Being a vegan on a university campus can be intimidating. YorkU does make things a little easier by including a list of vegetarian and vegan options on their website. Unfortunately, this list is outdated including restaurants that have long left York, and missing restaurants that have come into play the past couple years. Following a special diet such as being vegan or vegetarian in university is possible, though it takes some effort. A lot of this effort goes into figuring out what foods you can eat outside of homemade dishes, so that you’re still able to go out to eat with family and friends. This is my extensive list of vegan options at York University that I use to navigate what to indulge, and what to avoid on campus.
Jimmy the Greek
What’s Vegan:
- Veggie Pita (Confirm no feta)
- Falafel Pita (Confirm no feta)
- Greek Salad with no feta
- Oven Roasted Potatoes
- Oven Baked Rice
Falafel Hut
What’s Vegan:
- Hummus & Pita Falafel
- Artichoke Salad, Chickpea Salad, and Eggplant Salad
- Veggie Delight
- Fried Eggplant, and Fried Cauliflower
- Tabouleh Salad, and Garden Salad
- Lentil Soup
Great Canadian Bagel
What’s Vegan:
- All bagels with exception of French toast bagel, and those with cheese on top
- Veggie Sandwiches
Berries and Bloom
What’s Vegan:
- Fresh fruits and vegetables
- Pre-made salads (York Animal Rights Group has NOT confirmed which of these salads are vegan or vegetarian so careful with these, and ask Berries and Bloom employees)
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The Absinthe Pub and Coffee Shop
What’s Vegan:
- Hummus Platter
- Vegan Chilli
- The Ab also has vegan soups on rotation so ask your server!
Booster Juice
What’s Vegan:
- Juices
- Wheatgrass shot
- Matcha Shaker
- Acai Berry Bowl
- Remember that boosters (ex: energy booster) contain bee pollen and therefore are NOT vegan
Indian Flavour
What’s Vegan:
- Rice
- Chana (Chickpeas)
- Daal (Lentils)
- Potatoes
- Veggie Samos’s
- Mixed Vegetables
- MOST Curries (Confirm with Indian Chana employees)
- Some salads
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Orange Snail
What’s Vegan:
- The Orange Snail doesn’t list what’s vegan on their menu, but I wanted to include it since the owners are very approachable and were always super helpful in letting me know what I should avoid
Pagoda
What’s Vegan:
- Mixed Vegetables
- Tofu
- Sesame Potatoes
- Spring Rolls
- Salad
Pita Pit
What’s Vegan:
- Garden Sandwich
- Hummus
- Falafel
- Since pitas are made in front of you, you can order any of their pitas with only vegan ingredients
Express
What’s Vegan:
- Vegetable Sushi Rolls
The Underground
What’s Vegan:
- Baked Empanadas
Wendy’s
What’s Vegan:
- Mandarin Chicken Salad (Request without chicken)
- Salad with fat free ranch dressing, or Italian vinaigrette
- Plain baked potato
Z-Teca
What’s vegan:
- Chips & Salsa
- Z-teca has vegetarian soups, burritos, tacos, quesadillas, and salads. To make them vegan ask for no cheese and no sour cream.
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Second Cup
What’s Vegan:
- Italian Soda
- Sparkling Green Tea Lemonade
- Frozen Lemonade
- Brewed Ice Teas
- Whole Leaf Teas
Tim Horton’s
What’s Vegan:
- All Rolls
- Hearty Mixed Vegetable Soup
- 12 Grain, Blueberry, Cinnamon Raisin, Everything, Onion, Plain, Poppy, Sesame Seed Bagels
- Cookies
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Starbucks
What’s Vegan:
- Black Americano
- Soy Latte
- Refreshers
- Soy Mocha Frappuccino
- Overnight Oats
- Hippeas
- Fruit Salads and Dried Fruit
- Roasted Almonds and Mixed Nuts
- Dark Chocolate Bars
- Potato Chips
- Plain, Sprouted Grain, Multigrain Bagels
- Avocado Spread
- Raw Granola Bars
La Prep
What’s Vegan:
- Tuscan Summer Salad (ask for no chicken, no parmesan)
- Lemony Chickpea Salad
- Avocado BLT (ask for no bacon)
- Toast with Jam or Peanut Butter
- Fresh Fruit Salad
Mac Sushi
What’s Vegan:
- Spicy Crunch Vegetable Rolls
- Vegetarian California Rolls (ensure no crab)
Thai Express
What’s Vegan:
- Thai Express states on their website: “Even with precautions our products might have been in contact with products containing animal or seafood during transportation or preparation” so be aware of this
- Pad Thai (ask for no eggs)
- Pad Sew (ask for no eggs)
- Stir Fry (ask for no eggs)
- When ordering ensure the sauce you’re using is vegan otherwise they will add fish sauce
- Be aware tofu is questionable at Thai Express as it is deep fried in eggs as far as I know but confirm with cashier
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Central Square
What’s Vegan:
- Tofu Pasta
- Fresh Fruit
- Vegetables with Hummus
- SOME soups
Stong Cafeteria
What’s Vegan:
- Veggie Sandwiches
- Salad Bar
- Falafel Shawarma
Winters Cafeteria
What’s Vegan:
- Falafel
- All salads with falafel are vegan
Please let me know in the comments if there are any errors on this list due to restaurants changing their ingredients, or simple miscommunication. If you know of any other vegan options at York University, leave them in the comments as well!
*This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.
