Avelo Restaurant

We went to Avelo for the first time last night to celebrate our wedding anniversary and had the 5 course meal with the wine pairing. The food was almost too pretty to eat…almost. The wines were paired perfectly and the wait staff was extremely friendly and knowledgeable about the food. We really enjoyed the company of one of the waiters, Pat, who was very personable and took our experience to the next level! There was an automatic 18% gratuity applied to the bill, but given the service, was well worth it. We highly recommend this restaurant and will be going back to try more items off the menu.

It's a cozy place in an old house.. The food was amazing with great host. Our host was willing to go back and clarify few questions we had with the chief. They also got good selection of cocktails and few that we tried were good. Special highlights for me was the chocolate hazelnut macaron which was so great we almost begged our host for another 😁 the strawberry ginger has the outer crust which is indistinguishable from regular meringue but apparently made with different vegan proteins.

I've been trying to get to Avelo for ~2 years and even with all of that hype- still exceeded my wildest dreams! What an experience. We were welcomed warmly and sat a nice distance from the others already in- glad we did the 5pm seating, it was much quieter and more my vibe than the later seatings. Sneak peak at the printed 5 course tasting menu had us DROOLING. Fun cocktails menus with seasonal features. The Handsome Frenchman was so good. My fella loved the Old Jack Fashioned, it was so pretty too. THE FOOD. Just wow. Unbelievable flavours. I wished every round had more bites, i couldn't get enough. But after 5 rounds I was perfectly satisfied without feeling gross full. The spiced zucchini skewer was insane. Now a forever fan of cauliflower mushroom. The warm crispy Brioche with spicy red pepper dip 🤯 the man was loving the middle/cream dip. Mixing your bread across multiple dips made whole new wild flavours. That Pistachio Raspberry wagon wheel dessert with kombucha sorbet is one of the wildest things I've ever tasted. Every mashup bite a different flavour and texture, it all went so well together, pretty sure I was moaning out loud. THE SERVICE! We had the pleasure of two servers, each with beautiful passionate personalities and delivered each round with thoughtful descriptions and personal touches. They both perfected the overall experience. Every moment here was unique and exciting. Looking very forward to returning.

It was a great experience! Lots of yummy tea options, kind service, and delicious food. My favourite was the brioche and the peppermint macaroon (very christmasy!). The space was really nice. It felt fancy in a cozy way. I would recommend this spot for a high tea experience!

Avelo has a warm, elegant atmosphere and the service at first felt very professional. The gazpacho was refreshing and well-balanced, and the dessert was beautifully done , a nice finish to the meal. However, several of the other dishes were surprisingly bland, lacking basic seasoning and texture you’d expect from a fine dining vegan menu. The portions were extremely small, and by the end of the 8 course tasting, the bill came to nearly $400 for two, which felt excessive for what we received. The mandatory 18% service charge was unexpected, and when we asked for clarification, the staff seemed a bit bothered by the question, which left an uncomfortable impression after what should have been a refined evening. Overall, while Avelo has potential and a lovely setting, the flavors, portion sizes, and transparency didn’t quite match the price point.

Delicious vegan afternoon tea. There is a great selection of savory and sweet options. We chose the genmaicha tea and the roasted brown rice flavour came through beautifully. My favourite treat were the pumpkin spice scones. Recommend a visit.

Yet another amazing dinner at Avelo, we ordered the 8 course meal, it’s so hard to decide which dish is my favorite. If I have to pick one, it’d be the 3rd course, cauliflower mushroom, endive, mustard. The Ethiopian spice used in it gave it a real blast of flavor. Excellent dish! Our server Pat was also amazing, very informative and personable. What a wonderful evening!

I was quite looking forward to trying Avelo since I’ve had many memorable vegan fine-dining experiences elsewhere, but overall, this visit was a bit disappointing. The dishes looked elegant, but the presentation and color palette felt flat and not as visually refined or balanced as I’d expect at this level. I did enjoy the lobster mushroom tart, which had a nice texture and depth of flavor. But some other dishes felt mismatched. for example, the zucchini skewer seemed to aim for an Asian BBQ-style flavor but didn’t quite work. The spices and ingredients didn’t complement each other well, and the overall taste felt a bit off. The dessert was also too sweet for my liking, and the shell had a papery texture that wasn’t very pleasant. I appreciate the effort and creativity behind the menu, but both the visuals and flavor pairings fell short of what I’ve experienced at other vegan restaurants in this price range.

