Forget salad, the grain bowl is a one-dish meal that’s as satiating as it is healthy. With filling grains, delicious dressings, plus veggies and seeds that add just the right amount of crunch, the colourful bowls served up at these restaurants are overflowing with interesting flavours and textures.
Opened in 1999, Fresh was focused on clean eating long before it was cool. With four Fresh locations across the city, if you’re a vegetarian living in Toronto, chances are you’ve probably eaten here at least once. The chain’s nine “fresh bowls,” which are served with a choice of brown basmati rice or soba noodles, come in generous portions and ingredients like marinated tofu cubes and grilled tempeh make them seriously hearty; opt for a “baby size” bowl or expect to have leftovers.
Spark Fresh Bar
739 Ossington Ave.
Dig into Spark’s Shredder bowl and you’ll soon understand why it’s one of the cafe’s bestselling items. It’s made with 18 different components that’ll keep you satisfied with different flavours and textures in each bite, from nutty pecans and pumpkin seeds, to smooth smoked hummus, grated beet and carrot for crunch and zingy pickled red onions. It’s all finished with a house-made dressing of ponzu, tamari and tahini for a creamy, citrusy kick. Spark also features two other excellent bowls on its menu, each with an equally thoughtful balance of ingredients.
Bloomer’s is best known for its vegan baked goods, but this cozy Bloor and Ossington cafe also serves up some mean grain bowls. Try the Wakame, which features its namesake wakame (edible seaweed) combined with brown rice, marinated and grilled tempeh, a few different veggies and seeds, and a lovely sesame ginger dressing. With comfy booths, great coffee, and a solid beer selection, this is a spot that tends to lure diners into lingering for longer than planned.
The Vitamin Sea Bowl, a mix of millet, creamy tahini dressing, and an array veggies ranging from hemp hearts to shredded carrots, should be your first order at this take-out joint on the West Queen West strip. Bolt Fresh Bar also offers a handful of other grain bowls, plus the option to build your own bowl, choosing rice or millet as your grain, along with five toppings and a dressing. Pair your bowl with one of the joint’s wonderful house-made smoothies or juices.
Diners customize their own grain bowls at this casual Market Street restaurant, previously known as Evolution Food Co. The menu features seven signature dishes packed with satisfying, healthy ingredients like avocado, corn and spiced black bean; or roasted sweet potato, beet and butternut squash. Diners build on these base ingredients, adding a choice of grains and greens, plus proteins like chicken, tofu or salmon. With an inviting dining area and fast take-away service, this restaurant is equally well-suited to relaxed eat-in meals and easy grab-and-go lunches.
Originally from Boston, this chain brings a healthy spin to the fast food concept, offering quick counter-service and dishes that emphasize wholesome, locally-sourced ingredients. With a full list of the ingredients found in every dish available on b.good’s site, this might be the next best thing to cooking at home when it comes to knowing exactly what goes into your food. B.good’s tasty Kale and Grain Bowls are drizzled with a variety of addictive homemade sauces like red pepper vinaigrette, chipotle puree, and almond-ginger sauce.
