Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Ovo
American
Macrobiotic
Organic
Juice bar
Self serve coffee and tea. Dairy-free, vegetarian brunch. Most dishes can be made vegan on request. Showcases artworks. Reported closed to HappyCow, Sep 2014.
10 Reviews
First Review by erbavore
critterina
Points +49
my favorite place in all of michigan - Edit
i travel a lot with my job, and always look forward to eating here. i often drive out of my way to intetionally go through grand rapids just for gaia! try the chai, of course. fill up again and again. if he has the polenta on special, definitely get it! amazing sauce. the mean green burrito is bigger than your face.
Read morePros: atmosphere, chai
Cons: closed on mondays!
Guest
AndrewDeHaan
Points +33
Great Vegetarian Soul Food - Edit
Atmosphere and spirit-wise, Gaia Cafe is everything I could want. The servers are friendly and good at what they do, the interior is very simple, and I love that if I want more coffee or water I can just get up and get it myself. It's all very laid-back and well lit.
Read moreThe food is hardy and tasty, though most dishes contain dairy or eggs. Fortunately, the waitstaff is happy to offer substitutions, such as tofu or avocado. I am a big fan of breakfast here, but get there early or prepare to wait in line.
It's a small place, with a small menu, but each option has been tasty in my experience. Definitely try their vegan bars as well.
Pros: Good Value
Cons: Busy Often, Lack of Vegan Options on Menu
Guest
happycowgirl
Points +6091
Heaven for Vegetarians - Edit
Not great for vegans. For a 100% vegetarian restuarant, I found it odd that they offer such a paucity of vegan options. As a vegan, I'd come here once to try it but even if I lived in Grand Rapids I wouldn't come back, simply because I don't feel valued here. They could easily remedy this by putting a star next to the menu items that 'can be made vegan on request' -- and offering items that can be made vegan. That said, the vegan dessert bars by the cash register are very good.
Read moreI still gave it four cows b/c if you are vegetarian, you will love it.
Guest
conniex721
Points +136
So Much Food! - Edit
This food is delicious and extremely hearty. If you order veggies, you get veggies! I'm a huge fan of the steamed vegetables. The hash is great too. I do wish there were more completely vegan options, but the vegetarian ones are great and you can get many without cheese to make them vegan. Go with an appetite! (And get a vegan cookie - the best dessert in Grand Rapids!)
Read morePros: Hearty, Lots of Vegtables, Great Flavor
Cons: Not a ton of purely vegan options
Guest
Vegangurrl
Points +29
Yum! - Edit
I just felt like I needed to write a review in order to make up for the negative reviews that others have given. I've been going to Gaia off and on for years. For every bad server, there's 3 or 4 good ones. I understand how a server can make or break your experience, but I can say that I HAVE NEVER personally had bad service at Gaia. The food is alway delicious and they have no problem veganising anything on their menu. Try the Mean Green Burrito or the Grilled Seasoned Tempeh on Foccacia. Yum!
Read moreGuest
Rambling Woman
Points +77
SO rude to vegans here. - Edit
If you're vegetarian it may be the place for you, but if you're a vegan skip it for dinner and go to Teshlou's or Brick Road instead. Stop by Gaia to get a vegan bar afterward, maybe, but the staff is really rude to people seeking vegan options here and their scramble is not a scramble.
Read morePros: Good for Vegetarians
Cons: Rude to vegans
Guest
cmcneely
Points +47
Yum! - Edit
After seeing some of the reviews on here that complained about the service, I was a little skeptical to go to Gaia - but I got a pleasant surprise! Those other reviews are over a year old so I wouldn't be surprised if they have new waiters and waitresses by now, because our waitress was attentive and friendly. Most importantly, the food was delicious! Everything on the menu is vegetarian or vegan, and pretty much all of the vegetarian items can be made vegan. They have organic teas and juices, and tons of other beverages. It was cozy and in a nice area of town. Prices were totally reasonable, maybe $7 or $8 for a meal. Portions were big (but I finished my HUGE tempeh burger - it was so good!) All of the other reviews raved about the vegan cookies, but there was only one type of vegan cookie (and a few non-vegan), and I thought it was a bit overrated. It was good, but I was expecting, like, the best cookie of all time. Still, I'd definitely recommend you stop in there!
Read morePros: excellent food, good value, lovely atmosphere
Cons: chilly inside - open windows & fans, you get your own drink (con for some?)
Guest
cringer
Points +96
the wait staff is horrible - Edit
We went to Gaia two weeks ago and had this male waiter there. He was a jerk and totally ignored us. The service was horrible. The food was ok, the pancake I got was really dry but their fried potatoes and vegan cookies are awesome. SO we went back last weekend hoping for better service. We got the same male waiter and he sat three other tables and took all three orders before coming to our table. We sat there for 20 minutes and he didn't take our order. So we left and found this awesome restaurant called Marie something. I can't remember the name. I'm gonna find out and put them on here cuz they had awesome vegan breakfast and cookies. The waiter was so nice. Its down the road from Gaia too. So you should go to Marie whatever its called instead. It was great. Just because the food is ok at Gaia doesn;t mean its worth to be treated like you are not important.
Read morePros: ok fried potatoes, coffee bar, awesome vegan cookies
Cons: the worst waiter, very noisy, bad parking
Guest
sparker
Points +25
Never been to a place like this... - Edit
The Gaia is a strange restaurant; the food was FANTASTIC, but we waited for 45 min before our food got to our table. The service was terrible, and I really think it should be remodeled inside. The poor old building needs a facelift. The menu is very small, and it is extremely busy!
Read morePros: Fabulous food, Very good prices
Cons: terrible service, small menu, very disorganised
Guest
erbavore
Points +108
Its Grand Rapids Premier Veggie Place. - Edit
The Gaia Cafe is an oddity within itself. The food is simple, yet good. It's all vegetarian, yet there is only 6 vegan dishes. The staff is underpaid, thus its hard to get outstanding help. Special meal requests are strictly prohibited by the owners, who are strangely NEVER present. Coffee, Tea and water are all self-serve. Also, there is a picture of a DEAD fish on the wall.
Read morePros: food is decent, large portions, price is right
Cons: Odd hours, Its old inside
Guest
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