East of Toronto (Durham region)

East of Toronto there are the towns of Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa, Port Perry and Courtice, with smaller towns just north and east. For Markham, see North of Toronto.

Further to the east, but beyond our scope is: Peterborough (see Happycow).

Ajax

 Chef Tommy's
325 Westney Road South 
Chef Tommy and Katarina, from Crete, already have a vegetarian section on their menu with many options. Vegan options available. Open Tues- Sat 11:30am - 10pm and Mon 5pm. to 9pm.

Thai Garden
235 Bayly Street W [west of Monarch]
Thai veggie spring rolls, mango salad, Pad Thai, Black Bean Tofu, Thai Eggplant, Mango Tofu, Cashew Tofu and Spicy Thai Noodles are among the vegetarian choices. Open daily to 9pm.

 Bayley Restaurant
325 Westney Road S. [just south of Bayley]
This Greek Restaurant, also known as ChefTommy's, has several vegetarian options on the menu.  There are also several vegetarian appetizers. The family-owned restaurant aims to please. Among the appetizers. Open Monday 5pm-9pm; Tuesday-Saturday 11:30am-10pm.

Courtice

 Thai Hotspot
1414 King Street East, Courtice
Tucked away in a large corner mall on King and hwy 2, you will find this oaisis of Thai food. The atmosphere is cool and calming while the staff is very attentive. You will find a page of vegetarian-vegan options but be sure to specify "no fish/oyster sauce" [fyi - there's egg in the Pad Thai]. The Mango Sticky Rice dessert is dairy-free.
    

Pickering

 Lick’s
1163 Kingston Road
This well-known chain brings its “Nature Burger” and other vegetarian delights to two Durham Region locations. Both locations offer the fast and friendly service expected. Great for families. Most locations offer a vegan dessert (Mango Tango sorbet).

Mt Everest Indian Cuisine
611 Kingston Road West [near corner of Church Road]
905-686-5553
Busy buffet at lunch. Family owned. Call ahead for dinner reservations.

  Tiano's Quality Produce
375 Kingston Road, Pickering,  [near Kingston Rd and Rougemount Dr]
905-509-4797
Fresh organic, and conventional produce, unique organic grocery...nuts, grains, pasta, chips, rice, juices, chocolate, sugar, canned products, special in-store-made products - organic jams, peanut & almond butter, apple sauce, fresh baked banana bread. Organic Produce: Carrots, broccoli, celery, lettuce, salad greens, beets, swiss chard, kale, radish, onions, garlic, shallots, potatoes, grape tomatoes, zuchinni, green pepppers, bananas, apples, pears, oranges, kiwi, avocados, grapefruit, lemons, limes, strawberries, raspberries, pineapples and other seasonal items.

  B N Natural Food 
1550 Kingston Road, Pickering,  [near Kingston Rd and Valley Farm Road]
905-420-1462
You will find tempeh, frozen wheat grass shoots, fresh nuts, seeds. No bakery or fresh produce. 

Port Perry 

The Roosters Inn - B&B / farm sanctuary – o d
Near Port Perry, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , 905-986-9843
Vegetarian breakfast and small farm sanctuary. Vegan meals available. >>Full listing

 Queen Beans Coffee House
180 Queen Street, Port Perry [905-985-6980]
Combined with P'Lovers Enviro-store, this unique cafe serves organic, fair trade coffees and teas, and provides an all-vegetarian menu and even fresh-made vegan muffins daily. Owner Amanda Jackson showcases gluten-free items in her array of veg-friendly products. Soy lattes always available to go with vegan truffles. Open from 9am-6pm Monday-Saturday, Sundays 10am-5pm.

  Miguel's Mexican Restaurant

1821 Scugog Street
Port Perry, ON L9L
(905) 982-0109
Authentic Mexican food. Several vegetarian and vegan options with a variety of sauces. Open daily from 11:30am-10pm.        

Oshawa

  Art Gallery Cafe
Bagot and Centre Streets, Oshawa
Very accommodating staff with separate vegan and vegetarian menues. Under new management. Open daily for lunch and Thursday-Sunday for dinner.

   Avanti Trattoria
17 King Street East, Oshawa
Open and friendly Italian restaurant. Many vegetarian options available. Dairy and egg-free pasta available. Salads are huge and full of great extras. Open daily from 11:30am to 11pm.

  Beanz Cafe
82 King Street West, Oshawa
Friendly coffee café. Lunch offerings include veg wraps with hummus or toasted bagels with nut butters. Soy milk also available. Open from 7am-4pm Monday-Friday.

