iQ Food

The hipster vibes are strong with this one.
Average rating due to high price point. I arrived for lunch on Saturday afternoon and managed to get a seat with guests (can’t imagine how busy this place must be on weekdays). Rustic/​industrial themed interior is as Liberty Village as it gets, but I won’t hold that against them.
I’m skeptical about the freshness of the ingredients used here. The roast chicken in my salad was definitely on its way to a better place (not in the danger zone yet, but decidedly stale), and the cream formed a thin skin on top of the coffee… hmmm. The staff seemed somewhat bemused by the sight when we asked for a fresh cup, so it made me wonder if they’re used to that.
Portion sizes are decent and we left satisfied, but I don’t think I’d go out of my way to return here again — it’s a case of A+ idea, B for execution. I would go here again if the only other choices were fast food. On the plus side, the gender-​neutral bathroom was sparkling clean.

Tired of Starbucks for coffee at Southcore Financial Center? iQ Food is just a few steps away. iQ has only a few coffee choices, including lattes, americano mistos, flat whites, etc, but the coffee that they produce is excellent. It generally takes several minutes for the coffee to be made, so iQ is not recommended if you’re in a rush.

I officially dub iQ Food on York St. as my favourite restaurant for lunch in Toronto.
Let me give you 10 reasons why this restaurant is worth going gaga over:
1. It’s so refreshing and healthy. I often find that afternoons are when I have the lowest productivity and my drowsiness is frequently exacerbated by heavy lunches. I can personally testify that this will not be the case after eating iQ.
2. The online ordering system is amazing. You pay via credit card and select a time you want to pick it up and it will always be on time. Just pop into the restaurant, and there you have your lunch.
3. Flexibility with portions and ingredients. You have so much agency over what you want to exclude/​add in. If you find that the lunch box is not filling enough, an additional $ 4 will give you ample amount of meat.
4. They make tap water look cool. Upon ordering your lunchbox, they will immediately offer you a glass bottle of what looks like sparkling water (it’s just filtered tap, but the illusion is pretty cool).
5. It’s so delicious. The Maple Greens, Lima and Glow are my personal favourites, but really try everything on the menu. Lima is good if you feel like getting chicken. I especially enjoy the sweet potato which gives the lunchbox a bit of a sweet taste. Glow is a quinoa lunchbox and is complemented with hummus.
6. From what I can tell, the restaurant seems to be environmentally friendly. The lunchboxes and napkins are all made of recycled material.
7. The free wifi game is strong. I really appreciate that.
8. Reasonable, affordable prices. I can dine here for half of the days of the week and still manage not to go broke. All lunch boxes are around $ 8-​$ 12, not bad for a delicious, healthy meal.
9. Smart décor. I really love how they placed mirrors on the ceiling so that you can see all the ingredients they are adding in. It’s aesthetic and at the same time extremely smart. You get to see how they are preparing the food.
10. Amazing service, really approachable people. I’ve never had a bad experience dining here. All the servers are extremely friendly and make me feel right at home.
After dining here for at least 30 times now, I think I have perfected my order. Try out my favourite customized lunchbox:
Customized Lima lunchbox:
oven roasted chicken, spicy corn, black beans, grape tomatoes, avocado, aged white cheddar, jalapeños, pickled cabbage, cilantro, lime juice, brown rice, hot sauce
Customized with brown rice, oven roasted chicken, *NO black beans, corn (spicy corn), pickled cabbage, *ADD roasted sweet potato, aged white cheddar, *NO avocado (quarter), grape tomatoes, *ADD double red apple, *NO hot sauce, lime juice, *ADD lemon vinaigrette, cilantro, *NO jalapenos, *ADD basil

nice place! i got a avocado toast. it was good. my husband got the apple cobb salad, it was delicious.

I like IQ and have enjoyed the Wellington location. Unfortunately, the service at this York location is substandard, sloppy; simply not on par with the quality/​ethos of the food.
Manager: please share with your staff that your food is great but service needs to be too!
The downtown crowd expect both at this price point.

Solid 3.5.
I’ve been going to IQ for quite some time now. From experience I have not ventured far away from the Lima or Sparta as the other lunch boxes which I have tried were not very good. For $ 10 dollars a box it’s a pretty solid choice for lunch however they have recently increased the price of all their menu items and I feel that the size of the portions has decreased with time as well.
What you can expect from the IQ if you get the Lima or Sparta is a well balanced lunch with your proteins and veggies that you probably should have and/​or could have made at home for lunch for a lot cheaper.
If your going to have IQ for lunch, 12:00PM is when the line is the longest so I would suggest waiting 15 – 30 minutes for a faster line queue.

Food: ⁵⁄₅
Service: ⁵⁄₅
Location: ⁵⁄₅
The fresh food revolution is here. Some of the most nutritious «fast food» I’ve ever encountered! Fresh, flavourful, and packed full of the most celebrated super foods (quinoa, avocado, and salmon are menu staples) — their meal boxes are a must try! I got the lima box that is highly recommended and I was not disappointed (be careful with the hot sauce though)! They offer smoothies and cold press juices as well made from produce sourced from local farms for the freshest ingredients. The store gives off a very effortlessly cool vibe with its tiling, blonde wood accents, and Edison bulbs. Even though I went during the weekday lunch rush, our order was filled very quickly and we were able to nab a table to sit.

