When I travel, I visit vegetarian restaurants.  In Toronto, I go to Fresh.  In Victoria, I go to Rebar.  I was in Calgary recently and checked out The Coup (awesome).  I love finding my way to a new place, trying delicious food and soaking up the vibe.  Vegetarian restaurants are like a home away from home and I visit them like other travellers visit cultural sites.  For me, a vegetarian restaurant is the epicentre of the culture that I want to experience in a new city.

We’re fortunate in Vancouver to have plenty of dining-out choices, including places that appeal to people like me. Here’s a quick overview of my favourite vegetarian restaurants in Vancouver.

I used to live in Kits and split my time between The Naam, Nevermind (now kaput) and The Hollywood Theatre (also kaput – sad).  I like that The Naam has not changed since I started eating there in the 90’s.  And it probably hadn’t changed in the 30 years it existed before that.  I like how cozy it is there in the winter.  And I love their miso gravy and rice pudding.  What I don’t love is the bland menu, spotty service and inconsistent food quality.  After giving The Naam a wide berth for the past couple of years, I had lunch there last week and had a great time.  The menu was the same, the service was weird, and there were burnt potato wedges in my Gold Dragon Bowl.  All of that didn’t matter though, because it felt like home.

I live in Mount Pleasant now and am within walking distance of lots of amazing food choices.  I was happy when The Foundation came onto the scene and I’ve dropped a fair bit of dough there, mostly on nachos and beer.  I like the goofily named vegetarian basics on the menu and the nutritious options.  I don’t go there much anymore though because the loud music and prickly service makes for a decidedly un-kid-friendly environment.  I still give it two thumbs up though.

On The Drive, my top picks are Café Deux Soleils for their super awesome breakfasts, kid-friendly space, and fun evening events, and Sweet Cherubim for their tasty organic menu, low-key vibe, and affordable groceries.

Radha, in Chinatown, was my favourite but it closed in May last year.  The food was so good and I loved it there.  Their creative vegan menu was outstanding.  The space is still open as a yoga studio and their former head-chef continues to offer vegan cooking classes.

Gorilla Food downtown is a good alternative to Radha as it offers organic, local and seasonal deliciousness.  It’s menu caters exclusively to the raw vegan set and it’s interesting, creative and filling.  I’ve taken die-hard meat-eaters there and they were impressed.  The service can be flakey, but whatever.  You get that in this scene.

Rounding out this entirely subjective list is my personal fave, The Rhizome.  The food is basic and reliable, the service is friendly, the owners are lovely and the place is a hub for the socially-minded.  The Rhizome has been around for five years and it’s an oasis of calm across from the Kingsgate Mall on East Broadway.  The restaurant is a community space, with a variety of events hosted there through the week.  The Rhizome is all things that I love about vegetarian restaurants.  It’s my favourite place in Vancouver and I hope you check it out.  Perhaps you’ll love it as much as I do!