Fresh on Spadina

I've been going to Fresh for a long time and the food is good and filling. I hate to see the boxes of Canola oil and see other crappy ingredients in the restaurant though.

I've been here a number of times over the last 15+ years and usually go when in Toronto as a place to meet friends over dinner. I liked it before, but I think the menu has improved in recent years -- I feel it's more interesting and varied now.
We all really enjoyed our meals. Some interesting dishes, with good portions. Good drinks too!
Even if you have to wait a few minutes to get in, it's worth it. They were really quick to get people in as soon as possible. Staff worked hard. Yes, it's a bit noisy and chaotic, but I like it because it's lively.
The menu reminds me of the Naam in Vancouver. Does it for you too?



Updated from previous review on 2017-01-26

Well, the place is noisy and packed, but what did you expect? The food is remarquable! :)

I've been eating at Fresh (and formally Juice for Life) for well over a decade. The food is healthy and delicious and has never disappointed. the service is usually friendly and fairly good. Unfortunately, I have also seen the prices steadily and steeply rise and the condition and atmosphere of the restaurants decline as they get more and more hectic and overrun with ravenous yuppies. Definitely go, but be prepared to fight the crowds for your rice bowl.

Mostly vegan, large choice, delicious juices, smoothies and boost of all kind. The bowls are enormous and tasty. The brunch looks generous and mouthwatering. Homemade hotsauce is perfect. Not fancy, simple and healty.

The third leg of our vacation (after visiting Niagra Falls) was to visit family in Oshuwa, so we had to pass through Toronto. After a quick search on the happycow app, I saw there were literally dozens and dozens of vegan restaurants in Toronto! I am not used to that kind of choice, being from Connecticut, am overwhelmed with the half-dozen choices when visiting New Haven.

The top review here raved about the place, so I made the snap decision to do it. I'm so glad I did.

First, I travel with my wife and daughters (12 and 10) all of us eat vegan, but have diverse tastes. My oldest was disappointed to find they only offer breakfast choices during holidays and weekends (we showed up at 12:30 on a Friday) but I convinced her to try something else, and as soon as she saw vegan poutine on the menu she was sold. In all, we ordered 2 poutines (as an entre) a vegan turkey club wrap, and a tiger bowl. The girls each ordered a small smoothie (at about 5.50 ea) as part of my bribe to keep them away from the more expensive menu items. (I told them to keep their entre under $10 to get a smoothie, that usually works) The server was super accommodating and very friendly (one of the few I feel completely earned her tip) When I saw another table getting some amazing looking onion rings, I snagged her and she was more than obliged to put one in for us, even took the time to explain all the extra dip options we could order with it. So we picked the garlic mayo and peanut sauce. both were excellent, but with the onion rings, the garlic may was the best.
All of our food was amazing - the fried items were slightly greasy, but not unexpectedly and tasted really fresh. Service was really fast - we made it in, a short wait for a seat but ordered, ate, got desert to go (whoopie pies) and back to our car a block away in under 1 hour (I only paid for an hour of parking and set the timer on my phone) Of all the things we ordered, the only thing we would have skipped was the whoopie pies (they were good, moist and chocolatey, but the filling was not what we expected. It was light and lemony, not bad but just not the salty frosting we're used to). I am excited to try some of the other options in Toronto, but would eat back here in a heartbeat - their selection was great and the food amazing.

Wish I'd had more days to spend in Toronto so that I could've had more meals here.

Had the almond blueberry pancakes - VERY filling and delicious - with tempeh bacon and tofu scramble - pretty standard.

I have been to all 3 Fresh locations and it is quite simply an awesome place. It is always packed, and while that means waiting for a table, I am thrilled that veg*n places in the city are drawing crowds. The menus is very nice - lots of selection for different palates, interesting items for those of who cook veg all the time, and mainstream items for those who are new to vegetarian cooking. The items are vegan by default, but cheese and milk are optional. I highly recommend anything with the delicious peanut sauce. I find the dishes consistent both across all Fresh locations and over the years. And the price is right: I have gone for dinner with my husband for under $20. Smoothies are fantastic but be warned: they are so filling you may want to order an appetizer as your meal. Fresh has a casual funky atmosphere and is a great place to go on a date or for brunch or lunch with a friend. They don't take reservations and I do not recommend going with more than 4 people at a time.

