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Real People. Real Reviews.®
Categories: Vegan, Sandwiches [Edit]
64 Oxford StMon-Sun 8 am - 8 pm
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I'm not vegan or vegetarian but there's something that draws me to these anti-meat establishments. I think it's a combination of their rarity, the creativity that goes into the menu, and of course the confidence that you're doing your body good.
The Menu: It's everything a vegan or vegetarian could want. Salad bowls, rice bowls, sandwiches, curry bowls and soups. You can customize the first three to your liking by picking (A) your leaf / grain / bread (B) your "meat" replacement - tofu, tempeh, veggies, etc (C) six toppings (D) dressing. Seeds and nuts are a bonus:)
Our Order: My boyfriend had the salad bowl, I had the rice bowl. We choose things like roasted veggies, asparagus, tempeh, artichokes, tomatoes. The dressings, carrot sesame ginger and lemon tahini, were fab-u-lous.
Read more about Urban Herbivore here:
http://daniellenicosia...
Listed in: Gluten-Free Spots
I am the furthest thing from a vegan but thought this would be a good place for a quick lunch. I had the rice bowl after being told that they didn't have quinoa.
Fine, no problem they have a list of things you can add to your bowl so I named off a few "no, we don't have that, just order from what you see." Umm what? Isn't that a menu? You advertise 20 things as possible ingredients and have 11 or 12 of those? Not impressed.
The bowl itself was good, as was the banana bread I bought. However they need to get there stock correct in order for me to return.
Hands-down my favourite place to get a custom salad in Toronto. I know they offer more, but every time I go i'm lured in by that gorgeous spread of ingredients waiting to be combined - sesame tempeh every time, baby. You get a good number of 'toppings' to pick from for the price, and the finished product is quite filling. I've yet to try the grain bowl options rather than the salad, but I imagine this would be killer in the winter.
Because of my salad blinkers i've only ever really tried one of the other offerings - the delicious (but slightly overpriced) BBQ tofu sandwich. Bursting with flavour, it's good for a light lunch - perhaps next time i'll have to try one of the soups on offer to expand my horizons and fill my belly.
If it's not obvious by my salad fixation, I think Urban Herbivore is more of a summer destination - longer hours and much nicer to sit out on the adorable patio and watch Kensington Market float by. And the lemonade that is usually on offer tastes far better in the sunshine.
UH Sandwiches= Freakin Finger lickin good!
I cant wait til next time i visit kensington, to try their salad bowls and grain bowls, and not to forget those yummy looking spelt muffins. :D
I'm currently at work on my break enjoying a lovely hearty salad.
The menu is very appealing since your the one picking your ingredients. When it comes to sandwiches and salads I find this method works best.
I was pleasantly surprised on how yummy my salad was. I picked an arugula and spinach salad with chick peas, brussel sprouts, tempeh, baby tomatoes, sun flower seeds, roasted red peppers and asparagus. Delish!!
There's also sandwiches and soups. This place is perfect for picking up lunch or enjoying a quick meal on their patio.
The price is also right.
8.50$ total for the salad while places like Freshii are charging over 10$.
I stop in Urban Herbivore every time I'm in Kensington Market. I've only had their pastries, but they are always extremely fresh (usually still warm) and delicious!
Haven't tried their lunch, but I plan to next time I'm in town.
Soup Takeout...
I went in to purchase one of their super yummy pre-bottled soups: sweet potato, coconut, carrot, onions, ect... (unfortunately my bottle wasn't labeled so I am going off the top of my head).
The mason jar of soup was $5 plus $1 deposit.
Oh. My. Lord.
I had the Sesame Tempeh sammie with all the fixin's this past weekend. It gets my vote for the best damn sandwich ever. Since I'm from Chicago, it also gets votes from my cats and all the imaginary people I can think up, plus half the folks in the graveyard on the north side. Its that good.
For added perspective: I've traveled, so I've been to a few places. Also, I eat meat any chance I get.
So yah, this sandwich alone is worth getting your passport in order and hauling your butt to Toronto.
Who can resist the urge to eat health food? Seriously. It struck me again, a week after my first review of Urban Herbivore.
After my mind blowing, unfathomably delicious rendezvous with the salad bar, I was back for seconds. I strolled in and spotted their refrigerated items and discovered that UH sells soup for $6. You can take it home and have an equally mind blowing, unfathomably delicious meal in the comfort of your very own kitchen. I am doing this as we speak.
I also grabbed a lemonade with chunks of pineapple and julienned mint. I am no stranger to this beverage, but I am reaffirming that it is delicious.
Then the trouble began. Originally I was going to get salad but then I spotted for $2.50 less a "handwich," as in a sandwich with bread slices shaped like hands. This particular handwich had toasted coconut, a tomato, and cashew pesto (or something like that). This was tempting. The woman at the cash register said it was something like a vegan BLT. Sold.
