Our Top 40 Vegetarian Restaurants in Sydney

March 2, 2017
by Rose Lifestyle

    Vegetarians rejoice! Gone are the days when you dragged your carnivorous friends from restaurant to restaurant because there was nothing for you to eat besides “bowl of chips.” Nowadays, Sydney boasts some of the best vegetarian restaurants in the country. From fine dining to hole-in-the-wall cafes, we’ve found the top 40 joints serving vegetarian fare that will make even your proudest meat-eating friends jealous. Hell, they might even turn!

     For your reference, we’ve included a little price guide as well. Our extremely scientific key is as follows:

    $$$ – date night, graduation ceremony, promotion
    $$ – treat yo’ self
    $ – pay day’s still a month away

    top vegetarian restaurants sydney

    Two Chaps

    122 Chapel Street Marrickville 2204

    For the finest pasta this side of the equator – prepared daily, and from scratch –look no further than Two Chaps. Did we mention they’re also open for breakfast? Serving locally sourced, organic produce by day and dinner twice a week, you’ll almost never have to leave. Seriously, try the hash browns.

    $$

    top vegetarian restaurants sydney

    The Dandylion

    277 Bondi Road Bondi 2026

    Friday night? Hot date? The Dandylion has you covered. The team has travelled from Milan to New York to Ubud and promises to deliver the crème de la crème of contemporary vegan and vegetarian cooking. Our tip? Their signature share plate. You’ll be talking about it for hours afterwards.

    $$

    top vegetarian restaurants sydney

    Photo by: Fiona Susanto, courtesy of Broadsheet

    Earth To Table

    85 Bronte Road Bondi Junction 2022

    For the raw foodies out there, Earth To Table is a must. But what makes chef Julie Mitsios’ fare stand out from the rest? Her raw cakes. Holy moly. We’re talking chocolate cheesecakes, lemon meringue cakes and banana cream pies. You don’t even have to feel guilty. Everything is gluten, dairy and refined-sugar free.

    $$

    top vegetarian restaurants sydney

    Yellow

    57 MacLeay Street Potts Point 2011

    A year into your relationship and looking to tell your partner you think they are the most award-winning, acclaimed, warm and contemporary person you’ve ever met? Dine at Yellow and let the restaurant do the talking for you, as they realise the accolades match up!

    $$$

    top vegetarian restaurants sydney

    Sadhana Kitchen

    147 Enmore Road Enmore 2042

    One of the best-kept secrets in the Inner West, Sadhana Kitchen isn’t your average raw vegan café. In the mood for a cheeky degustation? Check. High tea with your nearest and dearest? Sure. Stuck at your desk dreaming about last week’s brunch? They’ll even deliver the food to you.

    $$

     

    top vegetarian restaurants sydney

    Yulli’s

    417 Crown Street Surry Hills 2010

    Our go-to vegetarian dining experience in Surry Hills, Yulli’s is casual, quirky and feels like your favourite cool aunty’s house. The cuisine is impeccable and the beer extensive. That’s with a “T” and not “P”. Bring a date. Return for the honeymoon.

    $$

     

    top vegetarian restaurants sydney

    Bodhi Restaurant and Bar

    2-4 College Street Sydney 2000

    Did you say, “vegan yum-cha?” Yas kwane! Bodhi Restaurant and Bar offers an incredible Pan-Asian menu complete with imitation meat that will have you playing “spot the difference between this tasty morsel and the real thing” in an open-star, tranquil, setting.

    $$

    top vegetarian restaurants sydney

    Venus Wholefoods

    425 Bourke Street Surry Hills 2010

    For those who want salads that punch far above their weight, Venus Wholefoods is the Muhammad Ali of the salad world. Complete with vegan-friendly meat, pop in for that nutritious and filling lunch you’ve been looking for.

    $

     

    top vegetarian restaurants sydney

    Soul Burger

    111 Glebe Point Road Glebe 2037

    We don’t say this lightly: Soul Burger are burger pioneers. Their entirely plant-based menu will delight the vegetarians in your party and shock those who prefer meat. Why? Because they won’t be able to taste the difference.

    $

     

    top vegetarian restaurants sydney

    Suzy Spoon’s Vegetarian Butcher

    49-51 Hutchinson Street St Peters 2044

    Attending a BBQ? Want something even tastier than “the real thing”? Drop by Suzy Spoon’s Vegetarian Butcher for all your sausage, patty, schnitzel, rasher, and seitan needs. And while you’re there, grab a burger. The grub is that tasty, there’s always room for more.

