Eating Green Across Canada: Toronto

As Canada's most populated city it's no surprise that everything is available to the visitors and locals of Toronto including a wide variety of organic restaurants that run the gamut from basic quick stop "get your veggie fix" to lavishly, locally sourced, haute cuisine. Many local organic restaurants boast an adherence to what they call the FOSL philosophy - Fresh, Organic, Sustainable, and Local.

The Beet

2945 Dundas Street West

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

(416) 916-2368

www.thebeet.ca

Quirky, cute, and good-natured to its very core, the Beet prides itself on not only delivering delicious fare, but doing its utmost to promote health and well being in balance with nature. They use ingredients that are local or certified fair, and even their interior design and packaging is 100% biodegradable.

Compass Lakeside Grill

 

2340 Ontario Street

Oakville, Ontario, Canada

(647) 317-3912

www.menupalace.com

Located in one of Toronto's wealthier suburbs with stunning views of Lake Ontario, Compass offers a gastronomic experience few will forget. They offer a fixed price table d'hote and an extensive wine menu in an immaculate setting with stunning decor - and they do it all while promoting the FOSL philosophy.

Earth/Globe Bistro

124 Danforth Ave                            

Toronto, Ontario, Canada
(416) 466-2000                                           

www.earthbloorwest.com

2448 Bloor Street West
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

(416) 763-2222

www.globebistro.com

Earth and Globe are owned but the same group with the same philosophy of thinking global, and eating local. Both restaurants have eclectic seasonal menus using local ingredients in modern and trendy atmospheres.

Live Organic Food Bar

 

264 Dupont St.

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

(416) 515-2002

www.livefoodbar.com

Committed to sustainable organic food production and local farmers, Live Organic Food Bar's motto is: "the only way food should be processed is by the human body." Serving a strictly vegan menu, the Food Bar offers a variety of salads, sandwiches and raw or cooked mains and appetizers.

Williams Landing

120 Lynn Williams Street

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

(647) 340-8008

www.williamslanding.ca

Located in the King West area of downtown, Williams Landing has become a popular bar and grill. They add a second "S" to the FOSL philosophy where "Seasonal" is as important an aspect to dining as caring for the planet. As their menu states: William Landing "supports the community that supports (them)" and where everything from the butchering to the vinaigrette is prepared in house.

Eating Green Across Canada: Vancouver

With more restaurants in British Columbia offering menus made with locally grown and organic ingredients than just about anywhere in Canada, it's not surprising that Canada's most eco-friendly province is littered with eco-friendly dining options. In BC it seems that eating healthy and organic is so ingrained in the culture most restaurants need not even specify that they do. Here are a few that go that extra mile in the "greenest city" of Vancouver.

  

Aphrodite's Cafe and Pie Shop

3598 West 4th Avenue

Vancouver, BC, Canada

(604) 733-8308

www.organiccafe.ca

Known for, but not exclusively serving, pies, Aphrodite's has been specializing in being green for over ten years. They aim to ensure that their menu has the smallest ecological footprint possible. A varied bill of fare serving such staples as vegetarian chili, salmon burgers, and turkey potpies, Aphrodite's dessert menu is as rich and delicious as their mains serving over a dozen different flavors of pie including wheat and gluten-free options.

Pair Bistro

 

3763 West 10th Ave.

Vancouver, BC, Canada

(604) 224-7211

www.pairbistro.ca

Hard to know what comes first here - a love of food, or a love of planet Earth. The two are so systematically intertwined that it almost seems that eating green and eating well were as nature intended, and Pair Bistro has tapped into that knowledge. Part oyster house, wine bar, restaurant, and place to chill and unwind, Pair offers seafood, BC oysters, and game all served to its clients while in partnership with farmers, ranchers, and fishermen who have a trusted understanding and connection with the soil, their livestock, and the sea.

Mainly Organics Pizza

 

861 Denman Street

Vancouver, BC, Canada

(604) 688-3380

www.mainlyorganicspizza.com

Located in the heart of downtown and specializing in pizza with whole wheat, organic white, or gluten-free crust (thick or thin) and served with organic ingredients. They also serve organic pastas. 

Organic Lives

 

1829 Quebec Street

Vancouver, BC, Canada

(778) 588-7777

or

451 Granville Street (Chopra Yoga Center)

Vancouver, BC, Canada

(604) 424-9422

www.organiclives.org

With multiple locations, Organic Lives is best know for its juice bar smoothies. With a strong emphasis on the link between eating green and nutrition, they also have an online store as well as offering workshops on how to cook green and become more earth conscious when it comes to one's diet.

  

Corduroy

 

1943 Cornwall Avenue

Vancouver, BC, Canada

(604) 733-0162

www.corduroyrestaurant.com

Serving mostly pizzas and pastas this Kitsilano watering hole also serves up special events of every kind and is a fun and relaxing place to kill time. Their menu serves up food that is made from fresh, local, and organic products and ingredients.