by Athena Raypold
Edmonton’s vegetarian and vegan scene is on fire! New places are popping up and serving cuisine that will impress even the staunchest carnivore – meaning that these restaurants are creating delicious, well-executed menus that are appealing to the masses. [Image credit: iStock.com/sbossert]
Originally started as a raw food restaurant, Noorish Café has expanded their menu to encompass both vegan and vegetarian cuisine – raw and cooked. A self-described conscious caterer and eatery, Noorish won first place in Avenue Magazine’s 2016 Best Vegetarian category. Beloved menu items include their Golden Potato Cakes and Rainbow Root Poutine and their Truffled Lobster Mac N’ Cheese (made with lobster mushrooms). Salad lovers simply gush over Noorish’s unique assortment of kale, quinoa, and beet salads and they have desserts that will satisfy your sweet tooth. Catering to the health conscious crowd, Noorish is also a yoga studio and a retail shop selling books, superfoods, health supplements, and greens.
Legendary in the meat-free community, The Clever Rabbit is a cozy little restaurant on 124 Street that offers an all-day vegetarian breakfast. Dedicated to helping animals, the sisters that own it also run a food bakery and pet adoption centre next door. Quaint and cute, with lots of rabbit accents and décor, The Clever Rabbit is known for their delicious gluten-free vegan donuts and their walnut chickpea burger with creamy avocado dressing. Other popular menu items include the lentil loaf with cashew gravy, the gourmet stuffed French toast (your choice of apple cinnamon, wildberry chocolate, or peanut butter banana), and the bangers and hash.
Located just south of the new Ice District on 104 Street, Cavern is a bistro, wine bar, and retail cheese shop. It sells a beautiful selection of cheeses hand-picked by owner Tricia Bell, from buttery triple cream French brie to strong English Stiltons. Cavern pairs their toothsome cheese with fresh breads, dried fruits and preserves. Offering up UK, French, and Mediterranean brunches, breakfast croissants, yogurt and granola alongside light sandwiches, signature cheese boards, and light salads, Cavern’s a vegetarian haven where you can also grab a fantastic London Fog or a perfect glass of wine.
Everybody’s favourite vegetarian restaurant, Padmandi seems to top Avenue Edmonton’s Best Vegetarian lists every year (2014, 2015, 2016). Opened in 2002, Padmanadi’s vegetarian Asian fusion cuisine prepares traditional meat dishes with a faux meat that’s so delicious, it fools even the staunchest carnivore. Fan favourites include roti canai, bean curd drumsticks, spicy coconut eggplant, ginger beef, and lemon ribs. In addition to their amazing lunch and dinner fare, Padmanadi serves a delicious Asian-inspired Western brunch.
The Buckingham on Whyte is Sailin’ On food truck’s home restaurant and it’s “All Vegan All the Time.” A popular live music venue that also hosts comedy events, The Buckingham is celebrated for their mind-blowing chicken wings – so good they won Vue Weekly’s Golden Fork Awards for best chicken wings – even though there’s no actual chicken in them! At first glance, the menu appears to be typical pub fare, but it’s traditional pub food done vegan: nachos, fried chicken, tacos, corndogs, cheeseburgers, pulled pork sandwiches, and meatball subs (and yes, all vegan!).
Home-cooked South African-Indian fare, Narayanni’s offers a unique, ever-changing buffet of both vegetarian and meat dishes. On Tuesdays they do a vegan night and they even offer vegan cooking classes. Narayanni’s also ranks on Avenue Edmonton’s Best Vegetarian restaurants list, scoring third place for 2016. Their fresh and spicy cuisine is beautifully complemented by their phenomenal chai lattes (regular and pistachio) and, according to The Salty Almond, it’s worth it just to stop in for some of their cinnamon infused (dairy-free) rice pudding.
A staple of Edmonton’s vegetarian scene, Café Mosaics has been on Whyte Avenue for over 20 years, but is somehow still a hidden gem. Having recently undergone a renovation to make the space larger and more open, Café Mosaics is known for producing quality vegetarian and vegan comfort food (and for blasting their music). A fun, vibrant restaurant, Café Mosaic’s tasty menu includes flavourful veggie burgers, crispy green onion cakes, lentil loaf, falafel, and burritos.
With such a great variety of offerings, Edmonton is seriously amping up its vegan and vegetarian game. From Asian and Indian, to European and Western cuisine, Edmonton nails it when it comes to vegetarian and vegan fare.