Green P parking available within block distance. Birthday dinner experience. Cute decor and ambiance. Limited seating. Book reservations. Matt was great by making the experience exceptional. Every dish was delicious. Utensils were reset after each course. I was a little worried that 5 courses wasn't going to be enough, but it was definitely enough. Worth a treat if you wanna treat yourself!

My partner and I came to Avelo to celebrate our anniversary + a grad school admission. The meal and service were extraordinary! We did the 8 course meal, and can't wait to come back for the 5 course and upstairs bar menus. My partner is gluten free, and their substitutions and accommodations were remarkable. They loved the buckwheat elements, my favorite gluten free element was the gnocchi. Rarely does something gluten free taste so satisfyingly bready. Every course was delicious, beautiful, and inspiring. My favorite course overall was the 6th course, a chickpea pannise with asparagus and lemon foam, closely followed by the second course which was a creatively deconstructed eggplant. The ambiance was delightful! They tried something new with the music this evening, trading a low key ambient vibe for surprisingly diverse 90s and early 2000s nostalgia. It was a great conversation starter and I loved how it showed an awareness of the clientele for that evening's dinner seating. Pat and the second server (I'm SO sorry I don't remember her name) were wonderful guides through our culinary journey. Rarely does a fine dining establishment master the balance of exceptional food and service. I would place this meal on par with Eleven Madison Park. If the chef desires a Michelin rating, it is very deserved. This was a meal I will remember forever.

A rare vegan fine dining experience that showcases what's possible with plant based cuisine at a high level. I liked all courses but my favorite was the 6th course - the fiddleheads, chickpeas and lemon. The crispy and earthy fiddleheads topped the dish, and the chickpea lemon base (with some foam) was smooth and creamy and tasted so good. Presentation on all courses was really impressive as well. The restaurant is inside a townhouse so has a cozy atmosphere. There's a bar upstairs that seemed to be really popular as well. Service was great throughout the meal. Overall a really special addition to the fine dining scene in Toronto!

Visited this cozy and lovely restaurant for a dinner with colleagues and I'm amazed! We tried 5 course vegan meal that came with 2 amuse-bouche and dessert. Food taste was absolutely delicious and the staff were super friendly and attentive all the time. Event the chef who prepared the dish came to the table to explain the ingredient and how to enjoy it!

Special restaurant for a special occasion. Great Prix Fixe meal with vegetarian options. The food is both pretty and amazingly tasty. Service and ambiance are perfection. God you Canucks are lucky.

We were excited to try this plant based tasting menu. We chose to have the 5 course meal with wine pairings. Space is small and quaint. Servers were soft spoken and at times difficult to hear. Each item served was presented very well. We enjoyed almost every item. Not cheap, but overall a nice experience. Definitely worth the splurge for a special occasion. We had a 4 star experience but will give it 5 stars since the entire menu is plant based.

Feel completely dissapointed and robbed. Beware vegan foodies. Cheap establishment. Staff does not want to go over budget and give you a 2nd bite-sized croissants to finish the pate it comes with. Misleading portions and shared desserts?? FREEZING cold establishment will have you leaving with frostbite in hands and toes, staff do not care when you express your concerns, some dishes gave me a stomach ache, or had me rushing to chug down water, tip is mandatory and no choice to remove it. Unacceptable. Terrible experience.

