Ethical Kitchen

This place serves so-​called Caribbean food in the evenings. It’s disgusting with no Caribbean flavour. We ordered goat curry and two roti for take out. We had to throw them out.

We came in here actually because the 3 of us were looking for soba — after one of us ordered for 2 portions, the lady at the counter (from ethical kitchen) rudely muttered under her breath, «and that’s it for soba today» and walked away. Took a while to get her attention again, and she was just as rude and dismissive. We might have ordered something from the ethical kitchen menu too if her attitude wasn’t so bad. I know I will never go back to patronize ethical kitchen, and now I’m not sure I’ll be back for soba either.

I was intrigued to eat here and went with my hubby, teenager, and a friend. The vibe is definitely urban hippy, but the place’s only atmosphere was the warmth provided the very hot day. The woman taking our order didn’t seem happy to see us at all. Despite the place being empty no one had wiped off the menu board as to what was available. After a few «we’re out of that», my daughter and I ordered the lentil soup with almond bread (the bread is delicious and would be the only reason I’d venture back). The soup was needlessly, intensely spicy to the point of being nearly inedible – if it there was any other flavour profile, it was overwhelmed by the hot pepper used. We drank a lot of very warm water! My husband ordered some sort of egg and bean dish, which he found tremendously spicy as well and he likes spicy. My friend ordered the paleo meal, but her only comment was that the almond bread was delicious – she left a lot of her meal on the plate. I wanted to give to this place a much higher rating, but when a restaurant resorts to overspicing food, I can’t help but wonder what isn’t happening in the kitchen. I would’ve given this place two stars, but it’s too pricey not to have been better. Good thing North Van has so many other bakeries – with more popping up every week – to try.

Just discovered this place. Feels like someone’s kitchen, very casual and cozy, complete with the owners little girls hanging out there too. Love it .
So far had the paleo raspberry muffin, so moist, sweet and fluffy. The almond milk latte was the best ever had, made with homemade almond milk ! And got the kale rice turkey soup to go — it was so flavourful, great price and served in a very practical reusable glass jar .
Can’t wait to try the paleo breakfasts !
A great community feel, lots of information about the food, and brochures available on the health benefits.

Lots and lots of healthy food here.
The Ethical Kitchen makes cheese scones that are worth the drive from three cities over to get.
Gluten free and yummy. I am not a gluten free foodie because most bakeries will put a tonne of sugar and salt in them to make them taste good.
You can get breakfast and lunch here and the bonus is you can get Japanese made Soba Noodles most likely only the real Japanese would know about. This is not your average soba noodle dish and will likely make you rethink about Ramen and Udon.
Next door is a lovely little Organic store that makes Japanese Bento but macrobiotic and vegetarian and organic and very healthy. Both the Bento and the Soba go for between $ 11 to $ 15.
We think it’s worth the trip.
I really like the symbiotic relationship these three groups have in sharing the same building.

Excellent place for families and the food is second to none, my recommendation is all the food on the menu. I have never seen any screaming kids, what I have seen is a family atmosphere that includes all people including children!
I see tons of repeat customes and this includes, Actors, Olymians, NHL players and CFL players, they all look for the best and thats what they get!

Food is good and healthy but the service lacks. I felt like I had to pry answers from her about what ingredients were in the food. I also felt somewhat annoyed I had to do that because she seemed like it was a hassle for her to answer my questions. Hardly friendly and had a little bit of an elitist attitude like I wasn’t «earthy» enough to know anything about the food. She might’ve well as blatantly rolled her eyes at me. Food-​good. Service-​elitist hippy attitude. Café Tao on esplanade is more down to earth and happy to answer any «stupid» questions you may have without making you feel stupid. Just sayin’.

I LOVE the concept of this place and I like the laidback feeling. The service and mood of the owner can be spotty, but overall it is worth coming here. I had the carrot cake and coffee the other day. The carrot cake was really, really delicious, maybe the best I’ve ever had! It was moist, layered with a touch of creamy icing and had half walnuts it in. It was a big piece, plenty big enough for two to share. The coffee was good and piping hot.

Ethical kitchen has an earthy type of hippie vibe. Lots of homemade (delicious) pickled things. Great baking. Tasty breakfasts.
The Japanese organic store next to it also sells their homemade soba here. They even bring you soba water to add to your dipping sauce to drink at the end. Just like in Japan!
My only complaint is that there are usually kids there that scream and no one tends to them. It takes away from an otherwise excellent peaceful meal.

