Top Vegetarian Eats in Toronto

King's Café

In the heart of funky Kensington Market at 192 August Avenue, King's Cafe serves up exceptional Chinese vegetarian cuisine. Step past the Cafe's unremarkable exterior into its sparely elegant interior and sit down for one of the best meals you're going to get in this town. The menu is extensive and prices reasonable. What is often an afterthought elsewhere is a delight here: combo-included rice is a crunchy purple blend, the salad contains slivers of pear and orange in a citrus dressing. Best Chinese? King's Cafe is a contender for Toronto's best vegetarian restaurant over all.

Karine's All Day Breakfast And Vegan Vegetarian

Right beside the AGO in the handy Village By the Grange food court, Karine's serves Mediterranean, European and Lebanese fresh cuisine and homemade vegan food. Students from the nearby Ontario College of Art and Design line up for Stuffed French Toast with mixed berries preserve, Vegan Tofu Beni, Mushroom Delight and sandwiches. Brunch and all-day breakfast is Karine's satisfying specialty.

Udupi Palace

Take a winding scenic ride east on the 506 Carlton streetcar to Gerrard Street's India Bazaar strip for the best in South Indian food. Here at unassuming Udupi Palace, some of the nicest guys in Toronto help you choose from an enticing 100% vegetarian menu. The house specialty are dosas. At nearly 2' long, the savory paper-thin stuffed crepes are not just supremely tasty but supremely photographable as well. The assorted palace hors d'oeuvres platter is a good value. Counterbalance the spice with a creamy lassi in plain, sweet, salty, mango or banana flavors. Udupi Palace is open for lunch but the evening street scene adds fun and flavor. www.udupipalace.ca

Big Carrot Natural Food Market

Amid Greektown's meat-heavy menus, find vegetarian fare at the Cafe counter at the back of the Big Carrot whole foods co-op. Choose from a well-prepared variety and pay by weight. My last plate there included nori seaweed rice, sauerkraut tempeh and spicy cauliflower but milder items are on offer if you've got kids in tow. The market itself is a big, bright treasure trove and the Carrot Common enclave includes a wholistic dispensary, natural toiletries and cosmetics section, organic juice bar, book store, gem shop and two women's clothing boutiques. All this just west of the Chester subway stop. One of Toronto's most useful addresses. www.thebigcarrot.ca

Commensal

This class vegetarian act sits at the corner of Bay and Elm, just a dogleg northwest of the Eaton Centre. And what a way to stay out of the food court. An appetizing array of traditional comfort food (like shepherd's pie and various gratins) to more exotic selections. Salads (think avocadoes in vinaigrette) and desserts appeal. This is not an all-you-can-eat; you are charged by weight so it literally pays to look over the restaurant's entire buffet before you make your selections. Jazz on Friday nights.

Art Square Cafe

Not strictly vegetarian, Art Square Cafe has enough meat-free options on its menu to warrant a mention. Directly across Dundas Street from the AGO, 16" folded, stuffed crepes (either plain or buckwheat) are served in an artsy gallery setting. Beverages are notable: Illy coffee concoctions and a fanciful tea menu. A liquor license means you can have a glass of wine with that. Open ten to ten every day at a really convenient central location. www.artsquarecafe.ca

One Love Vegetarian

Now I know what they ate in the Garden of Eden! Newly opened at 854 Bathurst Street, just a block up from the subway station, Aaron Li-Hill's glorious green mural hints at the garden of earthly delights that awaits inside One Love Vegetarian restaurant. Famous for the Caribbean corn soup they dished up at Harbourfront's World Cafe, Ras Iville and Ikeila Wright now provide Annex denizens island-style vegan food five days a week. Roti, lima bean stew... the day's menu varies but is always anchored by their soul-satisfying soup. On my last visit, organic whole-wheat dumplings were buried like treasure beneath savory steamed callaloo with chunks of plantain and yellow yam. When pepper comes it is fresh, diced scotch bonnet on a chip of coconut shell. Garden of Eatin' indeed. Closed Sundays and Mondays, check their website for exact hours. www.oneloveveg.com

Mela Cafe

Enjoy Yorkville's Euro-style cafe scene at this cute little vegetarian spot just off Yonge St. Mela means apple in Italian and here the menu changes daily depending on what’s freshest. There is always a pizza selection and luscious panini but try the spaghetti frittata or risotto pie if it's available. Mela is run by Roberto Granata, former chef for Il Fornello and the Four Seasons, so you know it's going to be good. Sweet staff and breezy music add to your happy experience. Excellent value and ambience for the money, especially by Yorkville standards.

Trinity Square Cafe

Those in search of a light vegetarian lunch behind the Eaton Centre need look no further than Trinity Square Cafe. At the southeast corner of atmospheric Church of the Holy Trinity (1847), trainees in a program run by George Brown College provide a short but almost-completely vegetarian menu (with quite a few vegan options) from Monday to Friday between 11:30 am to 2:30 pm. Six daily soups draw suits from City Hall and nearby office buildings, with favorites like Moroccan Tomato with Peanuts or Brazilian Black Bean selling out early. Daily entree specials are an especially good bargain as they come with your choice of soup or salad. You could eat in at a table but why not get it to go? If all the benches around the labyrinth are taken, perch near the gushing water fountain or in the shady enclave behind the gothic-style church. One of my favorite spots in the whole city.