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Aux Vivres
Category: Restaurants Vegan Vegan [Edit]
4631, boulevard Saint-LaurentMontréal, QC H2T 1R2
(514) 842-3479
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 11 am - 11 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
73 reviews for Aux Vivres
Review Highlights
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"The dragon bowl was so delicious and the shake was super..." In 7 reviews -
"...meal here is the mekong wrap with a creamsicle smoothie." In 4 reviews -
"...of fresh organic veggies over steamed brown rice." In 5 reviews
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- A Yelpy Insight: Vegetarians go nuts for this spot. See more places they like.
71 reviews in English
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Review from Alex M.
Montréal, QC
4/28/2012
Aux Vivres has some great portions spread out over a varied menu. My personal faves are the dragon bowl - a huge heaping pile of veggies and brown rice, the various sandwiches and the saturday-sunday brunch.
Some deserts are awesome (the brownies, the cookies), some - not so much (the pies - which can be a bit bland and served as small portions).
Everything on the menu is about $2 more than I feel good paying, but it's a clean place with some delicious stand-outs. -
Review from Marie K.
Montréal, QC
4/21/2012 1 Check-in Here
I like Aux Vivres, but I think it needs to challenge itself a bit and improve it's food. Vegan food does not have to be just "good for vegan food".
Having lived in Portland, Oregon, I've had some amazing meals in vegan restaurants. I understand that the vegan culture in Portland is way more prevalent leading to more competition and therefore leading to restaurants having to challenge themselves and make the best tasting and more creative options on their menus. I think what Aux Vivres lacks is that healthy competition in the city.
I had the Aux Vivres burger for my main. The patty itself was good, although the consistency was a bit dry and crumbly. the potato wedges it came with lacked taste and were not prepared properly. they were not crispy at all. I only ate three.
The dessert I had was the Chipotle brownie and it was definitely delicious!
So, quick conclusion: great try, first of its kind in Montreal, obviously there is a large market for this kind of restaurant considering how there are consistently line-ups to get a table.
Perhaps a little bit of competition in the city would make them "up" their game a bit. -
Review from Mike S.
I expected to hate it... Now I'll probably go back. I must admit the thought of eating in a vegan restaurant was about as interesting as the thought of sawing my own leg off!
In a restaurant world of fatty food, this place fills my need for some healthy grub.
The warp was huuuuuuuge. The salad was gorgeous. And the service was very pleasant. No complaints!
GO! -
Review from K H.
Toronto, ON
5/21/2012
Indifferent to neglectful service on a Friday night. The food was good once it finally came, but we considered eating our fingers in the interim.
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Review from Clifford R.
4/9/2012 1 Check-in Here
Cute little vegetarian / vegan restaurant. I personally am a true meat-eater, I'm all about steaks and hamburgers, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy some vegetarian delights every once in a while (that and my friends wanted to go and I didn't want to be Debbie Downer)
I started with a apple / ginger / lemon juice which was ok, but not great. I wound up leaving half of it and just continuing with water. Maybe had I been a bit more adventurous then I would have liked something else better? My sandwich (the Sirocco - eggplant, humus, olive tapenade) was excellent. It was a bit too creamy, but with those types of ingredients what do you expect. My friend got the BLT, which is made with coconut bacon, and I wasn't that impressed. Would have preferred the real thing in that situation!
The decor was a bit of a snooze-fest, vinyl booths and regular ol' tables and chairs. All in all an average experience, but I'd go back again and try something else next time. -
Review from Milena M.
Verdun, QC
4/14/2012
Very fast service , the food is always fresh and rejuvenating.
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Review from Mona P.
Montréal, QC
4/12/2012
Pretty tasty for vegan. I ventured out to Aux Vivres early on a Thursday (6pm) to be sure to get a spot as this resto always looks full!
My friends ordered the Thai bowl and I ordered the Dragon bowl. I think mine definitely looked tastier. In any case, they were all a pretty good portion and you will definitely feel full after. Too bad because those Energy Balls they had for dessert looked really tempting. -
Review from Janine T.
11/25/2011
The lunch here is so-so but the brunches are bordering on fantastic. The veggie 'meats' are tasty and cooked just right but the soy milk they give you for the less than impressive coffee just ain't right, it curdles, YUCK!
