Vegan donuts plentiful in Toronto's new culinary corridor

If you're eating a vegan donut in Toronto, chances are it came from somewhere along Bloor Street West between Christie Street and Lansdowne Avenue.

There are four restaurants serving vegan donuts along the strip: Through Being Cool Bakery, The Steady, Bloomer's and APieCalypse Now.

The four donut dealers are part of a burgeoning area for vegan food. There are six vegan-only restaurants in the neighbourhood, with a vegan butcher not far from the cluster.

"It's good for us because the strip has become a destination for vegans," said Alex Dodd, the co-owner of Bloomer's vegan restaurant on Bloor Street West between Christie Street and Ossington Avenue.

Dodd says there's a group of regulars in his restaurant that take a two-hour trip on public transit just to hang out in the vegan-friendly neighbourhood.

The eateries, while all vegan, represent an array of different styles:

Hogtown Vegan (1056 Bloor Street West) is a diner, serving mock-meat dishes like pepper steak, "unchicken" and waffles, and chili cheese fries.

The Steady (1051 Bloor Street West) serves vegan brunches, and is also locally famous for its donuts and bagels. It is also a dance club.

Through Being Cool Bakery (1277 Bloor Street West) is a bakery with savoury items like pizza rolls, enchiladas, vegan-fried pickle sandwiches and more.

D-Beatstro (1292 Bloor Street West) is a new vegan restaurant, event space and art gallery, with menu items like soups, salads and whoopie pie.

Bloomer's (873 Bloor Street West) also serves baked goods but has locally famous Reuben sandwiches, non-chicken chicken wings and local beers.

APieCalypse Now (735 Bloor Street West ) is the newest entry to the corridor, serving vegan pizzas and other comfort foods like hot dogs.

Back at Bloomer's, Dodd says the cluster of restaurants has already earned the name Vegan Row.

Other names are in competition as well, like Bloorvegan or Vegancourt, plays on the name of the neighbourhood, Bloorcourt.