Kale

I love this place! It’s my go to place when I need something to eat around Yonge and Eglington! Their chocolate mousse is to die for and I love the buffet style. The place is simple and unique and great for a quick lunch during a busy day!

Staff was really unfriendly when I went today– I don’t know why. Possibly they aren’t paid enough for all that they do. In any case, the food was tasty and different but a drink, dessert and a small plate of food came to a whopping $ 19! I couldn’t believe it. Especially now that their competition (Fresh) just moved down the road. It’s ridiculous pricing. The place itself was open and clean with little décor; kind of reminded one of a graceful cafeteria.
I would return if the staff didn’t appear so sad and angry. It’s sad that we don’t understand that staff not being happy where they work = bad customer service=less profits. I wish more small business’s in Toronto would realize this. Every time I go to Kale, I feel like I am adding more work to whomever is on cash.

I’m so upset to give this place a negative review but I was very disappointed with my experience at Kale. I’ve had multiple friends recommend this place to me & quite frankly I have no idea why.
On a positive note the place seemed very clean & tidy. The atmosphere was like a fancy, high end fast food joint. Very bright & open. They have a menu & an open food bar where the food is priced by weight. I opted for the open food bar because the food looked delicious. I got a rice noodle seaweed dish, shepherds pie & the kale. I just picked up a snack container to tied me over till my lunch plans. I am so happy I didn’t get more then that! First off that little bit of food came up to $ 8, secondly the food was pretty bad. The kale had no flavour, the shepherds pie had flavour but sadly it wasn’t a very good one & the rice noodle seaweed dish was the same. I’ve eaten at oodles of places around the city that have gluten free, vegan food & everything single one was better then the meal here. Between the taste & the price I’d recommend going elsewhere. Plus the staff was not the friendliest.

As a vegan, there are far more better places than this and far from their price.
The only reason why it’s 1 stars cuz i liked their samosas and the services was good. Other than that, I paid about $ 25 for a lil box of salad and a brownie. That’s just my damn dish. My friend got samosas, a lil box of salad and a drink, which came about the same as mine. He didn’t get much in his lil box. Yes, it’s by weight.
Regardless, It wasn’t so extravagant where I’ll make my way to there and eat from Kale. There are other places where I will travel near and far for, but this is one of those places I wouldn’t. Food is ok and pricey as hell. Enough said.

I really like Kale. It is expensive for a quick lunch in a cafeteria setting but the quality of the food is excellent. and infinitely more healthy than most of the the options that surround it. The buffet is large and every option I’ve liked.

Kale is great!
I’ve eaten at Kale a bunch of times and I’ve never had something that I didn’t enjoy. I’m particularly fond of the leek pie, the pierogies, the hummus, the marinated tofu, and the many salads. Their baked goods are also really nice (and less heavy than traditional baked goods). And it’s awesome that they change up their offerings all of the time. It’s fun to walk in and find a bunch of new stuff to try.
Purely in terms of taste, variety and healthfulness, Kale is one of the best places in the city. (And, even more important than that, it’s a 100% vegan place!)
The one obvious problem with Kale is that the prices are way, way too high. For a counter-​service place that’s cooking primarily from simple ingredients, there’s really no justification for the price.

Kale is one place I realllly wish I got to go more often. The atmosphere is clean and quiet, and I do like that it’s a ‘weigh your plate’ place. It’s an awesome place to stop in for a quick healthy meal.
They always have a bunch of options, and I’ve never tried something I didn’t like. I haven’t picked up any of their refrigerated items for pick up (pita wraps and such) but from what I’ve heard, they’re really good too. It’s neat that there is a place like this that you can get salads (green based and bean based), stews, noodle dishes, the best hummus you’ll find out there, as well as things like perogies.
The only reason I don’t go more often is just that it’s pretty pricey. But otherwise I really like it, and I look forward to the next time I go!

This is one of my favourite restaurants at Yonge and Eglinton. If you are looking for healthy and nutritious meal with good alternatives Kale is the one for you.
I agree with most reviews that food could get expensive. Since food from their hot and cold table is priced by weight it could add up pretty quickly. My very first time there I paid around $ 18 for my dinner with no drinks. My second time at Kale was for a lunch which cost me around $ 26 with a freshly prepared fruit juice. That being said there are hardly any restaurants that offer healthy, non greasy, vegan and organic food. Keep in mind though I am a foodie who likes to try everything. Hence, I filled up my plate with about 10 – 14 different items from the buffet table.
I always visit this restaurant when I am at Yonge and Eglinton area.
My advice: Visit this restaurant and enjoy the healthy, non greasy, vegan and organic food.

