Sydney is one of the best cities for vegan food. Not just in Australia, but globally.
We are talking from experience. If you aren’t familiar with our blog, it focuses on sustainable travel with plant-based diets playing a big part in our journey.
Our journey towards a vegan diet started at the end of 2021 and we’ve never looked back. We lived one year as vegans in Sydney before we hit the road and travelled for 18 months around the world.
Now we have been back in Sydney for about six months and have noticed that many plant-based restaurants and cafes have closed down but some new ones have opened. Seeing so many businesses closing down made us really sad, especially knowing how badly our food choices can affect climate change.
We made this list of vegan and vegetarian restaurants in the hope that we can all support their survival by paying them a visit. A lot of them are run by families and individuals who have the vision of making this world a better place by bringing people together to enjoy plant-based food.
Asian eats
Shinmachi is a Japanese restaurant with some incredibly tasty vegan dishes. We definitely recommend their self-described killer ramens, including a tonkotsu (‘pork’) option.
They also offer dons (bowls), Japanese curries, and various izakaya-style tapas to satisfy your Japanese cravings. There are still non-vegan options too if you need a Japanese restaurant that offers traditional dishes for your dining companions.
Kimusabi is another Japanese restaurant that not only serves plant-based sushi, but also works with local and seasonal ingredients which means that the dishes will change depending on when you visit. We celebrated Jon’s birthday there and he was a very happy boy.
Our absolute favourites were wild mushroom hiyayakko (silken tofu), parsnip korokke (croquettes) ‘kingfish’ crudo sashimi, and two types of nigiri - roast eggplant ‘unagi’ (eel) and ‘prawn’ katsu.
Comeco Foods Cafe is at their peak of popularity despite a slightly overpriced menu for a cafe. Their signature Japanese dishes often sold out before 2PM based on our experience. Janna works just a block away, so she is a regular customer there.
Their bento-style plates are their best sellers, where you have all your favourite Japanese flavours from umami to pickles to tempura all in one plate. But for us, the star is their sweet Japanese curry with chicken katsu. We just wish there was more katsu on the plate because it’s just so good.
They are also famous for their sweet potato donuts. The chewy consistency may not be for everyone. While Janna is obsessed with them, Jon doesn’t quite like them. But it’s worth giving it a try. Our favourite was yuzu flavour.
Ballsy Tea keeps their plant-based menu on the down low when you visit their store. They specialise in bubble tea that combines traditional flavours with Australian.
They also offer premium Japanese matcha and Korean-style sandwiches. Everything on the menu is vegan. Our favourite was the kimchi sandwich.
It's our go-to place when we want to grab something quick and enjoy the view of Sydney’s skyline and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. They are located at the most picturesque outdoor food court in Sydney, right outside North Sydney station.
Yulli’s is the place where you bring people that you want to impress or people that have never tried vegan food because you know everything is going to be delicious. Yulli’s has a quirky restaurant in Surry Hills and a brewery in Alexandria where you can taste their vegan beer alongside some of their signature dishes, as seen in the photo at the top of this article.
The menus are different but the concept is the same. All the dishes at Yulli’s are very creative and unique with some Asian twists.
Their signature dish is Korean-style fried broccolini with sticky sour chilli sauce that you will want to come back for again and again. Their zucchini flowers filled with a beetroot and truffle oil cream served with an apple and walnut salad are also amazing
But perhaps the best part of their menu is the dessert, an often overlooked section especially in vegan restaurants. You will be spoiled for choice at Yulli’s. There is sticky date pudding with butterscotch sauce and coconut ice cream, chocolate lava cake, or Davidson plum and persimmon crumble to mention just a few.
Green Sprouts is a restaurant that specialises in dumplings and buns, but we loved everything from their extensive menu. If you can only try one plant-based Asian place in Sydney, it should be Green Sprouts.
Their wontons in chilli sauce and Mongolian beef in a claypot blew our minds. Also they salt and pepper squid was crispy on the outside and soft and slightly chewy on the inside with great flavour. We were stuffed with food after only one starter and two mains, which is unusual for two tall people like us to be that full after eating at a vegan restaurant.
We recommend to go there with as many people as possible so you can taste as many things as possible because everything is so delicious. Next time we go there, we would love to try their seafood dish made of tofu coated in seaweed with five pickled vegetables and sweet and sour sauce, wasabi mayo prawns, and signature claypot tofu.
