More Than A Salad: Blue Zone Restaurants in Toronto

Story | Renée S. Suen       Photography | Renée S. Suen, Featured Restaurants

Researchers first identified areas in the world with the longest-living communities at the turn of the 20th century. Boasting the highest proportions of centenarians, the regions of Okinawa, Sardinia, Ikaria, Nicoya, and Loma Linda are said to have the world’s healthiest citizens. These “blue zone” inhabitants are known to consume a predominantly plant-forward diet and practice mindful eating—often stopping at 80% satiation, among other practices that support steady energy and long-term health.

For Torontonians inspired to adopt this lifestyle, the city offers plenty of restaurants aligned with Blue Zone principles. From plant-centric kitchens that champion minimally processed ingredients that nourish the body to Mediterranean-leaning spaces with olive oilbased cooking, eating for longevity can extend well beyond salads.

PLANTA

Planta Yorkville
1221 Bay St
647-812-1221,

Planta Queen
180 Queen St. W.
647-812-1210,

plantarestaurants.com

Planta is a plant-forward, pan-Asian vegetarian restaurant. The Yorkville location is bright and airy, while the Queen Street outpost evokes the atmosphere of an East Asian-inspired courtyard. Beyond Toronto, the Toronto-born brand also operates five additional locations across the United States.

Co-founder and executive chef David Lee’s approachable menu features signatures like watermelo“ahi” and battered, sweet chili sauce-coated bang bang broccoli while whimsical assorted nigiri and maki are clever dupes that would satisfy devoted pescatarians. Besides daily and happy hour specials, Planta also caters.

Whether it’s truffle fried rice with mushroom bacon, a poke bowl topped with chicken-fried mushrooms, or a wok-seared shiitake “steak,” these hearty dishes never feel like a compromise. Cap the meal with desserts such as mango sticky rice or coconut caramel-dressed sticky toffee pudding, and a deep list of colourful and fruity-fresh cocktails that can be made spirit-free.

TEN

1132 College St.
416-538-3810
10restaurant.ca

With only ten seats around this Michelin Recommended chef’s counter, this intimate tasting-menu restaurant champions seasonal produce, similar to longevity-minded eating. The narrow, minimalist Brockton village dining room places diners just inches from the action, where chef-owner Julian Bentivegna prepares and plates hyper-seasonal, technique-driven dishes guided entirely by what’s local, foraged, or at its absolute peak.

Courses might spotlight the sweet flavours from fresh green peas, lightly dressed with lemon juice, sunflower oil and sea salt, enhanced by a white chocolate foam hiding beneath it, while meaty maitake mushrooms are roasted over apple wood to deepen their flavour. Round out the experience by pairing the meal with low-intervention wines or cocktails built around seasonal ingredients.

AVELO

51 St Nicholas Street
647-643-3132
avelorestaurant.com

Located south of Bloor-Yonge, this restaurant offers two dining experiences leaning into the Blue Zone staples of legumes, leafy greens, nuts and slow-cooked vegetables. It serves a refined plant-based tasting menu that’s technique-driven, rooted in seasonality and built around less-common ingredients. Think macadamia cheese, fermented porcini and tonburi, aka the seeds of the summer cypress that becomes vegan “caviar.”

Instead of relying on dairy or meat, vegetables are treated with the same care as luxury ingredients. Rutabaga might come as a stunning spiralized and roasted cake that’s paired with creamy cauliflower puree and topped with thick truffle slices, while celeriac is shaped as kofta that’s served on bell pepper sauce and accompanied by roasted parsnip with tangy sorel.

The thoughtful five-or eight-course experience by chef Fernando Anrango features local-sourced ingredients and changes daily. Each course is introduced tableside and may be complemented by lowinterventional wine pairings, handcrafted botanical cocktails or nonalcoholic options. Upstairs, Bar Avelo echo the kitchen’s plant-first ethos with nut-based cheese boards and casual bites like a plant-based “fish and chips” to flatbreads topped with roasted corn or caramelized onions, all enjoyed with house-made infusions.

STEFANO’S DINER

1265 Dundas St. W.
437-318-8697,
stefanosdiner.com

Formerly a vegan sandwich pop-up, this plant-forward diner is lauded for its vegan fried chicken sandwich that’s been given the stamp of approval from Schitt’s Creek star Dan Levy. There’s everything from baked macaroni and cheese using vegan cashew cheddar sauce to lasagna and handhelds like plant-based meatball sandwich to a smash burger made from plant-based meat and farro all stuffed into fresh house-made bread.

On Saturday and Sundays, there’s brunch that features classics like a mung bean eggs benny, brioche French toast with cashew nut butter and coconut whipped cream, and an all-day breakfast sandwich with a tofu-chickpea flour “egg” and kimchi chili mayo. Wash it all down with a spicy Caesar or matcha latte that’s made with Gia and Stefano’s owner Jenny Coburn’s house almond-coconut mylk.

GIA

1214 Dundas St. W.
416-535-8888
giarestaurant.ca

This warm, Michelin Recommended modern Italian vegetarian restaurant in Little Portugal is known for reimagining classic comfort dishes.

From vegetable-driven antipasti to house-made pastas including a wild mushroom agnolotti that’s kissed with truffle or rigatoni made with plant-based bolognese, executive chef Miriam Echeverria’s use of olive oil, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains are aligned with the longevity-focused eating patterns of the Mediterranean Blue Zones of Ikaria and Sardinia. The drink list leans Italian, featuring organic wines and peppered with gastronomic cocktails that might contain Thai chili, vegan cream or shishito peppers.

FAT CHOI

94 Ossington Ave.
416-901-7667
fatchoito.com

A permanent pop-up located in Soos, Malaysian restaurant on Ossington, serves chef Tricia Soo’s meat-free and plant-focused takes on Asian and South-East Asian plates. Expect house-made steamed rice cakes, kari puffs stuffed with spiced potato, chickpea and onions, plus “char siu” fan using braised shiitake.

The popular prosperity tossed slaw features over 20 vibrant ingredients in a yuzu plum dressing. Groups may want to commit to the Feed Me sharing menu, where a selection of the restaurant’s most popular dishes are served family-style. Be sure to add an order of house sambal chili to everything.

HAWKER

291 Augusta Ave.
416-628-1905
hawker.to

An ode to Canadian cuisine—its ingredients and the many cultures that shape it—this Kensington Market spot serves an eclectic menu that moves from small plates like papadam and mushroom “wings” to smoked poblano pace topped spiced biryani rice or gourmet vegetable-packed sandwiches, (only at lunch).

Executive chef Leah Steduto runs the à la carte program in the dining room, while a six-course, vegetable-forward tasting menu is served by the chef herself. To drink, choose from alcoholic or zero-proof cocktails plus a list of unfiltered low intervention wines.