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CrudaCafe
Categories: Restaurants Live/Raw Food Restaurants Vegan Live/Raw Food, Vegan [Edit]
St. Lawrence Market92 Front St E
Basement
Toronto, ON M5E 1C4
Neighbourhoods: Corktown, St. Lawrence, Downtown Core
(647) 346-6502
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dessert, Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
18 reviews for CrudaCafe
18 reviews in English
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Review from Winnie C.
Toronto, ON
5/6/2012
I don't think I would have tried CrudaCafe, if my raw vegan friend didn't take me there. Raw vegan food is definitely not mainstream, it's not for everybody for sure.
So far, I have been to Cruda twice. Last time I was there, I had their Gnocchi Carbonara - "Gnocchi" was quite tasty (rather nutty) and spiral zucchini "noodles" were surprising good. We also tried the raw raspberry chocolate pie, which was decent. This time, my frd and I shared a Pizzeta (tomato flax thin crust topped with our house creamy cheese, tomato, olives, avocado, sprouts, paired with a small salad), the pizza was only so-so. We had pancakes as well, the texture of the pancakes were more on the moist side, but you can't go wrong with chocolate and banana.
Overall, I 'll say if you haven't tried raw vegan food before, go give it a try. Keep an open mind, it may give you a nice surprise. My only complaint would be it's a bit on the pricy side.... Unfortunately, healthy food always comes with a price tag..... =( -
Review from Emily R.
Toronto, ON
2/27/2012
If I could give it zero stars I would.
Worst customer service ever. The woman was ssooooo unfriendly, AND didn't wash her hands before making my food. I don't know why I didn't leave right then.
The food was bad to the max. No flavour, awful texture, and pricy.
Stay away at all costs. -
Review from Meg S.
Toronto, ON
4/15/2012
I've been looking forward to getting down to St Lawrence to check out this raw food restaurant, however sadly it was a complete disappointment.
I ordered the sun dried tomato wrap which was very, very bland. I'm not sure what was in the wrap other than shredded carrot and beets and a few greens. If they added any kind of a sauce or dressing it I couldn't detect it as was there was no flavour to the wrap whatsoever. If I wanted to just eat raw vegetables I could have brought some from home. I was expecting a bit of taste sensation and there was absolutely none. The wrap was desperately in need of some lemon juice or herbs, anything but that dull bland flavour.
The 2 women behind the counter were unfriendly and not at all interested in me as a customer and the food is over-priced. The wrap on it's own came to over $11 with tax and the "special" juice of the day, a tiny cup of pink grapefruit juice was an additional $3.50. I definitely would not recommend this restaurant nor will I return.
My friend had the pancakes and they were equally unappealing in texture, appearance and taste. The servings are so tiny, the server put a total of 3 slices of banana as a topping for the 2 pancakes. It was like are these rationed out? -
Review from Tandy A.
Toronto, ON
4/18/2012
Awesome! It's really good food. I'm a vegan and have been moving towards a raw food diet. I've been to Cruda four times and have liked everything so far. My one complaint would be the portion sizes of the wraps. They are really small. But the Sweet Potato sandwich and Gnochi Carbonara were great. It is rather pricey though for lunch which is my one real complaint.
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Review from Mama t.
Toronto, ON
3/30/2012
The reason I gave 1 star instead of 2, the owner. She was so rude and cold. Maybe it's arrogance? The first time I went, I got a great nori wrap, and served by an extremely friendly older gentleman. The second and third (and FINAL) time, I was served by the owner. I ordered a juice, and she wanted to serve me an already made one-and cold foods are not good for one's body. I asked her to prepare me one fresh, and she reiterated that they had already been made. That was the last time I went... Too bad that her attitude is taking away from people's experience..
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Review from Melissa L.
10/15/2011 1 Check-in Here
My husband and I like to eat healthy.
So when FabFind had a deal for Cruda Cafe a while ago, we bought 3 vouchers.
We got the chance to try different options from their menu:
The Quezadilla, a couple of different wraps that they don't seem to offer anymore and the Gnocchi Carbonara.
Naturally everything was super fresh and healthy, however I didn't really like anything but the Gnocchi Carbonara and their guacamole. Those two were awesome.
As for the rest we tried:
All of those items came with either wraps or breads that were dehydrated and while I understand that this is the process that makes it especially healthy, I just didn't like the taste.
Plus it was really sticky and I found it uncomfortable to eat.
I also have to say that I was not impressed by the service.