Another thing to note about this restaurant is that it’s located in Neutral Bay. So if you live or stay on the Lower North Shore, it’s very convenient.
Blossoming Lotus Newtown is Janna’s must go-to Thai restaurant when she works in Newtown. They have an a la carte menu but the most popular option is their street style buffet.
It’s especially convenient when you don’t have much time. This vegan restaurant is also incredibly cheap.
You can choose between rice or noodles and one protein for 13 dollars and each extra protein is only an extra dollar. Janna’s favourites are red and green curries, lemongrass ‘beef’, and chilli eggplant.
Vina Vegan is mostly a Vietnamese restaurant, but they have some Chinese and Malaysian dishes too. So far our favourite has been their ‘duck’ soup. The flavour of the broth really reminded me of Pho soup.
We also recommend their spicy eggplant dish in a claypot. To be honest, it wasn’t very spicy but the bean sauce was really rich. As a bonus, it has both potato and tofu, so you can get your protein and carbs from one dish.
Golden Lotus is always buzzing and we don’t think we’ve ever seen it empty. It’s the place to go if you are really hungry as they have the tastiest bowls of soup such as laksa and pho. Make sure to go early or book a table, otherwise you may have to wait in line.
Little Turtle is a Thai place that likes to think that it’s the vegetables that make the flavours in their dishes and not the meat. They therefore tend to avoid fake meats and instead use fresh vegetables and lots of herbs. That’s why you feel light and satisfied leaving the restaurant.
Mother Chu’s Vegetarian Kitchen has you covered if you’re craving Chinese food. While Henry is now the head chef in the kitchen, mother Chu still operates the restaurant.
Janna has only been there once and Mother Chu’s treasure claypot with shiitake mushroom has been on her mind ever since. Mother Chu’s is vegetarian, so you have to ask which dishes are fully vegan or if they can be done vegan.
Greek eats
Zeus Street Greek (Broadway) Sydney isn’t exclusively vegan. But it makes our list as they have two vegan options and three vegetarian options with pita bread wraps as well as vegan and vegetarian dips, salads, and even plant-based bowls.
Honestly, we are always sceptical about chain restaurant because the quality of the food and service is often not there. But we were very surprised with the great taste of their wraps.
We had a plant-based ‘chicken’ wrap and a ‘lamb’ wrap made out of Fable mushroom. If you have read this far, you probably realise how obsessed we are with this mushroom-based meat alternative!
Both of the wraps were really tasty and quite filling. We opted for some sweet potato chips which were perfect. Zeus even has two vegan sweets that we are aiming to get back for one day - loukoumades and baklava.
I Should be Souvlaki wins for the best pun on this list. Unfortunately of all the wraps that we have tried, this has been our least favourite. The soy-based ‘lamb’ was a bit dry and lacked some flavours. The size of the wrap was also quite disappointing.
At this price point, we expected are stomachs to be fuller when we finished. Our mistake was perhaps not trying their apparently famous plant-based cheesecake. It provides us with a reason to go back and give them another chance.
Italian eats
Don Fred is a cozy bistro-style casual restaurant with some of the best Italian flavours you can find in Sydney. We dined there a few times and our favourites were meatballs with olives and fried zucchini in a vegan burger or mouth watering focaccia. The tomato salad and salt and pepper 'squid' were also delicious.
Co-owner and chef Lorenzo Petrachi welcomes you with an open heart. His passion about Italian food and love for animals helped him to create something very special. Every dish served is simple yet so flavourful.
Lorenzo offers just the one dessert, but it’s a chocolate mouse rich in favour yet very light and moorish. Besides the high-quality food and warm service received there, you will also appreciate the very affordable prices.
Gigi Pizzeria provides the holy grail of the best traditional Napoli-style wood fired pizza with some outstanding toppings. If you ever doubt vegan pizza can even be tasty, don’t!
To be honest, we are big pizza lovers but after having way too many pizzas with fake cheese that taste like coconut or nothing at all, we stopped trying and started making pizzas at home. We only recently found out that Gigi is fully vegan and of course we had to give it a go.
Gigi has some of the best nut-based cheeses on the menu. We loved the quality of their rich tomato sauce, the sourdough base, and fresh toppings.
Honestly it was hard to choose, but our favourite was pizza was their diavola. It had tree nut ricotta that they make in-house. We are definitely going back there for more!