Avelo's 8-course meal ($120) leaves you comfortably full, without sickness, given dishes aren't overly heavy. Perhaps that's what I found lacking, the one or two course that simply envelops you in glutinous comfort food. The closest contender was probably the fourth course - a buckwheat gnocchi with fermented porcini sauce - still, the buckwheat gave the gnocchi a nutty fibrous kick and the sauce was more umami than rich. Hardly the sinful plate I was looking for. At least it was flavourful and the chanterelles beautifully sauteed. The sourdough everything bagel on the bottom of the first course was superb: crusty on the outside and fluffy on the inside. In lieu of cream cheese and lox, Avelo uses kojified carrot and macadamia cheese, which replicates the slight smoky creaminess on the bagel. It's just an interesting way of starting a tasting menu, maybe Avelo's version of a bread course? Having dined at Avelo's predecessor, Awai, I was praying for the mushroom soup, a heavenly concoction that had even those who detest mushrooms nodding in approval. Sadly, it didn't make an appearance and the soup featured roasted kabocha squash instead. It's difficult to make squash soup exciting, something that can so easily be made at home. Avelo tried to enhance its presentation with apple and salsify pieces to decorate the bowl, but they did little to augment the experience as they're rather similar in texture. The pumpkin dust was a good start, adding a bit of grittiness to the smooth soup, but it really did need something else crispy or chewy (perhaps a puffed tapioca) to balance out all the mushiness. Interestingly, after a rutabaga is roasted, it gives off a potato-like flavour, except it's a severely dry spud. The kitchen tried adding mashed cauliflower to create moisture in the dish, but the small dollop was hardly enough. What it really needed was a sauce, something that would add liquid and flavour as the dish was so boring - when you're serving vegetables flavour is your friend. Slices of truffle garnished the rutabaga, but its dry texture meant the truffle was wasted. If anything, this prized ingredient would have been better featured with the gnocchi instead. Their one bite amuse bouche was impressive: a potato galette that's described as Avelo's version of cauliflower tots. I'd say it's more like fried mac 'n' cheese except without the pasta. The galette is piping hot and delicious. Still, some of my friends found the horseradish garnish overpowering, adding a sharp tang when the onion base was already good on its own. This is a long review visit Gastroworld for the rest.

BOTTOM LINE: That ornate ceiling, OMG! And the cocktails were fantastic as well! Tucked behind Yonge street, this is totally a IYKYK place. Avelo recently converted their upstairs dining area into an intimate cocktail bar, with a jaw-dropping arched ornate ceiling that really makes this place feel special. Although my DC and I snagged a spot by the bar walking in off the street (it was early-ish in the evening), I'd highly recommend resos since I'd wager there were only about 15, maybe 20 seats. Their cocktail menu is divided into classics, riffs off of classics, sours, and then mocktails. I ordered the MONTE CASSINO, which went down smooth and had a good balance in flavours. My DC ordered the MAI TAI SWIZZLE, which was well received. We didn't order off their menu, they has a focused selection of fancy small bites - all vegan of course - which looked like they'd pair well with the drinks.

Very fancy decor and attentive service. I was here for bf's birthday we had course menu. It was nice. Some dishes were a bit weird tasting but it was worth a try. Great place to try vegan food in a more sophisticated style.

Great space with some especially tasty drinks and food. I've eaten at both the upstairs a la carte "Bar Avelo" and the downstairs set menu. Highlights for me in the upstairs bar were the Whisky Scratch + Cheeseboard, but everything we ordered was super good! The set menu in the downstairs area is an incredible value. I especially appreciate the way they change their menu to include seasonal ingredients. Every time I've visited I've enjoyed the overall menu and received a solid dose of 'surprise and delight' by *at least* one course without fail. Staff was very friendly and knowledgeable and the building is an old heritage building with a lot of character. A great spot for vegans and non-vegans alike! Also - make sure you check out the beautiful wall mural in the stairwell!

Cozy little restaurant. Dishes are very creative. But portions are so small . Bite size about the size of a miniature Breton cracker. Paid 300$ for a dinner for 2 and left hungry. Fun experience but it used to be much better and would leave satisfied. Not worth it in my opinion.

The multi-course set menu is absolutely outstanding! We loved every taste. So many different flavours and textures, artfully prepared. We heartily recommend this restaurant.