The first two times we went, the ladies behind the counter were "just" uninterested and kind of sour, but last time they were actually rude.
We were charged $3 extra for take out containers which had not happened before. There is also no sign up anywhere.
They didn't mention that at all, but just told us the total we had to pay.
It seemed off to us, so we asked some questions and they got annoyed that they had to explain things to us.
To top it off: They basically called us out as liars when we mentioned that we had never paid extra for containers before.
They said that they have always been charging for those since they are biodegradable and "to encourage customers to bring their own containers".
How are you encouraged to bring your own container when nobody tells you that you have to pay extra for a take out box from the store?
Complete BS... -
Review from Julla s.
North York, ON
10/29/2011
As a vegetarian, I am always up for trying new, healthy food options - However, I will not be going back to Cruda Cafe
I went to Cruda with a group - we each tried different items from the menu and had issues with almost everything we ordered. Both the sundried tomato wrap and enchilada wrap were extremely bland, the gypsy sandwich also lacked in flavor, and the wild mushroom nut burger was inedible. I am not a picky eater, but the burger was so salty that I couldn't eat any more after my first bite. None of us finished our food. The prices were not too expensive, but considering we didn't enjoy our food, we felt ripped off. The best item we ordered was the sunshine smoothie. It wasn't anything i couldn't make at home, but it wasn't bad. Perhaps we went on an off day, or had the least tasty menu items, but for none of us to finish our food, means that it won't be worth our time or money to go back there again.
Next time you are in Toronto and want to get vegan or raw vegan food - go to Fressen, Fresh or Live food bar. -
Review from Yvonne T.
My only other vegan dining experience was at Fresh on Bloor - and I must say, Cruda kicks their ass! I had a Dealathon voucher in hand for $30 worth of food (I paid $15).
While their portion sizes are nowhere near as big as Fresh, the quality is great! As Janna S. said you are going to have to pay a bit of a premium to get the gluten-free, organic, raw food experience. You have to pay a premium in general to eat healthy. It sort of seems counter intuitive to me, but you can't put a price tag on your health right? Even just a crappy salad at Freshii costs $12 - and its not organic.
With that said, I ordered:
Clean Me (Apple, carrot, ginger, & lemon juice): I might have to rekindle my love of juice minus the added sugars at Cruda. This was refreshing, and provided me the energy boost I needed to survive quarter end at work. Keeping in mind, I was so busy today that I didn't even have my coffee!
Sundried Tomato Wrap (seasonal veggies, organic raw pate, avocado and sunflower sprouts): The wrap can take a little getting used to since it is a dehydrated wrap and therefore, is dry and a bit coarser than normal. The organic raw pate was quite tasty. Seasonal veggies included radish, beets and arugula. I found this wrap to be savoury for what it was, but just try to keep things relative (e.g. it is not going to compare to wraps topped with cheese and beef etc).
St. Lawrence Green Market Salad (micro greens, carrots, beets, avocado, figs, goji berries, nuts and seeds, infused with kombucha coconut oil agave dijon dressing): I would've preferred fresh figs since the goji berries were dried, it was not a well-diversified dish from a textural perspective. The dressing was pretty scant. The avocado used was browning due to oxidization. With that said, the salad was surprisingly filling but some may find it tastes a little too "green" for their liking.
Verdict:
Will be coming back for more of Cruda's healthy food which doesn't compromise on flavour.
Mango Tart: I swear I died and went to heaven when I ate this! The filling was smooth and creamy, and the pie crust was to die for! It was made with nuts and coconut from what I could gather. -
Review from Caroline W.
Scarborough, ON
9/14/2011
I visited Cruda Cafe because I had received a coupon for $20 worth of food at this place. I had read reviews in the NOW newspaper about it, and had high expectations for probably what is the only vegan/raw place in St Lawrence Market, which isn't exactly a vegetarian friendly place.
Cruda Cafe is tucked away in a corner on the bottom floor, it is kind of difficult to miss at first. Once I did find it, I saw it was a cute looking place.
Since this was my first time going here, I asked for some recommendations. I'm not sure if it was because I had the coupon, but I felt that the women working there were less then enthusiastic about suggesting food. I decided on the Gnocchi Carbonara, which came to around $10.50, meaning I still had some money left to spend with the coupon.
