Vegan
Organic
Western
Take-out
Catering
All Raw
Raw food restaurant cafe located in basement of the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto. Serving vegan, organic living foods for eat-in or take-out in biodegradable containers. Changing menu. Opened since Jan 2010. Reported closed, Aug 2019.
18 Reviews
First Review by Ally846
hokusai77
Points +13599
Pretty good - Edit
Pretty good raw food: I had the mushroom and walnut burger, which was OK.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2019-07-11
Guest
gopherveg
Points +2228
Not great - Edit
I don’t like to criticize vegan restaurants, but I think it is worth mentioning how disappointed I was with this restaurant. I’m not familiar with the raw food scene, so I decided to play it safe and get a salad, thinking that a salad (which is usually raw) would be a good introduction to raw food. After spending about 10 minutes trying to find the restaurant in the market (turns out it’s in a basement corner), I finally found it and got my salad. For nearly $20, I got a salad the size of a tea saucer. The dressing was quite odd—it almost tasted like liquid tofu. There was very little protein in the salad, and frankly very little food in general in the nearly $20 salad.
Read moreI don’t plan on going back, but if you’re into small (and expensive) portions of raw food that taste a bit off then maybe you’ll have a better experience than me.
Pros: Vegan
Cons: Small portions, Expensive, Hard to find restaurant
Guest
martint
Points +9945
Just OK - Edit
Nice place for grabbing a healthier meal. But it's quite expensive for the quantity served
Read morePros: healthy
Cons: expensive, small portions
Guest
NoMeatNick
Points +114
My first raw experience - Edit
My first raw experience. Didn’t really know what to expect. The food was tasty but it wasn’t really my thing. It is a very popular place and well worth a visit in st lawrence market
Read moreGuest
Espressony
Points +143
Raw and Flavorful - Edit
Been several times, tried 4-5 of the lunch/dinner options, always consistent. Menu pretty much stays the same with some juice or dessert rotations. Also purchase the gf pulp wraps for home use- they are usually $10-$20 a pack depending on the count. Hearty and easy to use in home dishes.
Read morePros: Healthy, Tasty Recipes
Cons: Pricey
Guest
rogerluis
Points +261
Healthy but kind of expensive - Edit
Raw organic delicious food.
Read morePortions were enough for a summer brunch, but I guess not fulfilling for most.
Found it a bit expensive.
Pros: Raw, Organic
Cons: Expensive
Guest
signe
Points +43
only raw vegan food downtown - Edit
the food is good, and it's not too pricey. I've had everything on the menu at least four times and each version has been different (ie- not according to their menu).
Read morethey don't use soy (except in one dish), or nutritional yeast. the food is grain free and consists mostly of veg, seeds, nuts.
Pros: raw, grain free, very pure
Cons: dishes vary greatly each time ordered
Guest
JonJon
Points +20904
A little expensive but good raw food - Edit
I went there for breakfast and had a salad with cream and raw keftas. It was good (and I'm not fond of raw food) and fair in terms of size. My friend took the raw crêpes and liked them. The place is inside a big market and has places to sit in front of it. The service was friendly and quick, they have fresh products and various options. Prices were a bit high but not exagerated for raw food.
Read morePros: good food, friendly staff
Cons: a little pricey
Guest
MarekArawn
Points +18
Average And Pricey - Edit
2 juices and 2 salads = 40 $
Read moreReally?
The salads weren't that good - quite bitter actually, and the juices were ok. Not sure if the price is due to location, I wouldn't go out of my way to come back.
Service, however, was charming and friendly.
Pros: Service
Cons: Price
Guest
maulydaft
Points +700
It was great when I ate - Edit
I'm basing my review from a few years back. I haven't eaten there in a bout a year and half because I'm never out that way anymore. I was there often enough previously to get the idea that the food was really great and at the time less expensive than other raw food in the city. I always loved what I got and always tried to make room for dessert. Regarding what a previous person wrote about the "fatty desserts". 1. Desserts aren't suppose to be low fat. 2. From what I can tell when you are on a raw diet you are suppose to eat lots of nuts and avocado and so forth. Otherwise you'll shrink to a string bean. So at the very least raw desserts SHOULD be fatty! (MHO!)
Read morePros: really tasty, price, st lawerence market
Cons: st lawrence market, not super friendly
Guest
emchait
Points +40
Cauliflower Rice!! - Edit
I'm usually not a fan of raw food (it usually tastes funny), but Cruda Cafe's Norita Wrap was great! Made with cauliflower rice, beets, carrots, guacamole, vege paté, greens, and nori, the tastes were familiar to me and really good!