I would have given this place 4 stars, but on my last visit, I was meeting a friend for brunch. She has a Mira dog named Joey that has to be with her at all times as he is in training. He is well mannered, sits under the table and sleeps the entire time. As he was snoozing away and other patrons were smiling at him, the manager walked over and explained that she knows what a Mira dog is and informed us that she called Mira and was told that she does not have to accept the dog into her restaurant. No one complained about him and we were thrown out...but not before they made me pay the 5,50$ for the smoothie that I was sipping on while waiting for my friend to arrive. I was stunned that they would make me pay given that we were being tossed out into the cold because of the Mira dog and so I handed over 6$ to which she said "sorry, I don't have any change unless I go and open the till."
Joey has been to restaurants all over Montreal: fancy and casual and has never been unwelcome before. And here I thought that vegans were animal-friendly, guess not! -
Review from Seb A.
10/31/2011
One of my favourite vegan restaurants.
Nearly every dining experience I have had here has been great. The price of a meal might make a bit of a dent in your wallet, but it's more than worth it. In any case, for $12 I usually end up feeling full or nearly full. The frustrating thing about Aux Vivres is that there are so many things to choose from, and so it is a constant inner struggle every time I visit on whether I should order something I've had before or try something new. The last time I went I opted for the day's special - some pizza with a side salad. It was fantastic. I ordered a gyro to go as well and it was just as good. During the summer months the creamsicle smoothie is one of the best fluids you could ever put down your throat. In the colder months (or actually, any time now that I think of it), one of their delicious lattes hits the spot as well.
The staff are knowledgeable, generally friendly, and bilingual. I have had some servers here in the past give me some attitude after they received my tip (which is always more than 15%), which I did not appreciate - but guess what? They no longer work there. The servers usually fill up the water regularly, which is very much appreciated. It's as if they know I'm dehydrated every time I walk in there.
The atmosphere is semi-comfortable, but not always that inviting. Sometimes I'm seated right next to other couples and they comment on the insane things I'm saying to my date/friend/self, which can be a little annoying when it's uninvited. However, the setting is a great place to play the "Guess Who's Not Vegan in the Vegan Restaurant" game, if you're into that sort of thing.
I am glad I don't live next door to Aux Vivres because I would eat there every day. I would bring my jars of pennies to the bank just to get extra cash to eat another tofu burger. The staff would know me by name and frown as I would dump change on the counter, begging them to give me just one more slice of uncheesecake.
Yeah, so it's good. Go try it out if you haven't. You'll like it. -
Review from Mardou F.
Montréal, QC
2/5/2012
Pretentious, boring, contradictory.
Their menu totes "freshest ingredients, giving priority to local and seasonal produce, to create surprising flavour combinations and unusual dishes that you won't find anywhere else."
This statement is a stretch by any means, I have been to many vegan and vegetarian restaurants, that have blown my mind with unique and innovative cooking. This is not one of them.
Tofu and tempeh burgers are a dime a dozen. As are asian fusion bowls but not with the hefty price tag of 13 to 15 dollars, for a veggy bowl.
What is local or seasonal about daikon, dulce or wakame?
Let's be honest about what this restaurant truly is; it does not cater to much of the vegan crowd, because most vegans wouldn't pay the inflated prices for things they could easily make at home. Most vegans and vegetarians have had their share of tofu and tempeh burgers, if not a few hundred veggie bowls.
Therefore, lets truthfully admit that this restaurant caters to the curiosity of non vegan and vegetarians offering trendy fare at a price.
The staff were rather aloof, and had us standing at the host station for 10 minutes, while looking over a virtually empty restaurant. Furthermore when we were seated by who we thought to be our server, she said nothing to us and walked away from the table after seating. She then returned with a bottle of water (for 3 of us)filling our glasses with water and walked away. 20 min later our glasses were empty and we were still waiting to order. When we finally made eye contact with one of the other employees behind the juice bar(who was leisurely chatting with other staff behind the bar), the original host/server finally came over and begrudgingly took our order. After our food arrived our water glasses remained empty ( we think that they only allowed us one bottle of water because they expected us to buy drinks, such as $4.50 for 8oz of juice) and no one came to check on us to see if the food or order was to our satisfaction. To top it off the server had forgotten to bring a bowl of soup, but didn't realize. Then another sever showed up at the table with soup in hand after we had already finished our meal. After asking him to pack it to go, he returned with the bill and has the audacity to start chatting us up, almost as thought he was hoping to get a good tip. WTF?!