I love, love, love this place!!! Fresh food and smoothies and teas and espressos. My dream!
I had the Blue Magic smoothie which was delicious but I would’ve preferred a bit less almond butter in it. I also had the lentil soup which was piping hot and totally hit the spot. Finally, the star of the meal, which was the Apple Cobb salad. It was divine. It has chicken, apple, cheese and other goodies. I finished the meal off with a chocolate brownie, which is very good and very chocolate-​ty but after a couple of bites, it became too chocolate-​ty for me and I had to put it away (and I’m a chocolate fiend!!!). All in all, a great meal. The portion sizes don’t seem big at first but I was very, very full (and only got through half the smoothie).
I will be back!
I wish it opened a tad bit earlier so I can grab a smoothie bowl for breakfast :)

Smoothies are so good, interesting in taste, too. Loved my arugula salad, with baked sweet potato and avocado, delicious. Will keep going back as long as I’m in Toronto. All staff are all very nice.

Never really been into all veggie food but this was exceptionally good. Def going back.

I had the Lima, which was loaded with veggies, chicken, beans, and a tangy slightly spicy sauce, served over brown rice. Super filling, I couldn’t finish it. Service was really quick and friendly. The food isn’t complicated to make but there’s a good variety in one box and it’s healthy as well.

Terrible service. Excellent food. Cashier gave me attitude when I asked for a cookie and she was texting while I was waiting for her to give me change. Please fire this girl! Otherwise everyone should try the ginger and molasses cookie!

I’ve become addicted to this place. I stick to 2 lunch boxes. 1– the Saam and the 2– Grilled chicken (I forget the name). I have to say, hands down to this place. The food is super healthy and you feel good after eating it. I come here once or twice a week now. I hope it never changes. Conclusion: the different layers of flavor burst in your mouth and the food is super yummy!

This place is a little too tree hugger for me… had a brown rice with chicken and assorted veggies, in some spicy sauce. It definitely seemed like it was on the healthy side, but didn’t really taste that great– was expecting the chicken and rice to be warm, didn’t taste right cold.

Located in the PwC Tower, you can definitely expect to stand in a long line at iQ during the week for lunch, but it usually goes very quickly. Service is friendly and pleasant. It’s good food. I mainly enjoy the Lima box with brown rice and some substitutions on the standard ingredients, which they easily allow you to do. It’s not really clear that you don’t have to stick to the standard ingredients on the board, but all you have to do is ask. For any box, I have always been able to substitute a few «basic» or «premium» ingredients, same for same, with no extra charge. For $ 10 (Lima box) it’s maybe a couple of bucks over-​priced. Yet for quality and freshness of food, it’s also probably fair. Portion-​wise, I find it ample and filling. The avocado toast, on the other hand, is definitely overpriced for the skimpy offering. You’ll chide yourself for this and never buy it again (at least that’s how I felt). The lentil soup is good but without knowing the sodium content, not something I’d buy regularly. I have yet to try any of the smoothies etc. Although the dishes seem fairly nutritious, as with all prepared food, the customer needs to be self-​informed. iQ continues to state on their website that the nutrition information is coming soon, but it has been many months already. I have a suspicion that they don’t want you to know the nutrition content. Regardless of the «nutritious» angle, like all other prepared food: it’s OK once in a while, but not on a regular basis. Given this location’s proximity to the Rogers Centre and the ACC, if you do need a quick meal, it’s not a bad option. They’re open until 8 PM even on week nights and open on the weekends. Their décor is cool and well done; I like the concept. This location does have limited inside seating and a small patio.

I often go to this location to fulfil my weekend cravings for healthy takeout options. The place is pretty quiet on the weekends. There is enough space to sit and enjoy your meal and hang out with friends or family.
The service has always been consistently awesome. Everyone that works here is very friendly and helpful as well as incredibly efficient. The restaurant has a pretty decent range of healthy offerings including small, sweet and savoury snacks to large meal boxes or smoothies. My personal favourite snacks are the sprout & trout (very light but pricey), as well as the incredible CRACK CUP which looks like a giant reese’s peanut butter cup but does not taste like one. It is filled with dates, chocolate, and nuts and it is definitely one of my favourite desserts. I have also tried the raw cacao & almond smoothie which is a sweet, light, and refreshing beverage made with almond butter, almond milk, bananas, and raw cacao.
My favourite meal box is cobb off guard which has goat cheese, cranberries, chicken, and onions. I find this box is lighter than other box options but very tasty! When I am looking for something heavier, I often order the sparta box which consists of your choice of grains (which can also be replaced by greens), chicken, onions, feta, and tomatoes.
All boxes were filled with fresh ingredients and were of a good sized portion. You can add any ingredient to your box (for an extra cost) as well as make substitutions for grains vs greens or vice versa. This place is a good option if you are in the area and looking for a healthier alternative for your next meal.

Folks we have winner on hand here if you are tired of mundane food court offerings that leave you bloated and unsatisfied this place will not only satiate your food craving you will come out feeling light and not bad on what you had.
My friends kept on recommending this place to me for the past few months and these folks are what you health conscious eaters (read health food deliveries and reading of all the ingredients, calorie counter etc. etc.) and they enjoyed their food so much that even cancelled their pricey food delivery service and tend to have an almost daily meal at this spot. With so much pressure on moi the expectations were sky high, I was expecting something a tad better than food court offering which I avoid like a plague and just another health craze.
I am happy to report this place works I felt full after the meal I had here and still felt light. I tried their bellwood box and it was fresh and full of so many ingredients that I am curious to know what their food costs are as surely with that much on offer it will be on the higher side of the spectrum. Not overwhelming by any means I would describe it as a very hearty salad.
We came here in the evening and my friends had their menu options picked already (the sales person even knows them by name now) and good thing for regulars is that they have their regular menu and seasonal offering so one wouldn’t get bored.
I would recommend that if you are within the vicinity and part of the lunch crowd you owe it to yourself to give this place a try.
4 Stars!