On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Real People. Real Reviews.®
Categories: Vegan, Live/Raw Food [Edit]
264 Dupont StMon-Wed, Sat 11 am - 10 pm
Thu-Fri 11 am - 11 pm
Sun 11 am - 9 pm
Loading...
I'm not a Vegan or even Vegetarian but I like fresh food that tastes good and satisfies. Live Organic Food bar fits that bill the whole way.
This place never fails to impress me. You might expect all the food to be served cold, but there are many heated options as well as cooked food. I'm always amazed how the tiny portions really fill me up, but it makes sense when you consider that most dishes served here contain some form of nuts, especially cashews. Pretty much everything I've tried here is good, but the desserts are my favorite. I am not a cheesecake fan but the raw version they serve is stunning - I didn't want it to end!
Be prepared to overhear some obsessive conversation at the tables around you. Last time I felt inspired to dramatically eat a few grains of the raw sugar served with my espresso upon hearing my dining neighbor rant about the evils of sugar and how he "never touches that awful stuff". He gave me a dirty look but I'm pretty sure he was just jealous.
Moving on, the service here is generally quite good and the bathrooms are clean. Consider dining at brunch on the weekend: AMAZING pancakes ;p
My boyfriend and I ran into each other in the parking garage one night after work, both feeling tired and famished. A bad combination when your plan is to hit the gym. Our bodies were begging us for nourishment. We knew the workout would take the back seat this time and we would succumb to our hunger, grabbing food somewhere. The compromise - we needed to choose something healthy. This sounded like the perfect opportunity to try the Live Organic Food Bar, a raw vegan restaurant who offers "an array of gourmet, gluten and sugar free, vegan dishes to invigorate and cleanse your body, mind, and soul". Those are their words, not mine. So we put them to the test and made our way to Dupont St (you can't possibly feel guilty eating at a place called "Live").
The Menu: It was very similar to Raw Aura in some respect. Kale salad and "sushi" made with sunflower pate were a few of the familiar items, but there was no shortage of menu options. The menu offered an average of 5 items under each category: Appetizers, Salads, Rice Bowls, Sandwiches, Burgers and of course, Shakes and Desserts. I was so engrossed in the menu and deciding what to order, that I didn't realize the menu caught on fire! Apparently plastic and candlelight don't mix. Hee, hee...oops!
I made my decision to go ultra healthy with a bowl of steamed greens topped with hemp oil, dulse, sprouted mung beans, sunflower seed sprouts. I paid a few extra dollars to add some tempeh and extra protein to the dish, and boy am I glad I did. I expected to see a visible portion of dulse (seaweed) but had to squint really hard to find the 'dulse flakes' that were merely sprinkled on the bowl of veggies. The dish was what I was looking for...a guilt-free bowl of goodness but I still disappointed. Why? I was suffering from food envy. My boyfriend had ordered the better meal and I wanted it.
Read more about Live Organic Food Bar here:
http://daniellenicosia...
Listed in: Gluten-Free Spots
Being a new vegan I've taken an interest in trying all the vegan friendly establishments in the city. This place is my NEW fave. It was incredible. The dining room and visible kitchen have a cool welcoming vibe. There is SO many choices on the menu I couldn't believe it. Not everything is raw. I would say maybe half of it is and half is cooked. Everything is clearly marked (nut free, gluten free, cooked, raw etc.) and they have a bunch of daily specials, and a full tasty drink menu. Everything is organic!
Me and my dining buddy had a "shrimp" tempura sushi, that was so amazing I am craving it... just like I used to crave actual sushi. We shared the cooked black bean burrito and the raw special which was a coconut curry kelp noodle bowl with 2 loaded and large cucumber almond spring rolls. This food is so gourmet and inventive. I was inspired and had my mind blown. It opened up new ideas for me in my own kitchen. AND the cashew sour cream that was served with the burrito was even better then real sour cream.
The desserts are also incredible. They taste like indulgent desserts, not something that's good for you. But they are! And they have a huge selection of raw desserts.
The only issue I have is that the serving staff didn't seem to know much about the food they were serving. I feel like its a reasonable question to ask what others around you are eating, and how they might make something... but no one knew a damn thing. I really need to know how they make that cashew sour cream. I would kill to know.
I can't wait to go back here again.
Let me start by saying that I don't give a shit about how healthy my food is and, before visiting Live, I thought raw food was a total gimmick. I say this only to emphasis that anyone can enjoy Live regardless of the type of diet or food philosophy you subscribe to.
The various dishes have been described by other reviews so I won't go in to too much detail. I will say that after several visits to Live I've never had a bad dish and each time I'm impressed by how fresh, inventive, and delicious the food is. It totally amazes me what can be done without actually cooking anything. Live scores very high on the "there's no way I could make that at home" scale. And, despite my above comments on health, I must say that I always feel excellent after eating at Live.
