by Andrew Coppolino | UPDATED April 2026
Looking for vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Waterloo Region? You’ll find bold flavours, creative menus, and plenty of plant-based options that don’t compromise on taste! Start with these five local favourites.
Cafe Pyrus, downtown Kitchener
Food vibe: A leader on the independent vegetarian restaurant scene, Café Pyrus’ objective has always been to use fair and sustainable locally-sourced and organic ingredients wherever possible – and few animal products. Everything at their main location along with the Café Pyrus Outpost on Roger Street and at the Kitchener Public Library is made in-house.
“There’s no bottled sauces, or anything like that, so we can control both quality and ingredients,” according to owner Tyson Reisor.
On the menu, look for this month’s re-appearance of “Cajun Crusher.” Probably Pyrus’s most popular feature, it’s spicy Cajun-marinated tempeh with red peppers, aioli, lime-soaked cilantro and choice of cheese or Daiya.
“We want someone – even someone who is a carnivore – to eat something here and say, ‘This is amazing.’ The vegan and vegetarian dishes are not trying to be something else. We want people to see how good this food can be.”
Sustainability ethos: Take-away options include the choice of using “Friendlier” re-usable containers (a company, in fact, launched by two University of Waterloo graduates). All cutlery, cups and packaging are compostable. Cow milk that is used at Café Pyrus is from Harmony Organic, and they also use lactose-free aged organic Cheddar by L’Ancêtre.
Coven, downtown Kitchener
Food vibe: In a nutshell, Coven is 100% vegan specialty grocery store and deli, according to manager Alex Robson.
“Everything is plant-based, and we specialize in products you can’t find elsewhere.”
Their new takeaway menu features “Sandys” and “Sallys” (sandwiches and salads, obvs!): that means Megg sandwiches, carrot lox sandwiches and Toona sandwiches along with pastrami, ham and turkey – the latter trio made of seitan which is wheat gluten, spices and seasonings. Check out their vegan bakery schedule, too: there’s a couple of dozen selections from cinnamon buns and Nanaimo bars to carrot cake and tiramisu.
Sustainability ethos: Coven sources locally-made products and those with as few carbon miles as possible.
The Healthy Owl Bakery Café, north Waterloo
Food vibe: Having opened in 2013, The Healthy Owl is dedicated to making wholesome, accessible and affordable food from scratch, according to owner Lora-Lee Lawson. That means fresh baked goods and snacks, lunches and salads as well as the day’s first meal, including a breakfast frittata with egg, spinach and ricotta; a dairy-free vegan breakfast-scramble burrito; and vegan rancheros with black bean dip and avocado-cilantro sauce – all priced below $10. Look for the daily feature and soup that changes with the seasons.
Sustainability ethos: Organic, fair-trade coffee; Biodegradable Products Institute-certified take-out containers are made from 100% plant-based renewable resources; take-away cutlery is designed to break down easily in landfills. Organic waste is composted and recycling carefully sorted, says Lawson.
Odd Burger, Waterloo Town Square
Food vibe: The theory behind the name isn’t hard to discern: being different and thinking different, says co-founder James McInnes of Odd Burger. It‘s all “the best fast food” under one roof but plant based.
“Being ‘odd’ is how we are going to make changes to our food system,” says McInnes, who says he realized that he could eat in a healthier way and still indulge. “We position ourselves as traditional fast food. But it’s healthier, more sustainable and ethical.”
Calling them “typical” burgers, shakes, wraps, salads but 100% vegan, McInnes says shakes are made with oat milk-based ice cream and sauces with organic soy milk. Plant-based proteins are made at their very own London, Ontario, manufacturing facility.
The Famous Burger mimics the iconic Big Mac: home-made sauce with secret ingredients, shredded lettuce, dairy-free “cheeze,” pickles, either “beefy” smash patties or gluten-free patties. The Crispy ChickUn (made of hand-formed seitan) riffs on Wendy’s, while Taco Bell gets a nod with Odd Burger’s hard- or soft-shell Twin Tacos.
There’s a gluten-free menu as well, and it’s a nut-free facility so Odd Burger appeals to several specialty diets.
Sustainability ethos: All packaging is compostable – versus recycling – and will degrade wherever it goes. Odd Burger’s clear beverage cups, though they look like plastic, are made from a biodegradable corn product.
Shri Dakshin, Cambridge
Food vibe: Shri Dakshin is sister restaurant to Dakshin on Hespeler Road – and it’s a vegan and vegetarian sister with gluten-free options seeking to serve a growing demographic of the dining-out market.
Lentil and rice flour evolves as it ferments; idly “cakes” are made for breakfast and when the batter further ferments. It’s deep fried as punugulu – crispy nuggets with a fluffy interior for contrasting bite and texture. Add some cilantro and the sharpness of diced red onion and it’s a crushable morsel – especially after it’s dipped in Shri Dakshin’s peanut sauce.
Sustainability ethos: Take-away food is packaged in sustainable containers.