Laurier Ave E
98 Sparks St
Made to order, custom design salad, noodle bowls, rice bowls or wraps. Wickedly popular for the government crowd. Chat up co-workers or your director alike in this line up style, funky-fresh take out or small dine in lunch bar. Almost everything is vegan (good chance to show off your healthy eating to your cube mates!). Rehydration includes bottled produces, coconut water etc. Outdoor seating too or just sit somewhere on Sparks.
Think Lunch
121 Bank St
http://thinklunch.ca/store-menu/
Small meals for busy civil servants and downtown on-the-go people. Light dishes like rice noodles and edamame are perfect to give energy for the afternoon and easy enough to recreate at home with some creativity and fun. You can also veganize most vegetarian items like a sandwich without cheese, most salads and they have veggie chilli.
Whole Foods Markets Food Bar
951 Bank St
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/lansdownepark
The store itself is pretty awesome as they have a great number of fancy vegan products like plant meats and fresh veggie juices. And that vegan ice cream isle? oh my. It’s upscale healthy living so naturally, that should include lots of vegan. Whole Foods is also known for their easy, health conscious and delicious food bar. They have a number of vegan options from the hot bar (Bombay potatoes, rice dishes, curried tofu etc) as well as salads, pasta salads, taco ingredients, fresh greens and salad toppings (love the roasted artichoke!). You can serve all this on a bed of brown rice or quinoa which is also at the bar. Don’t miss the vegan daiya cheese pizza or burritos behind the glass or the pre made vegan sushi or salads in the fridge. The coffee bar also has great brews and dairy alternatives and can make you a fine drink while you shop or sit in the cafe or seating area or outside while wondering through Lansdowne.
Market Organics Kitchen
126 York St
Nicknamed the MOK kitchen, this is a delightful addition to the Market Organics Health Food store. They have daily vegan options and signature favs like the lentil and sweet potato shepherd’s pie and the vegan lasagna. The choices used to be almost all vegan and now some meat crept its way back in. Go hit up this beauty of a lunch bar and show vegans want healthy, massive and delicious food! Not to be missed are the delicious spelt crust samosas (at the cash) from Haveli. There are also vegan treats from Ottawa vegan bakeries at the cash too. There is a little seating area in store but we’ve been known to get a bunch of vegan grub and go picnic on the median lawn in front.
Green Rebel
340 Albert St
99 Bank St
50 Rideau (in Rideau Centre Food court)
You can find only fresh ingredients at Green Rebel which translates into lots of vegetables. If you combine them the right way, you have vegan options! This is a lunch soup salad and bowl style line up joint which features a few already vegan items such as the Quinoa Kale and Smoked Tofu salad boxes and veganizable items such as the Farmer’s Market or Veggie Fiesta Rebel sandwiches. The chili is also listed as vegan and I’ve been told it’s delicious. The some smoothie choices are vegan too. I would not ever consider a salad to be a meal, but you can grab it in a pinch or add quinoa or brown rice to them to pump them up a bit. Many dressing options are vegan also. A fresh change from the heavy and rich options out there and a nice role modelling move for your work colleagues perhaps.
The PlantKind Life 