624238 Mon Jun 01 12:02:05 -0700 2009 53 23 Ontario (including Toronto) 0 4732955 Hi All - Looking for restaurants in the Toronto area that serve great vegan/vegetarian food...any recommedations? Mon Jun 01 12:02:05 -0700 2009 138084 hellohellokitty 1 4733281 A good resource is the restaurant directory on the Toronto Vegetarian Association web site: www.veg.ca. There you'll find a comprehensive listings by neighbourhood for exclusively vegetarian/vegan places, as well as lots of veggie-friendly restaurants. My favourite dedicated veggie places are: -- Fressen, on Queen West. High-end, vegan restaurant. I've never been disappointed in a meal there. -- Urban Herbivore in Kensington Market is more casual but just as yummy. -- Le Commensal, on Elm Street, is cafeteria-style, so fairly casual, but I find the food is pretty decent. Warning: Juice For Life/Fresh is overrated and overpriced. Hope this helps. Mon Jun 01 13:42:41 -0700 2009 4732955 292894 AverageJo 1 4733333 I've heard Rawlicious in the Junction (around Dundas and Runnymeade) is really good, but haven't been myself. Fressen on Queen W was pretty good, but from what I remember it might have been pricey... Mon Jun 01 13:57:29 -0700 2009 4732955 13222 sway 2 4733575 http://www.fressenrestaurant.com/fressen/menu.html Mon Jun 01 15:09:26 -0700 2009 4733333 66183 svanegmond 1 4733565 For Chinese vegetarian, I like Cafe 668. http://www.cafe668.com/ Mon Jun 01 15:05:23 -0700 2009 4732955 123543 Pincus 1 4733566 My favourite is Cafe 668; it used to be on Dundas near Bathurst, but they've relocated further west into a glitzy new building, and the food has gotten better. Buddhist vegetarian, perhaps a bit too much emphasis on fake meat. Live up on Dupont near Spadina is interesting, it's raw (uncooked) vegetarian. God help me for saying this, but I think Sneaky Dee's deserves recognition for their efforts at introducing vegan meals to their menu. There's tofu galore on the menu now. I keep walking by Fressen, and thinking, geez I should drop in there... and I never do. I don't know what it is about that place that doesn't work for me. I dislike Commensal in concept, ambience, location, and price. The food is alright, but paying restaurant prices for buffet food is nuts. I disagree regarding Fresh - it's usually OK, but never great, and the price to food quality is about right. I frequent the Queen/Spadina location. Mon Jun 01 15:05:30 -0700 2009 4732955 66183 svanegmond 2 4735157 I totally agree about Le Commensal. I think the food is delicious, don't get me wrong, but I went for lunch the other day, and for two plates of food, it was $45. Craziness. I also think Fresh's food is uninspired, and I don't like the attitude I receive when I'm at Fressen. I find they often misrepresent their food on the menu (i.e. list ingredients that aren't actually in the meal). I really like Live, and have had some great meals there, plus I find it's a fun concept. There's always great vegetarian options at Indian restaurants, although I've never been to a fully dedicated vegetarian one like Siddartha. Tue Jun 02 06:56:42 -0700 2009 4733566 155466 canadianbeaver 3 4735613 Yeah, I went to Le Commensal once. The ambience (upscale cafeteria) wasn't worth the prices they were charging. Tue Jun 02 09:07:00 -0700 2009 4735157 123543 Pincus 2 4737291 There is one beside Sneaky Dee, previous Tea Shop 168, serving veg dishes as wells. I try their veg. dumpling is very delicious. Also their cooked peanut is amazing. I got it for free as a side dish. The price is very reasonable as wells. The only thing is a very weird decor. Tue Jun 02 17:40:33 -0700 2009 4733566 324379 Thaithechef 1 4734081 Buddha's Vegetarian (666 Dundas W, yes, right next door to where 668 used to be) does some amazing soups; $5 will easily be a meal. Zero decor, questionable service. But surprisingly flavourful for Buddhist vegan food (I think they may cheat and use onions and garlic). Mon Jun 01 18:14:16 -0700 2009 4732955 53727 Ginsugirl 2 4735051 I second Buddha's Vegetarian for their soups. I love the Hot and Sour and it is loaded with tofu, mushrooms flavor and is so cheap and massive. I also like their spring rolls and Buddhas special house noodles. Other of my favorites for vegetarian are: Annapurna Brars Sweets- Veg indian buffets Mezetta- for cheap tapas Tue Jun 02 06:21:15 -0700 2009 4734081 61937 food face 1 4735140 I like Live Food Bar too, on Dupont. And Fressen on Queen. http://www.livefoodbar.com Also really love Camros Organic Eatery on Hayden. http://www.camroseatery.com Tue Jun 02 06:51:07 -0700 2009 4732955 193015 always_eating 2 4735486 I've never been to Live, but I've heard good things. Fressen