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Restaurants › Midday

Mela Café [?]

7 A Yorkville Ave. (at Yonge) • View on map »
416-916-0619

More surprising than the notion of vegetarian Italian food, is the fact that this tiny vegetarian Italian restaurant (Wanda’s Pie in the Sky’s old spot) is thriving in Yorkville. In a neighbourhood dedicated to flash and style, Mela offers casual, ramshackle coziness—a throwback to Yorkville’s hippie days. Yet, the well-preserved condoites and their well-dressed 20-something offspring dig it, packing the place to tuck into hearty, idiosyncratic dishes of Italian classics—tandoori risotto, lasagne, eggplant parmigano and panini—with an Ayurvedicly-decreed absence of garlic and onion. Diners can select pre-made salads and re-heat-to-order dishes from a display counter, or from the blackboard menu above, while taking in the action in the tight, open domestic-style kitchen. Fantastically crusty bread is perfect for dunking into rich, flavourful cauliflower soup; lentil and quinoa salad is both righteous and comforting. Sadly, the cabbage rolls are big in size but short on taste and a stodgy potato and mushroom pie is only saved by much melted mozzarella. Desserts range from spooky soy cheesecake—bean-y flavour and chalky texture—to yummy, thin-crusted butter tarts. Multi-tasking servers and cooks are super friendly. Unlicensed.

Closed Sunday and Monday
Outdoor dining
Vegetarian

7 A Yorkville Ave. (at Yonge)

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