I've been eating here every so often since the Bloor location was called "Juice For Life". I've been bashing it that long because although it's not organic the prices were. Plus a lot of the dishes it would be easy to make yourself.
However, recently I started to really enjoy it. I think the rest of Toronto's restaurant prices have inched up to nearly match Fresh's. So yeah, they are still not entirely organic but they aren't so expensive anymore when you look at eating out in Toronto in general.
Plus - I really really like some of the dishes now. In particular the BBQ burger really rocks, and I'm not much of a burger fan.
They have Sweets from the Earth cupcakes, which are harder to come by than their cookies and bars, great smoothies and lots and lots of options.
It's usually TERRIBLY busy in ALL the locations, so sometimes take out is in order.

Check out my blog for a full review: http://helloveggy.com/2013/07/31/fresh-restaurant-review/

Fresh is now a classic to me.. Love them. I've had almost everything on the menu for the past 20 years... I've been disappointed only 2 times but both items have since greatly improved... I only miss the original spot on Bloor... It's always upbeat and busy... Not always as cool music from years back... it all depends on who is in control of the stereo.

I used to enjoy going to Fresh. My standard order included some combination of the roasted veg wrap and the sweet potato fries with miso gravy and a drink. Veering away from these gave me inconsistent results. Sometimes ok, sometimes really bad. Dressings can be bland. Do not even try the soba noodles, you will be disappointed. Limpy, overcooked, and flavourless. I like that they have half size portions which are perfect for normal people. :)

However, now that I have the recipe for their fabulous miso gravy, I can make it at home when I want it. Actually most of their dishes have me thinking, I could make this at home. Especially once you procure their numerous cookbooks.

This place is amazing, all their fresh bowls are so unique and delicious! Sometimes i actually drive down to Toronto just to eat here!

Really really great food!! I love the tofu with wasabi! Lots of great tasting smoothies, and I'll never forget the tofu cheesecake!! Too bad i don't live in Toronto anymore, I totally miss eating there!

My boyfriend and I were travelling around Canada and were in Toronto for four days. We discovered Fresh on the first lunchtime and subsequently ate there for one of our meals a day. The food is fantastic, particularly the Beach Bowl and the sweet potato fries. I had a take away blueberry muffin and it was fantastic for breakfast the next morning! Heh, I was on holiday!

Their alcohol list is rather limited, but my boyfriend really rated the beer and I found the wine passable.

Service was really friendly and helpful as I'm terrible at making choices when I have so many vegan options on the menu!!

I also bought the recipe book, "ReFresh", which I highly recommend.

My only criticism is the loos/bathrooms were really grotty and needed refurbishment or a seriously good clean!

I found it a bit expensive, but I would go again. I got one of the bowls (Green Goddess) and while it wasn't the tastiest thing I've eaten I definitely felt pretty awesome after eating this. A good place to go if you're in the mood for a healthy meal.

Never had a bad meal here. While it is a bit more expensive than other cafes, you get what you pay for. High quality food, healthy portions, and great taste. For those looking for something heavy, go for the BBQ burger. The bowls are really filling as well and I love the Powerhouse when I'm starving. Amazing sweet potato fries with the most incredible vegan garlic mayo you could dream up. For a refreshing shake, try the Shamrock.

Needs improvement
Place looks nice, menu is interesting, service is bad and arrogant. you'd get a far better one from any random restaurant that knows nothing about customer service. Default fries were soggy sweet potato. I wanted to try the blueberry pie, but given the massive disappointment I cut my losses and ran. Some of the "bowls" people had ordered looked interesting.

Save yourself the disappointment and walk a little further to one of the others instead.