I've only tried for brunch, we only enjoyed the sweet potato soup, which I think is a regular item on their menu. But I found no attitude with service. I can't say I'm in love with the food at Camros, but it is good, honest, homecooking. And organic, and reasonably priced. As far as attitude, unbelieveably positive. The girls who work there seem genuinely happy to have you join them for their food. Tue Jun 02 08:37:29 -0700 2009 4735140 292028 dubchild 3 4737631 This is going to sound weird, but at Live, the cooked foods tend to be better. Some of the raw foods are good -- salads, for one, or that tasty cracker they call pizza -- but the cooked stuff is consistently yummy. Tue Jun 02 20:00:34 -0700 2009 4735486 10681 piccola 4 4738786 Definitely agree--I much prefer their ... um.. unlive stuff. Wed Jun 03 08:57:10 -0700 2009 4737631 174519 Ediblethoughts 2 4738279 What did you like at Live, always_eating? I tried it twice and was very underwhelmed, particularly because it's not cheap! Wed Jun 03 06:13:53 -0700 2009 4735140 93263 Yum2MyTum 3 4740028 I like their Pecan "Tempura" Rolls and have liked their Ravioli (thin slices of radish being the ravioli and cashew cheese being the ricotta) with tomato sauce and basil pesto (both dishes were live and not unlive - lol). I had something similar to the Ravioli at Pure Food & Wine in NYC and have to say that I thought the Live version was better. I like Live's cheesecakes because of the use of nuts, again, to substitute for cheese (I am a nuts person, ahem) and because they aren't very sweet. I'm not into overly sweet desserts. Wed Jun 03 14:34:38 -0700 2009 4738279 193015 always_eating 4 4741783 I think I'd like that sort of thing more if they didn't call it "ravioli"----because I'm assuming you'd agree it doesn't taste at all like ravioli? Thu Jun 04 07:54:24 -0700 2009 4740028 174519 Ediblethoughts 5 4742265 Yes, the radish didn't taste like ravioli but I get that they were trying to make it look and taste like ravioli in a raw sort of way. I guess some living and raw food restaurants choose to market their offerings on the menu in this manner to make it more appealing/interesting? It tasted good though! Thu Jun 04 10:01:31 -0700 2009 4741783 193015 always_eating 6 4742955 I think I find it too jarring, the difference between what my brain says is ravioli and what it actually is. I ordered the chips which were actually that white veg that's really crunchy (I'm not sure if it's the radish or something else) and I found it very disturbing that it wasn't even a little fried. Just the raw white veg--yes, very crunchy but that's just not a chip! Thu Jun 04 13:55:30 -0700 2009 4742265 174519 Ediblethoughts 7 5158141 Daikon is a white radish. Thu Nov 05 09:23:42 -0800 2009 4742955 62905 Dimbulb 8 5159634 That's what it was. Thanks. Thu Nov 05 17:37:49 -0800 2009 5158141 174519 Ediblethoughts 1 4735540 One of my faves for brunch is Get Real on Ossington near Dundas. I like Fressen for dinner (wasn't impressed with the brunch) and I'm very fond of the tofu scramble at Fresh. I don't think of Fresh as being a dinner spot but they have a great selection of salads (but I need more than that for dinner) and soups. I have eaten at Commensal very often so it may be familiarity breeding contempt speaking but I'm not that fond of it. At one point a couple years ago, they had different daily specials but then they seemed to narrow their menu. However, haven't been there in a year so that might be a big qualification on my opinion. I also like Cafe 668 a lot for dinner--great to find Asian veg place that does leafy greens! I liked Live when I first went a couple years back but not so much on subsequent visits. I wanted to like it but it just didn't work for me. I don't like the way they call it "lasagna" because it kind of mimics the look but then it tastes not in the least like lasagna. That just bothers me. Haven't been to Anna Purna in ages (they don't serve alcohol and I like wine with dinner) but they have good food. And I'll also agree on Mezzetta--that place has been good value for money for about 20 years now. Rawlicious and Urban Herbivore are on my list of places to go... Tue Jun 02 08:51:36 -0700 2009 4732955 174519 Ediblethoughts 1 4735590 Jean's Vegetarian Kitchen, on Danforth, near Donlands. Not only a clean, modern space, but delicious Asian food. Highly recommended. http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2007-01-25/goods_foodfeature.php Tue Jun 02 09:02:11 -0700 2009 4732955 19782 Full tummy 2 4735615 How could I forget Jean's? Great food, great space! Tue Jun 02 09:08:07 -0700 2009 4735590 123543 Pincus 3 4735617 Maybe time for a revisit??? Tue