Kensington Market, Baldwin Village & Chinatown

Chinatown (along Dundas and Spadina) is a great area to buy super fresh Asian produce such as bok choy, lychee nuts and whole coconuts. The Chinese traditionally avoid meat at least every full and new moon so as a result several vegetarian restaurants are located here. Kensington Market just north-west of Chinatown is also a good place to shop for produce. It has a European feel with narrow streets and open markets. Baldwin Village runs along Baldwin between Beverly & McCaul.

Bloom Cafe+Eatery+Catering
45 Baldwin St (e. of Beverley), 416-850-4200
bloomtea.ca
~~Tea, coffee, juice or healthy meal.
››› New extensive vegetarian menu and vegan desserts! Come and try our famous onigiri and enjoy unique drinks like blooming teas. Also serving freshly squeezed juice & smoothies, illy espresso, and licensed under LLBO. Casual and relaxing ambiance at wholesome prices! Catering available.

v Bo De Duyen
186 Spadina Ave (n. of Queen St W), 416-703-1247
~~Now a cafe serving hot tea, bubble tea, cold soy milk served from a fountain machine. 3 freezers full of mock meats. Fresh lunches made each morning for take out or eat in at bar seating.

Buddha's Vegetarian Restaurant – k
666 Dundas St W (e. of Bathurst), 416-603-3811
~~Chinese cuisine – gluten, noodles, rice, etc. Inexpensive, generous portions. Closed Tuesday.

v Cafe 668 Vegetarian Restaurant – L
885 Dundas St W (at Claremont), 416-703-0668
www.cafe668.com
~~Innovative pan-Asian vegan/vegetarian cuisine. Beautiful space.
~~In August 2007 they moved to a larger, newly renovated restaurant with a patio, at 885 Dundas St, west of Bathurst at Claremont. The space is beautifully designed using lots of glass, high ceilings and a stone wall. In the Sept 21 issue of NOW, they received the highest rating from the food editor, five N's. http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2007-09-20/goods_foodfeature.php. "Yes, prices have increased somewhat. But when the setting's this gorgeous, the welcome this genuine and the food so often delish, what's another buck or two?"
~~Hours: Tue-Sun noon-10pm, Mon (for dinner) 5pm-9:30pm.

Free Times Cafe – o L ç
320 College St (w. of Spadina), 416-967-1078
www.freetimescafe.com
~~Club, licensed restaurant and cafe. Middle eastern, Jewish and Canadian cuisine. Lots of vegetarian options.
››› Vegetarian buffets and hors d’oeuvres for parties. Home made with fresh market produce. New: Fair trade organic coffee.
~~Update (Aug 2007): they are using organic sprouts and plan to start an organic section on their menu.
~~Hours (9/17/2009): open late.

Full Moon Vegetarian Restaurant – k L ç d
638 Dundas St W (at Denison), 416-203-1210
~~Over 90 items on the menu written in both English and Chinese. Many mock meat, mock fish, or bean curd (tofu) dishes. Lunch specials.
~~Lee Pui Ming wrote us to say that Full Moon is "innovative; consistently uses top of the line ingredients; and is excellent value for the money." They serve beer, but no wine.
~~Hours (9/17/2009): Sun-Tue 11am-9:30pm, Thu 11am-9:30pm, Fri-Sat 11am-10:30pm. Closed Wed.

Hibiscus – o
238 Augusta Ave (s. of College), 416-364-6183
~~Friendly store and cafe with vegetarian and vegan crepes, soup and several cold salads. Also vegan cookies, brownies, and homemade soy ice creams.
~~This small organic store and cafe has an elegant decor. They serve vegetarian and vegan crepes with 15 filling ingredients to choose from (including seasonal fruit) plus soup and several cold salads such as quinoa tabouli, pasta, potato and others. For dessert there is an excellent selection of vegan cookies, brownies, and homemade soy ice cream along with coffee and tea.
     The food is mainly for take out but there are some small tables and benches. Fancy oils and gourmet products, bulk rice and grains are tastefully arranged on the walls.
~~Hours (9/17/2009): Mon-Sat noon-7pm, Sun 2pm-7pm.

v Hot Yam! – O c
33 St George St (n. of College)
www.hotyam.blogspot.com
~~Dine-in or bring your own container if you want to take-out. All vegan, mostly local and organic lunches at the International Student Centre once a week.
››› We are a student group on campus that aims to make and offer food to the U of T community that supports our planet, the local community, and people of diverse eating heritages and preferences. Once a week we cook up a delicious, mostly local, mostly organic and entirely vegan lunch all for a measly $4. Accessible to everyone. Help us out and volunteer and eat for free! Email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it if interested.
~~NOW Magazine gave them a great NNNN review. August 2009
~~Hours (8/27/2009): Thursdays 12-2pm.

