Yes to Fresh, a not-so-fast food place on King and Jarvis is a mix between Freshii and Sandwich Box.  The menu features sandwiches, salads as well as rice or noodle bowls and diners can pick what they want with their meal via a slip of paper on a clipboard, similar to Freshii (unlike Freshii, there are separate ordering slips for sandwiches and salads/bowls).  However, selection, especially when it comes to sandwiches, is closer to Sandwich Box.  With many different breads to choose from, including wraps and gluten-free selections, Yes to Fresh has the advantage over Freshii, where salad is the main focus and the only sandwiches are wraps and burritos.  All sandwich combos come with chips, a side salad or bottled water.

Sandwich and salad combo

At my visit to the restaurant, I ordered a custom vegetarian sandwich.  On pumpernickel bread and with lentil hummus, grilled eggplant, goat cheese, arugula, tomatoes, zucchini and mushrooms, the sandwich was served grilled.  As part of a combo, it came with a mixed green salad, served in a medium sized salad bowl.  To prevent the sandwich from getting too soggy, parchment paper was used to separate it from the salad.  However, a better solution would have been to use a plate.  While the sandwich itself was pretty standard when it comes to vegetarian sandwiches, I do applaud Yes to Fresh for offering such a wide variety of breads, fillings and spreads – especially spreads.  Not too many places will have lentil hummus, after all.

Order forms

The one miss that this restaurant has is the lack of eat-in space.  While I understand that most people are going to buy take-out, it could get tough finding a spot to sit if seating quickly fills up after you order something for eat-in (this is, of course an issue with a lot of places).  And unlike Sandwich Box, the few tables that are there are not communal, so even if one wasn’t full, it’s kind of weird to grab a seat without feeling like one is intruding.

Yes to Fresh is located at 44 Jarvis Street, just south of King.