A great, prix fixe dining experience that really highlights the flavors of the region. Space was cozy, and the staff was super accommodating after we had an unexpected emergency and needed to cut our meal a bit short. If I had one complaint it's that having eight courses (plus "intermission" items) diluted the quality of the overall meal for us. I think dropping it down to five would probably hit the sweet spot, but I also realize that financially it may not pencil out as well with fewer.

A few months back Awai had their last dinner service, but then it was announced they were moving closer downtown, and here it is! Tucked away in a small street that I had never heard of, you get to wine and dine in a heritage house converted into a restaurant. All of the dishes were quite unique, consisting of ingredients that I either hadn't heard of before, hadn't thought of trying, or involved tedious processes to prepare. Definitely offers a sense of adventure which each dish and leaves you wondering what'll be next. Featuring 3-course, 5-course, and 8-course vegan tasting menus, a nice selection of drinks to choose from, excellent service, and a cozy atmosphere, Avelo is a great place to bring dates or clients to try some interesting creations from the chef.

I had been waiting eagerly for this place to open up once Covid restrictions were eased. I booked a table for 4 and they emailed ahead of time to verify food restrictions and get the names and phone numbers of the guests. We arrived at 7:40 for our 7:45 reservation. The table was not ready and we eventually got seated around 8:15. Our dining companions were stuck in traffic so it wasn't a big deal and there were limited tables too due to Covid. Normally a wait that long after a reserved time would really bother me. I hope it doesn't happen next time. The tables on the main floor were divided by tall plexi glass dividers. The washrooms were on the upper level and there were more tables there. We had the 8 course tasting menu that came with a few extra plates of little bites. On average the courses were good but some items I didn't care for.....the charcuterie was very salty and one of the mushrooms on the mushroom plate was not tasty. The dessert items were AMAZING.....especially the hazelnut horn!! We had some mocktails but the guys didn't love theirs. The server went out of his way to make it better. We ended with some rooibos tea. The servers were excellent and friendly. The meal was finished after 11:30pm.....so allow lots of time for the 8 courses ($110 per person). Mocktails were $10-11 and tea was $4. 18% service charge is automatically added. I love that there is nothing to think about (other than drinks). The chef even came to our table and chatted for a brief couple of minutes explaining the desserts. I will go back for sure!!

I should have written this a few weeks ago as this review specifically pertains to Valentine's Day. During lockdown we walked by this charming place, it's in a converted house on quiet St. Nicholas Street, in our neighborhood many times and talked about eating there when things open. We were pleasantly surprised to find they do delivery and were having a special Valentine's Day menu. After our at home experience we definitely look forward to visiting in person for a fancy dinner, perhaps to celebrate the end of lockdown! The menu is designed to be shared and to try many options, kind of like a multi-course meal. We ordered the canapes, salad, paella and of course dessert. I think my favorite part was the mix of flavors, it was all so delicious. This is the type of place I would take anyone (vegan or not) for an exquisite and unique dining experience. I truly hope the in person experience is just as wonderful as our at home experience was.

Avelo is a stylish and cozy new vegan restaurant tucked away on St Nicholas street. I found it on Yelp, browsed the website (which had a link to make reservations, but no language about needing them), and decided to swing by for a date night. Though it was empty, we were told no walk ins are allowed. The website also doesn't list prices anywhere. We asked the hostess, and were told the 5-course tasting menu is $65, and the 8-course is $95.

