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M & B Yummy
Categories: Restaurants Vegetarian Restaurants Ethiopian Vegetarian, Ethiopian [Edit]
1263 Queen St WToronto, ON M6K 1L5
Neighbourhood: Parkdale
(416) 516-2798
- Hours:
Mon, Wed-Thu 12 pm - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 12 pm - 11 pm
Sun 5 am - 10 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
21 reviews for M & B Yummy
Review Highlights
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"The owner brought us more injera than we frankly knew what..." In 5 reviews -
"Regardless, I liked the other lentil, chickpea type spreads." In 4 reviews -
"...deliciously spiced soy "chicken and beef" dishes and..." In 4 reviews
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21 reviews in English
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Review from D'Arcy M.
Toronto, ON
4/18/2012
I love it here. I return all the time. I'm totally hooked on the delicious food and being around the family that runs the place makes me smile. Most positive reviews encompass my feelings and impressions of this lovely little restaurant but here are a few thoughts to consider:
- $3.50 for Millstreet Organic!
- When you get the vegetarian platters, you taste so many different but complimentary flavours for only $9/10 and its enough to share for 2-4 ppl
- the beet and potato salad is incredibly flavoursome and refreshing, with fresh jalapenos inside. one portion is more than enough for two to share to start, it comes with injira as well!
- the soup of the day, often lentil, is very delicous. a little salty but rich in spice and flavour
- everything tastes fresh, hearty, and made with love and care. worth the wait!
- the mock beef/chicken is a little salty but consider it a treat.. since when was mock meat ever supposed to be all that healthy for you?
- if you like spicy food, you can ask for the hot sauce which has a complicated and delicious flavour
- They graciously serve me takeout in my own containers, which is really nice!
And I've just gotta say, the people that run the place are incredibly sweet. They remember me and always serve me with a lot of care. I feel really great about being there and waiting for the food, even though the food can take a quite while on the weekends. The extra charm of the restaurant is the caring/family aspect; the owner will sometimes package extra leftovers for me if I'm leaving close to the end of the night or offer me dishes that I like at a reduced price if there's less than a full portion left to serve.
So wonderful food and owners, always a pleasure to go.
Refreshingly unpretentious! My fav vegetarian/vegan restaurant in Toronto. -
Review from Nikkita F.
Stratford, ON
M & B YUMMY IS GREAT!
There really is no place better. This is a unpretentious, non-flashy gem of a resty, I highly recommend.
Snobby Foody Types, go elsewhere... This place is all about the taste!
My Husband and I LOVE M & B Yummy. It is a traditional atmosphere, very dark (which we like) and Zeni & Sherin are AMAZING ladies who take care of everyone! The food besides being delicious, fresh, wholesome goodness is completely vegan. The Injera is made from a Teff & Barley Mix *Fresh Everyday* which is cool for people who are sensitive to gluten (I am not speaking about Celiac Folks, just gluten sensitive)
NOTE: Injera is fairly low carb as long as you consume a reasonable amount...
M & B Yummy has delicious soups, awesome daily deals and some of the tastiest Ethiopian I have ever tried (I have tried them all) The starter dumpling with the really hot sauce is great on a cold day to get things started.
The Food is always so inexpensive (Our Combined Bill is never more than $25 Canadian (including beer) and we are always stuffed and satisfied!
The Coffee Ceremony is amazing, and they have the traditional Orthodox Frankincense Ritual which I HIGHLY enjoy. The Smokey, rich smelling, delicious smelling atmosphere will bring us back every single time. When the coffee is roasting I bask in the amazing smells!
It is believed that breathing the frankincense is cleansing the the soul and renews you. I loved hearing about the tradition from many Ethiopian People, and I was pleased they keep this cultural tradition at M & B Yummy.
As for music, the music is amazing, Jazzy Broken Flowers kind of stuff...and I am often dancing in the chair while I am stuffing my face, HANDS DOWN M & B is my favourite restaurant on the planet, there I said it... ON THE PLANET.
