Best Vegetarian Restaurants in Montréal

Decorated like your favorite eccentric aunt's living room with mismatched furniture and sly knick-knacks, this iconic eatery is famous for its sky-high sandwiches. Towering classics include the Killer Tomato (cream cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic spread, basil and fresh tomatoes) or the St-Urbain Corner (chicken, cream and cottage cheese, honey, nuts and olives). Also on the menu are fresh salads, delicious soups, and the best cup of free-trade coffee in town. If it's warm enough, eat out on the backyard terrace, a total jungle oasis in the heart of the city. A favorite with Montrealers it's an off the beaten tourist track.

This vegetarian restaurant provides Taiwanese food that includes mock-meat and veggie dishes made fresh ingredients. Fried options are limited to fried wheat chunks in black pepper sauce and a deep-fried roll of skin of soybean milk, so the meals are light and tasty and well portioned. The hot and sour soup is especially pleasing, while a glass of cold white gourd tea is quite sweet. Helpful menu icons note eggs, dairy or peanuts. There's also a wonderful dessert menu as well as some sushi and fruit on the menu. The lunch buffet is $10 for all you can eat so it's a fantastic bargain.

Café Juicy Lotus is a 3-table restaurant with a busy takeout counter. Everything is made fresh and the menu changes daily. They're known for their terrific veggie burgers, soups and salads. Interesting and tasty combos include roasted brussel sprouts and white mushrooms and a quiche packed with broccoli, sweet potato, orange peppers, carrots, and lots of fresh herbs. Almost everything on the menu is vegan but there are a few dishes with eggs and dairy. The staff is very helpful so ask about anything on the menu. Cooking classes start at 65.00 each or a series of five can be had for $275.00.

This is a vegan buffet where you stack your plate and pay by the weight. With close to 50 dishes to choose from there is a wide selection from simple salads like their classic apple and beat salad to more complicated dishes such as lasagna and seitan. There's also a good selection of ethnic dishes: Asian, Indian, African, and North American. Be careful--with so many choices your plate can end up being pricey. Best to aim for the lighter weight dishes though all are pretty tasty. Since it's cafeteria style, and the lines move quickly, it's a good option for those in a hurry.

The combination restaurant, bakery, and take-out counter is known for its delicious soups and sandwiches as well as main dishes such as black bean chili with quinoa lasagna with tofu ricotta, soba noodle stir-frys and vegan desserts. The house speciality is the Boca Burger, comprised of black beans, chickpea flour and well-chosen spices on a kamut flour bun, topped with dollops of sour cream, avocado and salsa. One of the few vegetarian places that is fully licensed, so you can enjoy a beer or glass of wine with your meal. Although gluten free products are available here, a gluten free beer would be appreciated.

This 100% vegan-friendly restaurants serves a raw food menu in a creative way. Enjoy delicious smoothies, fresh soups and salads, refreshing juices and wonderfully prepared vegetables Montreal raw and vegan restaurant. At the boutique next door you can learn more about the raw food diet and even sign up for classes, buy recipe books and cooking utensils. At the downtown location, you can order organic wines, organic saké and gluten-free beer with your meal. In the summer there's a cute terrace for diners to enjoy. And healthy meals can be deliverd to your door - a good option as the restaurant closes early (9 or 10 pm).

This casual and friendly vegan restaurant serves large burritos with chips and salsa. This is popular with nearby Concordia students who appreciate the low prices and huge portions. Their signature sweet-potato burrito shouldn't be passed up. For a spicier dish try the pinto bean option with a mushroom barley soup.The cheese on both is lactose tolerant Try with some chipotle chips and great tacos and quesadillas stuffed with fresh ingredients. The raspberry lemonade is also a winner. Staff is helpful and friendly, and the cute and colorful place is environmentally friendly with an active recyling program and environmentally friendly packaging. It's tasty enough for non vegetarians too.

All 17 locations offer an impressive array of up to 40 artisan breads from which to choose for your lunch of veggie and brie and other mouth-watering sandwiches. An eye-popping array of gorgeous pastries served up with a strong coffee insures this boulangerie - bakery is as much a delight for the nose as it is for the stomach. Other good light lunch options include soup, quiche and salads, leaving plenty of room for the hand crafted chocolates. Try the sea salt caramels or the Valrohna for the ultimate decadence. A wide selection of pies complete the mid day meal.

This charming little café in the northern end of the Plateau/ Mile End neighborhood is known for both its vegan burgers and quirky décor that includes a gold tin ceiling. Enjoy a black bean burger, superb red lentil soup or ginger carrot soup, crisp salads and delicious sandwiches. Added touches like the mango corn salsa and chipotle smoked pepper seasoning just heighten the already good flavors. The vegan cupcakes and desserts are not to missed either. There's a vegan brunch on the weekends that is very popular with the locals. Creative non alcoholic drinks add to the list of excellent choices here too.

It's not often you get to combine fine dining with vegetarian fare. But Chu Chai is one of the most elegant vegetarian restaurants in the city has been voted the best veggie restaurant in town for more than 10 years. Chef Lily Sirikittikul creates inspired Thai vegetarian dishes that are completely imitation but mimic the taste of meat. Enjoy guilt-free beef, chicken, shrimp, fish and duck served with beautifully cooked vegetables. The beef satay and curried duck is so authentic, your taste buds will swear you're eating the real deal. Other stand outs include their satay dumpings and vegetable curries. Next door is the luncheon dinner, Chuch, serving a scaled down version of the same menu.