By Louise Phillips

So, you live in Ottawa, and you’ve decided to take the plunge and go vegan.

Congratulations, you have joined thousands of your fellow Canadians in helping to promote animal liberation and environmental sustainability. However, after googling “how to go vegan” you are likely overwhelmed by the numerous recipes for tofu scramble and reviews for vegan cheese. Veganism is a global movement, but it is helpful to look locally when you start your vegan journey.

This guide will take you through the Ottawa vegan scene and provide tips on how to thrive as a vegan in the national capital. It will cover everything from local take-out options to social gatherings where you can meet fellow vegans. While this guide is primarily for new vegans, existing vegans might find some helpful tips here too.

Vegan Groceries

Over the past few years grocery stores have stepped up their game to provide a greater variety of vegan goods. Most Loblaws, Metro and Walmart stores in Ottawa stock vegan staples, including tofu, plant-based milk, veggie burgers and legumes. Here are some local grocery options that offer a decent selection of vegan food if you want to expand your culinary horizons.

 Farm Boy  (locations across Ottawa)
Farm Boy locations tend to be slightly more vegan-friendly than your average Loblaws. Look in the bakery section for delicious vegan croissants, cookies, and cupcakes. Farm Boy also has its own vegan cheese range and offers other exciting vegan foods such as kimchi dumplings and chocolate spread.

Whole Foods (951 Bank St)
Whole Foods can be on the pricier side but it has a greater variety of vegan options than the average grocery store. You will find different types of cheeses in the refrigerator section, along with a decent selection of non-dairy desserts, vegan candies and mock-meats. 

Natural Food Pantry (locations across Ottawa)
Natural Food Pantry is a local natural food store that sells a tonne of vegan goodies, including dairy and egg-free versions of your favourite chocolate and SoyCurls, a delicious meat substitute. 

Vegan Cooking and Nutrition

If you’re new to vegan cooking you have likely browsed food blogs like It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken or VeganRicha for recipes and meal inspiration. The web is a treasure trove of excellent vegan recipes but here are a couple of local sources to expand your options. 

The Ottawa Public Library
The Ottawa Public Library has an impressive selection of vegan cookbooks. These cookbooks offer everything from recipes for easy mid-week meals to inspiration for party food to impress your friends. You can check out the library’s collection of vegan books here.

Amy Longard Nutrition
Amy Longard is a plant-based nutritionist here in Ottawa. She hosts cooking classes and coaching sessions for those interested in cultivating a healthy lifestyle. VegOttawa members enjoy 10% off of Amy’s virtual cooking classes.  

Restaurants and Take-out Options

As a new vegan you have plenty of restaurant and take-out options to explore in Ottawa. Check out this link on the VegOttawa website for a comprehensive list. Here is a brief selection of restaurants that are especially popular within the Ottawa vegan community. 

Wei’s Noodle House (610 Bronson Ave)
Wei’s Noodle House is a take-out staple among vegans in Ottawa. It has a dedicated vegan menu with takeout favourites like pad thai, spring rolls and general Tso tofu. Try the spicy peanut soup and you won’t be disappointed. 

Hometown Bar & Grill
Hometown Bar & Grill is a sports bar with a dedicated vegan menu. Hometown is a great place to watch the game with your friends and to try vegan versions of your favourite pub foods, including wings, pizza and lasagne. 

Chickpeas (500 Terminal Ave)
Chickpeas is a fully vegan falafel restaurant in the Trainyards area. It sells a range of falafel sandwiches, salads, hummus and soups. VegOttawa members save 10% off on all orders.

Gong Fu Bao (365 Bank St)
Gong Fu Bao is a bao restaurant that hosts a vegan night every Wednesday. This is a great option if you are craving bao and other treats like Hong Kong (plant-based) Milk Tea but haven’t found a good vegan alternative. 

St. Elsewhere (826 Somerset St W)
St. Elsewhere is a vegan fine-dining establishment with a menu of food and cocktails. If you are looking for somewhere to entertain a first date or celebrate a milestone birthday then St. Elsewhere is the ideal place.

Meet other vegans!

One of the biggest struggles that new vegans face is a lack of social connection with others who share the same values and lifestyle. Interacting with other vegans can make the process of becoming vegan less isolating and more fun! Vegan social meet-ups are also a good opportunity to ask long-time vegans about nutrition, recipes, the best dupes for animal-based foods and more. Luckily, Ottawa has a flourishing vegan social scene with events that span a variety of interests!

Ottawa Vegan Meet-Up
If you are looking to meet new vegans over drinks and conversation, check out Ottawa Vegan Meet-Up. Ottawa Vegan Meet-Up takes place from 7pm-9pm on the last Thursday of each month at St. Elsewhere. There are plans to host Ottawa Vegan Meet-Up picnics in the summer. Sign-up to the Ottawa Vegan Meet-Up email list to learn about future events! 

Ottawa Vegan Nature Club
The Ottawa Vegan Nature Club meets monthly to walk the many beautiful trails in and around Ottawa. If you like exercise, fresh air and the great outdoors you can find out about future hikes by checking out the Ottawa Vegan Nature Club facebook page.

