GreenSpace Cafe

Let me start off by saying I’m not a vegan or. Vegetarian. I just started to dabble in the world of plant based diet. Our party of 5 arrived at 6:00pm on a Friday night and we were seated right away. The drinks were all tasty, they use the juice from Drought in all of their cocktails. My favorite was the Diablo sweet yet a little spicy. If you like a lot of heat the kimchee dinner is the way to go! Filling and spicy! For dessert try the pistachio ice cream! I was full and my tastebuds were satisfied when I left. Matt, our server was great too! :) the only downsized to the whole experience was valet. The valet have a .6 mile run/​walk to get out car so it took forever. Still tipped the boy $ 20 because he had to run so far and was very nice. Not his fault the space they had to park was far, Maybe GreenSpace management can help look for closer parking. I’m only in town for a short period of time, but I will be returning to GreenSpace before heading home!

Love the ambiance here so calming and pretty. Ok the food. The food was great. I loved the Farm Board which is their cheese board. All the cheese is made in house and super creamy tasting. It is big enough to fill me up or share with others. I also had the pesto pasta, it is raw and served cold. The flavors are amazing super fresh tasting perfect for a summer day. For dessert I got the cheesecake, I know cheesecake no dairy! It was the best dam cheesecake I ever had, light and rich at the same time with a nice tart flavor.

Delicious vegan food. this is really 5 star food in the heart of Ferndale. great and wonderful staff. and they know their cocktails too

If you’re looking for a posh, overpriced Birmingham experience in Ferndale with sub-​par food and service, this is the place for you.
I recently went to Green Space with my mom and my sister for the first time. As locals, we were definitely excited about trying this new vegetarian restaurant. While it was nice to try a new dining experience, I do not think it is worth it to go back again. At least right away. When we first walked in, we were waiting to be seated. While the servers were standing around, a man at the front asked us if we needed to be helped, but then explained that he couldn’t help us because he was a doctor and the owner. (?!) While he was probably trying to make a joke, this made a very poor first impression on me and which was repeatedly made clear throughout our experience. As the costumer who is supporting this business, I don’t need to feel belittled and out of place. While the ambience was very nice inside, it was really too dark to see the menu and then the food. Even too dark to take a nice picture. The non-​alcoholic drinks were really great but the food was sub-​par and lacked flavor. I ordered the curry and it was definitely below any curry I’ve had… And I love curry. My family ordered other dishes that tasted good, but were small and to be honest overpriced for what we got. In addition, we were constantly waiting on the waitress/​waiter, who kept switching roles and chatting with one another on the side, which I thought was odd. While it wasn’t an entirely bad experience, I don’t recommend it to my friends and family. For me, I’m definitely sticking with Inn Season for my vegetarian dining, but I’d like to try it in a little while to see if it has improved.

I’m a meat eater, the kind that’s bitter about the existence of vegetarians. I think GMO crops are to liberals what climate change is to conservatives. I called this joint five days in a row trying to get a reservation for my stupid vegan best friend’s birthday and they never called me back. It’s like they somehow knew I was their enemy. Well played plant eaters, well played.
Edit: I think someone read this review, they let us in, likely because I knew a vegan. Food was rather tasty for vegan, channa masala dosa was good, desserts were outstanding along with the service. Best of all no one tried to convert me to their vegetable cult.

I’m upset that I can’t give 6 stars to Green Space because 5 just isn’t enough!
This place is exceptional. I went with 3 friends tonight and we shared 7 small plates so we could taste a little of everything. All of the dishes were beautiful but also flavorful and delicious. I especially loved the avocado «poke,» the «cheese plate» and the beet «tartare.» (I am using quotations marks because Green Space is vegan). I also ordered a lavender hibiscus kombucha to accompany my meal (bottled in Grand Rapids) and now I need to figure out where to buy it because it was fabulous.
I highly recommend Green Space! I’ve heard that the wait on weekends is insane but I went tonight (on a Tuesday) and we walked right in. I can see why so many people come on weekends!

This restaurant was amazing!!! The atmosphere, staff, and the meals are so great! My sisters and I will definitely be returning in the future!(:

The wait was ridiculous. We were on the list and they gave our table away between them calling us and is waking next door. The drink menu is interesting so I suggest trusting them and trying something. Their menu is ok and the food was ok. I have been to better vegetarian/​vegan places in town

Beautiful, nature-​inspired (green, wood, dimly-​lit) atmosphere perfect for a romantic evening or chill night with friends. The cocktail menu features a more health-​conscious selection of cocktail (think turmeric/​ginger cocktails and kombucha on draught!) and the food is made with love. Try the vegan «cheese» plate — very interesting The mushroom tacos were BOMB.

Hurry up and visit this place! Our family loved the Milanese Flatbread. It was my first vegan and best cheesecake I’ve ever tasted!
Friendly staff and beautiful décor.
My tastebuds are very happy!

