Sixty years ago, Toronto was a veggiehead wasteland, with no restaurants for
vegetarians.
The city is much more vegetarian-friendly now; Toronto hosted the World Vegetarian
Congress in 2001, and The Toronto Vegetarian Association (TVA) has been organizing
a large annual Vegetarian Food Fair for the past twenty years. Even the hot dog
vendors on the street sell veggie dogs!
Toronto now has dozens of vegetarian restaurants, from a casual take-out lunch
to the more upscale dinner out, as well as many organic food stores and suppliers.
The city's diverse ethnic community mix is reflected in its restaurant cuisine
diversity, giving vegetarians a wide range of choices.
Where to find good veggiehead restaurants in Toronto:
CAFE 668
668 Dundas West (at Denison) 416-703-0668
Hours: Tues-Fri 12:30p-9:30p, Sat, Sun 1:30p-9:30p, closed Mon
Just west of Chinatown, Cafe 668 was recently voted as the top Toronto vegetarian
restaurant in a recent issue of NOW magazine. Cheap, too, with meals ranging from
$10-15. Southeast Asian inspired cuisine. www.cafe668.com
FRESSEN
488 Queen West (at August) 416-504-5127
Hours: Mon-Fri 5:30p-10p, Sat 5:30p-11p, Sat&Sun brunch 11a-3p
Toronto.com users voted Fressen as the city's best vegetarian restaurant. Serves
brunch on weekends. Warning: service is sometimes slow. Approx. $20-40
FRESH BY JUICE FOR LIFE
521 Bloor St. W. (416-531-2635)
336 Queen Street West (416-599-4442)
894 Queen Street West (416-913-2720)
Phone: 416-531-2635
Formerly known as "Juice For Life". Yes, it's a chain (Toronto's most successful
vegetarian chain, in fact), but the food's relatively inexpensive ($10-20) and
there's a wide selection.
KENSINGTON NATURAL BAKERY & CAFE
460 Bloor St. W. (east of Bathurst) 416-534-1294
This family-owned business has been around since the late '70s and specializes
in baking with no dairy, no egg, and no refined sugar, free of all artificial
color and preservatives. Instead, they substitute natural ingredients like honey,
maple syrup, and barley malt. All baking is done in-house, fresh daily. www.knbakery.com
LE COMMENSAL
655 Bay St. (n. of Dundas, enter on Elm) Phone: 416-596-9364
Part of the largest vegetarian restaurant chain in North America, Le Commensal
offers over 100 menu items daily, priced by weight. Approx. $20 lunch, $35 dinner.
www.toronto.com/lecommensal
655 Bay St. (n. of Dundas, enter on Elm) Phone: 416-596-9364
Part of the largest vegetarian restaurant chain in North America, Le Commensal
offers over 100 menu items daily, priced by weight. Approx. $20 lunch, $35 dinner.
www.toronto.com/lecommensal
LIVE
258 Dupont (Spadina & Dupont) 416-515-2002
Tue-Thu 11-7, Fri 11-4 (may change), Sat 12-6
This year-old restaurant specializes in gourmet raw food and desserts. The owner
adds the occasional hot item (stew, soup) to the menu in colder weather. The place
is very small, seating 4-6 people; most patrons tend to order take-out. Approx.
$10-13.
PULP KITCHEN
898 Queen E (at Logan) 416-461-4612
Hours: Mon&Tue 9a-7p, Wed-Fri 9a-9p, Sat 10a-9p, Sun 10a-7p.
Brunch Sat&Sun 10a-4p.
Hours tend to be a bit wonky, so phone first. Offers a full service juice bar
as well as its eat-in restaurant. You can see sample menus on its Web site: www.pulpkitchen.ca Approx. $15.
SUSUR
601 King W 416-603-2205
Hours: Mon-Sat 6p-10p. Reservations advised.
If you're looking for something upscale and extravagant, try Susur's five- or
seven-course vegetarian tasting special ($55-75). The restaurant's regular (non-vegetarian)
tasting menu is $110.
Food stores, organic suppliers, and other services:
JAYS GOURMET VEGETARIAN MEAL DELIVERY
www.jaysgourmet.com/ 416-910-JAYS
Vegan Jay Stevens prepares each dish using natural ingredients, and you can order
batches of frozen meals to be delivered to your home on a regular basis. Price
ranges from $79.99 for 14 meals to $129.99 for 25 meals.
WEEKLY ORGANIC WONDER: WOW Foods
www.torontoorganics.com/ Delivers organic foods on a weekly basis to homes in the Greater Toronto Area,
including Guelph. You can create your own box by choosing from a wide selection
of fresh produce, or save money by ordering prepackaged boxes of seasonal items.
GREEN EARTH ORGANICS
www.greenearthorganics.com/ Delivers organic fruit and vegetables to your home or office on a weekly or bi-weekly
basis. 10% of the profits from every delivery goes to various non-profit organizations.
SUPER SPROUTS
205 Spadina Ave., Phone: 416-977-7796
Mon 10a-7p, Tue-Fri 10a-6p, Sat 11a-5p
An indoor sprout farm located near Chinatown, open to the public. Prices range
from $2-11, depending on type of sprout and tray size.
WHOLE FOODS MARKET
www.wholefoodsmarket.com/toronto
87 Avenue Rd. (n. of Bloor) 416-944-0500
This supermarket-sized natural food store has a wide range of organic and conventional
produce as well as dairy-free ice creams and vegetarian frozen dinners.
Copyright 2003 Veggieheadonline.com
