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Vegetarian restaurant in Kensington Market with a small grocery section selling specialty vegetarian products. Extensive menu features also dim sum and sushi rolls. Many mock meat dishes. Has children's menu. Affiliated with Zen Gardens restaurants. Open Mon-Sat 11:00am-9:30pm, Sun 11:00am-9:00pm.
Category: Vegan-friendly, Chinese, Organic, Juice bar, Take-out, Asian
Reviews (20)
First Review by jessienotjames
Contributions +1205
The King is vegetarian! - Edit
Great Asiatic food. There are tons of options and it's a very good choice if you're into plant-based meats. 95% of the menu is vegan. Good value and excellent service.
Pros: lots of vegan options, staff, value
Contributions +21
Tasty vegan Asian cuisine. - Edit
One of my favorite go to vegan restaurants. I also visit their sister restaurant Zen Gardens in Mississauga, both great options.
Contributions +15
Excellent - Edit
Absolutely amazing experience! I've become a regular customer and brought friends who were not vegetarians who love their food equally! I would definitely go again for the food and the wonderful customer service!
Pros: prices, menu options, proportions
Contributions +56
Great food, Inexpensive, but not fully vegan :( - Edit
This is a great restaurant, inexpensive, but not fully vegan though and not organic. Friendly staff, clean.
Updated from previous review on 2014-10-05
Pros: inexpensive, Friendly staff, Great tasting food
Cons: Not fully vegan, Not organic or veganic
Contributions +33
Delicious, filling and cheap - Edit
I'll definitely be coming back to this restaurant. The menu is very large with a lot of variety and options that accommodate food sensitivities. The portions are extremely generous and the food was delicious.
Pros: Soy-free options, Large seating area, Generous portions
Contributions +19
super tasty! - Edit
Hi everyone!
I've been to King's cafe on 3 occasions, and their food is incredible. Savoury and delicious cuisine and friendly staff! they offer teas, soy based meats, and vegetable based side dishes as well as sushi and dim sum dishes.
My favourite side dish from here HAS to be the soy fritters. MMMMM! Every time I come here i get these and they are just perfect. My family enjoys the peppered 'steak', but my favourite main dish is the mango 'chicken', which is a sweet dish with all different kinds of vegetables and sauce.
This food is inexpensive and delicious. VERY filling and satisfying. The menu displays which dishes are vegan and which ones are not vegan friendly, which provides a safe guideline for vegans. HOWEVER, if you are gluten-free or prefer food that is not fried, this is not your sort of restaurant. many of the dishes are gluten based and many dishes are fried.
I take a trip to King's whenever I can for some satisfying vegan food!
Updated from previous review on Thursday July 03, 2014
Pros: lots of seating, wide food selection, calm and friendly staff
Cons: not entirely vegan menu
Contributions +19
Loved by Vegans, Vegetarians and Omnivores! - Edit
King's Cafe is definitely my favourite restaurant, (and I have been to every single vegan/vegetarian restaurant in downtown Toronto, as well as other parts of Canada and and the US). I'm a big fan of Buddhist vegetarian cuisine, and when I found King's, I couldn't have been happier! I'm vegan, but most of my friends and family members are bonified meat eaters, and I've brought all of them to King's; a lot of them were sceptical at first, but after the first bite they were sold! My favourite dishes are the BBQ duck, the Kung po soy chicken, and the recent addition of a shrimp appetizer to the menu. I also really liked the Enoki mushroom balls (they are wrapped in seaweed, which is not everyone's favourite flavour, just FYI). I have not tried the sushi, but I would generally stick with the entree items as that is the cuisine they specialize in. The plates are large and the prices low considering that quality and quantity that you get. There is also a store selling mock meats, speciality teas, and other vegan/vegetarian items which are very reasonably priced. I probably make a trip to King's every other week and staff knows me and are very kind!
