I’m currently writing this from a Cafe in Montreal, listening to some live Jazz music after stopping (for the second time) in Toronto and I already can’t wait to go back. If you love food…Toronto is the place for you.
Toronto is like the “New York City” of Ontario but I think the atmosphere is more like Boston. It is a beautiful city. You can walk down a busy street filled with shoppers, people on their way to work (and maybe even spot a celebrity) and come across clothing stores, restaurants, and more before turning the corner to walk through a neighbor filled with beautiful brick houses covered in vines with breathtaking gardens. It is hard to picture without actually being there.
I didn’t do much sightseeing in Toronto but I strolled down the “hip-hop-happenin” (yes I just said that) areas such as Yorkville and Queen Street. Queen Street great for shopping. They have some stores I was familiar with, such as Brandy Melville, as well as other stores that are popular in Canada (some of the clothing stores price’s are way up there, which is common but others are average prices). You find Graffiti Alley when walking down Queen Street. This is (as the name suggests) an alley filled with awesome graffiti. You can also stop for a bite to eat at the many restaurants on the street, such as Warehouse, where everything but the drinks cost no more than $5 C.
Yorkville is a more expensive shopping area. Jay-Z was once spotted a at a restaurant in Yorkville having brunch and my friend and I met Troian (Spencer from Pretty Little Liars) and Patrick Adams here! It’s a nice area to walk around ad check out the stores (even if you can’t afford to spend $200 on a single shirt (lol)).
I definitely got a taste of the amazing food! The first time I went to Toronto I had not yet transitioned from vegetarian to vegan so I enjoyed some delicious crepes and one of Eva’s Original Chimney Cones as a treat. I waited 45 minutes in line to get my hands on one of Eva’s OG Chimney’s, which is a cone created like a soft pretzel (with your choice of plain, cinnamon, salt, etc.), filled with ice cream and your of choice toppings. The wait was totally worth it! So if ice cream is in your diet, I do suggest you check it out.
And now a drumroll for some of the best vegan food! *drum rolls*
First off is Nut Bar, I went here my first time in Toronto and went back again because it was soooo yummy. It’s a little “superfoods snack cafe” with smoothies, juices, teas, toast, and treats that are deliciously healthy. They incorporate superfoods like goji berries, seeds, turmeric, ginger, spirulina and more into their foods and drinks! The prices are also great! My favorite item on the menu is the savory toast. It is a cashew spread, topped with (beautiful) watermelon radish and sesame seeds. This is definitely my number one suggestion for a breakfast/brunch stop in Toronto. (I even ordered an avocado toast and superseed bar to enjoy on my plane ride to Montreal.)
My next suggestion is Baddies. If you want to gram your food, Baddies is the place to go! This cute little cafe serves coffee, tea and brunch items. It is not 100% plant-based but it does have vegan options and they are delicious and so beautiful to look at that you won’t be able to resist taking a picture. I enjoyed the smashed avocado toast, chia pudding, and iced matcha latte. Yum, yum and yummmmmy.
Next up is Planta! I went to Planta on Wednesday night and it was packed (good thing we made a reservation!) Who would’ve guessed? Once you try their food though, it’s obvious why. It was hard to choose from their menu because everything sounded soo good. They have bowls, burgers, pasta, and more. I decided to go buffet style here and tried out a little bit of everything with my friend. We ordered their burger, eggplants lasagna, truffle parm fries, and cauliflower tots. Everything was delicious and 100% planted-based. (Disclaimer: this was not the healthiest of choices with some fried food, but we’re not aiming for perfect here!) I highly recommend this for a dinner out. It is located in the Yorkville area.
Freshii is a chain restaurant that can be found in the states as well. There is on in Fairfield, Connecticut as well as other places. I did not actually try Freshii while in Toronto but I wanted to check it out and then found out it was near me! They have smoothies, bowls, wraps, juices and snacks. The oxoaca bowl is my favorite! It is a salad with kale, beet slaw, beans, brown rice, avocado and lime (I substitute the spicy yogurt sauce for creamy cilantro to make it vegan.) You can add tofu, falafel and chicken to your bowls. This is my go to when I want to grab a bite to eat back at home so check it out in Toronto as well!
I stopped at Kupfert and Kim for a quick treat but I would love to go back to try more if their food. They have bowls, burgers, soup, treats and more (similar to Freshii). I enjoyed a key lime pudding for my snack and it was delicious!
I was no disappointed with any of the food I tried in Toronto and cannot wait to try some more places the next time I go. Check them all out when you can!