Eating vegan in Montréal, Canada
20. Oct 2016

Eating vegan in Montréal, Canada

Montréal isn't just a stunningly beautiful city it also has plenty of vegan restaurants and even a vegan fast food chain! Check out the places I indulged eating out.


This was my first trip to Montréal and also my first visit to Canada. I will be coming back, that's for sure especially since the city has a great vibe. My lovely friend CJ who is vegan as well lives there so he took me to all his favourite vegan places.


People here work to live and not the other way round. And you can feel it walking down the streets. People are very friendly and relaxed, which was a nice change to my hectic life in London. The official language in Montréal is French but don't worry everyone here speaks English. I found speaking French in and a Northern American city and the mix of historic and new buildings very charming actually. The city was named after Mount Royal, the mountain (don't call it hill, people prefer to call it mountain) West of downtown Montréal. I would recommend you to go to the top and enjoy the beautiful views from Belvedere Mount Royal - that's where the above picture was taken. You can either walk, take a bus to get there or take a cab - Téo is a great 100% electric only cab company (you have to download their app first). Also check out old town Montréal and the old port.


In culinary terms Montréal is home to poutine, which is made with French fries and cheese curds topped with a light brown gravy. You can get vegan options in quite a few places actually. If you are into shopping, check out Rue Ste.-Catherine, where there are plenty of vegan places nearby, even a vegan fast food chain (Copper Branch).


Or you check out the trendy places around St. Denis and the plateau where you can even find Montréal's oldest vegan restaurant, a vegan cat café and a vegan barber shop.


By the way, it's custom to give about 15% tip here on top of your bill (on the amount pre tax).










Aux vivres

Ok, let's start with Montréal's first vegan restaurant. When they opened their doors in 1997 it was an instant hit not just among vegans and I can absolutely understand why. Their food is delicious, organic and healthy. They even produce their own organic tempeh! This place should deffo be on top of your list. It's on the plateau, a trendy area of Montréal where lots of other vegan restaurants and cafés have their home. You'll also find plenty of nice independent shops in the area. We ate there a few times and had the tempeh satay skewers, the tempeh burger, the dragon sandwich and the gyro sandwich - I can recommend all of them! Portions were big so we didn't have space for dessert anymore sadly (but you can always have desert for take away). If anything the only thing I was a bit underwhelmed with was the interior - even though it was comfortable it felt a bit bland and uninspired. Having said that they have cool artwork on the walls which you can purchase (unfortunately I didn't take a pic of them). Staff was lovely and quick and we didn't have to wait long for our food.


Aux vivres

4631 St Laurent Blvd

Montreal, QC Canada H2T 1R2

Opening times:

Monday–Friday 11:00 – 23:00

Saturday–Sunday 10:00 – 23:00

www.auxvivres.com









L’gros Luxe

If you are looking for vegan/vegetarian place (all dishes can be made vegan) with a good atmosphere then go to L'Gros Luxe. Quirky luxurious interior, nicely chilled vibes and great comfort food is what makes this place special. CJ and I had the vegan waffles (actually they ran out, so it was French toast) with vegan shiitake mushroom chicken. Of course it was accompanied with Canadian maple sirup and we also had mimosas - perfect hangover cure! We loved it and waiters very friendly and helpful.


L’Gros Luxe

(Below the branch we went to. You can find their other branches on their website)

3807 Rue Saint-André, Montréal, QC H2L 3V9

Opening times:

Mo - Wed 17:00pm –22:00PM

Thurs 11:00–22:00

Fri 11:00 – 22:00

Sat 11:00 –1500, 17:00–23:00

Sun 11:00–15:00, 17:00 - 23:00

www.lgrosluxe.com








Resto VégO

If you are shopping downtown then this place is a great for a quick lunch. On Rue Saint-Denis (off Rue Ste.-Catherine), a trendy street in Montréal, Resto Végo is perfect for a quick stopover. On the first floor they have a predominantly vegan buffet (the rest if vegetarian) with lots of different savoury and sweet options. On the ground floor you can get your take away coffee, sandwich or dessert. They also have a lovely outside area.
The food was very tasty.


Resto Végo St-Denis

1720 Saint-Denis Street, Montreal, QC H2X 3K6

Opening times:

Mo - Wed 11:00 - 22:00

Thurs 11:00 - 22:30

Fri 11:00 - 23:00

Sat 11:00 - 23:00

Sun 11:00 - 22:00


www.restovego.ca









Café Venosa

The guys at this café call themselves vegan and environmentally-vigilant. That means they are trying to reduce overpopulation in cat shelters by giving cats a temporary home a their café. And if you get to like one of them you can even adopt a cat. I thought it was a brilliant concept! We only popped over because of the cats actually but then I had to have one of their vegan pizzas made with local vegan cheese and tofu topping which was delicious. Based in the plateau this is another nice place to check out when you are shopping in the area or looking for a feline companion.


Café Venosa

4433 Rue Saint-Denis, Montréal, QC H2J 2L2

Opening times:

Mo - Thurs 10:00 - 21:00

Fri - Sun 10:00 - 22:00

www.cafe-venosa.com








La Panthère verte

La Panthère verte or the green panther is a great little vegan cafe. They have lunch options and also yummy vegan cakes. Even though we were absolutely stuffed form our meal at Aux Vivres (the one we went to was on 145 Mont-Royal Avenue East, which is just around the corner of Aux Vivres) we still made some space for vegan tiramisu cake. We also had a bit of a chat with the staff there which were absolutely lovely.


La Panthère verte

Various locations in Montréal

Opening times:

See different branches

www.thegreenpanther.com







COPPER BRANCH

Vegan fast food heaven here you go! Tofu scramble sandwich for breakfast? Yes please! Burgers? Soups? Sandwiches? Power Smoothies? Yes please! If you're into healthy vegan fast food look no further. And with 9 (!) branches in and around Montréal you can definitely get your vegan fix easily. I think other cities should take notice, vegan has gone mainstream here! All branches are central and easy to find, perfect to pop in whenever you are shopping downtown. The menu on the board is in French but they have an English menu as well. Food isn't cheap though as you would expect from a fast food chain. Again, staff were friendly, like everywhere in Montréal actually.


Copper Branch

Different locations in and around Montréal

Opening times:

See different branches

www.copperbranch.ca








Enjoy!
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