Pros: Awesome, delicious food, Good prices, Variety
Cons: Not gluten free
Contributions +63
A Toronto favorite - Edit
One of my favorite veggie spots in TO... Good if you are in the mood for gluteny fake meat in a healthy Chinese format. Kung po soy chicken, and soy drumsticks are recommended.
Pros: very tasty, fast and friendly service, good variety
Cons: primarily gluten
Contributions +34
Won't be back. - Edit
The service was terrible. The food was average. Forgot to bring our soup. (after 3 reminders) We saw other customers complaining while we were there. We will never be back. My impression is that this is typical of them which is a shame because there are so many other veg restaurants in Toronto that you'd think they would be more aware of the need for better service.
Pros: none
Cons: bad service, no atmosphere, average food
Contributions +103
disappointing - Edit
We had the fried tofu, curry puffs, wonton soup, and mixed veggies. The curry puffs were pretty good. The wonton had mostly skin and was very disappointing. The mixed veggie dish was very greasy (even after we asked for light oil).
The food also came out very slowly. There were maybe 5 other tables when we were eating, but food took longer than expected to serve.
I felt like I needed some sort of de-greaser after eating there. Wouldn't recommend it when there are so many other better vegan restaurants in downtown Toronto.
Cons: greasy, slow service
Contributions +51
Disappointing - Edit
After reading some reviews I decided to give King's Cafe a go.
My girlfriend ordered the "Chicken Drumsticks" to start with and I went with the Wonton Soup. The soup was not bad but I found a small bug in the bottom when I finished it which was a little gross but having worked in a cafe before I know this can sometimes happen so I did not complain and wasn't upset about it. My girlfriend enjoyed the drumsticks but I found them to be a little too "mushy".
For the main I ordered the mushroom curry and my girlfriend ordered the fried bean curd with veggies (which was tofu with seaweed - side of bokchoi). The curry was tasty but also quite rich (probably better shared), the vegetables in the curry needed to be prepared better (perhaps cut smaller - the okra was impossible to eat). The fried bean curd had to be sent back as the bokchoi was cold. When the meal was returned it was only slightly warmer. It was dry, bland and the only flavor was the saltiness from the seaweed. It was gross.
The service wasn't too bad and the Cafe looks nice.
My experience at Kings Cafe was disappointing to say the least. I hate giving "bad" reviews but I'm only being honest.
Pros: Location, Service
Cons: Food sent back
Contributions +11
NOT Gluten-Free Friendly! - Edit
When I was a vegan (before I discovered my gluten allergy), I loved this place. Great food, great environment, great service. When I found out I was allergic to gluten, I was thrilled to find that they have a gluten-free menu. Well, apparently, as I discovered 15 mins. after eating my "gluten-free meal" there was gluten in my food. I approached the staff (concerned about if I was allergic to something else), and they discovered that they added soy sauce to my gluten free dish. They were super-nice about it, but I have been sick in bed for three days. Not sure if I'll ever go back - I am terrified of this happening again.
They said the manager would be emailing me, but I haven't heard anything yet...
Fellow people who cannot eat gluten: Proceed with caution. Ask lots of questions if you do eat here.
Cons: GLUTENED FROM GLUTEN FREE MENU
Contributions +210
A good meal in the heart of Kensington Market - Edit
My brother and I stopped in at King's Cafe this summer before flying from Toronto to Europe. We specifically ate here because the location is impeccable - the heart of Kensington Market, my favourite Toronto district - and, to boot, on this sunny, humid afternoon, there was a street fair in the market with several excellent bands playing. We grabbed outdoor seating at King's Cafe and soaked it all in.
The meal began with an appetizer of flavoured seitan. It was sooooo good!!! So good, in fact, that neither my zesty salad (complete with mango chunks) nor my brother's tofu casserole could compete with what had preceded it.
Of note: the tables outside are quite small. Help your server to avoid unwanted spills (speaking from firsthand experience)!
Cost was reasonable as both my brother and I got our pre-flight fill.