Enjoy! -
Review from Candice E.
Toronto, ON
1/2/2012
It's nice to have an Ethiopian restaurant where I can eat almost anything on the menu. Everything is vegan here, even the desserts.
It's a good place to go with a group, as long as everyone is game to try a bunch of things. Zeni and her staff are good about helping you figure out how much food to order for a big group. Just tell her which dishes look appealing and they'll bring you the right amount.
I found the dishes without fake meat in them better than the ones with. So the lentils, beans, salads and such are more my style than the mock chicken or beef.
Also a bonus: food is VERY cheap. I went with a group of about 15 people and we were all pleasantly full at a cost of $7.50 plus tip each.
The one draw back for me is the smokey air - when they do the (very cool) Ethiopian coffee ceremony, there is some smoke created from roasting the beans and from the incense they burn with it. The night we went was a pretty busy Saturday evening and I guess they'd done a few ceremonies that night, because you could really feel the smoke in the air. It didn't make the place smell bad - no, it smelled like roasted coffee and incense! But it did make breathing a bit difficult for those in our party who have lung issues.
Even so, I'll happily go here again. They live up to their name - yummy! -
Review from Selene n.
Toronto, ON
12/20/2011
I've been here twice, both times with groups. One time when we were the only people in the place.
Pros:
- they're very accommodating about seating for groups and will happily move tables if you have more people. They're also great about splitting bills - everyone pays at the cash, easy!
- the lentil soup is amazing (don't eat the crackers though - super stale)
- the appetizers and desserts are a good price
- good variety of vegan desserts (from sweets from the earth)
- injera bread was good
Cons:
- service is slooooow, which I don't understand as I'm pretty positive the food is all pre-made
- I personally feel that the entrees are a bit overpriced for what you're getting. $7 instead of $10 would have been way more realistic, and given that the place is on dufferin and what it looks like inside (see next point), $5-6 would have been even more realistic
- decor - ew. shabby looking place, lots of empty shelves everywhere, very very dimly lit (personally I HATE dim lighting), plastic table clothes with flyers underneath, overall just ugly and cheap looking.
- vegan "chicken" was SUPER salty - ew
Personally, I will not return. I felt that maybe I just don't like ethiopian food, but my friend who is big into this cuisine assured me it was much much better at other restaurants. So, i'll give ethiopian one more chance, but at a different restaurant for sure. -
Review from saul m.
10/9/2011 6 photos
Delicious food, generous portions, friendly service & atmosphere!
Due to how I loved the food flavors, it was my favorite restaurant experience in some time. See photos for the cute eclectic Ethiopian decor. I came here for lunch on a weekday. Found parking almost right in front. $1.50 an hour by street meter.
Zeni the owner, was especially friendly & helpful. She told me M&B are the initials of her 2 children. She prepares most of the dishes fresh so be patient it takes time. I say most of the food as the lentil soup must be prepared ahead of time, but you can ask her. The vegetarian "mock" chicken was a chewy, flavorful seitan. Zeni asked if I enjoy spicy & then brought a small dish of hot rich sauce. It had a very unique flavor, nothing like Chinese, Mexican or Thai hot sauce. I liked it.
Zeni is very proud of her restaurant's awards & website, so check it out.
Thank you, Toronto yelpers for steering me to M&B Yummy. -
Review from Zoe R.
3/27/2011
preface: Ethiopian food is great, and I'm glad that Toronto has so many pockets of it. From Addis Ababa @ Queen/Gladstone, to Ethiopian House near Irwin/Yonge (north of Wellesley stn), to all of the plentiful Ethiopian restaurants on Bloorcourt (we've already tried a few, but will mention them after visiting even a few more).
Don't forget to try Ethiopian coffee, if you haven't already.
Order it first, at least 30 minutes before you'd like to have it.