I’ve only tried the pear and anise paleo muffin and the flaxseed chocolate truffles made with cocoa powder, honey and flaxseeds. Even though the paleo muffin was freshly baked and still warm, I wasn’t the greatest fan of the somewhat mushy texture and lack of distinct flavor. It was ok, but not something I would pay 3.50 again for. However, if you can get past the texture, it makes for a healthy on the go snack.
The flaxseed truffles were… interesting. They tasted fine however there were a million hard flaxseeds enveloped in a cocoa dusted coating. This was unforeseen and cause many flaxseeds to become stuck in my teeth, which was kind of annoying. Definitely was not a fan of the texture. I think they were 2 bucks? There wasn’t a receipt.
Overall, I don’t think I’ll be back. Also, the drinks are kind of pricey, so I’ll just stick to making my own smoothies at home.

This was one of the worst restaurant experiences of my life. They have a chalk board that tells you what the daily meat and vegetable mix is, and we ordered the ethical breakfast based on this. The board turned out to be a lie, because the lovely mixed vegetable list turned out to be just potatoes in reality. The breakfast was very sub par, and overpriced. This is a shame because it takes away from the important philosophy of the restaurant. When I tried to get my potatoes packed up, I ended up being locked in the corner where we were sitting because there was a woman (who I think was staff) sitting with her dog (! In the restaurant!) who wouldn’t let me pass. I had to wait forever to get a to go box, which wouldn’t bother me If they were busy, but instead the staff was just rude and inattentive. There are far better places to spend your money on the north shore.

Ignoring your customers is not cool, fair trade and organic schmorganic notwithstanding.
So I am in a hurry to meet someone on a Sunday morning and think I can just snag a much-​needed coffee @ Indigo’s resident Starbucks. No luck, Starbucks has vacated that location.
As I climb back in the car, I see Ethical Kitchen, which is open. Great, and I might even get a bite to eat if I am quick.
I go in. 2 staff, one dad and two children. Oh, and a loudly barking dog, in the café. Friendly dog, mind you, but…
I kind of mumble a Hello to the lady who is working at the kitchen counter. No reply, which is fine, she is busy taking out a tray from the oven. I can wait till she finishes up, no sweat.
And… stays busy. As far as I can tell, she isn’t serving up the only other customer’s order, more setting up shop for the day. Maybe a «I’ll be with you in a minute» would be called for? No.
After a minute or two of being totally ignored, I notice she is now setting up the soda and water bottles in their fridge. Obviously not something she could drop for even a second to help someone at the counter.
I left without ordering. Wanted reasonably quick service, not the attitude. Other low reviews… same concerns.

I have only tried the beverages here. My latte was below average. It tasted like what I would get at Timmy’s. The quality was a bit lacking. However, the kombucha tea was much better! The tea was refreshing.

It’s wonderful knowing you don’t have to worry about what’s being served. It’s all organic, healthy and delicious.
However service sucks! You never get acknowledged when you go in and have to wait a long time before getting served even though there have been numerous times when the staff is sitting in their group behind the counter just chatting…
That’s not very «organic» of them!

It’s run like a diner — order and pay at the counter, and the food is brought to you when it’s ready. NOT a «real» restaurant, so don’t expect that.
Website menu is outdated and only shows a fraction of what they have. In-​store drink menu definitely worth a good look as it has a few odd items, like smoked BC forest tea (a black tea), and Golden Milk, if you are into that tumeric stuff.
Reservations not allowed for weekend brunch, but it’s not super-​busy so you are likely to get a table if you just drop in. During the winter (like now!) watch out for tables too close to the doors.
I had the pancakes with pork belly. Simple pancakes with super delicious jus from pork belly. One lump of pork belly just over a cubic inch. Lots of fat in that (hey, it’s pork belly!) so that was more than enough of a pork belly portion for brunch. $ 10.50.
Definitely worth going back to investigate the rest of the menu.

This single review is based on three visits spanning two years, which is in part, a review in it’s self.
Fans of mine will confirm that have a bipolar expectation of food in general and elicit the same euphoric response to food regardless of whether i am eating at say, Bishop’s, Vij’s or Les Faux Bourgeois as i do eating out of a cardboard box at KFC and the like. Despite this, i am drawn to venues, products and establishments which are, at some risk, pushing the envelope and pioneering ideas which are responsible and more importantly, reenforcing responsible thinking in others. Ethical Kitchen is not going to save the world or even change local food practices, but by making people think that it’s doing just that, it is impregnating it’s customers and passers-​by with the idea that success does not have to come from savage and immoral harvesting and preparation. And in time, those people will build on this recipe and improve upon it and then, change can happen.
I want this place to succeed. I think it’s important, and that’s why i’m not going to single out the food, or the environment today. I am merely going to say that i am disappointed and heavy hearted about this place and i hope that during my next visit that i regret having doubted them.
Also, selling pop with sugar in it and claiming that it is healthy in unethical.