This is the most amazing restaurant I have ever been to in my life.
The ambience is amazing, gentle lighting and classy seating. Definitely a fantastic place for date night.
100% plant based, locally sourced, non-​GMO, the whole works, all for a reasonable price.
The cheese plate was classy and tasty
The sherpards pie and farro lentil burger was divine. The tamale pie has a bit of a bite but still tasty.
The desserts– that’s the best part.
The cheesecake was a dream. I normally don’t react like this but I swear I was floating. Maple date caramel sauce, chocolate gauche, and perfectly textured cheesecake that I don’t think I could hope to perfect.
You must get this cheese cake. It’s worth driving hours for.
My waiter was Paul and he was awesome!
Great way to have my birthday dinner

Had a nice dining experience at Greenspace this weekend. They open and 5, and my wife and I got there around 5:30 and the place was already packed! We were surprised that it would be so crowded on a Saturday at a more traditional «early bird special» time frame, but it’s encouraging to see people so excited for a vegan place.
The interior is cozy and warm, with reclaimed wood everywhere and metallic colored fabrics. The bar was huge and inviting. The seating was comfortable, although most of the tables sat higher, like barstool height. The lighting was a bit too dark, even at the early hour where the sun was still shining outside, nearly every table my wife and I observed had to get out their cell phone flashlight to read the menu.
We were feeling celebratory, so we ordered some cocktails. The bartenders use Drought fresh organic juices in the craft cocktails and they were pretty flavorful. I had the Nine Mile Mule which starred the house infused lemongrass vodka with fresh blackberries, basil and ginger beer. Great take on a traditional Moscow mule. My wife had the Manhattan Beet cocktail, which had fresh beet juice and our absolute favorite Traverse City cherry whiskey (go buy some NOW) with apple and carrot juice with some other goodies thrown in. Mighty tasty!
We ordered the grilled avocado to share as our appetizer. It came with two very small corn tortillas and it was only half of an avocado, but it had pico and enchilada sauce and some crunchy cabbage so we each had a tasty few bites. Good for two people, but be advised if you are really ravenous this may not be the appetizer for you. For entrées I got the pad Thai and my wife tried the pesto rigatoni. The pad Thai didn’t taste like I would expect a Thai inspired dish to taste. There wasn’t a whole lot of depth of flavor, but it was ok. The portion was decent and there was lots of random garnishes for crunch. My wife had the clear winner with the pesto, the roasted fennel was delightful and the almond Parmesan was rich and nutty. Neither dish was to die for, but both pretty solid 3 – 3.5 star dishes.
The owner saddled up to our table and I liked how present he was in the restaurant. Dr. Kahn seems very excited about his venture and I’m thrilled there’s another vegetarian friendly spot in my neighborhood.
I wish they had lunch hours, they don’t open until 5pm Tuesday through Saturday and they are closed Sunday & Monday. Perhaps that will come with time, as they haven’t been open very long. I liked this place, although I’m not sure if you are dining with carnivores if they would be very excited by Greenspace. My wife and I will definitely be returning, especially for cocktails!

I’ve been to GreenSpace twice now, and I can tell you that the food is outstanding. Between the two visits I’ve tried the green curry bowl, mushrooms, root vegetables, farro lentil slider, sweet potato coconut bisque soup, Monica’s redskins, and kimchee bokumbap. Everything has such an amazing flavor that it’s impossible not to enjoy it. The kimchee bokumbap is my favorite of all with a perfect amount of spiciness and enough healthy ingredients to fill you up.
I so badly want to give 5 stars because I love everything about this place, but my trip this weekend left me a little disappointed overall due to a slight mishap. Long story short, we walked in around 5:30 and were told it would be an hour to an hour and a half wait for three people and that we can go somewhere else for a drink while we wait and the host would call us when our table is ready. I talked to the host four times in an hour and a half — once when I called to see our place in line and whether we should order another drink at the establishment we were at (host said yes), second when he called to confirm we still wanted a table even though one was not ready yet, third when he called to tell us a table was ready (I told him we were literally right next door and already started cashing out here so we would be over in a few minutes), and fourth when he called 5 minutes later to say that he doesn’t want to rush me but needs to make sure that we are still coming because his manager was pushing to fill the table (to which I told him that I was walking out right as he called).
From the time he called me to tell me the table was ready to the time I walked into the restaurant was 7 minutes. When I walk in, he tells me that they gave our table away and that we have to wait another half hour for one to open up. We were told to go to the bar to wait, which we did for about another half hour.
If you’re an establishment that tells patrons that they can go somewhere else while they wait and that they will be called to come back, they need to give you some time to actually get back to the restaurant. I confirmed with him four times that we will be coming back and were literally right next door, so there should not have been any confusion about whether we were coming there or not. I don’t think 10 minutes is an absurd amount of time to allow a guest to come back to the restaurant for their table. And the right thing for them to do is to at least buy us a drink or app or do something to apologize for making us wait another half hour. I don’t have a problem waiting in general, and I’m happy that the business is doing well enough that you have to wait an hour and a half at 5:30 PM, but our table should never have been given away and something should have been done for us having to wait another half hour. It just left me with a bad taste towards the restaurant, and hopefully they can work this out so it doesn’t happen to anyone else.