The food was satisfactory, but all in all the place left a bad taste in our mouths and a hole in our wallets. -
Review from Colleen R.
10/15/2011
To balance out the poutine we ate while in Montreal, we sought out some restaurants on the healthier side of the spectrum.
Aux Vivres was one such restaurant that was not only healthy but truly satisfying. My Thai sandwich wrap was really flavorful and filling, and the Creamsicle smoothie tasted sweet but not sinful.
Prices are pretty reasonable, too, with dinner for 2 coming out to about CAD$30.
Service was pretty laid-back -- for the first 10 minutes, we wondered whether we actually had a server. Perhaps they were just making the Americans chill out for a minute...Listed in: Montreal on the cheap.
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Review from Sarah Louise F.
Calgary, AB
1/17/2012
If Montreal's winter beauty, adorable vintage glasses clad folk strolling the plateau, or charming architecture did not steal my heart over the weekend, then Aux Vivres sure did the trick.
During my week's visit to Montreal, trying Aux Vivres was one of the most prominent things on my agenda. It sounds silly, but vegan restaurants like this do not come around often in Canada. Vegans, picture going into a restaurant, and being able to eat anything on the menu ever. This drove me crazy. After much debate, I eventually settled for the Kosmo's Plate- an incredible array of seitan, tzatziki, potato wedges, greek salad, rice, etc. I finished off my meal with a pot of soothing chamomile, and the BEST slice of gateau faux-mage (uncheesecake), I have ever been served in a restaurant in my life. I mean that, and I have been to some pretty famous vegan restaurants in my time. That makes me sound like an old woman. I am also a vegan baker myself, and wouldn't have done much differently.
When Montreal and its charming swagger finally wins me over and I decide to move there on a whim one day, this is where I will take all of my non-vegan friends to convert them, and where all of my food dates ever will be. Aux Vivres, I might be in love with you. I don't even care if the feeling is mutual. I love you so much that you can still see other people. :) -
Review from Sara S.
Updated - 1/4/2012
Let me just add that the chili cheese fries are a fucking dream come true. I probably wouldn't have ever tried them, had it not been for my visiting boyfriend, but boy am I glad I did. Aux Vivres does not serve french fries, rather they use potato wedges, thick and full of flavor, topped with a SPICY (yes, finally, spice in a Montreal restaurant!) and excellent chili. There is only a little vegan cheese added on afterwards, keeping the dish simple, but soft and creamy and full of spice and flavor. I will definitely be trying it again.
2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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8/7/2011
Service is still rushed and slightly unpleasant. The restaurant is on the louder side, for sure, and… Read more »
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Review from Marie M.
8/25/2011 1 Check-in Here
J'ADORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Everything on the menu is VEGAN friendly. That means I ate safely here without worrying about eggs or milk ingredients.
During a recent last-minute escapade to Montreal and after a night of fine red wines, sangrias and la terrasse, my friends and I woke up and came here for brunch. My girls are awesome, totally not vegan, but was totally agreeable in coming here because I wanted to check this place out so badly before departing the city the same day. The place was packed around noon on a rainy Sunday morning and we waited about 15 minutes for a table. The waitress was rude, maybe she didn't like anglophones.. BUT we spoke FRENCH to her, so it's totally NOT us.
I ordered a brunch option called Le Complet, which came with a side salade with green dressing, stir-fry tofu, fake bacon, and corn bread. While my ladies found the stir-fry tofu amazing, I found it a tad bland, the corn bread was good, fake bacon was meh, BUT the side salad was amazing, it was fresh and crisp and the green dressing was divine. This meal also came with coffee or chai, so I chose the chai because it was vegan friendly and I could have my coffee black anytime!
We finished our meal with Gateau Faux-mage... fake cheesecake. It tasted exactly like a real cheesecake.. only less sweet and totally better for you because it's vegan and soy... and probably made with cane-sugar, not the refine white sugar crap.
I would MOST DEF come back here. If only I lived in Montreal. This city has blown me away, I did not know it was veggie-friendly!! :) *LOVE*
Montreal, je t'aime! *bisoux* A la prochaine! -
Review from Kana L.
