Toronto – Kupfert and Kim – Meatless & Wheatless in First Canadian Place / Financial District
Kupfert & Kim has been open for a little over 2 weeks in First Canadian Place, on King and Bay in the heart of the Financial District. If you want to find it, it’s on the concourse (lower level) and right beside the LCBO and near a variety of other walk up/take away eating spots.
It features a “wheatless & meatless” menu so it’s perfect for you wheat sensitive folks, vegans, vegetarians, people doing meatless Mondays, or really just anyone that likes eating. They also have a variety of fancy coffees, and a selection of milks (soy, almond, coconut, and dairy) as well as a selection of fresh juices. In addition to the healthy stuff, they’ve got a nice collection of sweet vegan and gluten-free treats like macaroons from Earth and City (normally available at farmer’s markets like Sorauren or Dufferin Grove,) cookies from Bunner’s Bake Shop, as well as energy balls from Rawlly Delicious (and probably more!) There is a lovely little display by the cashier. They also have wrapped Chocosol direct-trade chocolate bars available.
I went over for a late lunch at around 3 pm on a Tuesday afternoon and it was still quite busy, but there are still some growing pains happening (which is understandable – it’s only been a little over 2 weeks.)
It’s not entirely clear where people waiting for orders should stand, and at the moment – coffee comes out on one side of the counter, and food comes out on the other. I’d be curious to see it at lunch, because internet hearsay tells me they’ve had some pretty long lines (which is awesome!) but I wonder how they navigate it all.
It is fast food, healthy style, so you order at the counter and wait for your order, which appears quickly. Service was very friendly and quick, the menu is short, but has inventive options. They have a menu for breakfast and one for lunch. Most of the lunch items are around $9-11 dollars and mostly on par with the rest of First Canadian Place options (it is the Financial District after all.) But I’d venture to guess that the quality of ingredients is a bit higher than some of the other stuff in the area.
I ordered the “First Canadian” ($9.29), and this box/bowl was a great mix of ingredients – tempeh, quinoa, shredded purple and green cabbage, roasted yams, micro greens, kale, topped with pomegranate seeds and a flavourful chia tamari maple dressing on the side.
I walked over to the other side of the counter and picked up my coconut latte, and then attempted to score some seating in the small designated section, and tried to ignore the curious looks or overt eyerolls from nearby business folk as I took pictures of my lunch.
If you’re vegan and in the area, it’s worth checking out Kupfert & Kim at least once, there are interesting options from little sweet treats, creative breakfast options, and healthful, flavourful lunches.
I should also mention that this was just a preliminary visit, so while the experience was great, who knows what the future holds. I will definitely visit them again.
Information
Kupfert & Kim (email)
Phone: (416) 504-1233
Address: 100 King Street West, Toronto, ON – In First Canadian Place, on the lower/concourse level.
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Other stuff:
They are open Monday through Friday – 8 am to 5 pm
Take credit cards, cash, & debit.
Menu (circa January 2013):
Wow thanks for posting this! It’s right on my walk to work 🙂
Awesome! Glad to be helpful 😀
Let me know what you think if you try something different! I’m so curious about their other bowls. (And they have breakfast!)
K&K is excellent as it provides me with the ONLY gluten free and vegetarian place around (before January when I didn’t pack a lunch I was forced to rely on greek yogurt and fruit or overpriced salad options). So far I have ordered the First Canadian place about 6x or so. I’ve also tried their cocoa, mocha, macaroons, power balls and Bunner’s cookie.
Pros:
The food is wholesome and a great balance of flavours and textures. The cocoa is certainly a healthier option than my fave from Aroma – not too sweet, not too heavy. Like the Bunner’s cookie a lot. Power balls come with a warning – great for an energy snack, but a shocker if you are expecting a desert….
Cons:
long line-up (and inefficient but they are still starting), consistency (sometimes i get 3 pieces of tempeh, sometimes 1 and once they forgot, in this line: check if they have packed your sauce before leaving), only serves food until 3pm (if they stretched this till 4pm i would be able to use this as a dinner option when working late – not sure why they don’t as they are still open serving drinks and snacks)
I wish there was nutritional info… particularly for the snacks, as I dont believe the food itens would run you more than 400-500 calories (which is great for a non-salad food court option)…..
Sounds wonderful! I’ve recently started enjoying quinoa and I didn’t know it could be mixed with those other foods! Thanks!
Greetings! Very useful advice within this article!
It is the little changes that will make the greatest changes.
Thanks for sharing!