I love the philosophy of pasture to plate. I’ve given it four stars as I find it a hit or miss.
The garden is a tranquil oasis in the middle of corporate and warehouse city crap. The ambiance inside is cute, homey, laid back.
Barbara, the owner is on the ball: answered my questions and made recommendations as I am on strict meal plan. She’s super. But some of the other staff I’ve dealt with never smile and if they don’t know the answer to a q couldn’t be bothered to help you or find out for you. And rarely smile.
The food I have tasted is also hit or miss: the squash soup, beef bone marrow and were A+. The house made ghee was incredible: better than even my mother used to make!!! A++++. The pigeon soup was pungent and far too gamey for me. I give it an D. had to force myself to have a few bites. The pickled veges were ok but I think that’s just the nature of the beast: acquired taste.
If I could eat more, I would as their quiche and baked goods look amazing! Go and try it for yourself! It’s a real special place whatever your experience.

Wow! I’ve been here several times. I’ve brought various family members who love the vibe of Ethical Kitchen and the quality of the food. I’m paleo and they’re more WAPF. But that’s okay. I’m not hardcore crazy and I like that EK keeps a casual energy, unlike Commercial drive where I feel it’s too cliquey.
Where do I start? I’ve just had the sirloin with pesto in focaccia and a salad with a miso vinaigrette. I’ve had the pancakes with butter maple syrup. These are the best pancakes I’ve ever eaten! I notice raisins studded inside — quelle surprise! The maple syrup was soooo deliciously rich. I’ve had their pulled pork with quail eggs and salad. I’ve pretty much have eaten almost everything on their menu. Everything was good. I remember their heavenly squash pear pie. It was an ethereal floral dance on my tongue.
I’ve had their kombucha. I even added tea to my remaining bottle of kombucha I brought home. A couple of weeks later — BAM! Fermented! They have good scoby. I’ve bought pretty much all their krauts — seriously good. I’ve tried their raw, organic honey. Don’t know if it’s from their own beehive but I know they had one on the roof. most importantly, they are my source for FCLO. If you’re paleo or WAPF you’ll know what that is.
I love that Barbara sources ingredients that are local, organic, pasture-​raised, grass-​fed AND finished as much as possible.
I love the casual way in which this place operates. Little daughter playing, garden just outside the door, ever changing and additional menu and products and cojoining her eating space with an organic grocer next door that serves authentic Japanese udon. I enjoy the occasional seminar on beekeeping, fermenting and, not that I’ve attended, a biweekly salsa get-​together.
Okay, WAPF is Weston A. Price Foundation, of which Ethical Kitchen is a chapter. Look it up and you will appreciate this place.

I want to like this place because I salute its philosophy but the food and service both fall short.
My partner and I ordered a duck & pear sandwich. Because the place was packed so the service was slow. We didn’t mind the speed. I rather have my food tasting right the way it should be rather than having it scrambled together and delivered fast.
After some patient waiting our sandwich arrived. It was massive. However, there were some serious flaws.
1) Bread was COLD.
2) Duck meat (pulled duck leg I am guessing) was COLD.
I was so shocked I had to ask the staff to make sure if #1 and #2 were how they were supposed to be. The staff said #2 was supposed to be slightly warm (well it wasn’t) and that it was meant to be a cold sandwich.
Why am I making a big deal out of this?
You would never ever order a rib eye steak blue rare because the heat is not «strong» or «long» enough the melt the beautiful marbling and fat which equate to flavor. Therefore, when you have a cold duck leg sandwich, you are not allowing this sandwich to bring out the best of the duck. Then why bother serving it to your customers?
Urgh… cold animal protein/​fat. Terrible.
I appreciate the fact that they make their own rye bread but please, please toast it. The bread used for the sandwich feels like it came straight from a fridge. It’s dead and lifeless.
Also the guy who brought our sandwich to us wasn’t friendly. He looked like he had a better place to be than working there.
Not the best way to spend my $ 10.

We came for a goose and stayed for breakfast.
We really enjoyed the breakfast which had homemade ketchup and kimchi with delicious pastured eggs.
We are on the GAPS diet which is grain-​free and probiotic-​rich and this place is perfect for us.
I was really impressed with the way the place is set up. It is a family business and Barbara answers emails, cooks, serves and does just about everything.
The atmosphere is very cozy, big tables. It was a rainy day so we didn’t spend much time in the garden but it was quite cute.
If you like grass-​fed meat and kombucha this is the place for you.