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Know how we can hear so much buzz about a movie, that once we actually get to see it, our expectations are higher than what they would be otherwise? For about a year, if not many months, I've heard about how M & B is the ONLY veg Ethiopian place in town. I was curious about how great this place would be...
We were there for a friend's party last night, a group of about +/- 20 people. My partner and I ordered the veg combo dish (about $10.25, tax included). The server (and probable owner), was consistently kind throughout. Not too stressed out for someone serving a floor of 20 upwards people.
We waited, *shaking fist*, around 50 min-1hr for food to finally arrive. We were so hungry by that point, it really didn't take us long to lickety-lick Barbara-trick the large tray of food down. The trays were so big, that our tray had to be balanced between two of the tables.
Since people eat Ethiopian food with their hands, if you're against cheap hand sanitizer pumps, you'll want to bring your own alternatives.
Overall, a good enough experience. Food was good, and the combo selection was standard (the same cabbage based dish (Atkilt Wot?), light yellow bean curry (Shiro Wot?), terracotta coloured moderately spiced curry (Misir Wot?), green collard veggies (Gomen), green beans and carrots (Fasolia), and a regular iceberg based salad (Salata)).
I wonder how quick service is when ppl dine in much smaller groups of say 2 or 4.Listed in: Colour me Multi-Ethnic…
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Review from Min Min T.
Scarborough, ON
12/31/2010 ROTD 1/20/2011
Check out the only meat-free Ethiopian restaurant in all of Toronto!
In 2010 alone, I hosted large vegetarian socials here a couple of times. On both occasions, Zeni - the owner - was amazingly good at accommodating anywhere between 20-30 people, even asking extra kitchen staff to come in to make sure our meals were served promptly.
While all the different dishes were really awesome, what rocked my world was the tibs! Traditionally tibs are sauteed chunks of spiced beef, but there is a vegan version here that I've fallen in love with. The flavouring and texture works well with the other dishes, and a chicken version is also available if you want something different. The portions are ample and can easily be shared with a second person. As well, someone at our table opted for fool, also known as Egyptian fava beans, which is a popular dish in Middle Eastern and North African countries. While I never tried it, the other person said she enjoyed it and knew how to cook it. Will have to keep it in mind for future visits.
On one occasion, as a thank you for bringing business to her restaurant, Zeni gave me a slice of the vegan carrot cake ... and also a peck on the cheek! The cake wasn't bad, although it wasn't anything to rave about either (the kiss was nice though).
I plan on bringing another group back in the future! Great food, fantastic prices and awesome staff!Listed in: Herbivore Heaven
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Review from A C.
Toronto, ON
1/9/2012
The best Ethiopian I've had in Toronto.
I've been to several birthday parties there (my own and other people's), and it's a great spot for groups. It's also good for one or two people.
The food is excellent, the portions are large. It's all vegan, and the meat eaters who've been with me all still loved it. The injera is made from teff and barley, so it has more flavour than the injera at most places (which is mostly white wheat flour).
The staff are also lovely and always seem grateful for the business. -
Review from Laz C.
Toronto, ON
2/12/2011
Vegan Ethiopian food? Yes please! I'm surprised by some of the negative reviews, I've been to M&B numerous times and have found the food to be consistently delicious every time, and cheap! Best choice is probably the veggie platter but when I'm in the mood for soy products, the chicken and beef combos are also very good. The spicing is spot on and you know that the food is made and served with love.
Desserts from 'Sweets from the Earth' are available too, which are always a great way to finish a meal. -
Review from Julie T.
Toronto, ON
4/2/2011
I first went to M & B Yummy around 3 years ago on a vegetarian food hop, and have been a regular customer since. The owner, Zeni, is a kind and gracious host. She will remember you, your order, and your food preferences after your first visit, and is more than happy to run through all of the menu options with you if you have allergies. She takes great care to ensure that your meal is enjoyable and she's a whiz in the kitchen - the food is fresh, delicious, and as great as any home-cooked meal I've ever had. The platters are light but well-seasoned and filling enough to make you feel satiated without weighing you down.