Montréal, QC
3/4/2012
Great vegan. Dragonbowl or thaibowl + vege pâté wrap for 2 are filling and tasty. Ginger cookie is a must.
Ambience is slightly lacking, but the good food and prices make up for it!
Aux Vivres is our go-to vege takeout spot. -
Review from Crystal H.
Vancouver, BC
Everyone is right. The Dragon Bowl is divine. Sitting solo at the bar, I was served quickly by a friendly waitress, and had the perfect perch to watch the smoothies getting buzzed. Do I want a creamsicle? With coconut milk, orange juice, carrot juice and vanilla. Yes I do!
It's a busy bustle, full of healthy looking people sporting yoga mats, talking about tennis and scarfing down the best tasting veggies I've had in a long long time. And yes, we all were taking pictures of our big bowls.
I'm already craving my next meal here, and I'm still munching on the leftover beets, carrots, grilled tempah, organic brown rice, daikon, rice, cabbage as I write!Listed in: Montreal, In a Weekend
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Review from Janna Maria V.
Québec, QC
9/11/2011 2 photos
I've lived here about a year and this place is so far my favourite Montreal food - and I'm not vegan. You can't go wrong with any of the sandwiches but my faves are the Mekong and the BLT (with roasted coconut as a bacon replacement - YUM). Also the chocolate cake is to die for.
Service-wise very good and fast. They are especially great about keeping water cups filled and replenishing you table pitcher of water. I love that they have a separate side for to-go orders too, so the two are not competing service wise. -
Review from Edward J.
12/20/2011
Okay, so, my first meal in Montreal, this is a famous vegetarian/vegan place in town. The wait was not very long, about 20 minutes, but hey, must be good! The food was actually good but not amazing. The sandwiches are a bit blend, needs seasoning, even for vegan you need seasoning. They did gave us some dipping sauce for the sandwiches, but how does that work with sandwiches which aren't even in a torpedo shape? I got an shake to go with my meal. I was starving and had to get some sort of protein.
Overall, the experience was a bit rushed and crowded but the food justified the wait.
Here's my horrible experience with the hostess. She should not be a hostess at this restaurant. I'm a Canadian myself, but lives and works in the US. At the counter, I handed my american $20 bills to the hostess to pay for the meal. Her first reaction was "This bill is fake!" I said what? What do you mean by fake? She claim the graphic design on the american $20 bill is fake. I assume she was joking with me so I laughingly told her the bill is an older version of the new bill. Its still valid, just was printed in the 1970s not the year 2000. She then yelled at me called me a liar and ran off into the kitchen (the restaurant is crowded and loud). Leaving me, my friends, and the poor waitress staring at each other blindly. The waitress said "sorry." and smiles and sneaks away. I then pulled out my other $20 USD with the UPDATED graphics. The hostess came back and I handed her the $20 USD bills. She stared at them and examines them with her high tech possibly racist eyes. She stared at me and angrily shelved me the change.
By this point I'm ragingly angry. I was determined to get her fired, but my boyfriend talked me out of acting as silly as the hostess. I walked to the waitress and gave her a $10 CND for tip, since she was so nice to us. Then we left.
About 6 blocks later, I realized the hostess gave me back the wrong change, she had given me $10 CND short of change. At that moment I had to decide whether I should make the rest of my trip about getting her fired or enjoying Montreal with my fellow french canadian friends. I chose the third option, yelp. -
Review from Kiera S.
8/12/2011
Love it! I have yet to try something here that I didn't like.
My personal favourite meal here is the mekong wrap with a creamsicle smoothie. Delicious. Corn bread with guac is a solid starter.
One thing I always find bizarre though, is that when ever I upgrade from bread to the chapati wrap, the wraps are in fact just made of pita. This has happened several times. Maybe I'm missing something, but I'm pretty sure that chapatis and pitas are not generally considered to be one and the same. Note to Aux Vivres chefs/menu-makers, if you are reading this: Miriam Webster defines 'chapati' as "a round flat unleavened bread of India that is usually made of whole wheat flour and cooked on a griddle". Just thought you should know.
The chana 'chapati' is also very good, though can get pretty soggy (again, this may be because it is in a pita, not a chapati).
