Top Five: Vegetarian and Vegan Spots

Nightshade
1079 Mainland Street, Yaletown
At the helm of one of Vancouver’s newer buzzy dining destinations, Nightshade’s proprietor-chef, Cambodian -Canadian Chanthy Yen brings plant-forward excitement to the city during his busy schedule, which also sees him as the personal chef to the Trudeau family in Ottawa. Far from simple salads and grilled tofu, look for elevated dishes such as pom pom mushrooms, horseradish cream, Marmite jus, and truffle, or sous vide delicata squash, Blue Heron cheese, smoked cauliflower purée, and fennel salad.

The Acorn
3995 Main Street, Mount Pleasant
One of the city’s best restaurants, period, just happens to also be vegetarian. The Acorn offers refined, farm-to-table dining that will open your eyes to how satisfying and beautiful this cuisine can be. Most menu items can be ordered vegan, with many also available as gluten-free. If you’re in the mood for something more casual, check out their laid-back sister restaurant, The Arbor, on the same block.

MeeT in Yaletown
1165 Mainland Street, Yaletown
At the Meet restaurants (along with Yaletown, you’ll find them in Mt Pleasant and Gastown), they’re known for their colossal burgers, but the poutine shouldn’t be missed either! With a round-up for four varieties, we’ve never felt so Canadian while also feeding our veggie-loving souls. You’ll also find bowls and salads chock full of greenery, so you can be as gluttonous or virtuous as you like.

Do Chay Saigon Vegetarian
1932 Kingsway, Fraserhood
We used to have to head out towards the suburbs to get our plant-based Vietnamese fix, so we quite enjoy the convenience of the short jaunt to Do Chay in the fledgling foodie hotspot ‘hood around Fraser, on the edge of Mount Pleasant. The daily happy hour from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. and 8:30 to close offering $6 beer and wine is a perfect time to enjoy things like mushroom wings, and the tapioca dumplings with a carrot, mushroom, tofu, peanut, fried onion.

Heirloom Vegetarian
1509 West 12th Avenue, South Granville
Heirloom Vegetarian used to primarily be known as a brunchy/lunchy spot, but we were jumping for joy when they started offering their vegetarian diner-inspired menu into the evening, paired with a solid wine list. We still love the avocado toast at any time of the day, but the artichoke tacos and the wedge salad both pair especially well with a nice dry white.