Best of Toronto
The Best Vegetarian Restaurants in Toronto
The best vegetarian restaurants in Toronto could turn the most steak-loving carnivores onto grilled tempeh lunches and scrambled tofu brunch. Well, at least for a day.
These restaurants know how to serve up varied flavours that actually leave you feeling full, and not needing another meal when you get home. From quinoa rice bowls to buckwheat crepes, and, of course, fresh juices and smoothies, Toronto's best vegetarian restaurants have brought wholesome vegan and vegetarian meals into the mainstream. Yes, one butternut squash soup at a time.
Here are the best vegetarian restaurants in Toronto.
For a list of other vegetarian restaurants in Toronto, see the vegetarian category in our restaurants section.
Note: This list was previously published on February 20th, 2008. Comments below made up until July 21st, 2010 are in reference to the old list. We've purposely kept the archived comments here because we believe they (mostly) add value to this topic. If you don't want to have to wade through all of them, simply hit the "sort by newest first" link at the top of the thread.
Fresh
A trailblazer first on the scene in 1992, Fresh has obviously succeeded in doing vegetarian right. Fresh serves up wholesome wraps, salads, burgers, organic wine, fair-trade organic coffee, and of course, its signature bowls at its three locations on Bloor, Crawford, and Spadina. Bruch is also served on weekends until 3 p.m., and yes, you can still call it "brunch" even without the pig bacon. More »
Urban Herbivore
A great place for a hearty salad or custom sandwich, Urban Herbivore is a Kensington Market favourite. I can taste that BBQ tempeh now. It's often bustling, especially in the summertime, and is a great place to go for freshly squeezed lemonade and other juices. Urban Herbivore serves up other snacks such as muffins and cookies and take-home soups in Mason jars. They now have a second location near College and Dovercourt. More »
Sadie's Diner
At Adelaide and Portland, Sadie's Diner has taken on the carnivorous version of the all-day breakfast with its vegetarian and vegan all-day breakfast options. Yes, you can get your huevos rancheros with or without dairy. Along with its freshly squeezed juices and smoothies, including its chocolate, peanut butter and banana smoothie, Sadie's Diner serves up main course options such veggie burgers, burritos, or its whole wheat lasagna. More »
Fressen
The more refined big sister to Urban Herbivore, Fressen on Queen West between Bathurst and Spadina offers the classic sit-down dining experience. With gourmet entrees such as moroccan stew and spinach blinis that are perfect for sharing, you can feel like a vegetarian and a grown-up at the same time. Fressen also has a number of gluten- and wheat-free options, and serves brunch on weekends. More »
Hibiscus Cafe
Hibiscus in Kensington Market is known for its signature buckwheat crepes and surprisingly good prices. The soup and salad combo is a favourite among regulars, along with its vegan and gluten-free desserts. Then, of course, there's the made in-house vegan ice creams, which are perfect for pedestrian Sundays. More »
Camros Organic Eatery
Blink and you'll miss it, and that's too bad if you're looking for a restaurant with a fully organic menu. The dishes rotate daily, but you can expect some form of stew, such as its spinach, chickpea and plum stew, rice option, fresh salads, juices, fair trade coffee and desserts. It's right across from the Hayden Street exit at Bloor Station, which makes forming a habit dangerously easy. More »
Live
Live at Dupont and Spadina has become the spot for raw organic food in the city. Along with uncooked options, many items on its menu are gluten-free, sugar free, and organic. As well, there are several cooked dishes, such as Live's brown rice fusilli and black bean tempeh burger. And you can wash it all down with some gluten-free beer. More »
One Love Vegetarian
If the name didn't give it away, One Love Vegetarian serves up Caribbean-inspired vegetarian eats. A block north of Bathurst station, its menu is short and simple, with options including bean curd and lima beans, BBQ tofu stir-fry and roti. One Love also serves brewed Jamaican ginger beer and a variety of juices and smoothies. Don't miss its famous corn soup. More »
Cruda Cafe
Located on the lower level of the St. Lawrence Market, Cruda makes good use of all the fresh foods around it. Its menu is composed of raw or mostly raw items, along with many gluten and sugar-free organic options. There's everything from pasta to chili to cheesecake, made fresh and served onsite. More »
Discussion
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Fressen is too stuffy and expensive for the small portions they give you.
The avocado sandwiches at Urban Herbivore are great. I wish there were more middle-or-the-road vegetarian restaurants. Those mentioned are basicall all there is in the city. There should also be more vegetarian options on menus, and more stuff without cheese or dairy. It is like the default option for a vegetarian is pasta, usually smoldered in cheese and/or cream. There's cheese, cheese, cheese everywhere!
http://www.mbyummy.com/
also the one near pacific mall, i forgot what it was called, but its portions are great for sharing at reasonable prices.
Fresh is a particularly great place if you are going out with non-vegetarians (unlike Fressen which is more "out there").
Lotus Pond is pretty good, great mock lemon chicken (and I usually abhore all mock meats).
Cafe 668, great prices (maybe the person above went to the old one?) and great atmosphere/decor.
Graceful Vegetarian...yuck.. go to Lotus Pond if you are already in that area looking for Chinese vegetarian.
