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Looking for vegan restaurants in Toronto? You’re in the right place. We have updated 2023 information on the best places to find great vegan options in Toronto. Toronto is the largest city in Canada and is also the most vegan-friendly city in the country. In addition to that, Toronto is also the most multicultural city in the world, and you can find ethnic cuisine from all over the globe, many of which have tasty and authentic vegan-friendly options. In addition to several fully vegan restaurants in Toronto, many of the city’s mainstream restaurants have made a point of catering to their vegan clientele. Toronto is worth a visit, not only just to indulge in the amazing vegan cuisine, but because of the attractions, museums, historical buildings and unique neighborhoods that the city has to offer. We’re excited to share with you the best vegan restaurants in Toronto with the updated 2023 information.
This is a guest post contributed by Kristin. Kristin is a Toronto-born vegan mom of 2, a world traveler, and a blogger. You can read about her world travel adventures at Tiny Footsteps Travel.
Toronto, Canada
We’ve divided up the restaurants for what they do best (breakfast, lunch/dinner and desserts) and listed the restaurant and where you can find it downtown. Here are the best places that offer vegan breakfast or brunch in Toronto.
Vegan breakfast plate at Karine’s, Toronto
Karine’s is a family-owned, food court restaurant located in a shopping center called The Village by the Grange, just a 10-minute walk from Dundas Square. Karine’s has gluten-free, as well as several fully vegan options. Karine is a warm lady with a big smile, who welcomes all her customers.
Karine’s consists of casual takeout where you can build a plate, or order a pre-arranged plate of food. Topped with plenty of fresh fruit and veggies, it’s a great place for breakfast or brunch. Among the vegan options, you’ll find pesto-encrusted tofu, potato frittata, salad, and French fries that come in different flavors. You can also go for Karine’s famous Vegan Supreme, which includes choosing a protein and adding salad, fries, roasted veggies, and fruit.
After Karine puts your food together with care, you can enjoy it at a table nearby. It’s the perfect place for starting the day off right in Toronto. From Karine’s, you’re within walking distance of Nathan Phillip’s Square, a great place to continue your slow travel vacation.
Website: Karine’s
Where: Directions
Vegan breakfast plate @ Evviva, Toronto
Evviva is a new Canadian chain with locations in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) and surrounding areas. Evviva is not 100% vegan, but their vegan breakfasts are something to write home about. Evviva’s chefs have created a vegan sunnyside-up egg to make a variety of vegan egg’s benedict dishes – vegan eggs florentine, vegan smoked salmon, vegan pastrami and even vegan crab cake benedict! In addition, there are a variety of vegan omelettes, waffles, pancakes, French toast and of course all the variety of dairy-free milks for your coffee.
Evviva has put concerted effort into making vegan breakfasts that are delicious, fun and provided an elevated experience for their vegan clientele. You can find Evviva right downtown, just a short walk from the Toronto Roundhouse, and the Toronto Harbourfront.
Website: Evviva
Where: Directions
Kupfert and Kim is committed to serving whole, nutritious foods that are both nourishing and delicious. Everything is plant-based, and most items are gluten-free as well. If you’re looking for the cleanest, healthiest vegan meals to start your day, then Kupert and Kim is the place.
For breakfast, you can find quinoa porridge, chia pudding, and a range of smoothies. Kupert and Kim serves lunch and dinner items later in the day as well.
There are several different Kupert and Kim locations in Toronto, and most of them can be found in food courts. You can find one just a 7-minute walk from the CN Tower, and another close to the Queen’s Quay, where the harbourfront is. In addition to taking care of our bodies, Kupfert and Kim is also doing their part to care for the planet – most of their takeout containers are compostable, or at the very least, recyclable.
Website: Kupfert and Kim
Where: Directions
Toronto, Canada
If you’re looking for mid-day meals or fancier evening affairs, then we have the low down on the best places to find fulfilling, delicious vegan lunches and dinners in Toronto.
