Green Earth Cafe and Bakery

Delicious Sunday brunch. This is a must. Organic food, with MANY gluten free options: pop tarts, coffee cake, banana bread, waffles, pancakes… It’s amazing! There is outdoor seating, and with Spring weather in bloom, and fresh pressed orange juice, delicious cuisine and friendly severs, you can’t beat it. Today seems to be their last day in business, so bring your loved ones, and come treat yourself to a tasty brunch with mostly local, organic ingredients. Here you can fill up and leave dealing great instead of hungover for a fun, Sunday afternoon. Enjoy :)

they are closing
Sunday 4÷21÷13 is the last day of business
Closing due to illness
==
here’s your last chance to check out this place or buy your favorite desserts

Yet another vegan establishment I’m reviewing since I did partake in a friend’s brunch sojourn in Berkeley. Yes, even us carnivores/​omnivores have a inner compassionate, cruelty free side that rarely gets to come out and play.
I remember this restaurant space used to be a pizza joint until it shuttered — and a few of us were wondering about that as well. But enough of that.
For brunch, I had the Fiesta Browns (or whatever it was called, the name escapes me at the moment) — home fries, vegan cheese and sour cream and salsa. It was pretty good and except for some texture differences the cheese and sour cream tasted just like the original. I had the seasonal fruit (which was these lovely colored bananas, blood orange and kumquat) and the apple seitan sausages which were probably the best meat-​free sausages I’ve ever had — really. Almost everyone ordered the same, but with variations on the sides, I sampled their yuba bacon made from tofu skin (Hodo supplies this) and it was probably better than the tempeh-​based ones I’ve had. To wash it down, I ordered a strawberry-​vanilla bellini which was refreshing and one of their organic beers — a German lager.
As we paid, I also noticed there was polenta «fries» on one of the menu boards, and that piqued my interest and I will come back just to sample it. And maybe have one of their seitan burgers too.

Friendly, relaxed service and nourishing raw vegan food. I like to treat myself to their day-​old baked goods; two dense, nutty coconut balls or ginger cookies for under $ 2. There’s always a decent selection even by the time the afternoon rolls around.

I came all the way from Chicago (haha) to experience this place. Really, I came to chat with Chef Kyle, the head honcho.
(1) food: I ordered the seitan burger. holy seitan batman. it was bbq burger with a fantastic side salad (beed mustard dressing) and POLENTA FRIES. holy God, were these unique amazing crispy, gooey polenta delights. Brilliant concept for fries. bravo. My bf had the bean burger and salad with tahini miso (also delightful). The beans were soft and moist.
(2) Chef Kyle is a doll and was lovely to chat with about the business and the values of the place. He highly recommended the brunch and one day I’ll hit that.
So happy this place exists.

I wanted dessert after eating Turkish food and saw pictures of some delicious baked goods. I was so disappointed though because there were few items left. The raspberry thumbprint cookie I got was stale and hard.

Finally… a FANTASTIC vegan brunch spot! I’ve been living in the East Bay for almost 6 months and haven’t been able to find a really satisfying vegan brunch… until I went to Green Earth on Sunday! The bloody marys (yes, that’s plural because there are 3 to choose from) were SOOOOO good. Fresh juice, herbs and infused sake made them refreshing and truly unlike any bloody mary I’ve ever had. I got the breakfast sandwich which was a biscuit, tofu scramble, house made bacon (this was the highlight for me) a side of greens and house made apple sausage. Everything was truly delicious, organic, local and such a nice sunday afternoon ambiance. Like I said, I’m so happy to finally have a Sunday brunch spot again.

Very nice black bean burger. I thought the polenta fries were way too fried, i.e. fried too long. The accompanying salad was puny but the tahini dressing was divine.
I had some kind of raspberry gel-​like dessert, which was not sweet enough or not flavorful enough. I will be back to try the chili which looked good.

This had potential. An all-​vegan café? yum, right?
Not so. The food was just fine; I had the daily plate, and every component was adequate. The cookie samples at the register were pretty decent too. But the menu was a scrawled-​on whiteboard above the counter, the service was slow, the prices were way too high for a meal I could have easily made myself, and there was basically no appeal here.