The dimly-lit restaurant is a favourite of Parkdale locals and herbivores, and is usually packed around dinnertime. Be prepared to spend about an hour to enjoy a platter ($9-10, good for 2-3 people) and some appetizers ($1.50-6) with reasonably priced beer or wine - a bottle of Mill Street Organic goes for $3.50. Zeni serves organic wine and beer with a decent line-up of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, as well as coffee-based beverages that can be made dairy-free.
I almost always order the lentil soup ($4) with a teku dumpling ($1.50), and a beef combo ($10) to share. The combos have a great variety of slow-cooked vegetables and lentil stews, served with garden salad and two big pieces of injera. The platter sizes are more than generous for two, and Zeni will tell you if you're ordering too much food. If you're too full after dinner, there's an assortment of vegan and vegetarian desserts that you can take to go. The vegan blueberry cheesecake ($3) is to die for.
This is not fast food - the platters are made to order, and may take 15-30 minutes to arrive, depending on how busy it is. If you are starved when you sit down, order some of the appetizers to tide you over. The Ethiopian coffee ceremony for 6 ($12), complete with freshly roasted coffee and popcorn, is a great way to finish off your meal.
M & B Yummy is also open for Sunday brunch, with a delicious vegetarian combo that is also more than generous for two. It includes fruit salad, chickpea vegan scrambled eggs ("Butucha"), fava beans ("Foul"), cream of wheat ("Kinche"), bread and butter ("Kita Fir Fir"), injera and vegetarian beef stew, as well as your choice of coffee, tea, water, or pop for $12.
This restaurant caters to vegetarians and vegans, and provides dairy- and gluten-free options. The injera is not gluten-free, but rice can be substituted on the platters for those with a gluten intolerance. -
Review from Emily M.
10/26/2010
I keep giving this place chance after chance because as a vegetarian I really want to support veg restaurants. But truth is, if you want GOOD vegetarian Ethiopian food you can find better vegetarian options at places that offer meat as well. The last straw for me was when I showed up last night with 3 friends at 8pm (it closes at 10pm) to give this place one more chance to impress me, only to be told by the rude and unapologetic owner that there is only enough food for one person. She then appeared upset that we didn't want to stay and split one meal amongst four people, and made me feel that we were somehow at fault for this.
I've since spoken to others and its apparently quite common for this place to run out of food and have been told that dinner on a week night after 6:30 is probably not an option. Not a way to run a business in my opinion. If you are open until 10pm, you should have food until 10pm.Listed in: veg veg veg...!!!
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Review from shyni y.
1/23/2011
My introduction to Etheopean food and I have always returned to this spot - it became my FAVOURITE PLACE for Etheopean food -aside from my friend's place where her mom makes everything from scratch - this is the best. It is the only vegetarian in Toronto as well, I'm sure.
Not only is the food delicious and bountiful, but the owner- Zeni - here also cares about you; she will not let you order more than you can eat. and make sure that you enjoy the food you eat.
I usually have the beef or chicken combo and it is usually enough for two, or ONE if you're starving...which I am always.
Only down side: no delivery. But, if you come with a huge plate of your own, she will arrange the food for you on the plate so that it is presentable to your guests as well.
Great spot.Listed in: Korean & Asian Restaurants
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Review from Kat F.
11/18/2009 4 photos
As far as I can tell, M&B Yummy is the only 100% vegetarian Ethiopian restaurant in all of Toronto. It's way out west in Parkdale, far away from "Little Ethiopia" and if you make the trek you can get stuffed silly for $10 or less.
NOTE: All mentions of meat to follow are "faux meat."
They have $4 soups made fresh daily, like Ethiopian minestrone (need to try), lentil, red cabbage, ground beef/black bean, beef/vegetable, chickpea and vegetable.