Steamwhistle Biergarten, Toronto
Located right across the street from the CN Tower, the Steamwhistle Biergarten perfect place for a vegan dinner if you’re near the CN Tower or the Roger’s Centre. For a starter, vegans can choose between deep-fried cauliflower and grilled panini, and rotating pickled vegetables. For mains, there are special vegan plates: peas and mint rigatoni, and a mouthwatering eggplant ghanoush.
The Steamwhistle Biergarten is one of a handful of restaurants near the CN Tower that serve vegan dishes, but we appreciate their menu in particular because of its creative and exciting vegan options.
Website: Steamwhistle Biergarten
Where: Directions
Buddha’s Vegan Restaurant is a casual, hole-in-the-wall restaurant that serves all your favourite Chinese dishes made vegan. The menu is written in both Chinese and English.
You can find fried rice, tom yum soup, dumplings, stir-fries and soups with noodles and vegetables. There are vegan mock meats for chick’n strips, beef skewers, imitation duck and even vegan ribs. Buddha’s Vegan Restaurant is delicious and perfect for those who love Chinese dishes and want to try well-done vegan renditions of them.
Buddha’s Vegan Restaurant is a 5-minute walk from both the Kensington Market and Chinatown, both quaint and touristy neighborhoods that make for a nice walk after a tasty meal.
Website: Buddha’s Vegan Restaurant
Where: Directions
If you’re wandering through the Distillery District, Toronto’s car-free, Victorian neighbourhood, be sure to stop for Mill Street Brewery for some excellent vegan options.
As a starter, try their spicy edamame and pan-fried vegetable gyoza, and my personal favorite – yam fries with a plant-based aioli. For mains, there is a delicious falafel Buddha bowl and a Brewpub Salad. Enjoy it with a home-brewed beer or cocktail before heading out to continue exploring Toronto’s oldest and most picturesque neighborhood.
Website: Mill Street Brewery
Where: Directions
There are many places in the city to enjoy a vegan meal, but how many of them are 1,500 feet in the air, giving the most spectacular view of the city, Lake Ontario and surrounding areas?
Lucky for us, the restaurant atop the CN Tower hasn’t forgotten about vegans! Try either their Saskatchewan Barley or their Lentil Cabbage roll. Their dessert, a Niagara stone fruit tart is also vegan.
Website: 360 Restaurant
Where: Directions
The Hogtown Vegan is a bustling, busy restaurant that serves Southern-style comfort food. It’s also one of the most family-friendly restaurants in Toronto. You can find mac and cheese, phish and chips, Reuben sandwiches, burgers, chili cheese fries, and more. In addition, Hogtown Vegan has kid’s plant-based menu items with lots of sides to choose from.
Hogtown Vegan is just a short walk from the Kensington Market.
Website: Hogtown Vegan
Where: Directions
Odd Burger is a 100% vegan Canadian chain with a handful of locations in Ontario, as well as other provinces. They serve an array of vegan burgers – some with mock beef, and some with mock chicken, as well as wraps, salads, and fast food sides, and enough to satisfy the sweet tooth too. There are milkshakes, sundaes, and soft-serve cones for dessert.
Odd Burger is quickly becoming a large franchise in cities across Canada, so let’s give them all the support we can!
Website: Odd Burger
Where: Directions
Indian food is often vegetarian-friendly, but Govinda’s takes it to another level in accommodating vegans. They label themselves as a vegetarian/vegan restaurant because they have options targeted at both.
Govinda’s offers a vegan Thai combo that includes rice, a samosa, two curry entrees, and a small dessert. They carefully indicate on their menu which items are vegetarian and which are vegan, and the staff at Govinda’s is very knowledgeable about vegan accommodations.
You can find Govinda’s right downtown, just a 15-minute walk from the famous Royal Ontario Museum, the largest museum in North America.
Website: Govinda’s
Where: Directions
Planta provides an upper-scale vegan dining experience. This spacious and modern Asian-fusion restaurant is located right in the Entertainment District of Toronto, where you’ll find movie theatres, nightclubs, bars, and a walkable main strip. Planta is the perfect place to grab an elegant vegan meal before a night out on the town.
