Once in a while, I come across a restaurant so vibrant and delicious, I want to stake out real estate next door and move within arm’s mouth’s reach.
Once in a while, I come across a business owner who has such a passion for what they do, I can’t help but feel inspired myself.
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Once in a while, I find a vegan-friendly restaurant that makes me feel understood, instead of a pain in the ass. ;)
Jonnie Karan is the brains behind Thrive Juice Bar, located in uptown Waterloo, Ontario on King Street South. Within a minute of meeting Jonnie, his passion for creating delicious vegetarian, vegan, and raw food is evident. Approachable plant-based creations tempt and impress carnivores and vegans alike and he understands that vegan food shouldn’t be strange or unappealing. It’s just whole food highlighting nature’s finest cuisine. Exactly what I try to do on this blog each day!
Last night, I had the pleasure of dining at Thrive with Angela, after listening to her rave about this place for months now! From the moment we stepped inside, I knew this place was done right. The decor was like no other vegan-friendly restaurant I’ve been to. It’s modern, with cool metallic beaming throughout, large floor to ceiling windows, and vibrant green accents lending an earthy feel. No detail is over-looked, and to my delight, the same care and attention went into the food.
As a child, I grew up drinking virgin Caesars (aka virgin Bloody Mary) and we were never without Mott’s Clamato juice in the fridge, complete with all the seasonings. So when I saw that the menu had a veggie juice that reminded me of my favourite pastime, I knew I had to order it.
The ‘lil Veggie Juice’ contained tomato, carrot, celery, cucumber, parsley, sea salt, fresh pepper, and vegan Worcestershire. Delicious! I just love that salted rim too.
Next, Jonnie brought us out the soup of the day- Red Lentil Dahl. Made with a coconut milk base, it was creamy with a kick of spice. The perfect starter for a rainy day.
After much debate, I ordered the Big Greens Sandwich. I have this thing for anything green…
Lightly toasted on organic 7-grain with extra virgin coconut oil, avocado, jalapeno hummus, goats cheese, marinated cucumbers, almond arugula pesto, fresh sprouts, spinach and frisée finished with a splash of lemon vinaigrette.
In other words…perfection! The lemon vinaigrette added a nice pop to the sandwich.
Ange ordered the Vegan Pad Thai made up of Rice noodles, daikon radish, snap peas, bok-choy, Asian cabbage and raw cashew pad Thai sauce, topped with spicy peanuts and cashews, fresh cilantro, Thai basil and mint. Finished with almond chili oil and mint lime vinaigrette. So many great flavours all in one dish!
For dessert, Jonnie brought us out another treat…vegan and gluten-free walnut fudge brownies with homemade coconut milk frozen dessert!
It was ALMOST too cute to eat.
The homemade coconut milk ‘ice cream’ was the best I’ve ever tasted. It melted into the brownie, taunting me to take bite after gooey bite.
I highly recommend checking out Thrive Juice Bar! Head on over and meet Jonnie and support his fantastic business. It’s definitely worth a drive to Acton Waterloo. You can also check out the stunning website and scope out the food and drink menu.
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I will be back soon, very soon. Possibly today. When does it open? I hear their Big Green Smoothie is incredible… ;)
The mans sister lives in Waterloo, will have to make a pit stop here next time we visit!
That sounds looks AND sounds a-ma-zing!!! And that dessert! I don’t know about you but basic coconut ice cream is sooo delicious! The way the food was organized on the platter was beautiful as well!
I was there yesterday and had the dal soup and a kale mojito! Sooooo good. Oh and my daughter works there!!
This is sooo my type of place. I am happy you have a place to look forward too. The owner is so geniune.. I can tell in his smile. :)
That dessert…YUM!
i have some bad news for strict vegans – they are NOT strict with the “veganess” of the food. A good friend of mine worked here, two actually, one vegan and one not, and they both ended up quitting bc ppl were serving food that was not completely vegan as vegan. dont’ know if they are still doing this. but this has been the case up until very recently.
That place sounds amazing! I LOVE juice. Carrot is my favorite, and I always get it when I see it out. Occasionally when I’m at my parent’s house, I’ll get my mom to whip out the juicer too.
This is the type of place I’d love to own one day, screw the ‘owning your own pub’ dream, this is the new, healthy dream – own your own thrive jucie bar :D I just hope our nation becomes more interested in places like this, living in the deep south I almost feel like it wouldnt work as a business here :( One day…
One day I will visit Ontario, and I will be sure to hit up this spot in Waterloo!! Thanks for the review – I struggle to find goo vegan eateries when I travel. This place looks perfect!
I went there this afternoon and tried a Kale Mohito (virgin of course) and it was actually the most amazing drink I’ve ever had. My boyfriend had the Sangria (also virgin :) ) and it was out of this world.
Thank you so much for helping me find this amazing place! I’m definitely going there a lot!
Ohmygosh BEAUUUUTIFUL! We need juice bars around heeuh!
Yes, the Big Green Smoothie is great!! I agree, this is a great resto, and I think they should move closer to Toronto!! :)
dang I was just near Waterloo I shoulda stopped by :) next time next time fo sure!!
Looks awesome and the atmosphere is so calming too! Looks like you could easily get your ohm on!
Oh my golly- gee, I can see why you love that restaurant– i’d be in heaven, too! I hope heaven is like that someday, hehe :)
Everything you showed looks WONDERFUL :)
that restaurant sounds amazing, and the food looked to good to be true!
I barely ever go to the Kitchener-Waterloo area, but this place sounds worth the trip! I’m crossing my fingers that I can find some nut-free dishes there… but if not, even their juice looks worth the drive!
That place looks AH-mazing! I would come all the way up to your neck of the woods just to got there!!! And to meet you of course LOL!
u should!
I really wish a vegan restaurant like this would open up near me. Has anyone else noticed that vegan restaurants seem to be exclusively asian cuisine?
YUM! Now you have me craving Caesars. I must buy all the stuff to make them today!
Also, love the “worth the drive to Acton” reference. Makes me miss canada :-)
Wow. This is such perfect timing. Not only am I currently enjoying a yummy (virgin) caesar, I’m also considering a job offer in Waterloo. I’ve been hesitant to accept, I haven’t heard great things about the city’s culture and restaurants. You might have changed my mind about Waterloo :D
Any other good restaurants in Waterloo that I should try?