This post is the last of a three part series and is long overdue. Part 1 covers our 17 day cross-Canada tent camping trip, and Part 2 covers our week touring Vancouver Island (while staying in Airbnbs).
During our 24 day adventure, we ate at 13 different 100% vegan restaurants and 3 restaurants with vegan options. When I was researching vegan restaurant options for our travels through Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, I would have liked to read blog posts on other travellers’ experiences – but I didn’t find any! I primarily used the Happy Cow app to do my research.
Here’s our experience with these restaurants – there were some gems!!
Sudbury, Ontario
Tucos Tacos
After a long drive from Hamilton to Sudbury, we were ready for lunch! We started with a shared order of guacamole with tortilla chips, which was delicious. I had the Phish Taco, Ailish had the Green Goddess Taco and Alasdair had a burger that was competing in the Sudbury Burger Wars 2022. We all enjoyed our meals on the cute patio. While sitting on the patio we caught sight of two restaurants across the road, which we soon learned were also vegan, and were all connected. Suddenly, we knew we had to cross the road for dessert…
Flurples
… We ended up in a very long line at Flurples, a vegan ice cream place. The longer it took, the more I wondered whether we should continue waiting, because we still had a long drive to Lake Superior Provincial Park. But clearly it must be good if so many people were waiting. And then at some point, it didn’t make sense to leave the line without having even had any ice cream! While waiting, Alasdair and Ailish popped into the other dessert place next door for takeout! And finally, it was our turn to order ice cream – my ice cream sandwich was very yummy. We ate so much at lunch that we didn’t need to stop in Sault Ste. Marie for dinner like we normally do!
Beards Coffee Bar and Bakery
While I never actually went inside Beards Coffee Bar and Bakery, I can attest that the baked goods were delicious! We got cinnamon rolls, brownies and cookies to go.
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Roughage
We really enjoyed our lunch at Roughage. We shared an order of very yummy Tater Tots. Alasdair and I had the soup/sandwich combo, with me trying the Apple Brie Sandwich and Alasdair the Unturkey Pesto Sub. Ailish had the Cheezy Veggie Melt. We had ice cream sandwiches for dessert. It was all tasty. It wasn’t quick, but everything is made entirely from scratch! It was worth the wait.
Delicious Chinese Vegetarian Restaurant
We hadn’t eaten Chinese food in years (because we are now vegetarian/vegan), but when we found this place, we decided to try it for take-out. Unfortunately, I can’t remember the specific dishes we ate, but I know we had spring rolls, tofu and broccoli, other veggies and rice. We enjoyed it.
The Forks Market* (market has vegan options)
At the Forks Market we all grabbed food from different places, which goes to show that there are multiple vegetarian and vegan options! There’s tons of seating on the patio outside.
Calgary, Alberta
Pachamama Soul
Pachamama Soul was one of my favourite restaurants of the entire trip. After my meal, I declared it my new favourite. My spicy Buffalo chickpea wrap was amazing! So was my beet smoothie. The restaurant inside was super cute, with an awesome swing too. And there was a small patio outside as well. I highly recommend this place! The staff was really friendly too.
Banff, Alberta
Farm & Fire* (restaurant has vegan options)
While there were only a couple of vegan breakfast options, I really enjoyed my Chia Parfait.
The Olde Spaghetti Factory* (restaurant has vegan options)
There were a few vegan options for lunch, including spaghetti, spaghetti and IMPOSSIBLE meatballs, soup, salad, and the all you can eat starter bread.
Vancouver, British Columbia
Catfe
While we went to Catfe to visit with the cats (not for the cafe), we also enjoyed what the cafe had to offer. It is fully vegetarian, with vegan options (drinks and food). The staff even bring your order to you while you’re playing with the cats.
Chickpea
After my meal at Chickpea, I had a new favourite vegan restaurant! We sat outside on the patio, perusing the huge menu! So many options it was a little overwhelming. Thankfully we had my cousin Julie to help narrow down the choices!
While I ordered the Sabich hummus plate (with crunchy eggplant & sliced yams), we also shared chickpea fries and falafels. It was all incredibly tasty and I look forward to going back (I’ve been twice now)!
Victoria, British Columbia
Virtuous Pie
We have been to Virtuous Pie between 5 and 10 times now. We love it. We’ve tried different pizzas, including the Margherita, Stranger Wings, and Superfunghi (and maybe more!) and have enjoyed them all. We also love the cheesy garlic flatbread, breadsticks, ice cream sandwiches, and lemonade! We’ve eaten on the cute back patio and inside the restaurant. We’ve also done take out and delivery!
Fern Cafe and Bakery
Fern Cafe and Bakery is another restaurant that we keep going back to! The pancakes are super yummy, and the cinnamon buns to die for! They also make great hot chocolate and lattes. There’s a little patio outdoors too.
Nanaimo, British Columbia
Eve Olive
I was really hoping to have a Nanaimo bar while in Nanaimo, but I knew that finding a vegan one might not be easy. However, when we stopped for lunch at Eve Olive Restaurant, we saw that we were in luck. It was good, but a little disappointing. To me, sprinkles don’t belong on Nanaimo bars!
For lunch Ailish had an Asian style tofu salad with a generous amount of cashews. I had the Very Good Butcher’s Burger with yam fries, which was quite good. But the service was so incredibly slow… hopefully we caught them on a rough day!
Tofino, British Columbia
Bravocados
After riding rental bikes around Tofino we were HUNGRY! We sat just inside the restaurant with the front open to the outside. I enjoyed my Bravo burger with sweet potato fries, and tried deep fried Oreos for the first time. They were good, but heavy, and not something I will likely try again.
Ladysmith, British Columbia
Plantitude Kind Food
At our last vegan restaurant before returning to Victoria, we sat on the back patio in a neat globe-like seating area. We shared some amazing flatbread, made with pesto, red onions, cashew cheese, and arugula with maple balsamic glaze. I had a soup, salad, and sandwich combo, and loved both the tomato soup and the Grilled Veg Panini! I would love to eat here again. It was so delicious. I added this restaurant to my list of favourites!
I was so glad that I had done a lot of research on vegan restaurants before we set out for British Columbia. We found some amazing restaurants with such variety, fresh ingredients, and super friendly staff. Vegan food is NOT tasteless or boring. It’s varied, and incredibly flavourful!
Follow me on Facebook: Kyra on the Go: Adventures of a Paddling Triathlete
Follow me on Twitter: @kyraonthego
Follow me on Instagram: @kyraonthego
Kyra On The Go 