    $

     

    top vegetarian restaurants sydney

    Acme

    60 Bayswater Road Rushcutters Bay 2011

    Wonderfully inventive, Acme serves progressive Italian dishes with an Asian twist. The menu is concentrated, but this is a good thing. We promise, you can’t really go wrong.

    $$

    top vegetarian restaurants sydney

    Bar H

    80 Campbell St, Surry Hills NSW 2010

    Just when you think you’ve been everywhere and Sydney has nothing else to offer, Bar H delivers! This trendy wine bar blends Japanese, Chinese and indigenous ingredients in a wonderfully relaxed setting.

    $$$

     

    top vegetarian restaurants sydney

    Billy Kwong

    1/28 MacLeay St Potts Point 2011

    Billy Kwong is a staple on the vegetarian Sydney dining scene. And for good reason; celebrating collaboration and community, this restaurant combines Australian and Chinese food so well your friends who brought you will be saying, “I told you so.”

    $$$

    top vegetarian restaurants sydney

    Chiosco by Ormeggio

    Spit Road Mosman 2088

    Where else can you gaze at the lushest harbour in the world while chowing down on top-notch, homemade Italian pasta? Introducing Chiosco by Ormeggio. The kicker? This restaurant is hatted. The other kicker? You don’t even need to wear shoes.

    $$$

     

    top vegetarian restaurants sydney

    Da Orazio Pizza and Porchetta

    75-79 Hall Street Bondi Beach 2026

    Fresh from the surf and looking for somewhere serving traditional Italian so you can tell your mates about those sick barrels? Da Orazio Pizza and Porchetta provide. This warehouse-style space serves food so good no one will interrupt your chat, as they’ll be too busy savouring their choice. A great option for pleasing both omnivores and vegetarians.

    $$

    top vegetarian restaurants sydney

    Ester Restaurant and Bar

    46 – 52 Meagher Street Chippendale 2008

    Beautifully minimal and refreshingly casual, Ester doesn’t rely on trendy gimmicks. Their food, like their fit-out, is honest and direct. This is one fine dining experience you have to indulge in.

    $$$

     

     

    top vegetarian restaurants sydney

    Jacks Newtown

    170 Missenden Road Newtown 2042

    A strong contender for best burgers in Sydney, Jacks Newtown is refreshingly basic. With only three burgers on the menu, all you have to do is point. The only problem is you might get a sore arm from pointing every day of the week.

    $

    top vegetarian restaurants sydney

    LuMi Bar and Dining

    56 Pirrama Road Pyrmont 2009

    Offering a zany, well-lit, intimate dining experience, LuMi combines Italian food with a forward-thinking Italian twist. Headed by chef Federico Zanellato, LuMi will seduce you with its menu. What’s on offer? A five or eight course degustation. Perfection.

    $$$

     

    top vegetarian restaurants sydney

    Mary’s

    6 Mary Street Newtown 2042

    As if manifesting from the belly of Newtown itself, Mary’s burgers are effortlessly grunge. Come for the amazing greasy food, stay for the loud hip hop and metal.

    $

    top vegetarian restaurants sydney

    Ora

    17B Whistler Street Manly 2095

    You went to yoga at first light then went for a job and finished with a dip at Shelly Beach. How could your morning possibly get any better? Enter Ora. This organic café serves up some of the healthiest breakfasts around. Go on. Treat yourself.

    $$

     

    top vegetarian restaurants sydney

    Lentil as Anything

    391 King Street Newtown 2042

    Named after the iconic band Mental as Anything, this pay-what-you-feel restaurant is a godsend that promotes local artists as well as multiculturalism and acceptance. A culinary trip to Sydney isn’t complete without it.

    $

    top vegetarian restaurants sydney

    Nourishing Quarter

    315 Cleveland Street Redfern 2016

    In many ways, we wish every restaurant were as inviting, quirky and wholesome as Nourishing Quarter. Serving vegan Vietnamese cuisine in what must be one of the best date spots in Sydney, Nourishing Quarter is one of a kind.

    $

    top vegetarian restaurants sydney

    INDU

    350 George Street Sydney 2000

    INDU offers a generous reprise from the city’s hustle and bustle outside. Focusing on fragrant food from coastal village India, INDU blends Eastern mysticism with Western curiosity. Our tip? The watermelon salad.

    $$

    top vegetarian restaurants sydney

    Shenkin Kitchen

    129 Enmore Road Enmore 2042

    This family affair combines Middle Eastern and European cuisine and the results are drool-worthy. Great for people-watching (admit it, we all do it), this Instagram-friendly venue won’t disappoint.

    $$

    Zaaffran Restaurant

    Harbourside Shopping Centre, 10 Darling Drive, Darling Harbour, Sydney NSW 2000

    One of Darling Harbour’s go-to spots, Zaaffran is refined Indian dining at its classiest. We recommend enjoying their innovative dishes that delight and surprise on their outdoor balcony at sunset with someone you love.

    $$

     

    Green Gourmet

    115 King Street Newtown 2042

    Did somebody say tofu ice cream? This Chinese vegan institution is the place you’ve never been to but always wished you had. Their buffet is to die for and if you’re still standing, try their cakes.