Karine's Vegetarian & All Day Breakfast – ç
32-109 McCaul St (at Dundas W), 416-591-0863
www.karines.ca
~~Mediterranean and European cuisine in the Village by the Grange food court opposite OCAD.
››› Karine's offers the closest to home cooking from extravagant fresh fruit filled breakfast platters to healthy lunches and dinners. Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten Free and mostly organic foods prepared with love and passion. Delight of all is our BOMBA exquisite fiber spread. Vegan goodness right in the Village By The Grange. (Next to the AGO, on McCaul south of Dundas W)
~~Despite their title, they are not entirely vegetarian due to some breakfast meats. We suggested mock meats but Maggie doesn't want to use any processed foods. The menu includes vegan French toast, egg dishes, pesto, Mushroom Delight, sandwiches, platters, salads, etc. Lots of garlic. Maggie used to operate three vegetarian-friendly locations in Toronto, but has since sold them. This is her latest venture that she is doing along with her daughters.
~~Hours (9/17/2009): Mon-Fri 8pm-9pm, Sat-Sun 10am-6pm.

King’s Cafe – k ç d
192 Augusta Ave (s. of Baldwin), 416-591-1340
~~Chinese restaurant with dim sum, soups, sushi, mock meat dishes, combination specials. Plus fancy tea and mock-meat store. Patio in front.
~~Update (April 2009): They re-opened April 6 after a major renovation. The beautiful interior incorporates stone and dark wood. The space is now one large dining room with a boutique off to the side selling a wide selection of exotic teas and some frozen mock meats. Everything including the menu is more upscale and fancy. Gone are the messy brochures and newspapers. The new menu includes dim sum, soups, sushi, mock meat dishes and combination specials. Many dishes are the same, but the serving presentation is more fancy. New is a whole page of different teas. They served me a delicious pot of Lychee Black Tea. I ordered the $13 combo special of tofu seaweed strips with steamed bok choy, purple rice (brown, wild and red rice), organic salad, tofu nuggets (ask for the vegan nuggets if you avoid dairy), a spring roll and soup of the day. Other dishes include: Sweet 'n' Sour Lappa (battered burdock balls), Curry with Mushrooms, Enoki Mushroom Balls, and Schezuan Style Spicy Tofu. There is also a kid's combo for $9.50.
    Full service patio with view of Kensington market. Open daily.
~~Hours (9/17/2009): Mon-Sat 11:30am-9:30pm, Sun 11:30am-9pm.

Moonbean Coffee Company – o L d
30 St Andrews St (at Kensington), 416-595-0327
www.moonbeancoffee.com
~~Popular cafe with light meals, tea, coffee, smoothies and desserts. Large selection of certified fair trade organic coffees, roasted on site. Patio.
››› Toronto’s largest selection of certified fair trade organic shade-grown coffees, roasted on-site. Available in-house or as beans to take home. Huge selection of loose-leaf tea. Juice bar, ice-coffee bar, smoothie bar, soups and light food. Front and back patio. Wholesale.
~~All hot drinks can be served with soy milk as an option. Covered front patio, and a backyard patio that is half covered. Smoking is permitted in the back uncovered area. Wholesale available.
~~Hours (9/17/2009): daily 7am-10pm.

