Dominic Bujold had a goal while starting a line of vegan restaurants. That was to satisfy hungry customers with dishes that tread lightly on the planet without compromising taste. After dining at LOV’s newest vegan restaurant in Toronto, I would say he has successfully reached that goal.

LOV is a Montreal founded restaurant and King West downtown TO is its fifth to open. LOV serves up all sorts of interesting, mouth watering creations in an era where thinking green is more trendy and, let’s be honest, necessary. The Toronto location, situated just west of King and Portland, is absolutely stunning with a cozy yet upscale vibe. Inside you’ll find a combination of airy white walls and exposed brick, with greenery hanging from the ceiling, circling the beams and lining the emerald green couches. The theme is quite obvious from the décor alone, and it’s aesthetically pleasing.

plant decor restaurant

LOV restaurant on King West

The entire menu is 100% plant-based; a way of life that’s certainly being discussed more often. Not only is it a health conscious decision to eat your legumes and veggies, but veganism is now ‘in’ and vegan product demand is on the rise. Have you started to notice more people asking the barista for coconut milk or even oat milk for their coffees? According to an article posted on Well + Good, the plant-based beverage category is predicted to have a compound annual growth rate of 6 percent through 2028, and people are so hungry for vegan burgers that Beyond Meat’s worth has skyrocketed to 21 billion dollars. More people are turning to plants to fill up and stay energized. Reasons for this include concerns for overall health, wanting better treatment for animals, and having a greater awareness for pollution, carbon emissions and deforestation caused by factory farming.

The menu at LOV is full of so many amazing options. Here are some of the items I sampled during my dining experience. My absolute favorite of the evening was the LOV wedge salad!

From left to right…

  1. Wedge salad with iceberg lettuce, gorgonzola, tempeh bacon, radish, croutons and ranch dressing.
  2. Fries topped with kimchi, wakame, and sesame dressing.
  3. Mushroom and vegetable dumplings served with almond butter kimchi sauce.
  4. Zucchini spaghetti topped with roasted oyster mushrooms, tapioca caviar, and truffle sauce.
  5. Appleton V/X rum with popcorn and popcorn syrop, aquafaba.

LOV is open Monday to Sunday for lunch and dinner, with a brunch menu available on the weekends.

It’s located at 620 King Street West, Toronto https://lov.com/en/

You can show your LOV for plant based dining and follow along at https://www.instagram.com/lovrestaurant/ and https://www.facebook.com/LOVRestaurant/ 

LOV restaurant on King West

Credit: Photographs sourced from lov.com