As I was thinking about my next Blog post, a number of topics came to mind, but none seemed to really motivate me. Then, out of nowhere, I thought why not write about our hometown of Grand Rapids and all the great vegan food options here! Sometimes the best ideas are right in front of you, so here goes…..
If you haven’t been to Grand Rapids lately, this city is on the move. What started 25+ years ago with the opening of a solo downtown restaurant called San Chez, which still exists today, has exploded into a city with a vibrant food scene, multiple entertainment venues, Universities, the Medical Mile, a wonderful art community and much, much more! Now, everyone wants to live in or near downtown and it has caused quite the housing demand. All of this growth, yet it is still a wonderful place to live and raise a family. Grand Rapids has many of the cultural aspects of a larger city, but still maintains its Midwest charm.
Not to be left behind, the vegan community has really stepped up its game in the last few years. Not only can you get great vegan meal options at most restaurants, there are now a number of vegan or very vegan friendly restaurants, bakeries and stores. Here are some of our favorite places.
Gaia House
I believe Gaia House was the first completely vegetarian restaurant to open in Grand Rapids many years ago. The original Gaia House closed, but new ownership reopened it a few years ago. Kelly and I have been going to Gaia House for at least 25 years. Back in the day, it was really the only place where we could get great vegetarian/vegan takeout. With 4 small kids, sometimes we just needed that easy and quick takeout meal and Gaia House was always there for us. We have the best memories of taking the kids to a Sunday morning breakfast, sitting in the huge wooded booths and eating breakfast hash, breakfast burritos and looking at all the interesting people and artwork on the walls. Today, the new Gaia House makes many of the exact items from the original menu. Our favorites have always been the Veggie Hash and the Mean Green Burrito and of course, the Vegan Gaia Cookie!
Stella’s Lounge
Stella’s is not your typical vegan style restaurant. With its heavily graffitied walls, retro video games, extensive whiskey selection and overall dark ambiance, you might wonder where The Average Vegan Dad is sending you. But don’t fret, this place has some amazing vegan options that are perfect for a late night meal after a fun night downtown. Our favorite is the Hippie Stuffed burger. This vegan burger is full of flavor, messy and just plain wonderful! Add in the Chronic fries and the Avocado Nuggets to start and you’re in vegan, bar food heaven!
Forty Acres
This vegan friendly, soul food restaurant and bar is just what Grand Rapids needed. After our trips to Nashville and all the great vegan Southern Soul Food restaurants we found there, it was great to come home and find one right here in our home town. Forty Acres offers an pretty extensive vegan menu – fried okra, mushroom grits, mac and cheese and greens are just of the awesome options. We LOVE the vegan gumbo! Forty Acres has recently added a number of new vegan options that we haven’t tried – all that means is that we are due for another great meal in the near future!
Mitten Brewing
The Mitten is a pizzeria and micro-brewery located in an old, Victorian style Fire Station. It has a really cool, old building feel with a warmth of your local pub. To make it even better, it is themed with Detroit Tigers memorabilia where the Old English D lives proudly! Let’s start with the beer! The Mitten has an extensive tiered beer menu. For me, County Strong is my go to when we’re there – a super balanced American IPA, hoppy but not too hoppy if you know what I mean. It is “Strong” so be careful. Just about all their specialty pizzas can be made vegan. Our favorites are the Chicken Pesto and the Field of Greens – made vegan of course. If you are looking for great pizza and beer in a old building with a local feel, hit up The Mitten.
Rise Bakery
This locally owned, 100% Vegan and Gluten free bakery offers some wonderful sweets, great coffee and savory sandwiches. That description is probably a bit limiting, so check out their website for all the other aspects of this great business. We love just about everything there, but their vegan Buckeyes are out of this world. We have no problem driving the 20 minutes just to pick up some Buckeyes. I may head there today….?????
Cakabakery
They may not have been the 1st place to offer a selection of vegan desserts in Grand Rapids, but they were to us. It literally changed our perspective on what vegan desserts could be when we first had their vegan cupcakes. From day one, we were hooked. It got to the point where our kids would search for the vegan options on Saturday via social media and let us know what they had available. We would even call Cakabakery to have them hold vegan cupcakes for us after one time they were sold out before we got there – a terrible day in my vegan memory.
Monarch Bakery
While technically NOT in Grand Rapids, I just had to mention Monarch Bakery. They have become one of our addictions for great vegan desserts and sweets. Located about 10 minutes north of Grand Rapids, in Rockford, this place is well worth any amount of driving. They have really established themselves in the vegan community in a relatively short time. They devote an entire glass case to vegan options each and every day and there is not one thing you won’t absolutely love! Our favorites are the vegan Oatmeal Pies and the vegan Little Devils!
I hope you feel my passion and excitement for the vegan scene in our hometown of Grand Rapids. There are many more places to try and my hope is that through the continued support of the community, new and unique vegan options will continue to open.