  Cyrus Persian Restaurant 
563 Ritson Road South, Oshawa, ON L1H
Open Tuesday-Friday 11-9pm; Saturday 12noon-9pm; Sunday 12pm-7pm. Small, family-run restaurant. Eat-in or takeout. Offers great falafel entree and also a stewed eggplant entree. 905-448-0892

  Golden Thai
84 King Street West, Oshawa
Great Thai menu with many vegetarian and vegan options. Open daily from 11:30am-10pm Monday-Friday; Saturday for dinner only.

  Mexico Lindo
74 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa
Authentic Mexican food. Several vegetarian and vegan options with a variety of sauces. Open daily from 11:30am-10pm.

Healthy Food Choices – v
Oshawa, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , 905-404-0412
~~Vegan cooking series held generally twice a year held in Oshawa. Each series consists of five weekly 2-hour classes.
››› Each participant gets a recipe book, Healthy Food Choices Book One (238 pages) or Book Two (250 pages). In each class there are at least 4 demonstrations, and participants get to sample the dishes at the end. Between demonstrations, we watch videos or DVDs on various pertinent nutrition topics. Each series including one of the recipe books costs $75. I am also involved in the CHIP (Coronary Health Improvement Project) which meets 4 nights a week for four weeks. There is also a vegan cooking segment in it.

Uxbridge

 Frankie's
1 Main Street, Uxbridge 
(905) 852-1011
This cozy corner spot is an elegant Italian restaurant with a menu geared to gluten-free and nut-free cuisisne. The menu also states that most entrees can be made vegetarian and vegan on request. Soymilk is available for latte's and there are a variety of desserts.

Whitby

 

   Cup of Tea Bakery and Café – O
25 Thickson Street North 

1-877-321-TEAS (8327)
Cup of Tea Bakery and Cafe is a nut-free, organic and gluten-free bakery/take-out cafe located at a main crossroads in Whitby. Current offerings include cookies, dairy-free chocolate pea-not butter squares (soy butter), chocolate loaf cakes, breakfast bars and carrot cake with lactose-free cream cheese icing (by special order). Also over 100 different loose leaf teas, fair trade coffees and café accessories are available. Open from 8:30am-6pm Monday-Friday; 10am-5pm Saturday and 12noon-5pm on Sunday. 

Desiam Restaurant
75 Consumers Drive  [in plaza, across from Extreme Fitness]
  
905-668-1967
This authentic Thai restaurant is situated in the Entertainment Centrum complex in Whitby (commonly called the AMC plaza). Mango rolls are a great appetizer choice. Nice range of Thai vegetarian curries. Open 7-days a week but closed mid-afternoon.

Greek Tycoon
1101 Brock Street South [near Brock and St. Lawrence]
905-668-0778
The Greek Tycoon has welcomed vegetarians more than a decade with a special entrée of traditional Greek vegetarian and vegan favourites, such as stuffed vine leaves, humus, hearty lentil soup and salads. DLV meetings were often held here in the 1990s. Open 7-days a week.  

 Lick’s
1111 Dundas St. East, Whitby
This well-known chain brings its “Nature Burger” and other vegetarian delights to two Durham Region locations. Both locations offer the fast and friendly service expected. Great for families. Most locations offer a vegan dessert (Mango Tango sorbet).

  Mexico Lindo
915 Taunton E, Whitby-Oshawa
Authentic Mexican food. Staff are accommodating. Variety of vegetarian and vegan options available. Open daily from 11:30am-10pm.

The Jasmine Garden – L
10 Meadowglen Dr, Unit #2, Whitby, 905-493-1967
~~Small restaurant with an international menu. Separate lunch menu with quick items.
~~The dinner menu offers an international parade of curry, stir-fry, and pasta dishes. Most entrees are vegan and many are gluten-free. The owner's original hummus is light and delicious. A separate lunch menu features quick items that appeal to the kids from a nearby school. Smoothies, teas and coffee available. The restaurant is small, so reservations are recommended for dinner.
     They are located in a small plaza on Garden Street, south of Taunton.
~~Hours (9/17/2009): Tue-Sun 11am-9pm. Closed Mon.

 Signatures
1121 Dundas Street East [near Dundas and Hopkins] 

905-665-7392
Panoramic windows and a panoramic range of vegetarian and vegan dishes welcomes visitors to Bombay cuisine. Owners and staff are very friendly and accommodating. Fresh roti are made for those avoiding the dairy in naan. Closed Mondays.

If you're in the Durham region and would like to learn more about a vegetarian lifestyle, this group offers friendly, informal support and meets monthly (first non-holiday Wednesday of each month) at a local restaurant. Other events are also scheduled from time to time.

For more details, visit the DLV section of this site, or phone and leave a message for Jo Anne at the TVA office or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it