Note they also have a location in Balmain which offers a traditional Italian menu with many vegan options.
Frankie Cadillac is a cocktail bar that makes a perfect night out, especially when on a date. It has a speakeasy vibe with dark lights and cozy corners. The owner Sam Overton has always had a passion for Vermouth and an obsession to create a menu of the best negronis.
There aren’t many places in Sydney where you can go out drinking and not be worrying about what is vegan on the menu. But Frankie Cadillac is one such place, as their menu is 100% plant-based.
The bar menu is rather small but has everything you need fill you up. Since negroni is a classic Italian drink, the menu here is Italian too.
You can choose from arancini and bruschetta to zucchini flowers with ricotta cheese or gnocchi, it can’t get more Italian than this. We must admit that while the Italian food was good we loved their potato gems with truffle mayo.
Visit his little brother, another plant based Italian restaurant in the heart of Paddington - Bootleg Italian. We haven’t tried it ourselves yet but would love to hear some feedback from you if you have the chance to try it out.
Mexican eats
Bad Hombres is a popular plant-based restaurant in Sydney. Their whole menu is naturally gluten free too.
We didn’t have the chance to visit Bad Hombres at their old location. But we really liked our recent experience at their new restaurant on Oxford Street. Since we recently spent six months in Mexico, it was hard for us to be impressed but our experience there was phenomenal.
We ordered ‘tuna’ tostada with cured watermelon that was refreshing and slightly spicy. We did expect the tuna to be softer, but with crispy tostada it just worked. Big compliments to the chef for a very authentic corn tostada.
The cheesy quesadilla was amazing! They used cashew cheese made in-house that was both cheesy and tangy, and most importunely tasty.
Our fellow vegans will understand that there is nothing worse then tasing coconut when you want to eat cheese. This cashew-based cheese really sated our cheese cravings. The only regret we had is that we didn’t order more!
Our absolute favourite tacos that we tried on the night were the Fable mushroom birria tacos served with the most delicious broth that was so rich in flavour. Even meat lovers will forget that they are eating in a plant-based restaurant.
We also tried crispy 'fish' tacos with a mango habanero sauce that were pretty good. We ended our meal with a sweet corn and coconut creme brûlée. It was a unique dish and a nice light way to finish off the night.
We happened to dine on a Thursday night. They offer $13 margaritas on Thursdays, which was a great bonus on our already successful dining experience.
One dish we didn’t try though was their cauliflower. Before 2017, Bad Hombres was a non-vegan Mexican restaurant and its cauliflower with cashew cheese dish made it stand out. We wanted a more authentic Mexican experience on our visit but it’s good to save something to try the next time we go there.
Vandal is Newtown’s Mexican vegan place. It’s operated by the same owners as Kimusabi. We went there multiple times and tried most of their menu.
They have some traditional Mexican dishes and some with a Japanese twist. Vandal opened before Kimusabi but we could already see how good their vegan ‘raw’ fish was.
If you are a vegan that misses sea flavours, you must try their ceviche tostadas with 'tuna', tamari, ginger and sesame ponzu, and guacamole. But our favourite of all the dishes is chorizo and potato empanada with salsa romesco, piquillo pepper, and charred corn salsa.
Their quesadilla with wild mushrooms was so rich in flavour. Having it with buckwheat tortilla was an interesting twist too.
They have a very affordable tasting menu, which is a great induction to the restaurant. Make sure you save some space for their churros with dulce de leche and coconut ice cream.
Vandal is a great venue to catch up with friends as they also have really good cocktails and wine list. But we found that a lot of their food, especially the tacos, are deep fried, so it's something to bear in mind.
Calle Rey is another Mexican place that we absolutely loved located on the other side of Newtown. It’s lesser known but definitely deserves your attention. They actually serve up Mexican, Peruvian and Japanese fusion cuisine that is 100% plant-based and gluten free.
We tried two of their signature dishes - smoked chicken nachos and cauliflower spicy wings. Even Jon, who is usually not into cauliflowers, loved them.
The chicken tacos are made with pulled jackfruit. What we remember is that the servings were really generous too. They also have some interesting seafood plates with some Japanese twists like watermelon tuna tartare, crispy maki furai roll, and California roll taco.
Middle Eastern eats
Koshari Korner is a recently-discovered gem. This street side Egyptian kiosk has the cosiest set up that will make you forget that you are sitting outside.
