Canada
Tourist routes highly reliable; excellent supermarkets; strong vegan scene in major cities
Canada's national Food Guide was redesigned to prioritise plant-based proteins over animal proteins — government-backed advice trickling into restaurants and food service nationwide.
Canada sits at #9 in the global vegan difficulty ranking. At the city level, Vancouver and Toronto rank considerably higher — both appear among the most vegan-friendly cities in North America, with dedicated vegan restaurants, clearly labelled plant-based grocery sections, and menus built around vegan awareness. Montréal has a strong and growing independent vegan scene, particularly in the Plateau-Mont-Royal neighbourhood. If your trip centres on these cities, expect a noticeably easier experience than the country ranking alone suggests.
Outside the major centres, the picture changes quickly. Smaller towns across the prairies, communities in the Maritimes, and northern territories operate on a very different food culture — dairy and meat are central, plant-based restaurant options are limited, and dedicated vegan venues are rare or absent. The country ranking reflects this rural weight pulling against the urban strength.
Canada's Food Guide was significantly revised in 2019, moving away from dairy as a recommended food group and foregrounding plant proteins. This shift has influenced institutional catering and some mainstream restaurant thinking — but it does not transform what any individual kitchen puts in a dish. Always check labels on packaged products, particularly those carrying "natural," "wholefood," or "locally made" framing.
Say This at the Restaurant
What Actually Works
The PC (President's Choice) own-label brand at Loblaws, No Frills, and Real Canadian Superstore carries one of the strongest vegan-labelled ranges in Canadian retail — clearly marked, competitively priced, and available coast to coast. Whole Foods, Sobeys, Metro, and Save-On-Foods also stock comprehensive plant-based sections. Supermarket self-catering is the single most reliable vegan strategy outside the major cities, and the most practical fallback when restaurants disappoint.
01Vancouver and Toronto have among the highest concentrations of fully vegan restaurants in North America. Montréal's Plateau-Mont-Royal neighbourhood is a reliable cluster of plant-based independents. In these cities, you rarely need to negotiate a mainstream menu — seek out dedicated vegan venues and let the kitchen handle the decisions entirely. HappyCow is well-maintained for all three cities and worth consulting before each meal.
02Canada's Food and Drug Regulations require that priority allergens — including milk and eggs — are clearly emphasised on most packaged supermarket products, usually in bold or by a distinct typographic style. This is genuinely useful for identifying dairy and egg in packaged goods. It does not cover café menus, bakery cabinets, or restaurant cooking methods — useful for supermarkets and packaged foods, but it does not solve half the problem. Never assume a packaged product is safe without reading the full label.
03Canada's large Chinese, South Asian, Vietnamese, Japanese, and Mexican communities have produced a restaurant landscape where plant-based cooking is a genuine tradition. Indian dal and chana masala, Vietnamese tofu pho, sushi with avocado and cucumber, and Mexican bean tacos are consistently available safe orders across the country. Confirm that no fish sauce or dairy has been added to your specific dish, then order with confidence — these cuisines offer the most reliably navigable options from Vancouver to Halifax.
04Where It Gets Harder
Canada's vegan experience is highly uneven: world-class in its major cities, genuinely sparse in rural and remote areas. The following scenarios account for most of the friction travellers actually encounter.
Outside the main centres, assume supermarket first, restaurant second. In small prairie towns, Maritime fishing communities, and northern territories, plant-based restaurant options are limited to whatever can be improvised from a standard meat-and-dairy menu. Distances between cities are vast — plan supermarket stops before long road sections and carry emergency snacks. Tim Hortons functions as the default road stop; options are thin but a plain bagel is usually available at most locations — confirm peanut butter availability as it varies by branch.
Quebec's French-influenced cuisine treats butter, cream, and cheese as default cooking ingredients, not optional additions. Butter goes onto vegetables, bread, and toast without announcement. Cream appears in soups, sauces, and mashed potato as a baseline. Cheese arrives as an unlisted garnish. In Quebec City and traditional Quebecois restaurants, state your requirement comprehensively upfront: no butter, no cream, no cheese — not simply "dairy-free." Montréal's independent restaurant scene is considerably more vegan-aware and easier to navigate.
Chain hotel breakfast buffets are built around eggs, dairy, and processed meats — plant-based options rarely extend beyond fruit, plain oats, and toast with uncertain pastry content. Bed and breakfasts in rural areas are structured around egg-and-bacon formats with no meaningful alternative. If you are staying outside the major cities, plan to self-cater breakfast from a nearby supermarket rather than relying on accommodation to accommodate you. Confirm whether any items contain lard or butter before eating counter pastry.
Canadian pub and sports-bar culture is built around chicken wings, poutine with animal-stock gravy, and Caesar cocktails with Clamato. The default bar snack menu rarely includes a plant-based option beyond nachos — and those frequently arrive with sour cream and cheese unless you specify otherwise. In a sports bar, the most reliable approach is a side of fries (confirm the cooking oil), a plain garden salad with oil and vinegar on the side, or identifying a nearby dedicated venue before the game starts.