Rancho Relaxo – k L c d
300 College St (w. of Spadina), 416-920-0366
www.ranchorelaxo.biz
~~Mexican vegan-friendly dinner restaurant.
››› We are a small authentic Mexican restaurant that has been around for 11 years. Our pride starts in offering hand squeezed lime margaritas and carries on into amazing entrees. This year is the year of the vegetarian, well in our eyes. While we have always offered veg/vegan food items on our menu we our now going one step further. Tofu Borrache a delicious combination of tofu, tequila and cactus, stuffed chili rellano peppers with spinach and tofu and our huge burrito con guacamole – all the healthiness of avocados disguised in delicious Mexican salsas. All your other favorites like quesadillas, fajitas and enchiladas available daily and entrees come with vegetarian (no meat stock) rice and refried beans! Huge fresh market salads and made-to-order soups to warm your heart. Save room for dessert too as our NEW deep-fried soy ice cream is sure to have you coming back again and again – battered, deep fried and topped with cinnamon and honey. Rancho Relaxo looks forward to serving you soon and make sure to check us out at the Annual Vegetarian Food fair in the food tent!
~~Vegan cheese and sour cream available as an option. Adam writes: "I can confirm: vegan heaven! ...our wonderful waitress says that something like 50% of their customers are vegetarian. Oh, and by "wonderful" I mean probably the best waitress that I've ever had. From the moment we arrived until the moment we left, she was not only warm and friendly, but expressed real passion about both Rancho Relaxo and its vegan options. She was sooo excited about their TVA discount. Her name is Alecia."
~~Hours (9/17/2009): Mon- Sun 5- 10.30.

Sneaky Dee’s – L (not on map)
431 College St (at Bathurst), 416-603-3090
www.sneaky-dees.com
~~Restaurant, bar and concert venue popular among young people. They serve Mexican fare with several vegan options.
~~Sneaky V's – Brandy reports: "I was at Sneaky Dee's for the first time in forever and saw that they had a half a dozen vegan items on their menu including vegan nachos, tofu wrap, veggie burger, and even VEGAN CUPCAKES. I asked the server about it. Apparently a new vegan baker working in the kitchen had managed to sneak the items onto the menu. Actually the management agreed, as there has been demand for vegan options. Pretty cool I thought. :)"

v Urban Herbivore – o
64 Oxford St (at Augusta), 416-927-1231
www.herbivore.to
~~Popular vegan cafe. Creative sandwiches, green salads, fresh squeezed juices and baked goodies. Counter seating. Green roof.
››› The Urban Herbivore, sister to upscale Fressen restaurant on Queen St, provides great vegan food on the go. The menu features grilled sandwiches on fresh baked bread, an array of green salads, fresh squeezed juices and baked goodies. The Herbivore’s oversized vegan muffins were voted best muffin in Toronto by Now magazine! Bottled gourmet soups and packaged dips and dressings made in-house are available to take home. Everything is made from the freshest ingredients and is organic whenever possible. All packaging, including take-out cutlery, is 100% biodegradable!
~~Update (May 2008): They have changed their hours to 9am to sunset, which as of mid-May means around 7:30pm. The closing time is somewhat flexible and depends on how busy they are. A few months ago they expanded their space with a bright and airy wrap-around wood frame addition topped with a living green roof. Update (May 2009): an informal patio has been added to the north side with wood tables and chairs.
~~Hours (7/11/2009): daily 9am-7pm.

VEDA – Healthy Indian Eatery & Takeout – o
10 King's College Rd (U of T) Delivery hotline: 416-961-9797, 416-961-9797
www.vedatakeout.com
~~Quick service healthy Indian cuisine for eat-in, takeout and delivery.
››› Located in the Sandford Fleming Building at 10 King's College Road just north of College St and south of Convocation Hall, now you can enjoy the same great Veda experience on Campus. Our menu continues
    to expand with even more vegetarian/vegan options available. Eat-in, takeout, and delivery. Hours available online

v Vegetarian Haven – o c d
17 Baldwin St, 416-621-3636
www.vegetarianhaven.com
~~“Asian Fusion” cuisine. Over 100 flavourful vegan dishes. Inviting Summer patio, cozy dining room and friendly service. Lunch and dinner specials.
››› “Asian Fusion” cuisine. Over 100 flavourful vegan dishes. Inviting Summer patio, cozy dining room and friendly service. Lunch and dinner specials. Daily soup made from scratch. Something exciting & delicious is created for the Daily Special.
~~What can I saw about this place? Awesome. Simply awesome. Every dish is like a work of art. They pair flavours flawlessly with textures from seitan, wheat gluten and tofu. The burgers are crazy, stacked high and juicy with different choices for the 'patty'. Definitely not your typical meat and cheese on a stale bin variety.
    
