The Foundation

Pros

• Fresh, healthy & unusual vegetarian food
• Vegan options
• Generous portions

Cons

• Long wait times at peak hours
• No place to sit while waiting for a table - must stand in small entry way
• Street parking can be difficult to find

Description

• Open Sunday - Thursday 12pm - 1am
  Friday & Saturday 12pm - 2am
• Über casual
• Most entrées under $10
• Not really small-child friendly
• Darkly lit at night / in winter

Guide Review - The Foundation

When it comes to Vancouver vegetarian food, Kitsilano's Naam usually comes in first place, the Foundation in second. (That's the way it played out in The Georgia Straight 2008 Reader's Choice Awards.) The Naam is very good, but I prefer the Foundation.

True, the decor is a bit "nihilist university student" and the meager candles in the winter make it so dark you can barely see what you're eating, but the food is so unique, flavourful and inventive that none of that matters. It's cheaper than the Naam, too.

First-timers should try the $12 A Kattered Affair to get a taste of many of the menu's best items. The large sample platter--perfect for sharing--includes savory Moulton Tofu and broccoli, the Serial Salad, a mix of seed, organic grains, and fruit that's delicious on the accompanying pita bread, and their Mingling Yams dip.

The Utopian Nachos are particularly popular, but it's their salads and burgers that truly shine. The $7 Tight Spin is a spinach salad done right, with plenty of pears and "sheepy" cheese; the $9 Foundation Burger has a thick patty made of tofu, vegetables, flax and oats.

The only downside to the Foundation is the wait times at peak hours; if it's very crowded, your order can take over 45 minutes, and the only place to wait for a table is the small entry way, which has no seats. But if you want some of Vancouver's best vegetarian fare, it's worth it.