Two complaints about Live cause it to lose one star. First, I find the prices too high. This probably has something to do with the irony of raw food: it actually takes more to NOT cook food. But, at ~$10 for apps and ~$15-$20 for mains, it seems like a lot to pay for vegetables. I would visit Live A LOT more often if dishes were a few dollars cheaper. This goes for just about every vegan place in the city.
My second complaint is more minor. When it comes to dessert, ignore everything I said above about Live being a place anyone can enjoy. I've had 3 or 4 different desserts and my conclusion is that unless you're a sprout-eating hippy the desserts are weak. Further evidence for my theory that good vegan desserts are a highly elusive commodity.
Probably my favourite vegan/vegetarian restaurant in Toronto.
Live Organic Food Bar is tasty!
I enjoyed lunch there about a month ago with a friend and her SO and it was great.
I left there feeling very healthy and energized for the day.
i tried the vegan "pad thai," lots of crunchy nuts, a super-yummy thai inspired sauce, julienne zucchini and other veggies. It was amazing. My mouth is watering right now as I write this.
My friend had the "lasagne" and it looked great.
I also had an excellent americano coffee with rice milk.
Our server was attentive, knowledgeable and also laid back giving us enough time to savour our meal.
I'd def. go there again!
The good - great ambiance, relaxed feel. The "Lychee Flurtini" was very tasty, as well as the "Trainer's Bowl". The bad - a bland "Starter Poutine" and mediocre "Starter Sweet Potato" fries. As well, I didn't feel "sick" right after, but my friend felt sick as she finished eating. MOST disappointing was the lack of timely service during a dinner rush. We finally got our own water after waiting for 15 minutes after we were seated, and watched two couples who came in after us get served their meals while still waiting for our cocktails. Our indifferent and inhospitable female server seemed unconcerned about the whole affair. [PICS] http://twitpic.com/1hnnjq
I feel conflicted upon writing this review. Why? Because a delicious meal at Live, two out of three of us immediately fell ill and one of us threw up three times. Right outside, on Dupont St. And then once more a half hour later. What gives?
First of all, the friend who repeatedly threw up started with an amazing Kale soup, which I tasted. Followed by the cold spaghetti and neat balls, which I also tasted. We then shared an amazing slice of "cheese cake" and that's when it hit. My other friend, Robert H. did not experience any sickness whatsoever. He tried all of our food except for the dessert.
I dry-heaved on the street (TMI?) which NEVER happens to me since I have an iron stomach. I was actually shocked we became so ill after the meal.
I should note that every single dish that was ordered between the three of us was mind-blowing. The service was fantastic and their patio is lovely. The music was faint, but awesome (Bowie? Yesss) and the overall vibe was really relaxing and casual. I would recommend this restaurant to all vegan and vegetarian friends with a caution: skip the dessert.
So yeah going to Live was my first raw food experience. I never really would have considered going before say 3 months ago. but i recently became a vegetarian ( so a little more open minded ), and it was my girlfriends turn to choose where we went to eat on date night....
The atmosphere was colourful and welcoming. Very vibrant! The staff were very welcoming, and obviously used to people coming and eating raw for the first time.
For a starter we shared the polenta fries with chipotle aioli ( one of the newly added cooked options ) which were amazing, very simple, but an excellent option.
We then had the Raw Combo which is a sampling of all the raw mains. i highly recommend this. it gives you a chance to try everything, and it's the perfect portion for 2 to share. I can't say i fell in love with everything. the crust for the Pizza M'On left me wanting more, but i really enjoyed everything else, especially the Spaghetti".
And finally dessert. I'm not really much of a desert guy, i lost mt sweet tooth long ago, but i went for it anyway and was presently surprised. i can't remember the names... we had a lemon square type thing, and this chocolate desert that resembled a REESE'S Peanut Butter Cup.
So all and all a great experience... and i would definitely go back.
I'm a meatatarian, I took my raw food spouse here for a surprise. However I was the one really surprised. The food was excellent!. The nachos were great. I had the chef's special of the day, brown rice with lentils and tofu on top. It was really good. The portions were large, we couldn't eat all the food. there was lots of sharing going on.
For desert, I had the pistachio Halva and shared some of the almond chocolate brownie (forget the exact name) Both were superb!
Plan on going back.
-=- update -=-
I wasn't going to mention this until I saw Antonella's review. But of the four of us that ate there, two people had the spaghetti and meatballs and the those two started feeling nauseous before finishing the meal. None threw up, but it was touch and go.
Originally we had suspected, because of the timing that it could not have been anything we ate at Live. But....now I'm starting to think it was. Specifically the spaghetti and meatballs.
Having said that the food was great. In fact I'll probably risk going back.