The sandwich was not like a vegan BLT. It was more like a tomato sandwich with heaps and heaps and heaps of toasted coconut (hurray!) with a heavy cashew influence. I didn't love it, to be honest, and it had that vegan-y taste to it, if you know what I mean. I wish I had gotten the salad that I wanted, but hey, live and learn. At least it was a healthy experience.
Get the soup!
PS I asked what the deal was the website and the cashier just kind of laughed it off and said it's always been in shambles. What a shame!
It is a rainy Sunday night. I don't think I have eaten an actual raw vegetable in days. I feel bad… Read more »
I've been to Urban Herbivore many times and it never fails to disappoint!
The formula is simple - pick your type of meal (salad, sandwich, grain bowl, curry bowl) and pick up to 6 delicious ingredients, plus seeds and nuts, and dressing and walk away very happy!
The incredients are not run of the mill items like tomato (although you can get tomato) but include roast sweet potatoes, bbq tofu, tempeh, roasted red peppers, and many more. And in my experience, they are not stingy when they toss the ingredients in.
This is the kind of place you can walk into and leave feeling healthier and pleasantly full for less than $10. And if you're there in the summer, grab a lemonade, they're refreshing and delicious.
A lot of people seem to question the cost of the meals here ($8.50 for any of the options) but it's totally comparable to (and in some cases cheaper than) places like Sandwich Box and Freshii. And if you are a vegetarian you're getting delicious instead of plain protein options.
The only reason this place doesn't get 5 stars is because I find having to walk through their kitchen to use the washroom a little strange AND they only have counter seating which is a pet peeve of mine. Still, this place is totally worth checking out - I always leave happy!
Listed in: Best Vegetarian in Toronto
We ate here, and had soup and two juices. They staff was really nice, I asked for some bread to go with my soup and they gave it to me, I also wanted to try their cashew mayonnaise, and they gave a spoon of that to me too. Their service is excellent, the soup was delicious, and this is saying something, because it was sweet potato soup, and I normally am not a fan of sweet potatoes. The soup was nice to sit in, I liked the decor, and the things around were pretty interesting.
I would probably go back, especially if I was in the area with vegetarian/vegan friends.
*Note this place is vegetarian friendly (obviously, I just like to note this in my reviews so I can index).
I would give this spot 5 stars, except they have TWICE sent my bf into extreme allergy reaction. We have told them he is allergic to nuts when we go and only one of the three times he's been there he has walked away safely.
I am a selfish girl though and go on my own now and love it. But be warned you poor nut-allergic people!
I'm a vegetarian, I had to stop in here.
I am also not good with cold weather, so stopping in anywhere that wasn't outside while walking about Kensington market was a must.
This place was tasty, warm soup and their use of ginger in their fresh juices was a total bonus. (I'd had too much too drink the night before and my tummy was still a little funny...)
I left happy and warm and with a tummy that wasn't upset anymore. I would love to go back to visit again and try more of their baked goods. Vegan backed goods get a bad reputation for being dry and flavorless but the bread I had with my soup was anything but.
Finally i found their service was fine. I wouldn't say amazing- but it was good. :D
Also I want to go back in a warmer season to try their lemonade.... it sounds delicious!
If you are vege, or just the kind of person who can appreciate a meal made without the death and abuse of animals... stop in. Its totally worth it.
Let me start out by saying I'm a carnivore. Also let me point out I was raised by a mother who is a vegetarian. So I'm no tofu snob and I understand that you can have a good meal with no meat. My travelling companion was a vegan and we were meeting up with her vegan blog buddy so needless to say. . . it was "Vegan place HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" This place was suggested by fellow Yelpers and it was right around the corner for both us and her friend. So we made our way there and worked our way in. It was crowded and I found out why. I ordered the avocado with olive ciabatta sandwich. It was delicious and only about 9 dollars!!!! Piled high with sprouts and avocado I could hardly finish it! I can see myself coming here especially with my non-meat friends and family.
Went by this place to grab some food today with two of my friends. Even though the place is slightly small, it had a great atmosphere. I had the Tofu Curry Bowl with black and sticky rice; my friend got the handwich (which was adorable) with coconut; and my other friend got the Moroccan stew with black and sticky rice. Really would recommend this place for all vegans out there.
Okay. I'll be honest, I was not convinced with the curry bowl and juice I paid almost $12.00 for. I mean, in my opinion, when it's counter-service, prices like that seem a little steep. I tried to chalk it up to the fact that, yes, everything (as far as I know) is fresh, organic, and all those good things you like to hear about what you're ingesting. However, despite my surprise at the expense, the curry bowl was amazingly tasty (and turned me on to curry), and the juice was incredible.
