• 5
• The Best New Vegan Restaurant in Toronto

I discovered this restaurant by chance shortly after they opened in July and I've been there at least once a week since then. Don't be thrown by the huge menu. They offer Asian, North American, Italian and even Mexican food. This is usually a bad sign for me and makes me nervous, but believe me, it's all good. I stick mainly to the Asian dishes (their Chow Mein is simple and perfect and their Pho is perfect for the cooler weather) but I've also tried their burgers (don't think of them as traditional burger patties - more like hearty sandwiches) and fries which are surprisingly good. For those who like mock meat, their "chicken" has no equal. Deserts are also delicious, and being a vegan, it's not always easy to find good deserts in restaurants. I never liked real cheesecake before I was vegan, but I'm completely addicted to their cheesecake here. Personally, it's really nice for me to go to a restaurant where 99% of the menu is vegan and the few items on the menu that are vegetarian are marked with dots. It's a pretty funny reversal to what I experience in most places. The restaurant itself is bright, simply decorated and impeccably clean. The staff are all incredibly friendly and if it is the type of thing that matters to anybody, they are all committed vegetarians. This is where I feel compelled to point out the only possible downside to the place. And really, if you go in knowing this, it isn't really a downside at all. The service is pretty slow and the servers aren't great at what they do. They are some of the nicest, friendliest, hardest working servers around, they just aren't very good at it. It is a family business and they are still learning all the ropes. They've got the food down - believe me when I say you'll have trouble finding better - they just need more practice serving. So if you don't mind waiting a bit longer for your food than you would at a place with more polished and professional servers then I whole heartedly recommend Green Earth to anyone.