Listed in: MyStuff
A couple of weeks ago, bf and I went out for dinner and ended up at the patio at Live Organic Food Bar. We decided to have an all raw dinner since we've never had one. Since we are completely new to the whole raw food scene, we decided to get the raw combo and a miso burger to share. I also got a "In the Pink" juice that has apple, pear, beet, ginger and lemon as I try to order juice that includes fruits and veggies that I don't eat often (apple & beets) so this was the perfect choice and it was really good!
The raw combo had a bit of all the mains and that inclues "Steak and Potatoes," "Spaghetti and Neatballs," "Pizza M'on," the special of the day which was "Pad Thai" noodles and a salad (we had it with agave mustard dressing.)
So what makes it raw? well, nothing was cooked! The "Steak and Potatoes" are actually marinated portobello mushrooms with almond/cashew puree. "Spaghetti and Neatballs" are zuchinni spaghetti with red pepper/tomato sauce. The pizza is a dehydrated buckwheat cracker-like crust topped with a pumpkin puree, red pepper and onion. And the "Pad Thai" was the zuchinni spaghetti again with a cashew/sesame sauce topped with mango. My fav was definitely the "Spaghetti and Neatballs."
After dinner, we ordered 2 small desserts to share since we just HAD to try something. I wanted to get the chocolate/avocado pie but it was sold out. We chose the almond dream bar and hazelnut chocolate cup. We definitely liked the almond dream bar more...it was SO good.
Even though the idea of raw food is slightly intimidating, we were really glad we tried it. It was the perfect summer night dinner and I can't wait to go back!
Listed in: all veggies all the time
This restaurant has a cozy, wholesome vibe and performs wonders with unprocessed food. Like many raw-food restaurants, Live is great for those who cannot eat gluten. I enjoyed a chocolate-coconut cupcake (the coconut somehow tasted like cream cheese or maybe my mind was playing tricks on me) and a slice of almond-crusted cake that was nicely sweetened (not saccharine). I also bought some cinnamon-raisin, gluten-free "bagels" to go, which, although tough to chew, were tasty. An additional plus: Live is close to the subway.
You wanna hear something funny? I didn't even know that this place specialized in (ie. served at all) "raw", "vegan" food until someone told me afterwards. Maybe it's because I only stumbled in with my friend, who needed to sit down and have some tea (was feeling ill). I thought it was a simple juice bar, and didn't even realize it was a sit-down restaurant til I went in.
It was like a whole other world. A bright and cheery, meatless world. I loved the vibrant decor, saturated green and orange everywhere. Only when I noticed the quotation marks around words like "meat" and "cheese" and "burger" and "bacon" did it clue in that they were even vegetarian. Maybe this is because I just didn't want to know. Ha-ha. I kid.
I am a weirdo and a lush and not equipped to give a proper opinion, since all I had was a, *ahem* margarita at 3 in the pm. It was called "Purple Rain" and was pretty good. Made with an organic vodka, at an organic price. I would have tried something more, had I not just eaten before going in. Since I have a hard time with merely *vegetarian food* a raw vegan restaurant is a bit of a hard sell for me- but if I decide to take that step, I'll be going back. They played Marvin Gaye and Elvis albums in their entirety, after all.
Healthy food!
Fantastic! Just absolutely deliciously fantastic.
A lot of people don't think you can get much taste out of a raw-food joint, but Live really nails it.
They have a takeout counter in the front, a sort of cafeteria vibe inside and a gorgeous garden back patio that is absolutely serene in the summer.
it ain't cheap, but neither is your health. Get the maki appetizer coupled with any one of their bowls (they are all delicious) and make sure you don't leave without taking an E3 Live shot. That's the stuff dreams are made of.
On a food vacation in Toronto, stopped in here to experience the vegan cuisine. The atmosphere was friendly and eclectic. The raw Pad Thai was delicious - the gado gado sauce was especially impressive. my girlfriend had the lasagna (with cucumber "pasta") which was also delicious. The whole experience was pleasurable. Highly recommended.
I'd just like to add that I actually dream about the food here sometimes.
Wowza! So i grabbed some take-out from here one night between work and class. Everything looked… Read more »
We were in Toronto last summer and I was quite nervous to try this place. I'm a vegetarian and have several vegan friends and have often ended up liking vegan places but a raw place? I had my doubts. Anyway, I was so wrong. We ate outside as it was a nice day in August. I feel like I had a Ruben but I can't find it on their website, it's very possible they've changed the menu. Anyway, this was the best food I had in Toronto and there is a lot of good food in Toronto.