Two of us shared a vegetarian combo for $9 - by far the cheapest veg combo I've seen at any Ethiopian restaurant - and it was a shit ton of food. The owner brought us more injera than we frankly knew what to do with. I didn't want there to be leftovers, but with the amount of food set out in front of us, it was inevitable, plus, we needed to make room for M&B's famed desserts.
With the typical "wots" (missir and shiro) we also enjoyed a fabulous pumpkin stew that was slow cooked in ethiopian spices, yellow beans, fasolia, gomen (collards) and cabbage stew. There was also a "scrambled egg" (also faux) that I liked but found a bit too wet. I'm curious to try their brunch, which looks tasty and affordable - they even have a Hangover Special of chickpea fit fit (made with clarified butter) for $7.
The decor is nothing exciting - it may even be a tad depressing (let's just say it's right at home in Parkdale) but no matter - the star attraction here is the food and warm, friendly staff.
Closed weekdays from 4-5pm and on Tuesdays. -
Review from Downtown D.
Toronto, ON
11/21/2010
This is the first Ethiopian place I've been to where they have "mock" meat - interesting but I'm not a fan of that. There's a distinct taste - you know it's not chicken/beef.
Regardless, I liked the other lentil, chickpea type spreads. -
Review from Wendy H.
Toronto, ON
9/20/2009
Ok, fine. So sometimes when I do Ethiopian with my carnivorous chums, and they're all, "oohhhh mannnn this spiced meat concoction is amaaaayyyyzing", I GUESS my curiosity takes a leap. So when I heard about M&B, a vegetarian Ethiopian restaurant with faux meat options, the novelty was enough to drag my arse out for some injera.
The verdict? Holy crap. So much food, and so cheap! Kat F and I shared a chicken/vegetable mix and pumpkin stew - the platter was massive and probably suitable for three people (we didn't finish). We started with a dumpling and samosa, both large and $1.50 each (the lentil samosa was better!). They've got a good selection of vegan desserts too (I think Sweets From The Earth) - we shared blueberry cheesecake for $3. Total cost? $28 for both of us. Decent for two people to get STUFFED, right? And like I said, a third person totally could have gotten in on the action.
So the food is quite good - the fake meat isn't top notch though. You know how some faux meat tastes delish, but then there's the stuff that tastes kinda rubbery? The fake chicken we had was the rubbery stuff. The lentils and vegetables were good, but Ethiopian House is slightly better. The pumpkin stew was definitely the 5-star part of our meal, super good.
OH, I ALMOST FORGOT. The number 1 reason I even trekked to this injera lair is for their Tofutti soft serve! That's right - your fave frozen soy product apparently comes in soft serve. I was foaming at the mouth to sample it, but unfortunately it wasn't available for my visit. :-( Next time!
Service is friendly and a lot faster than other Ethiopian places I've been to, and the menu is extensive (you can check it out on their website). Definitely would go back. (PS: they do brunch, too)Listed in: I'm A Dirty Hippy
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Review from Jen K.
Toronto, ON
4/11/2010
While its name falls short of brilliant, M+B Yummy has worked its way to the upper echelon of restaurants on my list, surpassing Banjara and Nazareth, my usual go-to cultural hotspots. While Parkdale is sketchy to say the least, this all vegetarian Ethiopian eatery packs a killer punch and leaves you yearning for more. It's well worth the foray into this less than desirable neighbourhood.
Big plates of injara, deliciously spiced soy "chicken and beef" dishes and curious vegan desserts that beg to be sampled. The friendly, amiable owner provides excellent service and the place is spotless.
Pictures of Haile Selassie, the former Ethiopian emperor and other cultural icons adorn the walls. While the decor isn't fancy, it's fun and makes for great conversation. Our quick dinner led to an interesting look at the Rastafari movement, which was borne out of a visit by Haile Selassie to Jamaica.
The best part..... starting in June this place serves Tofutti, a soy based soft serve "ice cream" which just rocks.
I implore you to try it.Listed in: Top 5 Veg-Friendly Restarants…
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Review from Nicole H.
