TVX

Safe to say that Hawker has been added to my list of top favourite vegan spots in Toronto. One of the things I typically expect/ mentally prepare myself for is that most vegan places are healthy but not always great in taste or lacks the depth of flavours one looks for in a dish. Every dish that was presented had so much flavour and dimension factor in that its all fresh vegan ingredients. All dishes from the tasting menu were well cooked, well plated, and tasted great. Got lucky securing a last minute reservation and was very impressed. Highly recommend for vegans and non vegans, Hawker will not disappoint!

The food here was so flavourful, inventive and nutritious. We had the $35 brunch. We shared 5 plates. Each plate presentation was stunning. The Chef and team here deserve all the good things. 5 stars. We will come back here frequently.

It's a beautiful date night place and the ambience is quite mellow and romantic. Their idea is pretty unique, however, I was expecting a better flavor palate considering that the quality of the food they served was great! Will try more dishes next time!

The flavours are incredible here! I got the BC, Biryani and Shroom Wings dish and all three exceeded my expectations. One of the best vegan restaurants in Toronto, I can’t wait to go back! Highly recommend

Had the prie fixe brunch, which was fantastic. Loved the use of New World ingredients to enhance South Asian cuisine. Total experience took 90 minutes, with great portions, no too spicy - we were both full.Recommended dishesThe Biryani, Bushfire

This is Hawker restaurant. A vegan experience in Kensington Market. The restaurant is fully plant based and the atmosphere is very cool. Excellent for dates, hanging out or just to chill. There are three seating arrangements, front street level, patio back patio and the main restaurant seating area. I chose the prefixe menu at the chef’s table you sit at the bar and watch the food getting cooked. The background music is soft and not overpowering and you can easily carry a conversation. From an accessibility point of view this place is not barrier free friendly. The bathroom is down a very narrow staircase and to get to the restaurant you need to go up a few feet from the street via staircase. The bathroom is clean. Now, let’s talk about the food options. You can order the tapas, or the prix fixe menu; however, the later is only available at the bar, where there’s only 3 seats total. Now let’s talk about the food. The options are surprisingly filling, likely due to the common presence of various local oils and fats in each dish. The food was really good, and the service was good. Overall, if you are vegan, this the perfect date night, fine dining-esque experience, and you won’t leave hungry. Our chef’s were the highlight, extremely friendly and happy to explain any and all to us even while multitasking. The only dish out of many we didn’t like was the ceviche. We did the prix fixe menu, and paid around $260 for 2. In summary, believe the hype & try this place out.

Stumbled over this vegan gem and am SO glad we did. The presentation and taste of every dish blew us away. Every flavour was so creative. Would highly recommend for anyone - vegan or not

This vegan restaurant is not only serving delicious foods, it's serving an entirely new experience. The food had dense layers of spice, distinct aromas, and innovative plating. We ordered: 1. Summer papadam, chickpea ferment, cherry tomatoes $13 Savory and sweet aromatic spices were generously sprinkled on the juicy roasted cherry tomatoes. The tomatoes were placed on top of papadam deep fried Indian lentil/bean flour chips that were so thin and crunchy. Underneath the tomatoes was a gentle spread of chickpea ferment a little like hummus but less creamy that softened the overall texture. 2. Bushfire eggplant, rosemary smoke, roti $15 What a dream. The eggplant curry was served on top of smoking rosemary that has such an intense yet calming herbal smell. The curry itself was quite light, a bit bitter, and slightly woody-tasting due to the burnt herbal sprinkles on top. The overall taste was so earthy it was so different from the heavier curries I’ve tasted. The Roti was so, so fluffy. The taste was slightly umami from the generous sprinkles of parley on top. 3. Starry Night biryani, smoked poblano, lavender oil $15 The rice was topped with little ruffle drops of sour cream and an earthy cream which I could not identity. The biryani rice flavors were rich in spices. We loved the bits of sweet raisin and other softer seeds embedded. Couldn’t really taste the lavender oil tho. 4. Reap/Sow dal, pomegranate, raita, roti $14 One of my favorite dishes! The curry itself tastes so earthy it was almost intense rich of the natural taste of grains, seeds, and roots. There was little seasoning to the curry but the crunchy pomegranates bits on top were so refreshing and sour raita sauce set a bold contrast to the minimally flavored dal. 5. Starry Night Pt 2 ube, pandan, rose $9 The white pandan mousse droplets had an intense coconut and vanilla flavor. The mousse just melted in my mouth as soon as I placed it on my tongue. The ube droplets were a lot more dense like a sweet mashed potatoes and creamy. It was interesting to taste the different kinds of sweetness. Each bite of the fleur de sel instantly enhanced the diversity of sweet flavors and added such a nice crunch to the mousse. The little flower bits enriched the smooth texture as well.

We had the 6 course chef’s table dinner experience and it was such a great time. It’s a cozy spot with not many seats so make sure to get reservations in early, we were seated right in front of the open concept kitchen so could see all the action as each dish was being prepared. Everything is so flavourful and top points for presentation. Dishes are so creatively put together. It’s like sitting in a real life version of Netflix’s Chef’s Table. Creek Bed and God’s Work were my favourite. I didn’t think I’d be full from 6 dishes as they didn’t look like a lot but I was stuffed! So make sure to arrive hungry. If I were to be critical, Autumn course was a little too salty and the dessert was underwhelming. I would’ve preferred the ube and pandan to be a little less subtle. I also thought being a chef’s table experience would’ve been more interactive? Other than the chef letting us know what each dish was, there wasn’t much else to the interaction. Would still come back for the food, however I thoroughly enjoyed most of food I had. Need to try the brunch next!

This PLACE! From the minute you walk in , Darshan welcomes you with a smile. The back patio is an absolute oasis in the middle of Kensington market. The food was unbelievable - as some one who is not vegan or vegetarian , I was so incredibly impressed with the food. The resonance cocktail was spectacular. I can’t say enough about this little gem !