The description sounded good, but I was grossed out by the gnocchi, which was made up of cashews and something else. They were so dense they were difficult and uncomfortable to chew, almost nauseating. It's a good thing there were only 4 gnocchi dumplings, because they were pretty unpleasant to eat. These were placed on the biggest bed of julienned zucchini I've ever seen- there must have been at least 2 whole zucchinis in my meal. The zucchini was tossed with some sort of sauce, I think it was asparagus. I couldn't even bring myself to finish the meal, it was bland and way too much of one thing.
Because I had some money left over, I thought I might get some desserts, so I asked for 3 of the truffles ($3 each). The woman working there said I couldn't do that, so I was a bit confused as to what I could get. I didn't even bother asking and just ended up getting my gnocchi to go and left without using the other half of the coupon.
Again, I don't know if it's because I had the coupon, maybe it's because I know zilch about raw food, but I definitely didn't feel welcomed here. I don't know, maybe next time I'll come back here with someone else, and with some money to try something else- maybe then there wouldn't be so much hostility felt. -
Review from Janna S.
5/22/2011
This place is located in the northeast corner of the St. Lawrence market basement; it's not big but the flavours are worth a repeat visit.
Raw food isn't cheap to make, so you're going to pay a bit more here than some of the other market vendors. However, that being said, I think Cruda makes it worth it. My favourite dessert here is the lemon square! It's made with nuts but it's better than most baked desserts! I have not had anything like this at other raw food places and I hope they don't stop making it.
The wraps and "pizza" also taste delicious - there is just so much to savour; I don't want the meal to end! The portion sizes are not big but you'll probably find the food here filling because they use a lot of nuts/seeds. Delicious!
The seating here isn't great because it's just market benches, but I can usually find a spot. I hope they open another location close to me! -
Review from Nicole H.
Toronto, ON
Throw out any ideas you have about snacking on carrot sticks and gnawing on trail mix as a concession to raw food, because Cruda is definitely a raw taste sensation!
They're tucked away in the basement of the St Lawrence Market, but the couple of times i've been there's been at least a couple of other people waiting for orders there with me so I don't think the location is hurting them. (It is a bit of a pain due to lack of seating in busier times though).
I've tried a variety of things here now, and I feel confident in recommending it as the nicest raw food i've had in Toronto. When last I visited I tried the (amazing!) raw pizza and with that and the gorgeous greens accompanying it, each bite was a burst of freshness and flavour. Fresh juices abound & there's a nice variety of raw desserts (the chocolate mousse tart is a delicious adventure in cocoa and avocado love). Even the salads are chock full of goodies and made interesting!
Raw food establishments tend to be on the pricey side due to the ingredients (lotsa nuts 'n' seeds) and prep time and effort needed; this holds me back from a 5 star experience, however. I generally don't eat out at raw restaurants much, but all things considered, Cruda makes it all taste worthwhile.Listed in: Toronto Veg Eats!
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Review from Zoe R.
Updated - 10/11/2010
update as of Dec. 27/10: Things are now good. The owner, Claudia, was receptive to my comments, and did what she could to smooth things over. I will be continuing to eat here. The food is good, I seem to really be enjoying 2 options that contain pickled plum sauce (umeboshi): the seaweed wrap $6.50, and market salad $9.00 for the large.
The food is good, and the take out containers are all enviro-friendly.
If you've got a salad and are doing take out, consider asking for it in a separate container.
Thanks for reading this update/thread...
updated on Oct 11/10: I've contacted the owner directly, to let her know of my recent experience there.
To her credit, she read (and responded to) my email - although it was, respectfully, not a positive one. It turns out that it was actually her that I was messaging her about in the first place. :P She had her reasons for not smiling, and none of them were due to my using a coupon or how I looked.
I would like to return to Cruda someday and to again share my honest feedback about the place.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/10/2010
If you like Cold Icy Service, this is the place for you!
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I was there for the first time yesterday.… Read more »
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Review from da d.
Scarborough, ON
10/6/2011
I got a coupon ($15 for $28) and ordered a "very berry" juice/smoothie, a "st. lawrence market" salad, and a Gnocchi. I saw them making the juice and there was very little things that they put in, so the juice is really more like water. The salad was a little better, at least they put about a quarter of avocado in it. The Gnocchi tasted weird, a bit sweet, but the dressing is not bad.
The problem I had was the portion. There were mostly fillers and very little substance. It was not worth the price at all. And they charged me $4 on two take-out containers. I thought that was a bit sneaky and that they should have stated that somewhere or told me before hand. -
Review from Laura M.