On the weekend I was feeling blue and I knew I needed an ample supply of substance in my tummy as I would be headed out to drink loads of alcohol, so I headed over to this place to grab a sandwich. I had been saving the chance to try it until I really needed it. I got the BBQ Tempeh.
Now, this is not an exaggeration. The sandwich I ate that day was possibly the best sandwich I have ever had in my life (except for those little packaged sandwiches you can buy in delis in England.. oh man). And I love sandwiches. I love bread. As a vegan, it is really difficult to find good and interesting sandwiches. This thing was big and kept me satisfied until 5 AM.
You know, when I think about it, the amount of money I spend on shitty food that has no nutritional value (protein, vitamins, etc.) is vast in comparison to the money well-spent at Urban Herbivore.
Just go, seriously. Do it.
Sometimes my under-nourished abused body that normally is forced to live on bags of popcorn, falafels and alcohol really craves a salad. And when that happens, I usually make a point to detour to Urban Herbivore on my way home.
Great location with huge windows and seating that doesn't make it awkward to sit by yourself. If it's a nice day take your meal outside and people watch on Augusta. I like the fact that you can choose five things to put in your salad. Fun, delicious and new every time! Plus it will fill you up for about 8 dollars, and the staff are really friendly! You can't go wrong.
To be honest I only took one star off because every time I've been in here I've had to wait about 10 minutes to be served because of line ups. Great for them, bad for me!
Rude service. The girl kept rushing me. I asked for broccoli and didn't realize there was fresh or steamed/boiled so I asked her to switch it for me and she said "well it's already in." So I asked her to take it out. Any normal person would've just changed it without freaking out about how they had spooned the boiled broccoli in already so it was too late to put the fresh. Like, how long does it take to spoon out broccoli with the same spoon you just put it in with? Even if it was double the time it would've taken one second more. Less time than telling me she's too lazy/angry to do it. The food is mediocre. I was recommended to try the lemonade. It's good but not that good. Unique with pineapple. Very mediocre food. Not that I expect to get blown away by a salad but honestly I was like "this is it?" Dressing is very lacking. I expect more from a restaurant. I can mix a better one up at home. Rude service and mediocre food. Not worth the $4 for the lemonade even though it was unique and had pineapple and mint. First and last visit. Rude service is unacceptable. The girl at cash was nice though but then the girl who makes the food gets to leave her lasting impression. It's sad because the angry vegan stereotype is perpetuated in this place. Not fair to other not so angry vegans. There is a small patio that's nice in the summer. I like the option to eat outside.
As an update, I recently went for a juice there and it was quite yummy. I've changed my 1 star to 2. They were quicker with service and the juice was good, but this doesn't make up for the horrible experience of last time.
Incredibly tasty soups and sandwiches that are so massive in size you'll be able to re-enjoy the leftovers for several meals afterwards. I like to order the grilled and marinated tofu sandwich and save half of it for the next day's lunch!
Urban Herbivore is always bustling with activity and has a loyal clientele that keeps coming back for healthy, tasty lunch and dinner options.
Listed in: Cheap Toronto Eats, The Best Of Kensington Market
For my first experience, I am not impressed. But I am willing to give this place a second try. Why? Because this is one of the few places that serves all vegan menu items. Anyway, I didn't really feel welcomed. I sort of felt like an outsider for some reason? Maybe the girl at the counter somehow knew I didn't live in Kensington or rarely hung out in the area. But I love Kensington, so it's not like I had any pre-judgement walking in. I just wanted to try some great vegan food. And judging by everyone else's reviews, that's what I should have got. Instead I got the moroccon Stew with millet and black beans. It was like something I would have been served in a third world country. Ok. Maybe that's rude, and over exaggerated, but that's the first thing that comes to mind. This was an over priced, small portioned bowl of gruel with winter root veggies and it was not impressive. Plus it had so many damn fennel seeds in it I cringed nearly every bite. People don't like fennel seeds!
Maybe I should have just stuck to a sandwich. But I figured I could make a sandwich with the same ingredients on the same type of bread at home.
There's not much seating in this place. You basically are stuck sitting along bar stools facing the window. Lot's of people seem to come here and maybe find it reliable for juices, salads etc. But to me that's nothing special. I wanted to try one of their large muffins or the banana bread, which looked delicious, but I was so bummed with my bowl of millet and stew that I figured it wouldn't be worth the money.
I don't know, maybe this place is for that lazy vegan that doesn't want to make their own food at home and is ok with paying more for mediocre stuff from a cafe where their friends work. But like I said, I'll try it one more time when I'm in the area and see if that was just an off day at Urban Herbivore.
Mmmm delicious vegetarian food! A great lunch spot -- you can grab some freshly made soup or assemble a salad for under $10 and then just sit and stare at people walking down Kensington. Sounds creepy, is actually really entertaining.