Personally, I enjoy sitting at the counter (or anywhere on the lefthand side of this place), but hey, it's all good. -
Review from lino c.
Montréal, QC
1/17/2012
was amazingly delicious and i'm not vegan! i just felt so healthy but full eating there!
the place is kooky and casual...
need to go back -
Review from Sondre Lerche and Co L.
6/2/2011
Montreal's filled with beautiful people speaking a beautiful language, so after soundcheck at La Sala Rossa we decided to walk down St-Laurent, taking in the sites and possibly some dinner. We spotted a VEGAN place across the street that looked real healthy and the clientele was nothing short of bonny, so we took a booth.
THIS PLACE IS AMAZING!!!!! If yer touring through Montreal, you MUST eat here. So many good things on the menu and they're all made with some serious love. The wait staff is super pretty and nice too...
Giancarla had the Dragon Bowl and thought it was "excellent." She felt the cabbage and the carrots and the sauce that came with it were "so fresh" and not "vegetabl-ey." She went on to say, "the dressing was real yummy and the rice on the bottom had some sort of sauce,...I didn't know what it was, but loved it anyway."
Sondre had the Buddha Bowl and states, "I come from this with a perspective of someone who's not a vegetarian or vegan, but I like exploring and I thought it looked like a great establishment and I was VERY impressed. I'd say it was Ace. I felt very good about the meal and I'd never had tofu like that before. [the tofu] Tasted so good. And the healthy portion of broccoli is always a plus. You know me, I'm not big on dressings and dips and all that shit, but this sauce was perfect. The stuff on the rice was super good and I liked all those pumpkin seeds. It felt like a full, hearty, and healthy meal."
As for me, I had the Thai Bowl and was real happy with all the carrots, those big stems of bok choy, the brown rice, the peanut sauce, and tofu, but I must say, If I were to do it all over again, I'd go with the Buddha Bowl. I was so jealous of all that broccoli! (Luckily, Sondre was kind enough to share) The Bowls are definitely big enough to share or take half home for the van ride later, so keep that in mind when yer planning ahead to your post-show-midnight-meal.
All 3 of us got the fresh juices and were blown away. Sondre and Giancarla got the TONIC (Apple, Lemon, Ginger) which was super spicy and made them feel like it was immediately working on repairing the throat and boosting their sinus immunity. A+! I was elated to drink the (Apple, Carrot, Beet) juice cuz I know Beets are so good for me. Health...in a glass. Sondre even went nuts an ordered a fancy green tea on top of all that (for his pipes). He was in a decadent beverage heaven, of which, he'd make a solitary promise to re-visit as often as possible through the consumption of fresh and healthy juices around the country; or die trying. (at least that's what his expression supposed)
We didn't have time to eat dessert, but I can't imagine it'd be anything less than "fett."
GO EAT HERE!!!!
~Dave "Herremannen" Heilman -
Review from Michael Z.
Montréal, QC
1/10/2012
Always packed. It's better to order takeout. for vegan food (which usually tastes like cardboard) it's excellent. I recommend the dragon bowl with Tempe.
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Review from Heather O.
Scarborough, ON
1/24/2012
On Sunday, after working up an appetite at the Lindy Hop workshops and just before leaving Montreal and heading back to Toronto, we had dinner at a vegan restaurant called Aux Vivres....
Read the rest of the review:
http://alltheveganthin... -
Review from Emily W.
3/16/2012
The ultimate finale for my Montreal visit. After a day of wandering around the neighborhood looking at the hipsters, vintage shops, and record stores, we decided upon a recommendation to dine at Aux Vivres. I was starving when I got in which was fortunate because having so many delicious-sounding things was too overwhelming (when I usually get to choose from one or two options on the menu tops) so we ended up ordering an appetizer, smoothie, and dessert to accompany our main courses. The food was incredible, the decor was adorable, our waiter gamely answered all our weird questions, and we met a group of really nice Montreal-ans who were eating at the table next to us. Totally worth the bill.
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Review from Chris C.
11/15/2011
We visited aux vivres three times in one week because we loved the food, concept, and service. This would have been a five star review however our first visit was a deal breaker. The hostess took our name and said it wouldn't be long. She took the names of three French speaking couples behind us and sat them before us. She even gave us a smug look as she was doing it. To the owner... so sorry for the one star but we are restaurant professionals who know blatant contempt when we see it. Not sure what her problem with us was other then that we did not speak French. We try to come to Montreal every summer so perhaps after our next visit, if your host staff treats us fairly, you'll get the five stars you deserve.