Toronto, ON
7/21/2011
I was a big fan of Cruda until I tried to order some platters from them for a party I was hosting. While the person I initially corresponded with online was helpful, she stopped answering my emails once I tried to place the order. A second email asking her to confirm the order also went unanswered. What a shame. The food was great but I won't be going back.
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Review from Min Min T.
Scarborough, ON
3/31/2010
I'm not a huge fan of raw food, but I totally loved the raw enchilada, stacked with sprouts and creamy avocado! The raw nutballs and spaghetti - suspiciously made of zucchini, but disarmingly good - is also an amazing dish.
Just wishing the portion size was a little bigger, since I could have downed two more of these, considering I chucked $9 for each dish ...Listed in: Herbivore Heaven
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Review from Sean R.
Toronto, ON
6/4/2010 1 photo
I ate at the cruda cafe earlier today for the first time. I had the Burger with guacamole and tomatoes and it was really delicious. What I liked most about the cruda cafe was how nice the owner is and how I could immediately tell how much she cares about the food she serves. She makes everything herself by hand which I really like, and the prices were very reasonable. I will be back!
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Review from Lauren T.
Toronto, ON
3/9/2010
I heard about Cruda Cafe very recently since it was featured and listed in NOW mag's best veggie restaurants in the city. It's a raw, live, organic food cafe. I'm not a raw foodie, but do take interest in this type of lifestyle. I've taken to some elements of raw eating since I am working on becoming vegan. First of all there's hardly any veggievegan restos in Toronto anyway, so it seemed to like this NOW mag list covered off pretty much every one.
Cruda is on the bottom floor of St.Lawrence Market in a far away corner. Unless you know this place is here, you'll never come across it. Not a good location.
For someone like me, who is open to raw food, eats vegetarian and almost entirely vegan, is informed about healthy eating, organic food etc. I still found this to be pretty intimidating. Nothing jumped out at me as appetizing when I walked up to the place. The daily soup was RAW Almond Tomato. Which means it's served cold, because it's raw. bleh. I didn't want that. They were out of the raw pizza, since I came later in the day, and all that seemed right to me were the rawraps. I had to ask what the wrap was made out of. I ended up with the Mexico Mio wrap which is corn, flax, herbs and some other kind of seed (sesame?) dehydrated into a flat wrap like thing. You can pick from the veggie counter for fillings, and it also has a cashew pesto creamy spread. The Rawrap was good, fresh, and tasty. But I think it was kinda of small for costing $8.48. But it was good. I am going to make cashew cream with pesto at home. The NOW mag article featured a pic of Crudas chocolate raspberry tart and talked about how popular it is. So I decided to take a piece to go. That cost me $5.09 and unfortunately it was awful. It was also raw. The chocolate filling is like a pudding and it's essentially avocado blended with raw cacao. The whole thing tasted like nothing, was barely sweet at all, and entirely disappointing.
There was also some vegan cupcakes in the window, which were the only non-raw menu item. I can safely say that I bake a better looking vegan cupcake.
Overall if you're into eating vegan and healthy and you're in the area, maybe go try this place for fun. But I assume anyone who eats raw or vegan and is somewhat savvy in the kitchen, like myself, could probably make this type of food at home themselves. Which is what I'll experiment with, but I won't buy lunch at Cruda again. -
Review from siue m.
Toronto, ON
3/25/2010
I've eaten here a couple times. As far as price goes - it's the cheapest raw food you can get in Toronto.
Raw truffles for $1?!! What the hey!? Mains for 7-9$? Whoa!
I've had the ravioli (paper-thin baby turnip layered with cheesy cashew pesto sauce), the burger (HUGE slices of the freshest tomato and boston lettuce you've seen - wrapped around a crunchy creamy burger made with nuts, mushrooms and goodness. Topped with sprouts and guac!), a couple small desserts... It's REALLY good!
I read the one review that was here before I wrote this. I have to say that I think it's written by someone who doesn't know anything about raw food. Raw food - to get it right - is really difficult! You've got to be pro. Otherwise it's just boring carrots and nuts or something. If you like raw food you will love what Claudia serves up (she's also REALLY nice!) AND you will be amazed at her prices. Check out Live and Rawlicious for sure - great food but even more pricier than Cruda.
Lastly, I don't want to be mean, but there are a gazillion veggie/vegan restaurants in Toronto! I haven't even been to all of them and I really like trying them all - so I really mean gazillion! ;)
Check out http://veg.ca for a whole list of them...
