Toronto has been named as one of the best cities in the world for vegans. While there are countless vegan spots throughout the city, the success of vegan eats in Toronto could be beyond flavour and offerings, and more about community and diversity.
According to National Geographic, Toronto is one of the best destinations in the world for vegans because of its wide range of vegan eateries, breweries and ethical shops. But, what makes great vegan food depends on who you ask. Some may say it's a burger's likeness to 'real meat', while others may argue that flavour is what sets the best apart. To delve into what really makes Toronto's vegan food scene so great, we asked some of the city's vegan foodies and chefs what they think.
"I haven’t been everywhere, but I’ve been to a lot of cities and I think it’s true. We have a strong community of vegetarians and vegans and a huge variety of restaurants and cuisines within it," says Lauren Toyota, a vegan creator, author and influencer.
Lauren Toyota, a famous Canadian vegan creator, author and influencer.
As Toronto's community of vegans and vegetarians grows, so too does the demand for top-quality food options. But, is there something specific about Toronto that makes it such a hotspot? According to Toyota, it comes down to a variety of reasons.
"It could be the fact that we’re a multicultural city that has welcomed immigration," she says. "I also think the Toronto Vegetarian Association has been around for such a long time really fostering and cultivating a community for it, perhaps for longer than some other large cities around the world."
With the influx of people coming in and out of Toronto, it's no surprise that one of the fastest-growing diets in North America would be present here.
"Toronto is also the largest city in Canada and a big tourist destination so I think that naturally plays into our overall development and the vegan scene benefits from that," says Toyota.
Lauren Soo, who co-owns and operates Fat Choi with her husband and their family, says the plant-based restaurant is a ‘passion project.’
Soo and her husband, Johnny Kountouri, opened Fat Choi after switching to a plant-based lifestyle and becoming inspired to create modern, flavourful and plant-based, South Asian-style cuisine. The family own Fat Choi alongside Soos, a non plant-based restaurant specializing in modern interpretations of Malaysian street food.
Noodle box from Fat Choi.
Both Soo and Toyota emphasised the role of multiculturalism in creating top quality vegan cuisine.
"There are so many different cultures that have so many naturally great vegetarian and plant based options––Mexican, Indian––it's all really easy to substitute the proteins, the animal products, because there are so many flavourful ingredients and spices that are already used,” said Soo. “I do think we are very lucky here with the options that we have,”
Toronto-based vegan blogger Chiharu explained that this city is 'not a difficult place to live' for vegans. Though there are fewer options as you head into the suburbs she says she's hopeful that will change soon. Chiharu also mentioned an 'amazing' plant-based Japanese bakery and coffee shop called Tsuchi Cafe that recently opened, again underpinning cultural diversity as the main factor in what earned Toronto its spot in the top 8 of National Geographic's list.
Omakase salad from newly opened Japanese plant-based cafe, Tsuchi.
Ultimately, when every type of cuisine is available and has vegan options to offer, they introduce original food concepts into the market, creating a buzz for vegans, and non-vegans, who want to try it out. Although most restaurants in Toronto offer vegan and vegetarian dishes on their menus, purely vegan food spots here have become an option in and of themselves. People choose to eat it, even if they're not vegan, in favour of a truly delicious and almost certainly healthy meal.
A version of this article had been published that included quotes from an individual with serious allegations against them. We take these matters seriously and have revised the article accordingly.
