Thrive Organic Cafe now has two locations in Toronto. The first, on Lakeshore West, has been around for years, but I have never been. When their second location opened on College Street (just west of Kensington Market, east of Bathurst), I was excited to try it. You can enjoy a meal at this bright eatery that uses almost all organic ingredients any day of the week. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. They serve smoothies, coffee, tea and elixirs plus favourites like kombucha too. They serve freshly baked muffins and cookies. They have tons of gluten-free items, it’s mostly vegan, or can be made that way, and they are great with allergies. They have healthy nachos, burgers and pizzas made on their signature housemade crust, plus they serve all-day breakfast. Thrive is a great place to go pretty much for any meal or snack at any time!
I have now been for brunch twice, and both meals made my family very happy. I ordered the Thrive Breakfast from their brunch menu, which includes crispy purple corn tortillas with scrambled tofu, guacamole, Mexican black beans, sofrito sauce, with tempeh bacon and house salad. Even though I am usually adventurous and like to sample different items, I ordered the same thing both times I was there because it was exactly what I was craving. Plus, my family was ordering enough other things that I could try. My mom ordered the Bella pizza, which had kale & sunflower seed pesto spread topped with grilled eggplant, roasted red peppers, black olives, and avocado. The eggplant and pepper mingled perfectly with the pesto to create an awesmazing flavour, I would definitely recommend their pizzas! My brother and sister both got the vegan, gluten-free Bavarian waffles, which came with a berry sauce and cashew cream (which my sister didn’t get because of her nut allergy – make sure you double-check everything!). My dad ordered the Canadian Breakfast, which had two pancakes, tofu scramble, and tempeh bacon, served with sprouted grain toast and house salad which hit the spot for him.
At Thrive, you order from the counter and they will bring your food and drink to your table. They did an excellent job at accommodating my sister’s nut allergy, and took great pride in knowing all of the ingredients and what they needed to do in order to make her safe. Their menu has some dairy and eggs, but always has a vegan alternative or substitution available and suggested. They also offer plenty of gluten-free options. You’ll be pleased with their simple food!
Also a reminder that organic food really matters! I just read an article about how experts call the world’s dependence on pesticides a human rights issue (here’s the article). It’s not just about the taste or nutritional value to us. In Toronto, Organic brunch is available at Thrive, but also at Live and at my absolute personal favourite, Doug McNish’s Public Kitchen. I not only suggest that you to go try Thrive, but I urge you to ask your favourite restaurants and chefs to support healthy people and a healthy world by using organic ingredients – especially from local farmers and brands!