Jun 02 09:09:25 -0700 2009 4735615 19782 Full tummy 4 4736364 I can resist everything but temptation. Tue Jun 02 12:41:01 -0700 2009 4735617 123543 Pincus 5 4736498 My SO recommends Simon's Wok on Gerrard St. E. We also find that Vietnamese restaurants have decent veggie options. I particularly like Hanoi 3 Seasons, MiMi and Peach Garden's veg selections. Also, Boujadi on Eglinton Ave. W. (Moroccan) has at least a few veggie items. I tend to gravitate toward the veg options at most Middle Eastern restaurants. Little Tibet has lots of veggie apps and entrees. The only thing I order in Ethiopian restaurants is the veggie combo platter on injera. There are usually a half dozen different stews, pulses and salads piled on injera. Yum. Tue Jun 02 13:12:39 -0700 2009 4736364 239809 1sweetpea 6 4736713 I'm pretty sure Boujadi is no more. And we had great Ethiopian (veg) on the weekend at Lalibela Ethiopian Restaurant on Bloor near Christie. Tue Jun 02 14:00:41 -0700 2009 4736498 174519 Ediblethoughts 7 4737747 I'm going to have to revisit Simon's, maybe get takeout this time, the inside is a bit dark and dreary for my liking. My current fav veggie Ethiopian is Meskerem on the Danforth. Tue Jun 02 20:48:35 -0700 2009 4736713 123543 Pincus 1 4737393 second urban herbivore and camros. have a soft spot for salad bar at whole foods and commensal when i feel like splurging. Tue Jun 02 18:22:42 -0700 2009 4732955 70876 LemonLauren 2 4737483 Not strictly veggie, but Kosher is Grande Bistro on Eglinton close to Bathurst.. Very attractive restaurant. They serve some fish, but no meat or meat byproducts. Their Pasta dishes (large menu) are excellent,and very generous portions. The most expensive is $18. I recently ordered the Farfale with wild mushrooms, and it was perfectly cooked. They have a variety of Veggie Pizzas, but I have not tried them. They also make a really good cheesy veggie French Onion Soup. Desserts are excellent as well. I recommend the New York Cheesecake. Tue Jun 02 18:48:28 -0700 2009 4737393 10837 erly 3 4737615 For a VERY casual or take out option I'm loving Sandwich Box these days. Their "make your own" salads are fantastic. Lots of great, fresh veggie options like kale and beet salad, de puy lentils, asparagus, hearts of palm etc. In other words...not just the usual salad veggies. Everything is really fresh and lovely. And they always have a vegan soup each day. Have had the curry carrot and the green vegetable so far and they are both great. A bit expensive...around $12 for a salad. But worth it in my mind for a fast healthy meal when you don't have time to make it yourself. Several locations..yonge and eg. Spadina and Richmond. http://sandwichbox.ca/ Tue Jun 02 19:49:39 -0700 2009 4737483 167313 jrabbit2727 2 4738792 Oh, I like the Whole Foods salad bar too. Some neat stuff there. Wed Jun 03 08:57:57 -0700 2009 4737393 174519 Ediblethoughts 1 4737642 Sadie's Diner does a good veggie breakfast, though the "meats" aren't the best. Stick to the eggs, tofu scramble, or various sweet dishes. M&B Yummy is a veg Ethiopian restaurant on Queen W. Lives up to its name. King's Café does goes veg dimsum, but avoid the other food. It's beyond mediocre. Tue Jun 02 20:04:47 -0700 2009 4732955 10681 piccola 2 4738136 I have heard good things about M&B Yummy. I have to say that Sadies is all round terrible. The owner and staff are rude and have not respect for food. The owner after complaining that poached eggs where hard boiled....tried to tell me that it is the proper way to eat them. Rock hard poached eggs? The wait staff are so "cool" and down right rude. One of the wait staff told my girlfriend and her 2 co-workers that "it's not okay" that they where not ordering food during a business meeting. They only ordered beverages including coffee and smoothies. This MAY have been acceptable if the rest of the restaurant wasnt' COMPLETELY EMPTY! The waitress then proceeded to give them a lecture about how she doesn't like it when people just sit there without ordering food. My partner had been there previously several times and ordered large meals. She was beside herself. Back to me...they even screwed up a grilled soy cheese sandwhich. The cheese was not even melted and it was pasty like. For a restaurant that toots itself as a healthy natural alternative, they could not even be bothered to use an all natural peanut butter. For my smoothie, I watched them plop in some "No-name" bargain basement chemical peanut butter into my smoothie. This place is a joke and if it where not for their kitch decor, it would have been out of business a long time ago. Wed Jun 03 04:33:43 -0700 2009 4737642 61937 food face 3 4740846 