    Vegetarian Haven also has cute mock meat dishes and appys (like gluten drumsticks and seitan steak dinner), but if this isn't your thing this restaurant will amaze you by what they can do with a seasonal veggie dish.
    
    Desert is perfect too, although I am usually too full to order it.
    -comment on BlogTO
    
    Note: Toronto Vegetarian Association rents the 2nd floor for our office and resource centre. Visit us after on Wednesdays from 6-9pm and Saturdays from 1-4pm
~~Hours (9/17/2009): Tues-Fri Noon-3pm, 5pm-10pm, Sat 5pm-10pm Sun 5pm-10pm, Closed Mon.

Wanda’s Pie in the Sky – o c
287 Augusta Ave (s. of College), 416-236-7585
www.wandaspieinthesky.com
~~Cafe serving pie, desserts, pizza, sandwiches and soup. Some vegan options. Inviting space with lots of activity. Street-facing patio.
~~Wanda's has opened a new location in the heart of Kensington Market across from Urban Herbivore. They are entirely vegetarian, offering tasty pizza, sandwiches and soup, in addition to desserts. Vegan options are somewhat limited, but the soup is generally vegan, they offer one type of vegan cookie and a variety of vegan pies.
     The space is very inviting with lots of activity, a large communal wooden table, newspapers for reading, and large doors opening to a street-facing patio.
~~Hours (9/17/2009): Mon-Sat 10am-7pm, Sun 11am-6pm.

4 Life Natural Foods – O (not on map)
257 Augusta Ave (in Kensington Market), 416-591-6800
~~An all-organic mostly-produce food store in the Market. Direct ties to organic farmers. Mennonite eggs.
~~Hours: Daily 7am-7pm.

Baldwin Naturals – O d
16 Baldwin St, 416-979-1777
~~Full service organic / natural food market.
››› We specialize in organic: fresh produce, bulk foods & groceries, breads & baked goods, gourmet coffees. Vitamins, supplements & herbal remedies. Macrobiotic foods. Natural skincare & Aromatherapy.
~~Hours (9/17/2009): Open daily.

Essence of Life Natural Foods – O d
50 Kensington Ave (in the market), 416-506-0345
www.essenceoflifeorganics.com
~~Excellent selection of bulk and packaged foods, dairy-free products, and organic produce. Many items are discounted. Open 7 days a week.

Toronto Vegetarian Association's Resource Centre – d
17 Baldwin, 2nd floor, 416-544-9800
www.veg.ca/tva
~~Lending library, resource centre and store. Vegetarian cookbooks, DVDs, factsheets and more. Open Wed 6-9pm and most Sat 1-4pm.
››› Books, cookbooks, magazines, videos and audio tapes may be borrowed for a refundable $20 deposit. One of the most extensive selections of vegetarian books in Toronto – over 100 titles. No tax and TVA discount card holders receive 10% off retail prices.
~~Hours (9/17/2009): Wed 6-9pm, Sat 1-4pm, except holidays.

Left Feet – v d
416-360-5338  www.leftfeet.ca
~~Now taking orders online only.
››› Vegetarian Shoes, Blackspot, Splaff, Mohop, Manimal, Truth and more. "Were unable to secure a new lease for this location and Left Feet must find a new home. The last day at 88 Nassau St. will be Friday September 11th, 2009. While the store is in transition, I will continue to accept special orders for Vegetarian Shoes and mail order footwear anywhere in Canada. All of my contact information will stay the same so please continue to call or email with your questions."

Pedestrian Sundays

Every year, Kensington Market goes car-free on the last Sunday of the month from May to October. There is acoustic music, marching bands, free yoga, dancing & more. Toronto Vegetarian Association frequently has a table set up on Augusta Ave, and King's Cafe always has a variety of delicious dumplings and kabobs for sale on the street. 1 pm to 7 pm. Full details at www.pskensington.ca. See our events page for more great happenings in the Toronto Area.