Ottawa Vegan Book Club
The Ottawa Vegan Book Club meets near the end of each month to discuss fiction and non-fiction books through a vegan lens. Check out the Ottawa Vegan Book Club facebook page to get up to date on meetings and to vote for future reads.

Student Groups 
If you are a student in Ottawa, you can find fellow vegan classmates at Animal Rights Carleton or the University of Ottawa Animal Rights Association. While participation in these groups ebbs and flows from year to year, they offer a good opportunity to get involved in activism and social events during your studies. 

Keep up to date with a variety of vegan events in Ottawa by following the VegOttawa on Instagram and on Facebook. 

Vegan Holiday Food

The holidays can be a challenging time for vegans as some traditional foods and treats contain animal products. However, the following bakeries/eateries offer some tasty local vegan options to enjoy over Christmas, Easter, Hanukkah, Eid, Thanksgiving and Lunar New Year. These eateries are open all year for you to enjoy in between holidays!

Strawberry Blonde (111 Richmond Road and 767 Silver Seven Rd Unit 17, Kanata)
Strawberry Blonde is a gluten-free and vegan bakery that really excels when it comes to holiday treats. It offers creme egg brownies and chocolate eggs at Easter, hamantaschen for Purim, sufganiyot for Hanukkah and yule logs for Christmas.

Keepin It Vegan (3 Chartwell Ave, Ottawa)
Keepin It Vegan is another vegan bakery that sells excellent vegan holiday treats, including hot cross buns for Easter and sufganiyot for Hanukkah. They also offer standard and custom birthday cakes.

Alkadoursweets (2269 Riverside Drive, Unit #141 – in Billings Bridge Shopping Mall)
Alkadoursweets sells vegan baklava and other delicious middle-eastern desserts that are perfect for Eid celebrations and other gatherings throughout the year.

Little Jo Berry’s (1305 Wellington St. W)
Little Jo Berry’s is a delightful vegan bakery that usually sells Christmas and thanksgiving meals for one in case you are the only vegan at an omni dinner. They also have a wonderful selection of goodies for Valentine’s Day in case you want to treat yourself or your significant other. 

Yugi Rolls
Yugi Rolls is a vegan food business that sells vegan mooncakes for Lunar New Year. They are famous for their vegan egg rolls, which you can find fresh online on UberEats (available Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday from 4:30-7:45pm) or in person at Congregation Machzikei Hadas (2310 Virginia Dr) on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from 3:30-7:30pm. Checkout the Yugi Rolls website and Instagram page for info on occasional pop-up events. You can also find frozen Yugi Rolls in the freezer section of Little Jo Berry’s.

Health and Beauty

The range of vegan and cruelty-free personal care products available in Canada has rapidly expanded since Canada banned animal testing for cosmetic products in 2023. You can find options for body wash, deodorant, toothpaste, hair dye and more at your local Shoppers Drug Mart or Rexall but if you want to shop more locally then check out the following options:

Terra 20 (1130 Wellington Street West and 197 Trainyards Drive)
Terra 20 is a store that sells a range of cruelty-free, vegan and environmentally conscious products, including dish soap, laundry soap, make-up, shaving supplies, personal care products and cleaning supplies.  

Herb & Spice (375 Bank Street)
Herb and Spice is a local health food store with a decent collection of vegan soaps, shampoo/conditioner and make-up. 

Saaboon Soap (595 Gladstone Avenue)
Saaboon is a local vegan institution. Their soaps and other skincare products are cruelty free, and vegan with lots of zero waste options. VegOttawa members get 15% off of each order.

Headspace Hair Studio (1530 Merivale Road)
Headspace Hair Studio is run by Gabby, a very welcoming and talented hairstylist. She operates the only fully vegan hair studio in Ottawa. VegOttawa members get 10% off of each visit.   

Visit and Support Farmed Animal Sanctuaries

The Ottawa region is home to at least three farmed animal sanctuaries that take care of non-human residents who would otherwise be harmed in the animal agriculture industry. It is a good idea to visit or volunteer at farmed animal sanctuaries to remind yourself why you became vegan in the first place.

Penny Lane (1795 Du Lac Rd, Saint-Pascal-Baylon, ON)
Penny Lane Sanctuary has been rescuing animals since 2013. Their current residents include horses, pigs, cows, bunnies, and cats. Check out Penny Lane’s website for information about volunteering with the animals and follow their Facebook and Instagram pages for updates on events at the sanctuary.

Sweet Sanctuary Animal Rescue (Mississippi Mills, Ontario)
Sweet Sanctuary offers a lifetime home to pigs, chickens and horses. Their volunteer program is full at the moment, and they do not have any scheduled public visits. However, keep an eye out for fun vegan-friendly fundraising events, including trivia nights!

Secondhand Stories
Secondhand Stories offers private tours of their adorable chicken gang on an appointment basis. Visit their online used book store for great deals on awesome reads. VegOttawa members get a 20% discount on all book orders!

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Please tell us about anything we’ve missed in the comments!