Toronto, ON
8/17/2010 1 photo
M&B Yummy was my introduction to Ethiopian food, and I mostly enjoyed the tastes and experience. I went with a couple of friends and after back-and-forthing over the menu quite a bit due to feeling like we couldn't make an informed choice, the owner (I think?) came over to make some suggestions on what to order.
Between the three of us we ended up going with the "beef" and "chicken" combos which came out on a MASSIVE platter along with some great sides (lentils, collard greens, chickpeas, green beans etc) and more than enough little rolls of injera (the pancake-like bread companion to the meal). While I enjoyed the flavours of the 'chicken' and 'beef' dishes I felt the texture let them down, and I actually enjoyed the sides more - the two 'wot' sides in particular were brilliant. Unable to help ourselves from trying to get a taste of as much of the menu as possible, we also ordered the "beef" stew, which was nice but a bit too oily.
Despite the amount that we ate, we were all a little disappointed at the lack of appetisers and desserts (we were in on a Sunday evening, i'm not sure if that's a factor in the low supplies?) - I especially would've loved to try the vegan baklava.
The surroundings are pretty quaint and homey, and I recommend trying to get a seat near the front windows for the natural light. The lady who looked after us seemed a bit distracted but was friendly enough and very helpful when it came to deciding what we wanted from the menu. I'd like to go back when I have time to make the trip out that way, and hopefully next time know what i'm doing/what I lie a little better - and maybe score that baklava! -
Review from Rick Y.
Toronto, ON
1/14/2010 1 Check-in Here
100% vegetarian take on Ethiopian food. Amazing use of spices and veg meat substitutes.
Great value for the money. Not suitable for a "quick lunch" unless you call ahead and place your order.
Like most quality Ethiopian places food is prepared as it's ordered and takes a while but is Oh So Worth It! ;) -
Review from Malaise L.
Updated - 5/18/2011 1 photo
To continue the tale of the doggie bag... I did eat it cold the next day and the day after that. They just gave me enough food for two days! How awesome are they? And the owner was right: it tasted fresh and delicious out of the fridge, at room temp. Why, oh why can't we have places like this around where I live?
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/5/2011
This was just a great experience all in all.
The place is really funky looking and at first I thought… Read more »
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Review from Tong J.
5/27/2010
It was our friends' turn to pick a restaurant, this time a vegan choice. Now, things didn't start off well since it was raining hard that night...I know, I know, don't complain about the weather! As soon as we stepped inside though it was all worth it. The owner/chef was friendly and made lots of suggestions about what to order. Our friends have been to several countries in Africa including Ethiopia so their frame of reference was different from ours.
We started with the soup of the day, red lentil, to beat back the dampness. It was a nicely flavored broth with some mixed vegetables for texture and substance. We found it a bit on the salty side though. We followed it with a samosa with a lentil filling, which was essentially just spiced whole lentils wrapped in pastry. The pastry was flaky, the filling had some spices but otherwise unremarkable. For our main dish, we got the "beef" sampler, which included "beef" made from chickpea flour, cabbage stew, chickpea shiro wat, string bean and carrot fasolia, of course served on traditional injera. Our friend and her husband had the "chicken" combo with the same samplers. All in all very tasty and served with a smile. We sang happy birthday to a young couple on our way out to complete the down-home atmosphere. But our story doesn't end there folks...we needed meat! Off to a burger joint, pronto! -
Review from Richard E.
3/23/2010
Inexpensive great food and a very friendly owner. I've eaten Ethiopian food all over the world and have seen a 100% vegetarian Ethiopian restaurant only one other time in Los Angeles where I found the food to be bland. Here, the food was flavourful and vibrant and the owner is super friendly and accommodating. The food can be prepared precisely to your taste and spiciness preference and special orders don't faze her one bit. I did miss not having Tej (honey wine) with my meal -- not vegan, I know, but still vegetarian. Perhaps the owner will find a source of Tej in the future. The ambiance is down-home, but we go for the food, don't we.
