Fresh Kitchen + Juice Bar — Restaurant in Toronto

As a non-vegan, I’m often inspired by vegan cooking—especially when it’s done well. In so many dishes, protein tends to steal the spotlight, while everything else plays a supporting role. But when you’re cooking vegan and protein options are more limited, I think it takes extra creativity to make a dish feel satisfying and complete. Fresh really gets this. While it’s not fine dining, the team behind Fresh clearly knows how to craft vibrant, flavourful vegan dishes that appeal to both vegans and non-vegans alike.

I joined my friend for dinner last night at the Danforth location which offers a cozy space, with a lovely outdoor patio, and staff that made us feel right at home. I wish I could remember our server’s name—she was wonderful—but my memory may be clouded by the very refreshing Moscow Mule I treated myself to. It had a nice gingery-sweet balance and was topped with a piece of candied ginger, which was a thoughtful touch. Personally, I would’ve loved a bit more ginger heat (I’m someone who enjoys straight ginger shots), but that’s just me being picky—it was still very good.

Given the heat that day, I ordered the “Big Salad,” which comes loaded with avocado, quinoa, marinated tofu, tomato, cucumber, red pepper, and hemp hearts. I added their tempeh bacon, and I’m so glad I did—it was the highlight of the dish. Smoky, flavourful, and as someone new to tempeh, I really enjoyed its slightly firm, meat-like texture. The tofu was lightly marinated and worked great for dipping into the dressings I sampled.

Speaking of dressings, I tried two: the Bold Lemon and the Spicy Tahini Ginger. The Bold Lemon was tangy and creamy (I suspect thanks to some nutritional yeast) and paired well with the salad. The Spicy Tahini Ginger was good too, though again, I would’ve liked a bit more ginger kick. The real standout for me, though, was their house hot sauce. It’s got a solid level of heat without sacrificing flavour, featuring warm Middle Eastern-inspired spices. I loved it so much I bought a bottle to take home and can’t wait to use it on other meals.

Honourable mention to the quinoa onion rings (not pictured)—crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and impressively well-executed. As an onion ring enthusiast, I’d say these are among the best I’ve had.

If you’re looking for a casual, reasonably priced meal that’s both healthy and delicious, I recommend visiting the Fresh on Danforth. It’s a great spot with a welcoming vibe, and dishes that show how satisfying and tasty vegan...

I hope the owner reads this and takes corrective measure. I visited this place yesterday afternoon and this was my first time visiting the restaurant which I mentioned to the server at the cashier counter (black Canadian guy with nose piercing). He straight away handed me the menu and asked me to order, never asked me if I was dinning in or taking out. I assumed that they probably take order first and then get you seated but that is clearly not how it works. After I ordered he just told me to wait and then went with a lady that just walked in and got her seated. I stood there for good 10-15mins until he came back to the counter and I asked him why I was standing and not being seated. Then he very condescendingly replied saying well takeout and dine in are different. Before I could reply he said no problem and told me to wait again as he went of to ask someone if I can dine in. Came back after 5mins of walking around and cleaning tables and then told me to follow him as he seated me near the kitchen right in the middle. Put my food on table like he was doing me some big favor. I sat there and wondered what did I do to deserve this type of treatment. While I was eating nobody even cared to ask if I was enjoying the food or would like something else. The restaurant was not busy and most of the tables were empty. So, not being hospitable to the guest because you are busy is not an excuse.

After I was done eating I decided to talk with the guy who put me through this again. I am usually non confrontational and like to handle matters as politely as possible. So, I told him that he never asked me if I was dinning in or taking out he replied with "oh it happens all the time, people choose to switch from dine in to takeout" completely irrelevant to what I was asking him. And if it is very common then why did he go back to ask if I can dine in or not?

It was extremely humiliating and disappointing.

This is my first time in Toronto and I have had nothing but great experiences until yesterday. I really think the food options were great but if people are not treated with respect it is shameful.

My objective is not to bash the restaurant based on just this one experience and I am hopeful that the owner/manager sees this and takes some sort of...

Fresh is the latest craze on the Danforth, always seemingly packed (especially the patio) when I walk by. Good for them - given times like these, it's good to see some places have successful openings. Dropped by for lunch to see what the fuss was about for this vegan restaurant and got: Cobb Salad: Pretty good size for the price. They had tasty "bacon" and "chicken" and a whole lot of veggies as expected. Best with the 369 dressing, which is a sweet and savoury blend of tahini, maple and lemon. BBQ Burger and Dragon Fries: I went with their housemade grain burger over substituting it for a beyond meat patty. It was ok, a bit on the thin side but filling. There was so much bbq sauce though on the burger which drowned the taste out a bit. The quinoa onion rings were a tad hard but tasty. The rest of the burger was fine. The side dragon fries were basically standard fries with banana chilies, scallions and a cheese dip at the bottom. Would have loved a bit more cheese, but these were really tasty and elevated a standard side. Quinoa Onion Rings: Standout dish of the meal. As a side order (versus topping on the burger), the rings were huge, tasted a bit sweeter, and the quinoa coating was perfect (not overly batter-y, interesting texture). I'd come back to Fresh just for this.

Place has a nice clean vibe, and patio is always full for a reason. Table service was great - attentive, great suggestions, pleasant. Service to get a table was a bit weird. We told the person upfront that we wanted to sit inside (patio was full and we saw many tables inside free). She told us to wait 5 minutes (ended up being 10-15) and eventually sat us in one of the tables that was already free when we got there. Not sure if they're trying to manage the kitchen/cooking load, but that was a bit strange.

Anyway, I can see why Fresh is a hit. It's tasty and (in these times) reasonably priced for what you get. I'm not an expert on vegan food but think this place is definitely...