Gorilla Food photo from their website
Gorilla Food has come a long way since its larval stage as a claustrophobic takeout window on Richards St between Hastings and Pender, in the heart of downtown Vancouver. It now inhabits a subterranean jungle a few storefronts away on the same block – you’d miss it if you weren’t looking for it, but you really should be looking for it.
I really do feel like a noble primate when sitting in Gorilla Food, eating delicious, organic, live food that is surprisingly filling and satisfying. The decor is intimate and befitting to the rainforest environment that used to fill the Greater Vancouver area before we covered it with concrete. There aren’t a lot of cheap, fast-food options, but then again, raw food takes so much effort, time, and intention to prepare that you’d probably be better off taking some time to truly appreciate it and let your body envelop it.
Still, if you want something filling and cheap, the Jungle Coleslaw is only $5 and god-damn is it good. Their falafel wrap, at $7.50, is delicious enough to rival Deserts’, and I promise it won’t make you feel guilty afterward.
Another thing I love about Gorilla Food is the staff. They’re sweet, calm, friendly – I feel better, slower, happier just being in there.
I wouldn’t eat raw every day. I’m too selfish and I love my guilty pleasures. Still, it’s amazing to feel so good – so enriched, enlivened, light – after a meal. Visit Gorilla Food next time you’re in downtown Vancouver and I promise you won’t be disappointed.
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