Alright, Green Earth Saved my ass while I was doing the unicorn thing (vegan + wheat/​soy/​sugar free). I go to school down the street and I survived thanks to the snacks provided by this place. Now that I’m just a run of the mill vegan, I still head here often for a mid day snack, usually when I leave my lunch at home in my rush to get to class…
The menu is small, but I have a few things I love, a few that I love less:
The daily bowl: it’s pricey, but usually good. I’ve only had one «meh» bowl so far, but on the whole it’s a safe bet. 10 bux, solid healthy food and the bestest daikon pickle around.
The green salad with tahini dressing is pretty great for a between class snack, not too big but full of nice crunchy tidbits like carrots and sunflower seeds.
The baked goods can be hit or miss for me, I usually sample the samples (sigh), before choosing. I suggest you do the same.
All and all, I’m really stoked that they opened up in DTB!

TIP #4: When in doubt, order the daily bowl. It’s a beautiful, tasty mix of wonderfully healthy foods designed to taste good together and fuel your body with maximum nutrition.
TIP #5: Minimum $ 5 order for credit cards, but it’s not hard to spend over $ 5 here. They don’t take American Express.
TIP #6: They serve beer and wine! The selection is small but impressive – organic and unique.
My boyfriend and I returned after many months to eat here because we remembered the fresh ingredients, the clean cooking, and the delicious flavors. Green Earth Café did not disappoint!
Yes, prices have increased, but think about what you’re getting in the context of our current economic situation. Food prices have increased all around, so it’s only natural that you will pay more at a local restaurant for that steaming bowl or plate of organic, wholesome food cooked fresh. The bowl may look small and the amount of food may not look like the supersized versions of entrees that we’re so used to, but your body will thank you later for thinking about its needs and limits. (If you’re really, really hungry, though, I could look elsewhere for a larger meal, or expect to order more and pay more.)
Green Earth tweets their daily bowl so every day – and every combination is as tasty as it sounds (check
). That evening, we had quinoa with ancho chilies and mushrooms, refried black beans, chipotle roasted sunchokes, kale hominy, and jicama salad. Yum! The bowl came with a corn tortilla, too, for making your own taco.
Go for the healthy whole foods!

been scoping this place out for MONTHS. then when I got there, I had the macro plate, so it was just like Potala or Mazanita/​Shangri La (their chef used to work there… what’s with all the defections from Manzanita???)
lots of other tasty options, so I’ll be back!
staff are hippy friendly.
nice space, although the acoustics are weird so it gets LOUD with even just a few people.

I’m a sucker with 11 fewer dollars. I tried again and failed to obtain a delicious lunch. No thanks to cold, bland tempeh with nasty mustard (should have been a warning on the menu!) and VERY odd pink sauce (not thousand island, not ketchup, maybe a sweet tomato soup?) on barely toasted white bread; a sourdough roll would have been $ 1 more because it’s made by some dude with wood ovens… um, whatever.
Plus side to today’s gross sandwich: no food poisoning!

In a recent
article, the owner of Green Earth Café and Bakery stated: «Michael Brown, who opened Green Earth Café and Bakery on Center Street a few months ago said his businesses is struggling, in part because customers and his staff do not feel safe when they get off BART or the bus and must navigate through a „scary“ group of people.»
I don’t avoid Green Earth Café because of the «scary» people– I avoid it because it’s overpriced and bland. I got a Miso soup and it was like $ 8. Ridic. I also don’t patronize businesses, when I can avoid it, who move into neighborhoods and suddenly decide that the neighborhood owes THEM, and don’t care whatsoever about the human cost– just their bottom line. If you care about the earth, please also care about the human beings that inhabit it.
I recommend that you boycott Green Earth Café. Overpriced food, and supports policies targeting Berkeley’s most vulnerable. Boo.

Woah, I seriously purchased my meal about 40 minutes ago, and I had to write a review right away, it was so good. I got a black bean burger w/​polenta fries, w/​a side salad, and a big salad. The salads were really good: very fresh veggies, pumpkin seeds and DELICIOUS dressing. I had their lemon mustard, and beet mustard varieties. Sooo good.
The black bean burger was seriously the best I’ve had in the area, and I am something of a black bean burger fiend. It came with avocado, pickles, some greens, and some spicy (chipotle?) mustard that was really very tasty, and it wasn’t dripping with oil the way the burgers at Barney’s or Bongo can be. I opted for wheat bread instead of the wheat bun, and it was great. The burger was so large I could only eat half; and I can’t wait to eat the other half later. The service was also really great; pleasant, happy people, all around. YUM YUM. go here!!!
I’m definitely going to be back to try the pastries and all the yummy-​looking desserts and treats they had on display.