This place is tiny but has a pretty devoted and huge following. And it makes sense. If you care at all about the food you're putting in your body, you'll appreciate the small decisions Urban Herbivore offers you to make your meal healthier. So many different kinds of fresh bread, the option to put all sorts of vegetables and proteins into your salad, a fresh soup that you can tell has nothing artificial or sketchy in it.
If you're visiting Toronto and you want a delicious lunch that won't slow you down with grease, stop by and grab a power lunch and a smoothie. And if you live here and you haven't come by yet...what are you waiting for?
I came here with my boyfriend while visiting Toronto last summer. He's vegan and I'm vegetarian so we were excited to try this place. We had some tasty soup and bf was happy with his sandwich.
My problem was with the service. I have a medical condition and cannot eat alfalfa sprouts. They trigger some terrible symptoms. I specifically told the girl not to put them on my sandwich. What did I get? A sandwich full of alfalfa sprouts. I very nicely told her that I cannot eat them, and the reason why. Not only did she give me attitude, but she tried to make me feel guilty by telling me that they were going to have to put it in the trash if I didn't eat it. You know what, you're right- I'm going to go into a full-on lupus flare so you don't have to make me another sandwich. Needless to say, I refused it again. By the time my second sandwich was done, and handed to me with even more attitude, bf had finished his meal. Won't be returning.
Vegetarian sandwiches are usually pretty predictable (grilled veggies with some sort of cheese) and sometimes if you don't eat dairy, you're out of luck! well, not at Urban Herbivore! I had a great bbq tofu sandwich with tons of avocados and lots of other veggies. Also got some of their green juice which i think is the same as the one at Fressen. Definitely worth every penny and probably the best veg sandwich in town! Also, i think Its great that they use eco takeout containers.
Listed in: all veggies all the time, My ROTDs
Awesome avocado sandwich! A great place if you are eating alone as you can sit at the window seating and watch the world go by...
Toronto friend M W* was only under a little pressure to bring me somewhere yummy. There are too many other options in that neighborhood. She did good.
Urban Herbivore has a simple menu. 5-6 sandwiches, same with salads, with the option of salad wraps (but not on Sundays-boo!), and a small selection of soups and fruit smoothies. The smoothies aren't like Jamba Juice, though, as they are more fruit and pulp. I got an apple, lemon, ginger smoothie. M W got pulled a yellow fruity drink from the silver tub by the register. It was pineapple, plus finely diced fruit, slivers of basil, another undetectable juice, and ice- perfect for a sweltering day.
Our sandwiches were ginormous. I don't recall what M W got (but you can be sure it was veggie!) but I got the sesame tempeh. Not just any tempeh but one with avocado, walnut-spinach pesto, date-olive tapenade, lemon tahini, tomatoes, greens, alfalfa on a house-made multi-grain. Hot damn.
I also grabbed the pink counterpart to her yellow fruit/basil drink, since my smoothie was annihilated. The fruit bits that didn't make it into my straw got greedily eaten later. Move over boba tea. This is my new drink obsession (and hubby approved)!
*Full name is omitted to protect the innocent. And protection for me. She'll probably kill me if I get her obsessed with yelping!
(This review was originally posted on 6/10/2008 when yelp had not yet expanded to Toronto.)
Super, great selection. Great for novice and advanced vegetarians. Yummy soups. Down-to-earth atomosphere.
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmuffin. Sweet potato and date stick to your ribs gigantic muffin that will sustain the notoriously under nourished vegan for days and days. This is how they survive whilst not eating flesh...they make it up in muffin. And it's the bread and the pesto and those glorious soups and generous servings of meal style salads. This is one place in Toronto where you're really getting a deal on a meal 'cause for once something under $8 is both filling and actually good for you!
Located in the heart of kensington, this cute vegan restaurant has what every vegan wants most, flavour!! The food is delicious and healthy, and they have cookies for anyone with a sweet-tooth. There aren't many places to sit and eat so i recommend getting it to go unless it's not busy. The prices are a little on the high-side for lunch but its worth it for the taste and portion size.
Listed in: vegan in toronto
Wanna watch Kensington Market pedestrians with a friend over a large lunch ? Come here. I can't tell if I am inside or outside because of the large windows. In fact I can't tell what is better: the colored pedestrians, my friend or the lunch itself. No, wait... it is the lunch. Huge sandwitches and dark green smoothies available here for about $7.
Listed in: Kensington Market
I had a sandwich and a cookie here. I thought it was ok, but nothing to write home about. Maybe I'm just so used to over processed restaurant foods? I thought it tasted healthy (yes, you can make healthy foods taste delicious and not like your scrimping). Soapbox. Either way, just ok.
Neighborhood: Kensington Market
Neighborhood: The Annex
Neighborhood: University of Toronto
Neighborhood: Queen Street West
Toronto, ON
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