Vegetarian Haven has amazing selection.
For non-veg places with great options, check out Hopper Hut (Sri Lankan) and Rendez-vous (on the Danforth) - both fantastic (and fantastically cheap beyond your wildest dreams).
They're located only in San Francisco, CA, but they serve such good raw and vegan food that I nearly believed that I had the best dinner of my entire life this April 3rd.
absolutely everything is made onsite from healthy ingredients (from the desserts to the sandwich breads)- has vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, and organic options. relaxing atmosphere, as well.
check out the website!
- Over-reliance on "meat replacement" or "faux meat" dishes instead of reinventing dishes entirely
- Heavy cross-over with Asian fusion cuisine, which is a watered-down cuisine already - why not other types of cuisines, like Italian or Korean or sushi or pub grub?
- Heavy cross-over with health food - but what if I want greasy, (rennet-free) cheese-laden, comfort food that just so happens to be vegetarian?
- Too much emphasis on "look at how we made this dish vegetarian CLEVER RIGHT?" instead of "look at how we made this dish taste like heaven itself, vegetarianism notwithstanding"
- Overpriced/underwhelming
I'm a strict vegetarian (i.e., not one of those "I'm totally vegetarian but I eat fish and chicken and babies" people, or one of those "I'm totally vegetarian but I tell myself that miso soup, tempura dipping sauce and kimchi are vegetarian because then I get to eat them DON'T RUIN IT FOR ME" people) but I'd usually rather eat the vegetarian dishes at non-vegetarian places.
Also, if there's anyone reading who wants to take their vegetarian date out to someplace special, do not choose Fresh. We are not impressed. That shit is played out. Go to the Haven, the ambiance is better and you can labor over your bland rice bowls in peace.
I'd also add Anna Purna (http://www.annapurna.ca/) in the Annex somewhere near the top. ;)
I would have expected vegetarian/vegan cooks to be more adventurous with spices, but then again, my meat-tainted tastebuds are probably less sophisticated.
I have to add that there has been many-an-occasion where I longed for more upscale vegetarian dining in TO. Fressen is the only place that fills the niche, but it'd be nice to have more than one "fancy" option for vegetarians and vegans to go to for dinner. Lunch- I'm all over Urban Herbivore, The Beet, Live, etc, but sometimes at night I like something a little more upscale.
A few good omnivore spots that also cater to vegetarians are: Woodlot (they have a separate vegetarian menu), Enoteca Sociale (many veggie options clearly marked on the menu), Mildred's Temple Kitchen (not a ton of veggie options- but the few they do have are different from the standard options- ie. not mushroom risotto or pasta- and delicious), The Gladstone (a little more casual, but some great veg options).
There are probably a lot more that I am missing, but those are a few that popped into my head from recent experiences where I was impressed with the love and creativity that went into the vegetarian options.
you're either a smoker, or dumb.
their food is very well flavored and there's a great combination of tastes in each of their dishes.
I'm also surprised that there are no Indian places on the list. The Punjabis do vegetarian food better than anyone.
Great list! TO's fortunate to have so many excellent veg options.
What? No mention of The Loving Hut?
But- thanks for the list!
I agree with fn. I think Fresh could really use some training in ethnic cuisine. There's no reason to be afraid of flavour. Some people just don't know what they're missing (and I'm not talking about meat).
My girlfriend and I have both gotten sick multiple times from Urban Herbivore and Fressen. I know someone who used to work there and it's probably not a sanitation problem--more likely the intense amounts of oil they use to make their soup taste so rich.
why would they need training in ethnic cuisine? that's not what they serve. their food may be inspired by different cultures and use some of their flavors, but to call that ethnic food is inaccurate. sure it could be more flavorful, but go home and cook if you want everything to taste as great as you expect. your paying like $12.00 for your meal.. do you expect 5 star taste?
They still make the best rendition of vegetarian sticky rice I've found.
The picture is from Cruda Cafe. I think they said it's a raw vegan chili.
http://www.blogto.com/restaurants/cruda-cafe-toronto
Brix
I was blown away by their soy milk shake. It tasted amazingly like an old fashioned milk shake.
http://udupipalace.ca
I also agree, Udupi and M&B Yummy should be on this list. Both are incredibly good!
Rawlicious should be on this list!
A great place for a quick bite (and maybe the BEST place for take-out) is the Big Carrot on the Danforth.
We moved from Vancouver last year and had to get used to finding restaurants that serve lots of vegetarian food vs. strict veggie/vegan places. To that end, Grapefruit Moon in the Annex is awesome as is Akai Sushi on Harbord (great options for vegetarians, and outstanding service).
I've heard Woodlot is outstanding, and Hot Beans.
They're actually having an awesome deal today ... $10 for $20 of food/drinks on Rogers Mobile Offers. I got a text with the offer from it in the morning. You have to text OFFER to 6060 for Rogers customers and you get this deal.
I really like this place, great food and a good spot for vegan lunches. Definitely better than Fresh!
Can anyone suggest a way to bring him around?
Went to Rawlicious and I got sick about half hour after I ate, never going there again.
I think Fresh might be slipping a little on taste. I've tried almost all of them and Jean's is #1