When your kids grimace at the sight of another cheese and charcuterie board, you know it’s time to reign in the festive feasting. This January, get the family back to healthier eating by trying out some of Toronto’s best vegan spots. After all the roasts and sausage rolls, mince pies and heavy confections, you’ll all rejoice at the sight of lighter, colourful, plant-based fare.
avelo
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After whiling away the winter break, getting back to reality can be torture. Ease into the end of the holiday season with dinner at this charming vegan spot near Yonge and Bloor. Opt for a 5- or 8-course tasting menu fashioned from rare ingredients used in creative ways. Or, upstairs, choose from a more approachable à la carte menu. Whichever you choose, prepare to marvel at the kitchen’s proficiency with plants. Each plate, composed of house-made broths, cheeses, breads, vinegars, pastas and more, is a tiny celebration of seasonal, global flavours.
by CHLOE
If, by January, you have any energy left for shopping, head to Yorkville and plan a stop at this fast-casual, New York City import. Opened last November, the chain boasts a bright, kid-friendly approach to graphic design and a menu of familiar favourites, reinvented for vegan diets. Hungry kids will wolf down poutine, pancakes, mac n’ cheese and more, no questions asked.
Globally Local
We’re not saying that fast food is healthy but when it’s made from grains, tofu, beans and vegetables galore it’s a few notches above average. At this London-based chain, you’ll find all the familiar convenience staples, including a Big Mac doppelgänger, all-day breakfast and coconut-milk soft serve. Treat the kids, indulge your cravings, then hop back on the ascetic January bandwagon.
Hello 123
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The suave, mature sibling to ever-popular sister chain Kupfert & Kim, Hello 123 is a chic, minimalist spot on Queen West serving carefully-crafted, plant-based dishes and drinks. Kids will dive into pulled pineapple sliders, loaded sweet potatoes and heaving platters of veggie-crowned nachos. For grown-ups looking to make resolutions stick, dishes like spicy bap and green xxxxx, made with quinoa and a day’s worth of good-for-you veg, are godsends.
LOV
If ever there was a place to brighten up a dreary winter’s day, LOV is it. Its gleaming interior, literally dripping with foliage, is straight out of sunny California (via Montreal where the chain began). With a focus on “Local Organic Vegan,” menus cover a range of popular dishes from around the world. Comfort classics like burgers, dumplings and kimchi fries star alongside feel-good fuel including coconut curry and poke bowls. Celebrate the new year with a blue-lavender latte in one hand and a vegan bloody Caesar in the other. There’s no better way.
Rosalinda
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Come winter, some people just want to dip their toes into Mexican sands. If that’s you, we can’t help. What we can recommend, is a visit to Rosalinda where the greenhouse-like space harnesses the heat of the sun and the vibrant vegan cooking is the life of the fiesta. There are juices, tonics and cocktails that revive and the kitchen’s spin on flautas, ceviche, fritters and more is innovative, tropical and the easiest way to feel like you’re at the beach even when there’s a blizzard blasting the world outside.
Virtuous Pie
Blitz greens into pesto, daub it on pizza and, bingo, you’ve practically won today’s vegetable war with the kids. Need more reasons to visit Virtuous Pie? The sleek space offers a hearty selection of botanic bites, with garlic knots, kale Caesars and mac and cheese alongside imaginatively-topped pies. If you’re still pining for December, the Holiday, a pizza featuring a vegan feast of cranberry sauce, walnut stuffing, miso cashew gravy, potatoes and more, is definitely the way to go.
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Category: restaurants
