Restaurants

Toronto is a city of immigrants, so there's a broad variety of world cuisines available here. You will have no trouble finding good meals. Michelin recently discovered Canada, so now we even have some stars and notable mentions.

There are two annual restaurant food festivals - Summerlicious and Winterlicious. Even if you miss the festivals themselves, the list of restaurants is still a good place to start.

I would generally avoid Indian and Italian restaurants here. The average UK Italian/Indian place far outstrips the average Toronto Italian/Indian place. There are good places, but they're not the safe default they would be in the UK.

Finding a good meal is easy, so I will steer you towards the vegan and vegan-friendly places I like.

Good meals out

  • Nunu in Queen West is probably the priciest Ethiopian restaurant in the city, but it's one of the best. The herbivore platter is tasty, and they're also a proper cocktail bar. One of my favourites.
  • Planta is probably the city's fanciest vegan restaurant. It's neither excessively pricey nor pretentious.
  • Tenon vegan sushi does what it says on the tin. It offers a really varied menu - some vegan fish or meat dishes, some vegetable-focused sushi. This is another favourite place; we often get takeaway from here when we're returning from a camping trip.
  • Fresh jacked its prices up post-pandemic, and has tried to move somewhat upmarket. It has several branches in the city, and has a pretty broad menu. I am less fond of it than I used to be, but I still like it.
  • Udupi Palace is an Indian restaurant in the east end. It is the opposite of fancy; a big basement with simple tables and little decor. But they do a great thali, and it's very affordable.
  • Khao San Road is a bustling Thai place around King West with a separate vegan menu. I've enjoyed every meal I've had here. It is entangled with Pai, another nearby Thai place; legend has it that the two owners of Pai had a falling-out, and one left to set up Khao San Road. Pai is a popular place, but I used to work in the office above it and heard too many horror stories to eat there.
  • Hogtown Vegan offers vegan versions of classic American dishes - chicken and waffles, stacked burgers, and so on. I can't eat like this every day but it's always well-executed.
  • Buddha's Vegetarian is a classic Toronto choice. It's a down-to-earth place, clearly converted from a house to a restaurant. Generous portions mean you're likely to leave with leftovers.
  • District Eatery is a little pretentious but has a decent vegan selection, and offers a vegan White Russian. An enjoyable rarity.
  • I always enjoy Hello 123 more than I expect to. There's nothing extraordinary here but the food is always well-prepared.
  • Dai Bi Chay is out in Etobicoke. It's a down-to-earth Vietnamese restaurant.
  • African Palace is another good Ethiopian place on Bloor. It's more downmarket than Nunu but it's tasty.
  • Cafe Landwer is an Israeli diner with some vegan options. I had a particularly good serving of greens here; the broccoli was hot, al dente, and correctly seasoned. It's hard to get broccoli right in a busy restaurant - it's easy to get the timing wrong, and it cools so quickly - so I was impressed.
  • I've never eaten in at South India Dosa Mahal, but their takeaways are good and their vegan options clearly marked. They have a wide range of dosas, as you'd expect. They're not afraid of spice.

Okay meals out

  • Rosalinda's has never knocked my socks off, but is fine enough.
  • The vegan options at Skyline Diner are alright, but I wouldn't seek them out specifically. Come for Tuesday night trivia and have a bite to eat, though.
  • I like the food at Parka - it's a vegan burger place on Queen West.
  • African Delight is more of a cafe than a restaurant, but the food is good.