FANCY VEGAN FOOD! I appreciate that they're showcasing fresh produce and that they're not making mock meats. I also appreciate the diversity of the ingredients they use. For anyone trying to find this place, go by the address. Don't look for a sign. There is no sign. I walked past the restaurant my first time. Oops. I started with an appetizer made of celtuce. Celtuce is also called asparagus lettuce, and it's sort of like the inner part of a broccoli stem. It's tender but it's got a bit of a chew as well. I've never seen it used in a non-Chinese environment, and I've only had it stir-fried. This one came beautifully presented and was served with a variety of sauces and garnishes. At the end of the day, the celtuce didn't blow my mind, but the sauces on the plate were rather tasty. One of the garnishes, I believe a zucchini crisp of some sort, tasted rather earthy, and when I say that, I mean like soil. All in all though, an interesting start to my meal that left me curious to see what else would be served. I then had a pistachio cracker amuse bouche with a couple different purees and black shallots they make in house. It was the highlight of my meal. It was stunning and unfortunately only one bite, but it definitely made me want more. For my entree, I had a wheatberry risotto with hedgehog mushrooms and lobster mushrooms and some sort of carrot foam. All in all, it was a lot of brown food on a pretty plate, but it's still a lot of brown. That being said, as vegan food goes, this dish was pretty substantial. I was worried I'd leave hungry. This was nice and filling and the wheatberries and mushrooms had very nice textures. Dessert was black garlic ice cream and cookie crumble. The black garlic had a funk that I couldn't tell was black garlic, and the chocolate sauce on top somewhat overwhelmed the flavor of the ice cream. Actually, the cookie crumble did too. The ice cream was super creamy though. Service was a delight and I'd love to see what other dishes they come up with in the future!

Absolutely amazing experience, both the food and the customer service. I am a part-time vegan and when we heard about Avelo being a fine dining vegan experience I couldn't wait to see what they offered. The establishment is a beautiful old home on a quiet street that you could easily miss walking by. Very intimate space and you still have social distancing setup for those of you that might be skittish about public spaces. This is a tasting menu which I usually stay away from because you never know what the chef might be bringing out but I felt very safe with the fact that it was a plant-based menu. We enjoyed our food for over 2 and 1/2 hours and we did the wine pairing also. The menu covers all of your bases from mushrooms to sunflowers and we learned a lot from our extremely friendly wait staff. If you are not a vegan don't let the idea of a plant-based restaurant keep you away. Everything was very satisfying, delicious and you will not walk away hungry.

Awai was amazing, and their new home at Avelo is even better. I attended the soft opening and enjoyed 8 courses plus a few snacks. Some highlights included: celtuce with bearnaise, beet-pom reduction, and pecans; an old family molé recipe concocted of 30 ingredients and punctuated with pops of sweet corn kernels; a bite containing every angle of apple you can imagine (fermented black, dehydrated crisp, fresh sliced, concentrated kombucha); black garlic ice cream served with soy sauce-infused chocolate and some crumbled cookies; a strawberry-hibiscus tart that was apparently sugar- and gluten-free(??) but still somehow tasted great. It was all so unique, and worked surprisingly well together. I guess it makes sense, since they apparently have a ton of chefs collaborating on the menu. Decor was great (HUGE improvement), and the new location is so much more convenient than the old spot in BWV. Service was lovely throughout the night, with the cooks coming out to introduce their dishes. It all felt really personal and special. Overall, I'm glad to see such a creative approach to plant-based fine dining in the city!

Vegan food went through a sort of phase where it felt that it had to prove itself. At the other side of that is Avelo. Past the pretense comes experimentation and true plant based flourishing in cuisine. I dined here yesterday during their soft opening, with a throwback to the early Awaï style pay-what-you-want 8 course menu. Every dish was exciting and inventive! Photos posted with descriptions. It's a tiny dining room with minimal noise but occasionally one of the servers would just whisper the ingredients quietly to themselves so we didn't actually know what it was. The ambiance is amazing, so beautiful! The building used to be a house and it really does feel like going into someone's fancy living room. Speaking with one of the chefs, there's no managerial structure in back of house, but instead 5 chefs sharing responsibilities and deciding what to make together, so awesome! So much fun, really hoping to come back soon during their grand opening! Best of luck~

