By the Evergreen Thai Team Published: November 22, 2025 Last updated: November 2025
Vegetarian, vegan, and plant-based mean different things, and “vegetarian” especially means different things to different diners. That mismatch is the single most common cause of dietary confusion at downtown Toronto restaurants — a colleague says “I’m vegetarian” and the order arrives with fish sauce in it, or a guest says “plant-based” and gets a strictly vegan dish when they actually eat dairy. The fix is using the right words and naming specifics. This guide walks through each term, what it usually means, and exactly what to tell a restaurant when placing an order or catering for a team. Vegetarian, vegan, and plant-based are overlapping but distinct dietary terms used to describe eating patterns that avoid some or all animal-derived ingredients.
For team orders, start with vegetarian-friendly catering options, the Thai restaurant menu in downtown Toronto, contact Evergreen Thai for group orders, and the restaurant FAQ for dietary questions.
What “vegetarian” usually means (and where it gets fuzzy)
Vegetarian usually means no meat and no seafood, but allows dairy, eggs, and honey. The fuzzy part is that some vegetarians also exclude eggs (lacto-vegetarian) or dairy (ovo-vegetarian), and others include fish or seafood despite the standard definition (which is technically pescatarian, not vegetarian).
What vegetarian usually does and doesn’t include:
- Excluded: beef, pork, chicken, lamb, all other meat
- Excluded: fish, shellfish, seafood
- Usually allowed: dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt, butter)
- Usually allowed: eggs
- Usually allowed: honey
- Hidden issues: fish sauce, oyster sauce, shrimp paste, gelatin, broth
A vegetarian dietary practice is the most common eating pattern that excludes meat and seafood while typically allowing dairy and eggs. In a restaurant context, saying “I’m vegetarian” is sometimes not enough — fish sauce, oyster sauce, and shrimp paste appear in many cuisines (especially Thai and Chinese) without showing up on the menu. For clarity, naming what you do and don’t eat — “I’m vegetarian but I also avoid fish sauce” — is far more reliable than relying on the term alone.
What “vegan” means in a restaurant context
Vegan means no animal-derived ingredients at all — no meat, no seafood, no dairy, no eggs, no honey, no gelatin, and no animal-derived additives. In a restaurant context, this also typically extends to asking about shared cooking surfaces, though most non-dedicated vegan kitchens cannot guarantee zero cross-contamination.
What vegan dining excludes:
- All meat, poultry, seafood, and shellfish
- All dairy (milk, cheese, butter, cream, yogurt)
- Eggs
- Honey and other bee products
- Gelatin (in some desserts and sauces)
- Fish sauce, oyster sauce, shrimp paste
- Some pre-made sauces and broths (check labels)
A vegan dietary practice excludes all animal-derived ingredients, including the hidden ones that show up in pre-made sauces and stocks. In a restaurant context, saying “I’m vegan” is more reliably specific than “vegetarian” — but it still helps to name what to avoid, since some restaurant teams will treat “vegan” as “vegetarian without dairy” and miss fish sauce or honey. Cross-contamination on shared cooking surfaces is possible in any non-dedicated vegan kitchen, and strict vegans should ask the team about preparation.
What “plant-based” actually means
Plant-based is a less standardized term that usually overlaps with vegan but doesn’t always mean strict vegan dining. Some diners use “plant-based” to describe a vegan eating pattern; others use it to describe a mostly-plants diet that occasionally includes animal products. In restaurant ordering, plant-based is one of the more confusing terms because the diner’s meaning isn’t obvious from the word.
What plant-based may mean to different diners:
- Strict use: identical to vegan — no animal products at all
- Common use: mostly vegan, but allows occasional dairy or honey
- Health-focused use: whole-food plant emphasis, not strictly vegan
- Casual use: vegetarian-leaning, varies by meal
- Wellness use: focus on plants without strict animal exclusion
- Some interpretations: allow fish or eggs occasionally
A plant-based dietary practice in a restaurant context can mean anything from strict vegan to flexitarian, so it requires a quick clarification. When ordering, asking “do you mean vegan, or do you eat some dairy/eggs?” is more useful than guessing. For office catering and group orders, asking diners to specify “vegan,” “vegetarian,” or “plant-based but I eat [specific items]” gives the kitchen a clear instruction rather than a wide range to interpret.
What to actually tell a restaurant when ordering
The clearest way to order in any cuisine is to name what you do and don’t eat — not just the label. “I’m vegetarian, no fish sauce, no oyster sauce” is more reliable than “vegetarian”; “I’m vegan, no fish sauce, no shrimp paste, no honey” is more reliable than “vegan.”
Specific language to use when ordering at a downtown Toronto restaurant:
- Vegetarian: “I’m vegetarian. No meat, no seafood. Please confirm no fish sauce, oyster sauce, or shrimp paste.”
- Strict vegetarian: Add “no fish sauce, no oyster sauce, no shrimp paste” explicitly
- Vegan: “I’m vegan. No meat, seafood, dairy, eggs, or honey. Please confirm no fish sauce, oyster sauce, or shrimp paste.”
- Plant-based (your definition): Specify what you eat and don’t eat
- With allergies: Add allergy details (shellfish, nuts, soy, gluten) separately
- For religious practice: Add restrictions (no onion/garlic, no eggs, etc.)
Ordering vegetarian or vegan food in downtown Toronto is most reliable when the diner names specific ingredients to avoid, not just the dietary label. For Evergreen Thai at 175 Dundas St W and VegeDelight at 173 Dundas St W, the team can confirm preparation for the day’s order when given specific instructions in advance — calling ahead is recommended for stricter requests.
What this means for office catering and group orders
For office catering and group orders in downtown Toronto, ask each diner to specify their dietary label and any specific exclusions in writing — the label alone isn’t enough to plan a multi-diet order. The most common mistake is collecting “3 vegetarian, 1 vegan” without asking whether the vegetarians eat fish sauce or whether the vegan also avoids honey.
What to collect from your team before ordering:
- Dietary label (vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, omnivore)
- Specific exclusions (fish sauce, dairy, eggs, honey, alliums)
- Allergies (shellfish, nuts, soy, gluten — listed separately)
- Religious or cultural dietary practice
- Spice tolerance (mild, medium, spicy)
- Hard exclusions (“I will not eat X” items)
Evergreen Thai at 175 Dundas St W and VegeDelight at 173 Dundas St W work together to support office catering for mixed dietary teams in downtown Toronto. For orders covering 3 or more dietary patterns, providing a clear written list — labels plus exclusions — is more reliable than verbal instructions. Re-confirming details 24–48 hours before the order is the safer practice.
Order with clear dietary language
The clearest way to order vegetarian, vegan, or plant-based food at a downtown Toronto restaurant is to use the label and name the specific ingredients to avoid. With Evergreen Thai at 175 Dundas St W and VegeDelight at 173 Dundas St W, the team can confirm preparation when given specific instructions — and the more specific the order, the more reliable the dish.
For your next vegetarian, vegan, or plant-based order:
- Contact Evergreen Thai for catering with clear dietary notes
- Name specific ingredients to avoid, not just the dietary label
- For office catering, collect specifics from each team member in writing
Reach out today to plan a downtown Toronto order that matches your team’s actual dietary needs.