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Review from Elise R.
Pickering, ON
7/9/2011 1 Check-in Here
This is just one of those place that vegans and vegetarians alike enjoy going to. And they have done a good job of it.
Everything we ordered I enjoyed. Particularly I liked the Bombay smoothy and the channa with paratha.
One thing I noticed is that there were three either recent-made-moms or about-to-be-moms there. I don't know if it means anything, but it is something I observed while I was there. I guess it is a family friendly place.
This place is worth a visit. You will not be disappointed. There is tons of variety. You might only be disappointed that you can't eat it all at once. :) -
Review from Chloe P.
Ottawa, ON
7/19/2011
I absolutely loved this place. It's been so long since I have gone I cannot remember what I ordered but I remember it being delicious.
Took my non-veggie friend with me and she was impressed! -
Review from Jenna M.
6/2/2011
I came to Montreal with three friends for a long weekend, and after eating our first meal at Aux Vivres, we honestly considered coming back here for every meal thereafter. We were crazy about this place, from the food to the service to the ambiance, it hit all the right notes.
Saturday brunch at Aux Vivres was hopping, with just a table or two in the large space available when we walked in at noon. Our servers were all really friendly and welcoming, and any questions we had were answered quickly and accurately. I ordered the Le Complet, a veritable pile of breakfast food on one plate: tofu scramble, fresh fruit, toast, salad, grilled sweet potatoes, and faux-bacon. Everything was really flavorful and totally hit the spot on a drizzly morning. I loved the grilled sweet potatoes; eaten with a mouthful of tofu scramble, it was a perfect bite.
Friends at the table got the veggie lox, which is something they have had a really tough time finding since going vegetarian, the waffles (oh my god, these were probably the most amazing vegan waffles I've ever eaten; topped with the cashew creme and fresh fruit, I nearly died), and the gyro, which looked really satisfying. We were all too full for dessert, which may have been a first for the four of us, but I was willing to sit there all day until I felt hungry enough again to sample some of the amazing menu items from the bakery.
As it was, we didn't end up returning to Aux Vivres at all during our weekend -- too many other places to try! -- but I can't wait to come back to Montreal to give it another whirl. Definitely don't miss this place. -
Review from Ray P.
11/21/2011
Was in Montreal for four days and ate here twice! The food is excellent, the wait staff is friendly, attentive and quick. The polenta during the weekend brunch is AWESOME! I'll be sure to come back on my next trip to Montreal.
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Review from S S.
6/27/2011
I was told ahead of time that Aux Vivres was the first and is still the most popular vegan restaurant in Montreal. Being vegetarian, I had to try it!
I was not disappointed. The place is fairly easy to get to and there are enough options to suit even the pickiest eater. The place was packed (with silly hipsters) when I got there. Unfortunately I didn't get to eat much, but I did get the chilli, and it was delicious! The drinks looked really good, and a lot of people near me were getting dessert, but I was already full...next time. Also, the staff are really nice here. Definitely try it out if you want quality comfort food. -
Review from Ti G.
Montréal, QC
9/25/2011
Prices double every year. I miss the old pre-macdonalized aux vivres. Still good dragon bowl if in a pinch but not what it was.
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Review from Jordan K.
1/1/2011
I was super excited to go to a vegan/vegetarian place because I've been trying to lead a meat-free diet. However, I was rather disappointed with the food.
My friend had the Soup of the Day (pea soup). She liked it, but I thought it tasted a little under-seasoned, and the texture of the vegetables in the soup was grainy (over cooked?).
I ordered the BLT in a chapati wrap, at a friend's recommendation. The coconut chips were great taste and texture wise (although my friend thought the chips were too hard). My biggest problem was the ranch dressing -- over-powering and way too salty.
I had half of my friend's vegetarian chili, which was great! Good, hearty flavour. Could hardly believe that it didn't contain meat.
Friend's mango lassi was thick, but had too much ice. Not enough of that mango and yogurt tang flavor.
Service was AMAZING. Though the restaurant was busy, we got seated and served very very quickly. Really nice waiters! -
Review from Simon L.
