Gorilla Foods likes it raw

Credit: Gorilla Foods

Raw, organic and vegan are on order at downtown Vancouver’s Gorilla Foods

Looking for a healthy alternative to fast food? Gorilla Foods is making a difference downtown, serving up a satisfying menu of raw, organic and vegan food that’s good tasting, good for you and good for the environment.

Many people immediately dismiss a place when they hear the words “vegan food,” but hear me out. I’m neither a vegan nor a vegetarian, but Gorilla Foods is a regular lunch and snack stop for me because the food is, simply put, tasty!

Owner Aaron Ash says the vision for Gorilla Foods is “organic vegan food available and convenient for people,” and about “…creating a marriage between great food and encouraging people to eat vegetarian.”

Ash delivers his vision in a menu that offers lots of variety and something for everyone. The restaurant updated and expanded their menu this past January to include wraps, sandwiches, soups, salads, veggie burgers, pizzas, drinks and desserts.

Top menu picks for Gorilla Foods

There’s a choice of 10 fresh organic fruit smoothies, such as my usual Strawberry Fields, a sweet and icy blend of strawberries, bananas, orange juice, and hempseed. Or, try the rich Choco-Gorilla creamy almond shake, the most popular drink on the menu, which includes a mix of almonds, cacao, bananas, hempseeds, sweet dates and coconut oil.

When I want some solid food, I dig into the falafel wrap, a salty and spicy creation of romaine lettuce around veggie falafel balls and a creamy zucchini hummus.

Ash says the sandwiches are a top seller, especially the Main St. Monkey sandwich of avocado, zucchini, hummus, olive tapenade, sprouts, tomatoes and cucumber in between slices of curry squash bread.

If you like super spicy food, Ash guarantees that the Rawmen “New”dles, tossed with spicy veggies, chili sauce and sprouts are for lovers of hot spice only.

The veggie burgers come in four different flavours but all start with a walnut-hempseed veggie patty while the pizzas include the pesto, with a sun-dried tomato sauce and a rich hempseed basil pesto over a wheat and gluten-free crust.

And don’t forget dessert: rich and decadent chocolate fudge and truffles, or sweet and crunchy cookies and macaroons.

The Gorilla Foods sustainability story

Gorilla Foods opened three and half years ago as a take-out window. After two years, the restaurant expanded to become a take-out restaurant with an open kitchen and sitting area.

The restaurant encourages sustainability in everything it does. On the take-out front, all packaging is derived from sugarcane, corn or potatoes, and all are biodegradable.

The restaurant itself was designed and renovated with sustainability in mind. The design and finishing work was done by Sunshine Coast artist Cody Chancellor. Almost all the wood used in the restaurant is reclaimed wood from beaches along the Sunshine Coast. The colourful, jungle-feeling interior was created with natural stains coloured with spirulina, turmeric root and cayenne pepper.

What’s next for Gorilla Foods? A packaged foods line, featuring sun-dried fruits and hard to find raw, dried goods, including unpasteurized almonds from California, direct from the farm they were grown on, and packs of raw cashews, which are mechanically opened (most via steam). Labels are being finalized now and the packaged food line will be rolled out later this year.

Gorilla Foods is an eatery serving up food that is substantial, delicious and it just happens to be vegan. Go give it a try.

Vancouver blogger Angie Schick spends all her spare time eating, shopping and spa-ing her way through the city. She writes primarily about independent restaurants that offer experiences unique to Vancouver. She expects a lot (just ask her friends!) and will always post honest thoughts and recommend places where she would actually go herself. Blog | Twitter