The food there is finger-licking good. Try their falafel roll, a traditional rice dish with eggplant, or opt for the mixed plate where you get to try a little of everything.
Don’t forget to order fresh mint tea with their almond cake. If you are there during the weekend, you can also visit the farmer’s market.
Basta is a stall at Bondi Market open every Saturday and Sunday from 9AM - 1PM. We’ve visited it the most times of all the places on this list while living in Sydney.
If you find a tastier falafel wrap in Sydney, please let us know because our research shows that there isn’t a better one than this one. We love everything about it.
There is the right amount of veggies and pickles. The falafel is crispy on the outside and moist on the inside with green herbs that bring so much flavour. The wrap is perfect and they are always generous with their tahini dressing.
The market is full of farmers’ fresh produce. As a bonus, you can also find vegan donuts and Oh My Days bakery stall for a sweet fix.
We also recommend visiting Jacques Kitchen at the other end of the market. Jacque has a Lebanese background and his wife Heidi is vegan, so most of their food is vegan. His dips are to die for! Our favourites are baba ganoush and smoked almond hummus.
When the weather is good, you can cross the road and play at Sydney’s most iconic beach - Bondi Beach.
Brunch places and bakeries
Oh My Days has the best pastries in Sydney. If you haven't tries them already, their buttery vegan croissants are a must try!
You can find them at many of Sydney's markets. Or head to Glebe and spoil yourself with brunch at their cute cafe.
Tokyo Lamington offers unique twists on a traditional Aussie dessert. The family-run business uses distinctly Japanese flavours to inject extra yumminess into the square sponge cake.
They started with their first location in Newtown. They have now expanded with a second location in Marrickville and their first one in Melbourne (Carlton).
They offer a monthly vegan lamington. The most recent vegan one we tried was ‘peach blossom’. For vegetarians, there are other options like ‘yuzu meringue’ and ‘melon boba’. The latter is also gluten free. They also have coffee and other non-plant-based savoury items.
Shift Eatery is the perfect place for brunch with their famous vegan bacon and egg bagel, toasties, and satisfying coffee.
Funky Pies is a local Bondi institution for vegans. Bondi was once full of places for vegan eats, but there is the only one vegan place left in the area now.
The pies there are always freshly baked. You will have to choose from a few pies depending what’s come out of the oven when you visit. Honestly, it’s hard to pick our favourite pie as they all very different and tasty.
But don’t miss out on the opportunity to try the cheapest and most delicious Acai ice cream covered in dark chocolate for only $2. Just trust us on that one!
La Petite Fauxmagerie is a cheese shop that every vegan should visit. They make the most delicious vegan cheeses, such as almond marinated feta and cashew mozzarella, that you can take home with you.
They also serve the tastiest plant-based Quiche Lorraine, tiramisu, and brownies. Our absolute favourite though is spanakopita, made with their own ricotta cheese.
You can also try their produce and the cheesiest toasties at Carriageworks Market. Besides their amazing food, the founders Rebel and Rascal are very welcoming people that are always happy to have a chat.
2 Sisters Kitchen is a small Thai fusion takeaway place in Bronte famous for its vegan pies. You can also see them at Potts Point Market on Saturdays.
Our absolute favourite pie there is the chicken satay. It’s so moorish and every time we order one, we wish we had two!
Pub food and burgers
Mama B’s Vegan Bistro is located within Chippo Hotel in Chippendale. Visit Mama B’s if you’re hankering for a pub meal such as the classic Aussie option, the chicken parma, a burger, or even good old fish’n chips. We had fish n’ chips, which didn’t disappoint, and a cheeseburger that tasted like the real thing as seen in the image below.
The atmosphere is like in any Australian pub, which is very authentic. If you’re looking for a romantic date night, this place may not be for you. But this fully plant-based venue is a great place to have a meal after visiting nearby White Rabbit Gallery.
Soul Burger is a restaurant chain of plant-based burgers with three locations to choose from - Glebe, Randwick, and Newtown. If you crave some junk food, Soul Burger is your best friend.
They have all the common types of burgers covered, with southern fried ‘chicken’, buttered ‘fish’, ’lamb’ brisket, and of course different ‘beef’ versions. Some with quite colourful buns too, as seen in the photo below!
It's definitely possible to have your junk-food fix without costing the lives of any animals. Top of your favourite burger with a creamy but dairy-free milkshake.
