Elgin & Winter Garden Theatre

Rated this place:

189 Yonge St., Toronto, ON, M5B1M4

Place to spot a celebrity: You'll definitely see celebrities on the red carpet during the gala screenings, but I've also seen Rachel McAdams and Colin Firth walk in like, uh, normal people.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Place to Spot a Celebrity

Payless ShoeSource

Rated this place:

2290 Bloor St West , Toronto, ON, M6S1N9

Shoe store: I can't walk in heels, and I love Payless's selection of flats - I bought a shiny red pair and fancied myself an Oz-zie (as in somewhere over the rainbow, not Australia.)

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Shoe store

Udupi Palace

Rated this place:

1460 Gerrard St. E., Toronto, ON, M4L2A3

Indian food: I don't usually go to Indian restaurants, because my mom's cooking is always a zillion times better. But if I must, I go to Udupi Palace on Gerrard Street. The South Indian restaurant is 100 per cent vegetarian, and the dosas they serve are so big that I've seen diners take pictures of them. I, however, always order the channa bathura (chick peas and puffy-ish bread). The chick peas are normally really spicy, but you can request a milder dish.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Indian Food

Magic Oven

Rated this place:

788 Broadview Ave., Toronto, ON, M4K2P8

Vegan pizza: Unlike Insomnia, Magic Oven's menu actually features vegan pizza (I just used to order the pizza at Insomnia without cheese.) They have many vegan, veggie, gluten-free and organic options, and serve pasta, sandwiches and soup in addition to pizza. It's a good alternative to fast food if you're a vegetarian on the run (you don't have to custom order anything as they have ready-made veggie food) and some locations deliver!

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Vegan Pizza

Whole Foods Market

Rated this place:

87 Avenue Rd., Toronto, ON, M5R3R9

Organic grocery store: I like the smaller stores that sell organic, natural and vegan products as well, but Whole Foods has a lot more selection if you're looking for organic fruits and vegetables or hard-to-find products. And they recently banned plastic bags. It's a trendy, expensive place to shop - I can't afford to buy everything I need there - but it's always fun.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• organic grocery store

Thai Basil

Rated this place:

467 Bloor St. W., Toronto, ON, M5S 1X9

Thai food: The lemon grass soup is amazing - it comes with mushrooms. I always go there for their lunch special - it's served until 5:00 and is pretty cheap.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Thai Food

Dolce Gelato E Cafe

Rated this place:

697 COLLEGE ST., Toronto, ON, M6G1C2

Gelato: When I was a vegan, I found that people often mistakenly assumed I was a really healthy eater. But I always found many, many ways to satisfy my sweet tooth. Dolce Gelato serves several kinds of dairy-free gelatos (called sorbettos). They're great alternatives to soy ice cream and flavours include blueberry and green apple.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• gelato

Insomnia Internnet Bar Cafe

Rated this place:

563 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON, M5S1Y6

Pizza: I've been a longtime supporter of cheeseless pizza, and I will continue to defend it, even as a non-vegan. Each type of pizza at Insomnia is named after a street or neighbourhood in Toronto, and the ones I've ordered without cheese don't taste like they're lacking anything. I especially recommend the Rosedale - the pesto and spinach more than make up for the "missing" cheese.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• Pizza

Fresh By Juice For Life

Rated this place:

894 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON, M6J1G3

Vegan hot chocolate: Try it with mint. I love the carrot cake here too.

• favourite thing(s) at this place:
• vegan hot chocolate