I ran into a friend of mine in Kensington Market last week and when he asked what I was up to, I replied, “I just ate at this vegan burrito place.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” He said with sincere sympathy.
I’m not going to tell a carnivore that a vegan burrito is going to be better than one stuffed with meat and cheese, but Hot Beans is a great option for vegans or those who like meatless options. Hot Beans has been in Kensington for almost two-years and was opened by Ross Corder after he spent time in various vegan kitchens in the city. As Ross puts it, “I really wanted to open a place that didn’t exist in Toronto that I would want to eat at a few times a week if I didn’t own it; fast vegan food with a low price-point that isn’t health food. There’s enough places for a vegan in Toronto to get a kale salad, but there weren’t many places for a vegan to get a good, greasy burrito.”
Your three burrito choices are: TVP (texured vegetable protein) with a shoyu and ancho pepper-based sauce heavy on spices and garlic, the black bean burrito combines spiced beans with shredded smoky coconut and the seitan burrito blends the shaved wheat gluten with a peanut-miso sauce. All burritos are $8.50 and are stuffed with garlic-annatto rice, salsa, lettuce, chili aioli and chipotle sauce.
The tacos are also $8.50 for two and the BBQ jackfruit is the most popular. Ross uses young, green, unripe jackfruit that is chewier than ripe jackfruit. It’s simmered in a house-made chipotle BBQ sauce and topped with salsa, chipotle sauce and housemade tofu sour cream. Choose a side of rice and beans, chips and salsa or creamy coleslaw.
I love vegan eats when they are creative and I’m sold on one of these specials that Ross occasionally cooks up. “One thing I’ve done a couple of times is a vegan mac ‘n’ cheese burrito with fried potatoes and veggie wieners. People go ape shit over it.”
Vegan nachos and burrito bowls are also on the menu and, if you’re lucky, you’ll get there on a day when there are sweets from Through Being Cool Baking Co. Vegan pecan butter tarts ($3.50) don’t stick around for long.
Don’t want to freeze your buns off stepping out to grab your meatless burrito? They offer bike delivery, of course.
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