I only ever get the tofu scramble, and my friend gets the huevos rancheros or pancakes. Those things I vouch for -- the rest, I dunno. (And the staff can go either way. I've had wonderful service, and completely rude service.) Wed Jun 03 19:33:32 -0700 2009 4738136 10681 piccola 2 4738799 I tried the all-day brunch at M & B Yummy and I found it rather off-putting. Some parts were decent but the overly sweet porridge and faux beef were pretty unpleasant. I also tried the pumkin and collards and they were very, very salty. Maybe if I'd tried the classic veggie platter I'd have enjoyed it more. Wed Jun 03 09:00:21 -0700 2009 4737642 174519 Ediblethoughts 3 4739466 So sorry to hear the brunch wasn't very good. I've never tried it but have always wondered. Thanks for sharing as you've saved me a bit of trouble. I do like their classic veggie platter. The faux beef IS quite salty, so stay away from that if you're particularly sensitive. The beet salad is really good and sour. M&B is a good spot. I do find the owner/cook a bit overbearing, though very friendly and sweet! Wed Jun 03 12:02:16 -0700 2009 4738799 195015 thora 4 4742377 If you've liked Yummy's veggie platter, the brunch platter isn't much different. Thu Jun 04 10:34:50 -0700 2009 4739466 247788 ChalkBoy 5 4742956 The veggie platter has a tofu scramble and porridge? Thu Jun 04 13:56:05 -0700 2009 4742377 174519 Ediblethoughts 6 4743387 No, not at all - no porridge or tofu sramble to be found! The veg platter offers something very similar to the combination of veg stews/wot that most places serve. Thu Jun 04 16:29:58 -0700 2009 4742956 195015 thora 7 4744480 Ah, I see. That sounds more promising. Fri Jun 05 05:50:39 -0700 2009 4743387 174519 Ediblethoughts 1 4737964 I am not a vegetarian, but I do have to sometimes take vegetarian friends out. I honestly do find some vegetarian food bland...and most vegetarian restaurants aren't to my taste....but the places I've found that do good food are... Fresh, Fressen, Millie's Bistro, and George for their tasting menu, and The Corner House will make a special vegetarian menu if you ask in advance. Tue Jun 02 23:32:47 -0700 2009 4732955 244658 stonedtoronto 1 4743027 I've recommended it here before: Green Earth Vegetarian Cuisine. Lousy name, good food. Located near Broadview and Gerrard. Has a variety of vegetarian and vegan foods, including the best chocolate cake I've had in a long time. I order it with vegan ice cream. Soooo tasty! They also have a really good lemongrass dish, golden tofu cubes with hoisin sauce and spring rolls. Good prices, too (undr $10 per dish) Thu Jun 04 14:17:23 -0700 2009 4732955 54667 merlot143 2 4744547 Millie's is no longer. Is Green Earth the place on Broadview, just north of Gerrard? If so, I looked at their takeout menu. The choices seemed all over the map. I avoided it for fear that it was trying to be a "Jack of all trades, master of none". I'll have to give it a try after all. Fri Jun 05 06:17:31 -0700 2009 4743027 239809 1sweetpea 1 5157906 I highly recommend Vegetarian Haven, on Baldwin. Mostly Chinese, including stone bowls etc. Nice desserts. http://www.vegetarianhaven.com Thu Nov 05 08:05:41 -0800 2009 4732955 77729 bellywizard 2 5159644 Do you know if they serve wine? I've been to this place for lunch but never dinner... Thu Nov 05 17:41:14 -0800 2009 5157906 174519 Ediblethoughts 3 5160248 I"d be suprised if Veg Haven didn't serve wine. I don't think it's dry Edible. I know how you hate a dry dinner. Fri Nov 06 03:47:19 -0800 2009 5159644 61937 food face 4 5162400 You know me so well! Meatless is a happy meal for me---but no wine??? I didn't see any liquor on the menu and I did notice some non-alcoholic beer--which wasn't a promising sign. But I'll call to make sure. Fri Nov 06 17:41:05 -0800 2009 5160248 174519 Ediblethoughts 1 5158138 For a quick lunch I'd go to Noah's Health Food on Bloor at Spadina. They have a lunch counter which offers a buffet that you pay by weight. Thu Nov 05 09:23:01 -0800 2009 4732955 13182 Teep 2 5158790 Their muffins are outstanding at the Noah's lunch counter. The only thing that bugs me about this place is the guy is super weird and grouchy. I try and look past it because it is very reasonable healthy and quick. I like their beans and tahini dressing as well. Thu Nov 05 12:29:18 -0800 2009 5158138 61937 food face 1 5158456 Calico....Bloor and Brock. Vegan, very limited menu but well worth the visit! Thu Nov 05 10:57:04 -0800 2009 4732955 39950 jeffs101 2 5159649 Looks like it's not yet licensed but it looks tempting... I'll make that trip there for dinner when it has wine! Thu Nov 05 17:43:44 -0800 2009 5158456 174519 Ediblethoughts