The only downside for me is Kale is not cheap.
That said… lunch…the buffet. I was sold when I walked through the door and could smell curried something (turned out to be potatoes).
Grab a box and start filling; careful or before you know it you will have a $ 25 lunch… oops! That said I cannot complain about the food… I had a mushroom, tofu and leek bake. It was utterly delicious! Curried potatoes were a little ‘sloppy’ but tasted great.
Everything was fresh; if it was meant to be hot it was!
Kale is small and airy.
Quinoa puff balls… divine!
Really enjoyed the food but the price will stop it from being a regular lunch haunt!

I understand why you might want to stop eating food in Toronto. Not for lack of delicious options. It’s just really freaking expensive.
But. If you decide to go ahead and eat food while you visit /​live in Toronto, Kale is a great macrobiotic buffet to visit to replenish those nutrients that get sucked out of you while walking through, say, a really large underground shopping center.
I love to color up a meal. It’s way more fun to eat when your plate is also your palette!
Fill it up. Weigh it. Scale it. Maybe toss in a dessert. And pay. That’s how it works.
Thanks, Kale.

Love having a vegan place close by, especially after a workout. The juices and smoothies are fresh and customizable (I added chia seeds and replaced the vanilla almond milk for unsweetened). But an $ 8 smoothie! Yikes. Food is priced by weight and it can add up very quickly. There are some nice salad and soup options. I had the tofu burger with a cup of vegetable soup and a side of leafy greens. The soup was great, fresh with nice flavour the burger was a disappointment, it very dry and not very interesting (from a flavour perspective).
Good for basic healthy food but expensive.

I had lunch at Kale today. What a disappointment. My friend and I opted for the buffet and I had a 16 oz juice. Grand total was $ 32. Are you kidding me? The food had no flavour. Not even dousing it in hot sauce could salvage the spinach and tofu blob of mush.
Turnip stir fry — no flavour
quinoa salad, kale, grilled veggies — no flavour.
The detox juice was good, but overpriced.
I would stay away from this place. I’ve been to other vegan places and they make delicious dishes. It isn’t the food that is the problem. It is the way Kale has prepared it.

I had my first vegan experience here, and I’m so glad I did: I had a little bit of everything (you pay by weight), and I wasn’t disappointed (I really enjoyed the sweet potato perogies!) I added the banana almond smoothie to my plate and, MAN, is it good!

Filled a plate for $ 5.50. All in all, a nice little spot to grab a quick, healthy lunch that’s not going to make you feel like you have a brick in your stomach.
The only thing I don’t like about this place is that you have to ask for water and then wait while they get it for you. It’s a stupid thing to gripe about, I know, but it just seems like the kind of place that should just have a serve yourself water supply, you know? Like a little jug of water and some cups? I don’t know.

The food they have is quite boring and nothing I would call a restaurant.
Self serve isn’t fun, but the tomato wrap which was prepared was good… except it looked very very old.
Not worth it to be honest.

I was super excited when a vegan place opened up in my old neighbourhood. And then I went there and excitement turned to super disappointment. I’ve been to Kale a few times now and am always left feeling like I should have gone elsewhere.
It’s a serve yourself, pay by weight style restaurant. So you can’t even say that you’re paying for service, as there is none. They have very limited choices, and what they do have is super BORING. Rice noodles with some seaweed mixed in… steamed kale… stew…brown rice… a VERY basic green salad… YAWN.
And for these incredibly boring options that you’ve served to your self, you pay an insane amount! You’re looking at 13 – 15 $ for a plate with very little food on it — not even a full meal. RIDICULOUS.

ya… it’s still a one! I’ve gone back a few more times just to see if the selection or anything has improved. But sadly a small meal will still cost you $ 15-​$ 20 (pay by weight) and you will receive bland under seasoned limited options!
I want NOTHING more than an awesome or even mediocre vegan/​veg restaurant in my hood, but sadly this is not it.