Pretty yummy. The service can either be really good or really bad. Once they completely forgot about me outside! Not cool. Their cooked menu is definitely not to be overlooked, it's quite delicious. Their food is delicious. Their salad dressing is made in-house so depending on who's working it tastes different. Once I went and it was absolutely amazing and another time I got the same one and it was only so-so. The salads are big and the prices are reasonable for the amount of food you get. They're organic. Their tea menu is ok, but nothing too impressive. Their cocktail menu is quite interesting--they use their juicer to make mixers for their cocktails, it seems. I do this at home already. They try to be healthy and cater to drinking people but their drinks, though creative, aren't all that great. They don't put enough alcohol in the drink last time I went for a drink. They have a nice back patio which is nice in the summer. This is my go-to healthy spot whenever I feel like I need to snap out of my poor eating habits and start eating healthy.
Listed in: Cream-O-da-Crop Fine Dine…
I went to Live in April 2008 with a friend who was visiting from out of town. We both ordered entrees that came with salads. We were served our salads and finished them. My friend got her entree, but about half way through, I still hadn't gotten mine. They were sort of busy, so I assumed it was just taking awhile. However, the waitress eventually came with the bill and I still hadn't gotten my meal. We told her and she went back to the kitchen to "work something out". A manager or something (a blonde, tanorexic type) came out and gave us our bill. They discounted my salad 10% and my friend's meal 10%. That's right, they still charged me for my salad. The woman also told me that "next time" (as if I would go to this ridiculous place again) I should let them now that my food hadn't arrived, essentially blaming me for them screwing up my order and leaving me hungry! I have worked in the food service industry for years and I'd never experienced anything like this before. I was supposed to assume they were totally incompetent as opposed to totally slow? Okay, I'll be sure to do that "next time".
I understand that mistakes happen and sometimes orders can get misplaced or whatever in a kitchen. It would have been fine if that woman hadn't tried to put the blame on me. She should have just apologized and admitted they made a mistake. I also can't believe they thought 10% off my paltry salad was adequate compensation. It was so tacky and lame.
Being new to Toronto, and having not figured out the transit system, I walked an hour and a half to get to this restaurant. To be sure, it was worth working up and appetite for. As a woman who is already a fan of raw food and taking care of herself, I have to say this was effing amazing. As a woman who used to eat highly processed, fried foods and lived by her taste buds alone, I have to say this was beyond amazing. Wanting everything on the menu, I got the "Raw Combo Platter". Pizza. Steak 'n' mashed potatoes. Tacos. Spaghetti. Things I haven't eaten in months and far tastier and more satisfying than I can ever recall the original versions being. I was stuffed to the brim after having dessert, but felt completely rejuvenated rather than weighed down. The service was wonderful. The atmosphere was casual enough that I felt at ease eating on my own. I was exceptionally glad to see that there were many nut free options on the menu and my meal contained very little flax. Most of the raw restaurants I've been to seem to rely too much on both. ;) In the end, I would walk another two hours to make it back there tomorrow.
Listed in: Toronto Lists
i'll keep this brief. i ordered the blue fusion smoothie and the raw platter which comes with the daily dish, lasagne, pizza, thai spring rolls and a heaping mound of salad in the middle (with my choice of creamy ginger dressing). tasty it was but it felt like i was just eating a giant plate of salad. i'm a vegetarian but i feel a bit cheated. at $18 for the platter, i would prefer a little more oomph than rabbit food.
I love this place. The back patio in the summer, the organic wines and yummy cocktails, the food and the service are all pretty damn good. Great to take your meatatarian friends and let them relish a healthy meal!
That someone would be audacious enough to open a raw food restaurant gets props from me but that the food would also be delicious and ingeniously prepared gets 5 stars. I came here the first week it was open the year I was in my raw food vegan phase. Let me tell you...I was starving! I thought I'd be served a big green salad with some nuts and as a novelty be handed a fork carved from a stalk of celery and if the vegans were really feelin' wild, I'd get a shot of wheatgrass to toss back at the end of the meal. Well, it just wasn't like that. I ordered their sampler platter and it had this amazing "lasagna" type dish that was just a wonder because it was totally made from completely raw nuts and veg that had probably been dehydrated overnight at low temps to preserve thier enzymes. So, in actuality, the dish probably took 15 hours to make. Considering how time consuming gourmet raw food recipes are to prepare, the prices here were a total steal. I'm glad this place is still around even for the novelty of it but I'm really not surprised because it's a really great joint. I can say from experience that eating raw is fantastic for you. It totally wiped out my allergies for a good couple of years and I had an abundant amount of energy in the beginning. It's good to read that the place is still going strong and I'm gonna have to stop by sometime soon .... just as soon as I finish this burger. Just kidding. :)
Neighborhood: Queen Street West
Toronto, ON
Neighborhood: Kensington Market
Neighborhood: High Park
Toronto, ON
My yearly visits to Toronto are becoming more and…
Whether you are allergic to the stuff, or simply…
A list of the gems among the slew of Toronto…