Reservations apparently dont mean anything here. Because they cancelled on me the day of my reservation. After I booked on Tock and after they sent me a text message to confirm my reso. I was not offered a different time in the day but instead a completely different day. I had already made arrangements for a friend to come downtown which she did. So they essentially left my friend and I with nothing to do on a saturday night (during TIFF AND TFW so basically every good restaurant in the city was booked) when I booked a reservations 4 days prior. Blaming a "glitch" in the system is hard to understand as I booked via Tock which is hugely reliable, and they even had me text to confirm 2 days before the date. I understand they are a small restaurant but they should have worked a way to accommodate their error in overbooking (if that was even the case) because their alternative offered to me was to book a tuesday, wed or thursday on the following week. (Sorry I am not dragging a friend from out of town to have a tasting menu on a weekday. There was a reason that I booked for saturday). What is upsetting is that at the time of booking I could have booked the friday or saturday and I chose the saturday only to have it cancelled. Well if they had organized their schedule better I could have just booked the friday night and would have been happy to come in. But they left me at the 11th hour with no choices left. New restaurant doesnt cut it as we all know they were running Awai successfully for quite some time. The scheduling of the restaurant should be nailed down and there should be a standard that they hold themselves to in order to fulfill their reservations.

This is an ambitious vegan restaurant offering tasting menus. Still new they have much to offer but also some kinks to work out. I booked reservations for a special outing, which they unfortunately forgot until delivering our bill. That's too bad. I was hoping my companion and I would love the place because for me especially it sounds like a vision in dining I wish to support. The small dining room is lovely but because of the size became overwhelmingly loud sometimes. Maybe it was our seating. Still, the intimacy created seems good if a bit less crowded. Servers are attentive and on top of removing dishes, placing new cutlery and describing the food, although service is too slow for my taste. Here's what I really like.... 100% vegan, chef prepared, knowledgeable staff, attention to detail in everything from room decor to plating. I was after well prepared vegan food and they live up to that. I especially enjoyed two courses, a delicate soup and a bread with toppings that were tasty. But, on the not as pleasing side...other courses were not as satisfying as the first two, because some were too rich, or too sauce heavy or didn't have enough textural variety. For instance there was the odd pea shoot but not enough micro greens or delicate greens. I like sauce but too much of a good thing weighs a meal down. While I like the ingredients I also like variety and wonder why have mushrooms after mushrooms, or tempeh after oat berries, which might please some but became weary to me. Missing, sadly, was the zucchini parcel I was looking forward to trying. There were sometimes long waits between next samplings, likely too long as the dining experience took an unexpected 3 1/2 hours. It might work better to put two or three samplings together a few times to save some footsteps/time. With each diner having numerous courses there is a lot of time spent with servers clearing and setting table. It's hard to rate the restaurant based on one experience, especially when they are still new. I want to try it again but I'm not sure if the concept of a tasting menu is the way I wish to go. With some hit and some miss dishes the overall value was not there. I enjoy what Avelo is trying to do but for me to fully enjoy the dining experience I'd need to find pleasure and value in every dish, have more greens worked into the meal and it run closer to 2 hours. Perhaps a tasting menu with 10 or 12 dishes to give diners a bit of choice, or plating two samplings a few times are ideas to consider. I wish I liked it better and if I return I hope I do.

Only real vegan fine dining I've found so far in Toronto. Never had food at this level. Marvellous food, amazing staff, and beautiful and cozy location and atmosphere.

This little gem of a restaurant is among the best of the fine dining restaurants in Toronto. Innovative and bold cuisine. A perfect place for vegans and non vegans will enjoy just as much. Intimate. Beautiful.

Really impressed! I loved Awai, their earlier restaurant, but this is even better! The food is top notch, and really interesting. So many flavours that I've never experienced before. Service is great. It's a small place, so it feels very personal. Great ambiance in a beautiful space. Perfect for a date. My new favourite restaurant!

Wow! .I enjoyed the tasting menu especially the ravioli and tempeh. I will be back again soon!

Whether someone is an omnivore, vegan or vegetarian, you will absolutely love the food, service and atmosphere of this restaurant! 5 stars isn't enough! We will definitely tell everyone we know while visiting Toronto make plans to reserve a table here. You won't be disappointed. Bravo Avelo! Bravo.

I really like the concept, but things could be improved. The servers did not know basic information about the wine or food when we asked questions. Odd that a tasting menu has no wine pairing. The desserts were great but most of the mains were bland. I recommend "ten" restaurant instead, which is nearly vegan (aside from 1/10 courses which can be modified) and is incredibly creative and tasty with a good wine pairing. This place is "fine" but there are far better at this price point