Montréal, QC
7/19/2011
I went to this place on two occasions. Once with my vegetarian friend (who showed me the place) and once with my girlfriend. Both times were different experience and both were amazing.
On my first visit with my friend, there was a pretty big line (I might be exaggerating, the line was maybe 10 minutes), so we decided to use the pick-up counter and eat in a nearby park. We both had sandwiches in chapattis and both we super good (I can say without a doubt that mine was, my friend said his was too). I was looking for something refreshing and fresh, and that was exactly what I got.
On my second visit, we got a seat inside. The waiters were very kind and the service was fast. My girlfriend and I both ordered the dragon bowl (a nice bowl of veggies with rice) and a shake (I got bombay banana). The dragon bowl was so delicious and the shake was super flavorful. We had been walking around in the heat all day (and had some sugary stuff earlier) and we just wanted something fresh and healthy. The dragon bowls delivered! Plus it came to 40$ (before tip) for the both of us!
I highly recommend this place to anyone who wants something fresh and delicious. -
Review from Danielle S.
8/27/2011
Nice little diner-type place that is very popular - Montreal must be teaming with veggie-people (and here I thought it was the land of smoked meat!) The menu was heavy on the tofu, which I'm not a fan of in general, but the hummus and smoothies were both very good. The staff & patrons are a bit on the alternative side, so get ready to show your tattoos off. Overall, a cool spot that I'm sure is 7th heaven for true vegans.
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Review from Mathieu B.
Roxboro, QC
7/17/2011
Francais plus bas
If somebody has to sell you that they are Vegan and that it isn't that bad and you bought it, it's most likely because you ate at Aux Vivres. I'm currently on a diet and it's tough. It's tough because I can't find what to do except boring salads and healthy sandwiches. Well Aux Vivres has a great variety in the menu. One of the complaint I always do about vegan/vegetarian it's that they hide they crave for meat by creating a weird toffu mixt simili-meat veggie version. I didn't felt that feeling about Aux Vivres. It has a heavy hippie cuisine flavour to it. Really creative vegan cuisine. Slightly asian inspired but also being audacious in some great smoothes (One with Celery, Mango and other stuff I can't remember and tasing awesome is pretty bold. Great portion an UBER-CHEAP. Which explains why it's always pacted.
Si quelqu'un veut vous vendre qu'être végétalien c'est le Paradis et que vous avez embarqué c'est parce qu'il t'as fait manger chez Aux Vivres. Actuellement, je suis sur une diete et c'est difficile d'être créatif avec de la bouffe santé quand t'as étudié en cuisine française (Beurre beurre beurre). Une des plaintes que j'ai de la cuisine Végét (Arien ou Alien) c'est l'obsession de créer des mets qui contient de la simili-viande parce qu'ils sont intrinsèquement carnivore-endormi. Je n'ai pas eut ce feeling chez Aux Vivres. Au contraire, on démontre un menu risqué mais simple avec des plats du jour. Des smoothies qui combien céleri et fruits exotiques - bizarrement délicieux. Il y a une certaine twist asiatique et même fusion mais c'est surtout de la cuisine de hippies avec une tournure bien végétalienne. Belle découverte! et VRAIMENT pas cher, ce qui explique pourquoi la place est toujours remplie. -
Review from Alex S.
Updated - 5/23/2009
I feel this place deserves an update not because my opinion has changed, but because I was recently in Montreal for three days and ate here twice. That's the second time that happened. And that says something.
The staff is just amazing. They're patient, kind, give great suggestions, and, on the whole, really rule. My server told my indecisive self to go with the tempeh burger, served with excellent cole slaw, chipotle ketchup, and potato wedges ($9), and I'm happy I did. Fantastic. And it's absolutely massive, so prepare to enjoy the glory of a light-night snack!
It's a great place to take yourself on a solo date too. No wait if you sit at the counter (where, if you feel like it, you'll get to shoot the shit with wonderful strangers. Trust me.).1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/14/2008
Wow. So good I went here for breakfast on Saturday and returned for a second meal on Sunday. I would… Read more »
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Review from marcus g.