Calling all former cheese hound current vegans: Cheeseboard. Do it.
The mushroom tacos, nice.
I’ve had as good from a fine little food truck.
The cocktails: Margarita, meh.
Manhattan Beet, knocked our (beautifully brilliant red) socks off.
The entrees, ok. The apps were better and more exciting.
(I can get what we had for entrees at many ethnic places and comparatively they were a bit bland.)
The service: Spot on with a plant based passion.
(the word Vegasm was used to describe the cheese board, and she wad’nt kiddin’!)
Dessert: pistachio liquor, nice
I’m still dreaming about that Cheeseboard…

I have been waiting to try this place for a while and was completely dissatisfied with my experience.
Upon our arrival, we were told a table for 3 would be about a 35 minute wait. After 1 hour and 35 minutes we were finally seated and it took our waiter another 10 minutes to come and take our order.
During the time we waited to be seated, I made my way to the bar only to wait for 15 minutes to even be served. While the drinks were delicious, a 15 minute wait for a drink is unacceptable unless it’s St. Patrick’s Day. The bartender passed by me 4 times and did not even acknowledge me. Finally, another bartender realized how long I was standing there and asked if I had been helped.
After our waiter finally made their way to our table, they took 2 of our 3 drink orders and then turned around and helped the table that was sitting behind us, completely forgetting to take the 3^rd drink order.
The food was also not what we expected from a vegan restaurant. After dining at restaurants such as Inn Season in Royal Oak, we were expecting a plethora of food that would leave us satisfied. This was not the case. $ 130 later, we all left the restaurant still hungry. The food is presented nicely, but is not very satiating for the price you pay.
I understand that this is a new restaurant and there are always some bumps in the road, but I will definitely not be back after waiting for TRIPLE the amount of time we were originally told upon our arrival. If we were told it would be 1 hour and 35 minutes to seat our table of 3, we would have gone elsewhere.

UPDATE:
Yesterday I went to the café for a carry-​out. I ordered a pad thai, tomato soup, and salad. I brought this home and shared the food with another person (a hungry adult); by the end of the meal we were both full. I’m not 100% certain if the carry out portion sizes are identical to the in-​restaurant portions, but the food was ample and certainly delicious! My friend said the soup was the most flavorful tomato soup he’s ever had.
While waiting for the carry-​out, I had a drink at the bar. Unfortunately I can’t remember the name but it was somehow infused with rose and very excellent. Their craft cocktails are top-​notch.

I have been waiting to try this place for a while now. The interior is spacious and the seating comfortable. Yay, the seats have cushions. My companion and I split the baked avocado and the mushroom skewers. Both were very tasty. I picked right on the entrée and went with the Tamale Pie. Ask for some hot sauce and you’ve got a tasty dish. My friend’s pesto pasta was a bit heavy and oily. Since I’m still celebrating my birthday (a week and a half later) I finished with the strawberry tart and a cup of Rooibos tea. The dessert was extremely tasty and not overly sweet. Since this was my first visit I assume the menu changes regularly?
It wouldn’t hurt to add a few more options. The menu seemed a bit limited. I don’t mind smaller portion sizes since I prefer to sample multiple things.
The service was very attentive. In fact, we had to tell the buser to stop filling our water glasses. Ha! I’m not going to complain about that. I am very happy to have this Vegan option in Ferndale.

There’s something to be said about customer service. As we were leaving, the owner (or perhaps the manager), asked us how everything was and seemed interested to hear the answer. I think that personal touch and care goes a long way in the restaurant industry so I appreciated it.
As far as the food, the menu is always changing based on what is in season and available. I was impressed with everything my friend and I got, which included gnocci, a soup (I believe it was cauliflower), and some lettuce wraps. I think this restaurant can stand alone as just a great restaurant, in and outside of the ‘vegan’ category.
I’d definitely come back for dinner and drinks — we didn’t have any drinks on our visit but the cocktail menu looked impressive.

Wonderful atmosphere and food! Even if a bit pricey for small plates, it’s worth it if you care about what you’re eating.
We have several anaphylactic allergies to worry about, and the staff/​kitchen were very accommodating.

Finally, after months of anticipation, they opened their doors! First, I have to say that I am not a vegetarian but I do eat a vegetable based diet. I was slightly uneasy about going especially not having seen a menu. I got mushroom tacos (2 for $ 7) and a Pad Thai ($ 12). The food itself? Really tasty. For other omnivores like myself, you won’t miss the meat. My only qualms about this restaurant is that the portions are really small. The Pad Thai was no more than a cup of noodles. While my taste buds danced when eating the food, my stomach was still hungry afterwards. I also got a ginger kombucha which was pretty good; if you aren’t the biggest fan of ginger (like me), you will still like it. It didn’t have a strong ginger taste and was sweet like a soda. They had it on tap which was cool.
Overall, I definitely will return. I would go for a light snack, but not for dinner alone. Dinner for two plus drinks, you can expect to pay $ 50+ and not be very full.