On Planta’s menu, you’ll find lettuce wraps, pineapple mango salad, avocado lime tartare, and a variety of noddle, rice, and soup dishes. The food is nourishing, bursting with your favorite Asian flavors, and unique only to Planta, which has only two locations in Canada.
Website: Planta
Where: Directions
Whether its ice cream, pastries, or donuts, we’ve got the perfect suggestions for conscious travelers on where to get vegan desserts in Toronto.
Bunner’s bakeshop
I never go to the Kensington Market without stopping at Bunner’s Bakeshop. Bunners specializes in vegan, gluten-free sweets. They make cakes for special events, and lots of grab-and-go items – cupcakes, squares, brownies, scones, cookies, pies, and tarts.
This 100% vegan bakery makes for a perfect stop before you continue strolling through the Kensington Market.
Website: Bunner’s Bakeshop
Where: Directions
Toronto has you covered for vegan donuts. Machino Donuts sells handcrafted vegan donuts of fancy flavors, like peanut butter cheesecake, or strawberry shortcake. There are two locations of this busy donut shop downtown. One near Christie Pits Park, and the other one near High Park.
Website: Machino
Where: Directions
Cinnaholic is a 100% vegan bakery that specializes in cinnamon buns of every flavor you could imagine – campfire s’mores, caramel apple pie, strawberry pie, and toasted coconut pie, among others. In addition, they also make cakes, cookies, squares, scones, and other sweet treats. You can walk in to pick up, or even order online.
Cinnaholic is a Canadian chain with two locations in Toronto. They are a bit outside of the parameters of the downtown core, but if you find yourself venturing out of the city, they’re highly worth a try.
Website: Cinnaholic
Where: Directions
→ Pro Tip: Looking to do some of your own cooking while you’re in Toronto? Be sure to check out Farm Boy, a Canadian chain grocery store. Farm Boy has a focus on whole, organic foods and makes their own signature vegan cheeses, and vegan croissants available.
Old town, Toronto
Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about vegan restaurants in Toronto, and being vegan in Canada.
Toronto is a very vegan-friendly city. It’s considered to be the most vegan-friendly city in Toronto, and it has a variety of vegan options for all different food and meal types.
Not only are there dozens of fully vegan restaurants, but many of the mainstream restaurants in the touristy areas have dishes that are creative, delicious and fully vegan.
There are a variety of plant-based milks. Most coffee chains offer plant-based milk. Most chains offer a vegetarian option, and some offer a vegan option as well.
About 2% of Canadians are vegan. Anecdotally, as a Canadian, I find many people who are open to trying vegan foods and are understanding and knowledgeable about vegan products.
As you can probably tell from reading through this article, Toronto is a city where vegans are absolutely spoiled. Whether you’re looking for a great brunch, a fancy dinner, a casual take-out food, or a sweet treat, you will find no shortage of options in Toronto. You can rest assured that you can find mouthwatering vegan cuisine in every neighborhood in Toronto, and near almost any tourist attraction you visit in the city.
In addition to vegan restaurants, there are many mainstream restaurants in Toronto that have put forth the effort to make a delicious vegan option available. Rather than settling for a salad or sandwich without the cheese it normally comes with, many restaurants in Toronto have developed thoughtful, creative, high-quality dishes that are completely vegan.
Let us know in the comments below if you have any questions or drop me a message through my contact page!
Also, don’t forget to check out my resources page with my favorite booking platforms and tips to start planning your trip. Additionally, have a look at my favorite travel gear if you want to pack more consciously!
ENJOY!
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Hi! I am Annelies and this is Travelers & Dreamers, a blog about conscious travel which means traveling in a more mindful way, with a positive impact on the world and yourself!
On this website, I cover different topics like slow travel, plant-based food guides, responsible travel, sustainable packing, eco-travel, and more!
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