Read moreThe cauliflower rice actually contains no grains but it looks just like shiny jasmine rice! Some herbs and olives made it taste even better!
The location is great for tourists since you can see a show at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts first, then walk through the historic Distillery District and historic St. Lawrence Market and still find tasty and healthy vegan food.
Guest
saveur
Points +1168
Heavy, unappealing food - Edit
I love raw cuisine but do not like Cruda Cafe. The meals are heavy with the nuts and seeds and worst of all, lack flavour. I had the gnocchi. I will not be back.
Read moreGuest
pfalvo
Points +81
Impressive - Edit
I thought the healthy smoothie would taste awful -- but it was good.
Read moreThe raw chocolate is to die for!
Guest
melskunk
Points +94
Good option - Edit
I would first like to say I haven't had the issue with staff the previous reviewers seem to have had. Perhaps the cafe has been reading the reviews?
Read moreI've been here three times, and enjoyed the food each time. Each time as well I had a friendly order taker. The taste is good, the price isn't cheap but it's not unreasonable, though I find the portions a little smaller than I'd like.
What I didn't like was it seems that they don't always use the ingredients that are listed for the respected wraps? I ordered a nori one today, and seemed to basically get the same filling as the sun dried tomato wrap, only with a nori coating, instead of the pickled plum paste and so forth advertised. I sadly had already walked off and gotten halfway home before I tried it, so couldn't speak to them about it. I'd found also the sundried tomato wrap didn't have quite the filling as I saw advertised, but I took that to be a late in the day issue.
Overall I WILL return as it's convenient for me, but be more careful checking the ingredients they're using before leaving.
Pros: Good selection, Everything is vegan & gluten free
Cons: Not always the ingredients you expect, Pricey
Guest
veggiewoman
Points +378
good food, decent price - Edit
I had the gnocchi, which I think would be more appropriately called "spaghetti" and "meatballs" just based on how it looked. It was delicious and such a generous portion that I couldn't even finish it all (which is rare in raw restaurants). I also had the raw nanaimo bar which was quite good as well. Staff were friendly, menu items were interesting, and I would definitely go back.
Read morePros: unique options, taste, price
Cons: not open sundays
Guest
buttaflyrawka
Points +33
service without a smile - Edit
Living on the east end of Toronto where there are no raw vegan restaurants and coming to the market almost every Saturday, I was excited to hear that there was an option somewhat close to me. Imagine my disappointment when I am met with no warmth, eyes rolling and nasty vibes. The food was great! Most everything I've had is phenomenal! (and I've been there about five times!!) the Gypsy Sandwich, Mushroom Burger, Gnochhi Carbonara, but honestly, I can't condone the lack of warmth, especially since I've attempted to engage. My advice, go there expecting great food and service without a smile and try not to take it personal.
Read morePros: great food, fresh
Cons: bad energy, not enough seating
Ken4057
They were super friendly to me and we chatted while they made my food. The trick is to kill others with kindness. As long as it isn't fake it almost always works.
Read moremaulydaft
Depending on who served you... The owner isn't super warm or friendly, but she will engage enthusiastically if she's not busy. Just go for the food :)
Read moreGuest
Ken4057
Points +1200
I'm hungry just thinking about it - Edit
It was a gorgeous summer day out on the 2nd floor patio at St. Lawrence Market. I can think of no better food to accompany that than Cruda Cafe's fresh, raw, organic vegan offerings.
Read moreWe shared a raw hummus and veggie wrap with a dehydrated 'tortilla' (sundried tomato and carrot), a pecan/mushroom bistro 'burger' with sliced tomato instead of a bun (very filling), and Claudia's salad which had dates and shaved parsnips in it (!!).
All three were heavenly, and each around $7-8.
A little simpler than the six-star fare at LIVE food bar, but half the price.
I'm a fan forever.
Pros: organic, seasonal, friendly
Cons: none
Guest
Ally846
Points +28
Great Little Find in St. Lawerence Market - Edit
I have been waiting to try this place for a while but can never seem to manage to get to the St. Lawrence Market. This weekend I had an amazing strawberry crepe that was to die for. I will go back for sure.
Read morePros: Food, Staff
Cons: Seating (shared food court)
Guest
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