9/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
Overall we had a great experience here. It is hard to find nice vegetarian places when traveling. The smoothies were awesome. The selections of items were great as well. The one thing that was a turn off was there secret "cheesecake". We asked what was in it and was told it was top secret and can't be told. This was because people might make it at home. I'm sorry but most people can never make the same recipe from a restaurant even if they try. I own a restaurant and give away all of my recipes. I am honored when people ask for recipes. So of course we skipped dessert :(
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Review from Jef S.
7/23/2009
Oh man...I am so disappointed to have to give Aux Vivres only 3 stars. I want to give it at least four, but here's the scoop:
The food is tremendous, really excellent. The portions on everything are huge. I ordered the famous coconut BLT (they use liquid smoke and nutritional yeast, then dehydrate the coconut meat) and, stupidly, got a side of roasted potatoes. Wrong! The sandwich on chapati (delicious bread BTW) was the length of my forearm. Potatoes were so much overkill, but still wonderful too. Rounded it off with a Santa Cruz pink lemonade. Yum. Wife got some sort of hummus wrap on chapati and dahl soup. The service was okay, pretty indifferent, but Montreal waitstaff works at its own pace and stupid Americans who may be used to faster service should just come and chill for a spell. don't worry about the service.
So here's the issue: it was hot as balls inside the restaurant (no AC?), we opted to sit outside. As we finished the meal, we noticed that the bricked in patio (cute with all the veggies growing in raised boxes) must be next to the alley. There was a strong smell of the dumpster and garbage floating across the restaurant and it was so nauseating that I almost threw up! No joke. It was terrible. I literally had to leave the restaurant and go out onto the boulevard to get some fresh air. It took quite a while to feel better.
Human beings CANNOT smell rot while they eat! It tricks the body into thinking you're eating poison. That is what the gag reflex is for. I cannot really fault Aux Vivres for this, but then again maybe I can. Poor planning on the part of the owners, or maybe they just didn't know.
I will be back to Aux Vivres for sure, because the food is fantastic, but I will be getting it TAKE OUT!!!!Listed in: Canada!
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Review from Rian D.
Montréal, QC
9/20/2010
The food is delish. It is rare to find good vegetarian/vegan food and this place served it up for sure. Although I have noticed the prices sneaking up of late the food is still worth it.
And yes the coconut bacon BLT Wrap with vegan mayo IS that good.
There hasn't been anything ordered that I didn't enjoy, and that includes the bites I have stolen off of my friend's plates :) kudos to the cooks.
I recommend:
Veggiepâté
Chili
BLT wrap
Buddah Bowl
the Soupe du Jour is usually bangin'
the Brownies are yum and so is the Chocolate/banana Pie
Staff is bilingual which is bonus and they accept cash/debit and CC.
Downside? Holy lineups Batman!
To be fair the first few times weren't too bad and the staff were friendly, however last time we waited for almost an hour to be seated (no exaggeration). Granted we were a group of 7, not as easy to seat, but I feel that with better seating management and planning this could have been avoided. People with only 2 or 3 were constantly given priority over us and then there was a couple who walked right by the line of about 15 people, went up to the hostess whom they obviously knew, and were immediately seated at a table that was just cleared. When we were seated they tried to fit us at a 4-seater table even though the table next to us was free. So we pulled it over and made it work, which noticeably pissed the waitress off and would explain the extra slow service and attitude we got that night.
As soon as we got our food though all was forgiven... or at least forgotten :)
And yes I do plan on returning, several times, although I will probably avoid going in a larger group and Thurs-Sat evenings. Or evenings period. Come to think of it take out is prob best. -
Review from Judy C.
3/2/2009
I'd give this place 3.5 stars if I can. I'm not a vegetarian, but I love my vegetables enough that I am very happy when I see a vegan restaurant.
I got the tofu dragon bowl (tofu, daikon, shredded vegetable with brown rice). I wish they'd mix the vegetable a bit more. It came in a bowl (duh), but it was somewhat hard to eat as there were a lot of shredded vegetable falling off. So I ended up eating a lot of carrots at once, cabbage another time, etc. Nothing extraordinary about the vegetable. The sauce with brown rice was good though.
My friend had the tofu burger, and she wasn't too pleased with it. Another friend got the cornbread with veggie butter and the curry cauliflower soup. They were both very filling, and she didn't care for the pepper in the cornbread. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't spectacular.
The waitress was really slow with our service.Listed in: An epicure in Montréal
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