I went to Toronto recently to visit my friend Jocelynne, and we ate TONS of good food.
The quick list of where we ate:
RESTAURANTS/CAFES:
COFFEE/CAFES:
See below for what we ate at each place along with my honest thoughts!
RESTAURANTS/CAFES:
Fresh
- WHAT I ATE: Charcoal green lemonade, quinoa onion rings, & tex mex tortilla scramble
- THOUGHTS: The green charcoal lemonade was so interesting!! It’s completely black, but tastes like lemonade. I liked it! A tad expensive though ($11)… I probably wouldn’t have bought it if I wasn’t visiting lol.
The quinoa onion rings were so well-made!! They weren’t crumbly at all and lots of flavor. I could only eat a couple though– so much oil (but duh, they’re onion rings)!
The tortilla scramble was really good as well, but I wasn’t a HUGE fan of how they make their scramble. The flavor was a little off. Combined with everything else (the beans, salsa, tortilla, rice), however, the meal as a whole was really satisfying.
Apiecalypse
- WHAT I ATE: White Walker & Pig Destroyer Destroyer
- THOUGHTS: This by-the-slice vegan pizza place is SO similar to Screamer’s in Brooklyn, it was honestly a little scary. They both have similar interiors, the same paper plates, and are conveniently located next to parks (so you can eat outside!).
HOWEVER, I think Screamer’s still wins out: 1 because I will always stay faithful to NY, and 2 because the dough/cheese at Screamer’s is better.
HOWEVER X2: The pig destroyer destroyer was ABSOLUTELY delicious. The smoky/sweet seitan was unreal!
What A Bagel
- WHAT I GOT: Everything & oat bagels
- THOUGHTS: They make their bagels fresh daily! I ate one Sunday morning for breakfast, and the other on the bus ride back to NY. Loved them both! Fluffy and chewy :)
Public Kitchen
- WHAT I GOT: Coffee & The Grand Platter (two sunny side up vegan eggs, sautéed greens, home fries, tempeh bacon, black bean sweet potato chili, toast, whipped cashew butter)
- THOUGHTS: WOWOWOWOWOWOW. First off: They give you this CRACK (popcorn) as an appetizer and omg what the helllll!! It has coconut oil, nutritional yeast, and salt and I challenge you to resist eating the whole bowl. The only reason we didn’t is because the food arrived before we could.
AND THEN: The meal. This place is known for their vegan “egg,” which is made with nutritional yeast, black salt, and tofu. Oh and the vegan “yolk” even explodes. HOW DO THEY DO IT?!?!? IDK.
Ok moving on to the tempeh bacon: I think it’s the best I’ve ever had??? It was subtly sweet and full of flavor. And even the bread, which I’m pretty sure was GF, was AMAZING!! So crunchy and delicious. I wish I knew more adjectives for food.
ALSO: They offered to sub my cashew butter (which I couldn’t eat due to a nut allergy) for avocado. To which I was like DUH! Most restaurants are NOT nice enough to do that, so I really really appreciated it!
Moral of the story: It was a damn fine meal.
OH AND WATCH MY EPIC BOOMERANG:
Kings Cafe
- WHAT I GOT: Assorted seitan platter, hot & sour soup, mango sushi, steamed veggie buns
- THOUGHTS: We randomly went here to kill time while waiting for a downpour to pass, and DAMN did this place exceed my (nonexistent) expectations.
We all LOVED the hot & sour soup! It had lots of mushrooms and other goodies, and the “small” was big enough to give the 3 of us second helpings. The seitan platter was good, but it needed something else on the side– maybe some rice or veggies. It was literally a plate of a bunch of seitan.
The mango sushi was surprisingly delicious– I don’t know how they cook their rice but DAMN is it good. The buns were also good, but nothing to write home about. Just yo standard bunzz.
Cosmic Treats
- WHAT I GOT: Salted caramel chocolate frosted brownie
- THOUGHTS: We literally left Kings and then crossed the street to get more food at Cosmic Treats LOL #fatties. This place has more than just dessert (the regular food looked good too), but we were there for the sweets.
My brownie was prob the best vegan brownie I’ve ever had. THAT FROSTINGGGGG omg. It had some sort of caramel swirl thingy on top. I died. I also had some of Jocelynne’s soft serve: not nearly as rich/decadent as my brownie, but a good choice if you want something lighter. Honestly, not the best vegan soft serve I’ve ever had, but decent nonetheless!
COFFEE:
De Mello Palheta
- WHAT I GOT: Almond milk latte
- THOUGHTS: Cute, cozy neighborhood coffee shop. Really good, smooth latte! Not too bitter and not too sweet. I saw one vegan baked good– I think it was one of their cookies.
Bloomer’s
- WHAT JOCELYNNE GOT: Rose pistachio donut
- THOUGHTS: I only had a small bite, but it was delicious! They have TONS of other vegan treats/donuts, so it’s worth a visit if you have a sweet tooth!
Crafted Coffee
- WHAT I GOT: Almond milk latte
- THOUGHTS: BEST COFFEE I had the whole trip!! Their almond milk latte was SO creamy, smooth, and delicious omg I will be dreaming of this latte for some time…
Crosstown Coffee Bar
- WHAT I GOT: Almond milk latte
- THOUGHTS: Cute, semi-hidden coffee shop. Really friendly staff. The baked goods looked delicious but none were vegan :( My latte was ok– probably the worst of the 3, but still fine!
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