Toronto is not exactly a vegetarian's paradise. On trips to California and Britain I have been amazed and delighted by the widespread acceptance of vegetarianism, and the resulting abundance and variety of meatless menu items. Even the most remote pub in the Scottish Highlands would have at least one veg special of the day. Not so Toronto, where a vegetarian is still a bit of an oddball.

The following restaurants are recommended for having at least a few good meatless items. Toronto does have a few strictly vegetarian restaurants, but only one is listed here.

THE QUEEN MOTHER CAFE, 208 Queen Street West
Home of the famous Q.M. (cosmic) Burger, also now has Thai specialties. Trendy and tasty.

JOV BISTRO, 1701 Bayview Avenue, 322-0530
Great for a splurge night out, this is really gourmet fare. At least two vegetarian entrees available. Book well in advance.

MILLIE'S BISTRO, 1980 Avenue Road, 481-1247
Build your meal from the wonderful selection of appetizers or "tapas". Tastes from around the Mediterranean including Spain and North Africa.

LE COMMENSAL, 655 Bay Street. "Fine Vegetarian Dining". (I haven't tried it personally).

YOUNG THAILAND, 111 Gerrard Street E. and 81 Church Street
Good food, good ambiance. Somewhat limited choice for vegetarians. Try the excellent vegetable curry.

SATAY ON THE ROAD, 1570 Bayview Ave. near Davisville, and 2003 Avenue Road (north of Lawrence)
Thai and Malaysian choices. Good quality and reasonable prices. Recommended: Vegetarian Pad Thai, Tofu Goreng, Gado Gado, Vegetable Curry.

CUISINE OF INDIA, 5222 Yonge Street, North York
Highly recommended! Open view Tandoori oven. Plenty of vegetarian items.

GUJARAT DURBAR, 1386 Gerrard Street East
"Purely vegetarian means lots of legumes and rich spice layering for braises", to quote one restaurant reviewer.

LA VECCHIA, 2405 Yonge Street, north of Eglinton

Gourmet thin crusted pizza and great salads.

This is just one of the many excellent Italian restaurants in Toronto which are usually a good bet for vegetarians.

SOL DE ORO, 2366 Yonge Street, just north of Eglinton.

Very casual, very reasonable and very good. Vegetarian versions of many items. Try the hot tamales.

THE WILLOW, 193 Danforth Avenue
"Satisfying Tex-Mex grub"

While you're in the area, check out The Big Carrot in Carrot Common just down the street at 348 Danforth. It's a large health food/grocery store with many delicious take-out items and a small cafe.