Green Earth has lunch, breakfast options, pastries, cookies, organic teas & coffee.
lots of room and tables.
eats: peanut butter cookie (2.25)
–not much sugared flavoring, natural peanut butter taste. 3ish stars
drink: (m) 1.95 (traders joe’s organic coffee (showed me the carton)
–smooth, mellow, light roast
3.5 stars
foodnotes:
–interesting, natural eats and drinks
–worth checking out some more.

I agree. Their food is healthy, organic, filling, tasty and it really does make you feel good after you’re done. Based on previous reviews, I ordered the GREEN EARTH PLATE [$ 11.75], which included:
— Lasagna (brown rice pasta) with tofu ricotta
— Herbed broccoli and cauliflower with mixed greens
— Pickled watermelon daikon
After tax, this came to $ 12.78. They offer a smaller portion, their Green Earth Bowl, for $ 8.75, and the lady had said it was about 20% smaller than the plate.
BUT. The plate is small as it is! I was satiated with the plate, as they give you a generous hunk of lasagna, but I can’t imagine how I would have felt having only eaten 80% of what I did. Also, $ 13? Yes, the lasagna was healthy and dense, and the ricotta cheese was delicious. The veggies were cooked wonderfully, and my one piece of daikon was tasty. But, $ 13 is steep. I would have paid $ 10, max.
My friend ordered their FALAFEL POCKET [$ 8.75], which had falafels inside a pita with hummus, carrots, tahini sauce, onions, and more. It came with a side of organic greens. But he said that it was okay. Something about the pita not striking his palate quite right. And the pita was soggy from the sauces too.
The service isn’t the most cheerful, but it wasn’t so negative as to give me a bad vibe. I dig their green walls, high ceiling, and open seating arrangement, but the flies that kept buzzing around our food were no bueno.
I also sampled their chocolate cake, which was dry and crumbly. Their muffin tasted much better.
It kept me full but emptied my wallet. I probably won’t return.
Oh, and they don’t have their Daily Cal coupon for a free Vegan cookie anymore. I checked and was sad: c

YYUMMMYYY! Best breakfast on Center Street… If you’re coming from BART, GO HERE. Maybe best breakfast in all of Berkeley. I had the oatmeal and it was made from WHOLE oats
(basically it goes… shitty instant Tully’s oatmeal; decent starbucks instant oatmeal; good steel-​cut jamba juice oatmeal; ammaazziinng Green Earth whole oatmeal!)
which they served with REAL maple syrup and delicious rich coconut milk, roasted walnuts and raisins.
Really good coffee, great service, nice atmosphere, surprisingly delicious nutty-​crunchy-​mazing gluten-​free chocolate chip cookies. Wonderful start to the day.

The food is delicious. It reminds me a lot of Café Gratitude. The food, that is. The workers are nothing like their zoned-​out «What are you grateful for?» counterparts up Shattuck. Everyone who works at Green Earth has always been friendly, helpful, and understanding. I apologize for always taking so long to decide while other people are waiting.
I’m so happy this is the replacement for Pie in the Sky.
I’ve only taken my food to go, but even if I had the time, I probably wouldn’t eat here. The workers do make you feel at home, but the pea-​soup-​green walls and strange mid-‘90s lettering and artwork are kind of depressing. They also need to work on their menu boards. The place is really new, so I’m sure they’ll take care of this soon, but dry-​erase boards aren’t the most visually appealing way to advertise the day’s specials.
But the food. Really solid. And they can make a lot of stuff gluten free. And they have pizza, and I think that’s gluten free! (I haven’t tried any of the pizza yet, but I will.)
Thanks, Green Earth, for once again making the western end of the 2100 block of Center Street a lunchtime destination.

The personal pizza is really good, it comes with just a pinch of Daiya (vegan) cheese, and is baked fresh in the pizza oven with olives, and veggies. The tempeh sandwich is also very good, and a great value. Very filling.
They have really good rice bowls that vary daily and are savory, filling and delicious.
Really looking forward to trying everything else on the menu! Great value, really nice people and an easy location to get to on foot. You might also get a free sample if you walk by.
Excellent all vegan business in downtown Berkeley. Vegans, vegetarians and omnivores rejoice.