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Toronto (Vegan) Hot-Spot: Doomie’s

Toronto (Vegan) Hot-Spot: Doomie’s

doomies-TORONT0-VEGAN-RESTAURANT

At Doomie’s in Toronto, the logo may look like a bunny, but it doesn’t eat like a bunny!

Doomie’s is a new hot-spot in Parkdale that is making eating vegan feel a little “dirty”. This is not your regular green-yoga-pants-friendly-eat-kale-and-chia-seeds type of place… serving up the classic comfort foods non-vegans turn to. Such as, burgers, fries, pulled pork nachos, mac and cheese, bacon cheese fries, and BBQ pork tacos. Forget the salads, there is a big “no salads” sign behind the bar. This is a place where vegans can bring their meat loving (and a little open minded) friends without them freaking out. In fact, this is the type of place that may turn more people to choosing vegan meals (some or all of the time).

Still green, but definitely not a salad, is the fried avocado. An interesting take on comfort food. I had to have it, and it is everything it promises to be, and way more. I like avocado, but this made me fall in love again with this delightfully greasy-but-good-for-you food. Cut like fries and lightly coated, they are a little warm, crunchy, and creamy all at the same time. Hey, you know what, they may be better than any mozzarella stick can ever be!

toronto vegan restaurant

vegan food in toronto

It was also the first time I ate something with the word “pork” in it (in a while), because while I am not vegan I am also not a pork eater. I like the idea of reducing my meat consumption (to a minimum) and I like the idea of a restaurant challenging the perception of what eating vegan is all about.

The menu even has a (small) section with gluten-free items! I would have loved seeing more gluten free options, but a burger joint perhaps isn’t the place for that. Eating vegan removes the difficulty I have with avoiding eggs and dairy (due to food intolerances) but at Doomie’s you may get bored after a few visits if you are also staying gluten free. Then again, who knows… maybe not, because the food is pretty awesome and I had to remind myself constantly that no animals were harmed for our chow.

A fun fact: Doomie’s has a vegan “Big Mac”, but it is not officially on the menu. If you are curious, then make sure to ask your server!

Even more entertaining than the massive plates of burgers and fries (go hungry, the portion sizes are very North American), is the trip to the bathroom. Yes…. the bathroom. The walls are plastered with cartoons dispelling myths about vegans (and a little bit of meat-eater-bashing, not in a bad way). I forgot all about needing the restroom and took some time to take pictures.

vegan humor and burgers in toronto

 

 


Christine Buske is a former academic who left science at the bench, and now considers herself a woman in tech. She is a frequently invited speaker, and enjoys talking about career transformation (particularly leaving academia for the business world), tech, issues around women in tech, product management, agile, and outreach. She is a proud Canadian resident, and qualifies as a "serial expat".

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  1. vegan bunny

    25 July

    I’ve always liked Fresh on queen street, but after countless “goddess bowls” and salads, it is nice to have some comfort food. Thanks for featuring this place, it may help change the perception people have of vegans!

    • I’m a big fan of the “tangled thai” salad at Fresh, but you’re right I wasn’t expecting this angle to vegan food. It’s brilliant if you think about it.

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