I give King's Cafe 4/5 cows (it would be a 3 if not for the amazing seitan).
Pros: Location, location, location, Seitan appetizer, Outdoor seating
Cons: food is good not great
Contributions +68
Tasty food plus a nice a little market inside - Edit
Nice ambiance and well prepared food. Portions are above average. Huge selection of items. Good prices. Plus a small market inside where you can buy frozen versions of some of their food or just about every type of mock meat you can imagine. Make sure you try the BBQ faux-pork bun if you miss them as much as I do. It's incredible!
Pros: Huge selection, Excellent Food, Nice atmosphere
Cons: none
Contributions +17
My family's favourite - Edit
This is one of the few vegetarian places that my family is excited to eat at (most of them are not vegetarian). The portions are big, the food is filling and tasty. I enjoyed the atmosphere before the renovations - it was casual and relaxed. Now the cafe looks a lot more like a restaurant and I don't personally feel as comfortable popping in for a bite. The staff is friendly and the service is quick.
Pros: Good portions, Reasonable price, Selection
Contributions +34
Good - Edit
There's a lot of items on the menu to choose from. They have specials as well. It's a nice restaurant - the renovations were a great idea and the place looks fabulous. There's lots of mock meats in their store, but these fake delights are on the pricey side.
Pros: decor
Contributions +919
Great place to shop for mock meats AND dine in - Edit
You can't go wrong with their diverse combination plates, especially the incredibly yummy kung-pao chicken one, also available as a main entree. I also love the wheat gluten plate (if you're into that) and the hot and sour soup.
Near the back and to the side is a separate area with shelves and freezers where you can purchase mock meats and other food products. The woman who runs it is the sweetest, coolest lady ever. She's happy to give you cooking hints if you're stumped, and she even has a book of recipes jotted down by customers who've made tasty dishes with the products. I often come to King's Cafe just to visit the store, not to eat.
Pros: beautiful, renovated dining area, great enighbourhood
Cons: bit pricey
Contributions +167
Hidden Gem - Edit
Well, maybe it's not hidden if you live in Toronto, but as visitors to the city, we thought it was kind of tucked away down a back street. But what a great place to eat. The decor was really nice - very minimalist, obviously with an Asian flavour. Our server was really nice, friendly and pleasant. The food was excellent. I had a set dinner that included soup, the most fantastic purple rice, soy bites, spring roll, and tofu crispy strips. My partner had vegetable tempura, which I helped him eat! The quality of the food was amazing, good-sized portions, and great value for money. We would definitely eat here again.
Pros: Great, tasty food, Great choice, Friendly staff
Contributions +22
Great restaurant - Edit
Had the most delicious meal here, shared veggie tempura and sushi platter with my friend and we had loads of food. The menu was very varied and I will certainly be returning. The waiter was great and helpful. He topped up my water several times. A good value, tasty meal and a most pleasant experience.
Pros: Delicious food, Good value, Good service
Cons: Had no ice cream
Contributions +54
My favorite in Toronto - Edit
Before I moved to Toronto, I used to come here all the time - when I moved here and they closed (what seemed indefinitely) for renovations, I was heartbroken! However, now that they're back, I can return to enjoying the BEST WONTON SOUP a vegan could have (they will tell you not to get the extra large size for one person... listen to them. It's huge!). The rice paper rolls are delicious, as are the sushi rolls, enoki mushroom balls, the seitan mixed platter, and most of their noodle dishes. I've been dozens of times, and I can't remember myself or anyone I've gone with disliking our dish, which I think says a lot about Kings.
The new renovations are beautiful, and the layout makes so much more sense - with the shop off to the side where you can purchase some of the food items they sell. I wish they would expand their dessert menu a little (for more vegan options and fancier desserts, rather than bars or cookies), but other than that I have no complaints... and I'm very glad the prices haven't changed - still MORE than reasonable, especially for the portion sizes.
Pros: wonderful food, lots of options for vegans and non, good value for $
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