    $

    Green Palace

    182 King Street Newtown 2042

    Low frills with exceptional taste, what’s not to like? Green Palace do the essentials right. However, if you’re unsure, their friendly staff will point you in the right direction. Their soy, vegetarian duck, pork and chicken are sensational.

    $

     

    Mother Chu’s Vegetarian Kitchen

    367 Pitt Street Sydney 2000

    Ever been stuck in the city, unsure where to eat? Mother Chu’s is a mixed Asian vegetarian establishment that feels like a family dining room and offers delicious cuisine at reasonable prices. Sit down and take a breath. Welcome to flavour country.

    $

     

    Iku

    25A Glebe Point Road Glebe 2037

    Nutritious, organic and always tasty, Iku has become a staple of the food-conscious greenies of Sydney. Always dairy and gluten free, their lasagne is divine. For some extra privacy, head out the back of the Iku in Glebe and down the stairs and transport yourself to a green and timber wonderland that feels vaguely like Brisbane!

    $

     

    Harvest Vegetarian Restaurant

    71 Evans Street Rozelle 2039

    This long-standing restaurant offers unpretentious vegan and vegetarian food that constantly delights and surprises. So relaxed, you might feel like you’re at a friend’s house. Harvest offers cooking classes too.

    $$

    Funky Pies

    144-148 Glenayr Avenue Bondi 2026

    This hole-in-the-wall pie shop is worth the trip out east. Super cheap and super tasty, Funky Pies serve their wares with lashings of mashed potato and gravy. With a sun-drenched outdoor table, simply sit and watch the world go by.

    $

    top vegetarian restaurants sydney

     

    Govinda’s

    112 Darlinghurst Road Darlinghurst 2010

    If you haven’t been to Govinda’s then you haven’t been to Sydney! A cultural institution, Govinda’s offers an affordable vegetarian Indian-style buffet in a cosy setting where you can relax and watch a movie!

    $$

    Laurie’s Vegetarian

    286 Bondi Road Bondi 2026

    Located in the heart of Bondi, Laurie’s vegetarian restaurant is an “eat-where-the-locals-eat” establishment that provides a healthy range of curries, salads and burgers. Perfect for those post-swim cravings and extremely affordable, we guarantee you’ll be telling your friends. See you at Laurie’s in no time.

    $

    Badde Mannors

    37 Glebe Point Road Glebe 2037

    Ask your parents where their favourite eatery growing up was and they’re likely to say Badde Mannors. Serving global vegetarian meals in a quirky, wholesome setting, Badde Mannors is like taking a trip back in time.

    $

     

    The Green Lion

    726 Darling Street Rozelle 2039

    Sydney’s first vegan pub, The Green Lion is socially conscious food at its best. Always delicious and never preachy, The Green Lion has achieved what many said was impossible. What’s more: it’s here to stay.

    $$

    Golden Lotus

    343 King Street Newtown 2042

    This vegan eatery produces fresh, authentic Vietnamese cuisine. Always a great option when you need a refresher from the chaos of life, Golden Lotus also offers catering for those looking to bring the Zen to them.

    $

    Stanbuli

    135 Enmore Road Enmore 2042

    Taking its name from the local lingo of Istanbul’s streets, Stanbuli offers an exciting Turkish restaurant. With a refined décor and food that’s designed to share, we challenge you not to enjoy the treats found inside. One last thing: their beetroot salad with green olives, pistachios and Tulum cheese is out of this world.

    $$$

    top vegetarian restaurants sydney

    Gigi’s Pizzeria

    379 King Street Newtown 2042

    By now, the story is almost legendary. One day, this extremely popular Sydney restaurant decided to go vegan and the results have been nothing short of amazing. Don’t believe us? There are lines out front every day of the week.

    $$

    My Little Panda Kitchen

    Currently Online

    My Little Panda Kitchen is perfection. Creating 100% vegan cakes that look as beautiful as they taste, they could be pieces of art! In fact, they are. So before you eat them, make sure you put them on Instagram. Not to be missed.

    $$

     

    Something For Jess

    Abercrombie St & O’Connor Street Chippendale 2008

    Something For Jess is the kind of café you take your out-of-town friend to when you’re trying to impress. Seasonal and organic, the hip, cosy atmosphere and friendly staff are only rivalled by the dishes they bring out.

    $$

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Previous post
    Bibimbap is our new favourite healthy dinner Bibimbap is our new favourite healthy dinner
    Next post
    5 health facts that could motivate you in 5 minutes 5 health facts that could motivate you in 5 minutes

    Related posts

    2 comments

    Nora says:

    Nearly all of these places are vegan, when are you going to do vegan hello fresh??!!

    Tim Gallantree says:

    half of these i’ve looked at aren’t vegetarian