It's part Indian bakery, part restaurant (seating for only about 18), part hangout for the family who run it. Last time I was there, the waitress/manager/owner/chef wouldn't let me order soup, because, in her words, "You don't need that. You have enough food."

Delicious food and very low prices make this a popular spot with the neighbours and with the boots'n'dreadlock set from all over town.

The owners have an ever-evolving and very inventive menu of vegetarian and Vegan meals, all very affordable, in a very casual atmosphere. I confess I haven not yet been to this place, primarily because it's so low-key I keep forgetting about it, but everything I've heard has been very positive.

Linen tablecloths, good china, attentive service from people who seem to float a half inch off the ground, this is not the place to go when you want a grunt meal. They cheat a bit too, buy naming their dishes vegetarian pork this and vegetarian beef that. Basically they just make their normal hoofed dishes but use tofu and gluten as the protein instead legged things.

As a big fan of Thai food, I'm glad this one is here, although I wish there were a more informal version.

Be warned, however, that you pay by weight, so your plate of spinach salad and alfalfa sprouts might only cost $3, but your date's plate of pizza, roasted peppers, chili, and seitan might come in at $15. In general, by mixing it up a bit (leafy things and heavy things) I usually end up with a plate that runs $7-$10.

The food seems decent enough although the service can be a bit confused. My one time there I had a burrito which would have been excellent except for the tortilla, which was some kind of health-food thing that was probably really good for me but was completely the wrong texture for a tortilla. Regardless, a good cheap feed in an atmosphere that makes you wanna just go somewhere!

Vegetarian-Friendly Restaurants
"Vegetarian Friendly" means the place has a keen awareness of it's vegetarian clientele, as opposed to some place where they just pick the chicken out of your noodles. Most of these places either have separate sections on the menu for vegetarian dishes, or at least indicate on the menu which dishes are vegetarian.

Note that Montréal in general (particularly the Plateau) is very vegetarian-friendly. This list includes a few particularly noteworthy places and personal favorites.

Nantha's is as much a bar as a restaurant, especially in summer when the second-floor terrace is very popular. Regardless, the food is delicious, the atmosphere friendly and informal, and there are several good local microbrews on tap. A very popular spot with the hip crew around the Main, this is on the high end of one ouch, and can slip into two ouch, but the servings are generous and filling.

An exception is the hot & sour soup, which is a very small serving for the price of about $4, but be warned that it's a five-alarm version, so you probably couldn't tolerate much more anyway.

This is an excellent place to go nuts with a big spicy meal and good beers surrounded by people who won't notice that you haven't shaved for three days, although you could also be sitting next to a lawyer or the lead singer of the band who's video you'd be watching if the place had a television.

The atmosphere is friendly and informal, although the wood floors and brick walls make it OK for a date. A big feed for two is about $12 plus tax. You can bring your own beer or wine. Let me say that again... You can bring your own beer or wine.