Canadian foodies share favourite vegetarian restaurants, resources and recommendations
ARE YOU VEGETARIAN? Are you worried that you might not find vegetarian food when you visit Canada? Or, do you want to eat more vegetarian food for health and weight reasons? Canada may not be famous for vegetarian food, but it is available from coast-to-coast. There is no shortage of options for buying vegetarian produce or finding vegetarian dishes at most restaurants or even finding “pure veg” restaurants, especially in the big cities. And Indian food is extremely popular in Canada too: there is a plethora of Indian restaurants in most of the bigger cities and especially Vancouver and Toronto — where a significant percentage of the population is of Indian origin. This blog post is a guide to vegetarian Canada by Canadian foodies.
Toronto’s Vegetarian Feast
I live in Toronto, and I don’t eat meat, and I find no end of good, fresh food. In summer, there are farmer’s markets all over the city — Toronto is ringed with rich farmland — and all year-round, you can get fresh produce at St. Lawrence and Kensington Markets, both old-time markets beloved by locals. The city caters to an alternative scene of vegetarians, vegans and raw food eaters, so you can find a lot of restaurants like Fresh (several locations), Live Food Bar, Annapurna, and Govinda’s in the Hare Krishna Centre. The Toronto Vegetarian Association has a list of restaurants, events and other resources.
Indian restaurants proliferate in Toronto, and there are lots of good ones, but my favourite is Udupi Palace on Gerrard St. E., in the India Bazaar. Owner Hubert Dabello opened Udupi Palace in 2001, introducing dosa, iddly and uthapam to the North Indian dominated street. Udupi is pure veg, and pure delight, and eating there transports me to India, if only momentarily.
Vij’s Is a Vancouver Hot Spot
Adrian Brijbassi, co-founder of Vacay.ca, spear-headed the Top 50 Restaurants in Canada list, and he is also one of the judges. Two of his personal favourite vegetarian restaurants in Canada are Acorn in Vancouver and the popular Zen Kitchen in Ottawa. He adds, “Two in Vancouver that aren’t strictly vegetarian, but what we could call vegetarian-forward are Burdock & Co. and Vij’s Railway, the food truck that serves Indian cuisine and whose menu is often about 80% vegetarian dishes.”
Vij’s in Vancouver won the top spot on the list of Top 50 Restaurants in Canada for 2012, and bagged the #3 spot in 2013, so Vij’s Railway, with Vikram and Meeru Vij behind it, is bound to be tasty. Here are just some of the dishes on the menu:
- Rice-Puff & Chickpea Salad with Mint Mango Chutney
- Jackfruit Curry
- Mushroom Medley Curry
Vegetables Are Magic, Too
Ayngelina Brogan, of the popular foodie travel blog Bacon is Magic, shares stories about the people and places behind the meals she enjoys around the world. With a blog named Bacon is Magic you'd be surprised to hear she also enjoys vegetarian meals. These are two of her favourites in Canada.
“Centrally located in Niagara-on-the-Lake, in the Shaw Club hotel, Zee’s Grill would first appear to feature a meat-heavy menu,” Ayngelina says. “However, I visited last year with advance notice that I would be dining with a vegetarian and was pleasantly surprised this wasn’t an issue at all. While I ate a tasting menu with different meats, my guest also enjoyed a completely vegetarian tasting menu.
“In the end both were delicious, but I thought the vegetarian menu was better. With really complex dishes I wondered about Chef Dobbie’s background and it turned out he spent many years cooking vegetarian food in Vancouver. I'd recommend this restaurant for any group that has vegetarians as both omnivores and vegetarians will leave satisfied.
“Boon Burger in Winnipeg is Canada’s first all-vegan cafe with two locations, and it made me wonder if Winnipeg had a large vegan community. It doesn’t. But this doesn’t stop crowds of meat eaters from packing the booths to enjoy food so good you don’t notice the lack of meat. I loved the burgers and highly recommend them, but I wasn’t crazy about the fake bacon or cheese — but as I’m a meat eater, I dislike all fake meat and cheese.”
Door to Green Eating in Ottawa
Nat & Tim Harris are culinary storytellers, sharing tales of culture and food from our home and travels on A Cook Not Mad. An award winning chef, Tim has dedicated his life and career to cooking and the pursuit of honest food. As a professional photographer, Nat records their adventures with incredible pictures of everyday life and the extraordinary. Their favourite vegetarian restaurant in Canada is in the nation’s capital.
“The Green Door has been serving vegetarian meals made with local, organic ingredients and plenty of love since 1988. Everything is made from scratch daily and according to the seasons so you know you are being fed real, healthy food, no GMOs here. You can expect dishes such as Broccoli Quiche with Organic Rennet Free Cheddar Cheese or Leek Barley Mushroom soup and finish off with a gluten-free or wheat-free dessert. The food here is charged by weight so you can mix and match your favourite dishes.”
Copyright © 2014 by Breathedreamgo. This article was written by Mariellen Ward and originally published on breathedreamgo.com
Mariellen Ward is a travel writer and publisher of the meaningful adventure travel blog Breathedreamgo.com for seekers and travellers to India, Canada and beyond.
*Image of vegetarian dish via Shutterstock
*Image of salad via Shutterstock