I’ve now eaten at Kale Organic Eatery enough to say they consistently deliver delicious and quality vegan buffet-​style food.
I wanted to update my review to mention how exceptional the vegan pierogies are in particular. My favourite ones are the squash and millet and the sweet potato and quinoa. They are garnished simply with sauteed white onion but have a really great flavour.
On my most recent visit, I picked up a bag of the tofu/​potato pierogies frozen to try at home. They were more like the cheese/​potato pierogies you get at Polish places but went well sauteed in olive oil and onions with some tofutti sour creem.
Other fab dishes are the asian noodle salad, the roasted potatoes, the bean stew, the greek tofu salad, the artichoke casserole and I’m a big fan of squash millet purée (the thing on the left in my photo).
Some of the blander items that I always get for health purposes are the tofu slab, the steamed kale and broccoli and the beets. It would be great if they marinated the tofu before grilling it and dressed the veggies lightly. I think it would make it more appealing to the palate of the average, vegetable-​starved North American.
The prices are still towards the steeper end, like any pay-​by-​weight place but most things are organic so I take that into consideration. A plate of food from the buffet usually costs me between $ 12-​$ 15.
Luckily, I have the Toronto Vegetarian Association Discount card, which saves me 10% off my meal. :)
The place is always clean and bright and I love that I get table service of cutlery, napkin and water even when I’m just doing the buffet thing. The staff have always been very nice to me too.
They also have a made-​to-​order menu that I’ve yet to try with veggie burgers and wraps. Who am I kidding though? I can’t resist this buffet.

YUMMMMM
Me and my company were walking down yonge, when I spotted this restaurant. I remember reading some positive reviews on Unilocal,so I decided to I wanted to eat here.
There was a nice selection of food. We both got a little bit of everything.
I love how everything was organic, vegan, and FRESH!..
We also ordered juice (i believe it was 1 and 9) and I wasn’t all that into it, plus it was very expensive… to me.
*I did take pics, so I will post them up soon*
By the time, me and my company were done, we were satisfied.
(my company who hates veggies LOVED it!!! which is HUGE)
*I was thinking… uhh…who is this person? Did they put some crack in the food?*
One of the best things that we loved is how we didn’t overeat.
You ever got that feeling when you eat in a buffet and by the time you are done, you feel disgustingly full… you know… belly hanging out and you feel like you can barely walk? (i’ve been there a couple of times, haha)
Overall, I would give it a ⁴⁄₅
Can’t wait to come back =)
note: I have been to Le Commensal and I have to admit, I kindof like this better though Le Commensal has a bit more selection.
I heard that not everything at Le Commensal is fresh and plus it is a little more pricey, from what I remember.

In less than 6 months, three new vegan/​vegetarian restaurants have opened up in Toronto. Kale, located just 5 minutes north of Eglinton, definitely helps make uptown more friendly for herbivores.
Similar to Le Commensal near the Eaton Centre, Kale also serves their food buffet-​style, for $ 2.40÷100 grams. Aside from that minor detail, Kale distinguishes itself from Le Commensal in every other way. The food here is entirely organic, vegan and homemade by a small family that runs it. Their selection, although a lot smaller, is made from scratch and you can taste the ingredients, which isn’t masked by excessive salt or heavy sauces.
The seating here is limited, with only about 6 tables or so. The sleek interior and minimalistic décor makes it feel chic, a far cry from their flagship store, the miniscule and rather uncomfortable food bar, stuffed inside the back corner of the Noah’s Natural Foods at Spadina and Bloor.
The buffet bar is split into hot and cold items. A regular-​sized plate will cost approximately $ 10; while the price seems a bit much for the amount of food you’re getting, remember that you’re paying for quality of ingredients. It’s no more expensive than eating at the Spadina location; at least you won’t be sitting elbow-​to-​elbow on a shaky wooden barstool staring at a blank wall, with your winter jacket hanging awkardly in your lap.
Regulars of the original location will be happy to see their favourites here too. The roasted sweet potatoes are absolutely delectable and the tofu stirfried with tumeric and cabbage was great too. As well, there was brown rice and fresh, leafy kale. To top it off, the daughter of the owners offered us a free bowl of tomato-​and-​dill soup to us for free — being Friday evening, it was the end of the day and her alternative option was to chuck it out.
As for drinks, go for juice mixes that are listed on the menu; if you decide to choose-​your-​own, you’ll find yourself paying $ 8 – 10 for a glass.
A quiet eatery to have a healthy meal and served by people who put heart into their food.