karine's fresh

following the sl10k run, stella and i headed for brunch at karine’s (109 mccaul street #32), the place to go for healthy vegan and gluten-free meal options. this cute all-day breakfast really is a hidden gem located in the village on the grange cafeteria.

the staff here are incredibly sweet and friendly! the cashier congratulated my friend and myself on running the sl10k and recounted her lively story about having to find parking so far away due to the road closures with such infectiousgoodspirit.pretty much starving, i ordered an option that had meat. this was so good~ the tuna melt was enormous and messy and just what i needed. i was also especially impressed with just how fresh the vegetable and fruit selection was! usually there are a few pieces of fruit for me that aren’t ripe/overripe, but everything was perfect. i usually find dragonfruit incredibly bland, but the dragonfruit i had here actually had a nice sweet and tangy flavour.

i also ordered tea – there’s a hot water container and you serve yourself with unlimited tea refills. there are also a nice variety of different teas to choose from!it also happened to be mother’s day, and karine’s was offering vegan and gluten-free cupcakes with a different edible flower ornamenting the top. i chose the one with orchid to take home in a container for my mommy. :) it was banana chocolate chip!

overall, i’m pretty swept up with the charm and great food of karine’s. the food is delicious, healthy, and very affordable. this place only accepts cash, so be mindful of that when coming for a visit. can’t wait for my next meal here!

love karine's! we've had them cater a few of our team breakfasts at our office, and they always do an amazing job. maggie from the karine's team comes in and cooks omelettes, belgian waffles, serves hand-pressed orange juice... all with an infectious energy and smile. can't say enoughgoodthings about them!!

i didn't expect suchgoodfood from a food court! pancakes are great. scrambled tofu is delicious. everything pink on the menu is vegan. served with proper plates and cutlery, portions are huge, prices are reasonable. karine and her staff are friendly and amazing. overall this is a great place for vegan breakfast and i'm surely coming back.

amazing service. amazing food. i just had a simple breakfast which was really good. prices aregoodfor what you get. it's kind of hard to find if you're not from the area but i went with someone who did so that wasgoodlol. will definitely be coming back for more delicious breakfast.

the people that work here are so friendly! food was fast and cheap and you get a huge breakfast plate. the home fries weregoodand you get an enormous portion of bacon. i had the scrambled eggs and they were a bit dry but overall had a great experience

great vegan breakfast!. i ate here on the way to the ago. it's always a joy for a vegan to find agoodbreakfast, particularly a restaurant with more than one option -- vegans trying to eat breakfast out get stuck with sides (potatoes, fruit, toast) quite often but here there are lots of choices! i had the waffle with mixed berries, and the person i had breakfast with had parfait. i was very sceptical when i realized karine's is in a food court, but the food was verygood-- it also helped that coffee came in mugs rather than take-away cups, that the cutlery was metal not plastic, and the food came on nice plates rather than plastic trays. breakfast was great and service was friendly; if i lived in the area i would very likely make this a once a week destination.

a pain to find, but worth it when you do. their breakfast smoothies are delicious, the food is amazing and reasonably priced. bonus moral booster from the staff, they go out of their way to make you feelgoodand remember your name and order down to a tee.