Toronto Top Five: Vegan Restaurants
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Being vegan can mean challenges when it comes to finding really great frugal vegan places to eat. But thankfully, in Toronto, cruelty-free dining is becoming easier as more and more restaurants are upping their vegan game.
BOLT: Fresh Bar
1170 Queen Street West
Casual, friendly, and inviting, Bolt — Fresh Bar, offers some of the healthiest food choices in the city. Their cold-pressed fruit juice combos are as tasty as they are invigorating. Try a parfait, like Bolt’s Energy Parfait — made with raspberry, strawberry, banana, coconut milk, granola, and shredded coconut. It’s a definite treat for your taste-buds. And you won’t be hungry after eating one of their grain bowls or salads. Everything at BOLT is made-to-order fresh, with locally-sourced ingredients.
One Love Vegetarian
854 Bathurst Street
A tiny Caribbean take-out, with bright green walls, One Love offers vegan food with an island flair. What began as a soup kiosk in Harbourfront’s World Café, has grown into one of the quintessential dining establishments on the vegetarian landscape. Enjoy a Seasoned Jamaican Pumpkin Roti and a bowl of their famous corn soup, while sipping a traditionally brewed Jamaican Ginger Beer for a truly sinful experience that is 100% guilt-free.
Live
264 Dupont Street
Sustainable, vegan, and delicious. Live serves up cruelty-free dining at the peak of freshness. And the most popular dish on the menu? Their Pad Thai, made with sweet potato noodles, celery, red pepper, green onion, carrots, tofu, is a treat for the senses that can’t be beaten. Live menu is 100% plant-based, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, organic, and raw.
Urban Herbivore
The popular vegan restaurant is built around the philosophy that the best foods are made from scratch — whole food preparation that’s preservative and additive-free. Ingredients are local and organic. While not 100% gluten-free, Urban Herbivore boasts many tasty choices for gluten intolerant customers. Urban Herbivore is certified peanut-free. And with two locations to choose from — 64 Oxford Street (Kensington Market), and 220 Yonge Street (Eaton Centre) — you have easy access to great vegan fare when you want it, no matter where you are.
Hogtown Vegan
1056 Bloor Street West
Hogtown is one of Toronto’s most popular vegan restaurants, now with a second must-dine-at spot at 382 College Street. Go for lunch or dinner during the week, but on weekends try their brunch, that draws crowds from all ends of the city. This vegan dining spot it always packed! Their famous Pulled unPork sandwich — made from shredded soy and their house-made barbecue sauce — is a treat, but the Un-Chicken and Waffles at Hogtown Vegan is honest-to-goodness comfort food, done right.
Whether you’re a committed vegan, or simply interested in exploring healthier dining options, these five restaurants offer some of the tastiest food in the city, that just happens to be vegan.
Do you have a favourite vegan restaurant in Toronto? Tell me about in the comments below.
