Discover Melbourne’s Top Vegan Restaurants

portrait of hotel concierge
Author
10 minutes Jun 8th, 2021
a selection of vegan food laid out on a big table

Often referred to as Australia’s culinary capital, Melbourne is home to a wide variety of cuisines from around the world. Whether you’re a meat-eater, vegetarian or vegan, you will always be spoilt for choice when it comes to deciding what to eat.

Finding the best vegan food in Melbourne can be difficult as there is an overwhelming amount of restaurants serving delicious vegan-friendly dishes. Which one is the best? Which vegan restaurants can you take your carnivore friends to? What types of vegan cuisine do they offer?

Well, we’ve done the hard work for you and created a list of the best vegan restaurants in Melbourne and where you can find them:

Vegan pancakes anyone?

vegan pancakes served on a plate and topped with fruit, ice cream and nuts

Serotonin Eatery

The Serotonin Eatery in Burnley has a holistic approach to the importance of nourishing and healthy food for living a happier lifestyle. It even offers monthly education dinners and free exercise classes as well.

For a boost of serotonin, you can choose from a scrumptious selection of dishes such as their vegan pancakes, interestingly named ‘positive pancakes’. They are made with gluten-free banana flour, hung yogurt and topped with berries. They also offer raw zucchini linguine, ‘nutrition bomb’ salad bowls and arguably the best turmeric and matcha lattes you will ever taste.
Save yourself time searching on Google for the best vegan pancakes in Melbourne because we’ve done the hard work for you.

Sister of Soul

If you enjoy meeting up with friends for breakfast, then you have to book a table at Sister of Soul at either their St Kilda or Richmond restaurant. Their menu offers a tasty selection of breakfast and brunch dishes such as their vegan pancakes, also known as okonomiyaki, made from pumpkin and cabbage.

If you want something more filling, then their vegan big brekkie features potato and sweet potato rosti, tomato kasundi, wilted spinach, roasted mushrooms, scrambled tofu, avocado and toasted sourdough bread.

Lentil as Anything

With locations in St Kilda, Abbotsford and Thornbury, Lentil as Anything is another great spot for delicious vegan pancakes. They offer an incredibly tasty vegan okonomiyaki made with cabbage, carrots and beansprouts, or if you’re there for lunch, try the mouth-watering green lentil burger with sweet chilli sauce and vegan aioli.

Lentil as Anything also features a very unique payment system. When the time comes to pay the bill, customers are encouraged to pay for what they think their meal is worth, whether it’s a couple of dollars or a larger amount for a job well done.

If the customer doesn’t have any money to spare or feels like giving something back, they can volunteer their services and help out the back for a couple of hours to work off their meal.

How about vegan croissants?

a vegan crossiant being dusted with icing sugar

In terms of breakfast, nothing beats the best vegan croissants in Melbourne – and here is where to find them.

Mister Nice Guy’s Bakeshop

First opened in 2010 as Melbourne’s first 100% vegan bakery, Mister Nice Guy’s Bakeshop in Ascot Vale is the place to go when you need to satisfy your sweet tooth. Because everything is made to order by hand, they currently only accept online orders which can be delivered to your address or picked up in their store.

When craving a vegan croissant to dip into your coffee, their chocolate vegan babka will definitely hit the spot. Lovingly crafted from fresh brioche dough, it’s filled with rich dark chocolate and dusted with biscuit crumbs and lashings of chocolate ganache. Yum!

Vegan cake? Yes please!

a vegan cupcake with velvet icing sugar

Whether for breakfast or dessert, here is where to find Melbourne’s best vegan cake.

Little Cupcakes

Who said cakes were for dessert? When searching for the ultimate vegan selection of cakes, head down to Little Cupcakes in the Melbourne CBD.

Their vegan red velvet cupcakes are to die for, made with light cocoa butter and topped with vegan cream cheese icing. If a cupcake sounds a little too small for you, they offer a tiered vegan velvet cake version as well!

The juiciest vegan burgers in Melbourne

a vegan burger layered with fake meat, vegan cheese and hot sauce

Searching the streets of Melbourne for the best vegan burger isn’t difficult when you know where to look.

Evie’s Disco Diner

With the unique aesthetic of a converted iron works, Evie’s Disco Diner in Fitzroy has an incredibly colourful interior to reflect its vibrant personality. With a retro theme and some of the best vegan burgers you will ever try, Evie’s aims to indulge all of your senses – not just your tastebuds.

Their Evie burger is made of caramelised onions, a black bean patty, relish, pickled cabbage, avocado and is topped off with vegan garlic aioli. Every tasty dish on their menu also has a vegan option, making it an ideal spot when meeting up with your carnivore friends.

Evie’s Disco Diner is a must-visit vegan destination in Melbourne, and is also right near our Punthill Manhattan apartments.

Seriously delicious vegan pizza

a hand grabbing a piece of vegan pizza

Move over regular, dairy-filled pizza, Melbourne’s best vegan pizza is taking the throne.

Red Sparrow Pizza

Red Sparrow Pizza over in Collingwood has established a name for itself as Melbourne’s best vegan pizza, even winning The Herald Sun’s Best Pizza in Melbourne competition.

Every one of their delicious plant-based pizzas is cooked in their traditional Italian wood-fired oven, providing a beautifully charred crust with a light fluffy base. Their dough is also handmade on-site, fermented for around 48 hours to ensure an incredible flavour with every bite.

You can enjoy a wide range of vegan pizzas to choose from, such as their Swiss brown mushroom pizza topped with truffle oil and dairy-free parmesan, their Hawaiian pizza with juicy pineapple, oregano and dairy-free mozzarella, and their classic pizza loaded with cherry tomatoes, basil and dairy-free fior di latte cheese.

Best vegan pub food for a perfect lunch

a happy couple eating vegan food in a pub

If you enjoy comfort food (and who doesn’t?!), here’s where to find Melbourne’s best vegan pub food.

Cornish Arms Hotel

Forget what you thought about traditional pub food. The Cornish Arms Hotel in Brunswick has defined itself as one of the best Melbourne pubs offering a variety of vegan foods.

With a beautiful beer garden and live music, it provides a relaxing and fun atmosphere when catching up with friends over great vegan food. For parma lovers, their vegan parma features crumbed mock chicken surrounded by crispy fries and fresh salad. You should also try their vegan souvlaki, which is made with seasoned seitan wrapped between a mixture of salad, chilli and their special garlic sauce.

Vegan fine dining at its best

Fancy vegan food arranged on a plate with vegetables, edible flowers and pea puree

Whether wanting to dress up and hit the town or eat at a casual spot for dinner, Melbourne offers a wide range of vegan restaurants that are worth checking out.

Transformer

If you’re feeling like going somewhere fancy for dinner, then Transformer in Fitzroy is easily one of the best vegan fine dining restaurants in Melbourne. Its interesting former warehouse interior provides an intimate atmosphere through gentle lighting and tables are surrounded by lush indoor greenery.

Some of their incredible vegetarian and vegan-friendly dishes include leek tarte tatin with almond and burnt butter cream, grilled asparagus with piquillo pepper salsa and walnut puree, and Parisian gnocchi with black trumpet mushrooms drizzled with sage and onion butter. Vegan degustation doesn’t get any better than this!

Hankering for vegan dumplings?

vegan dumplings sprinkled with sesame seeds and in a bowl with chopsticks

Just the word “dumplings” is enough to make anyone start salivating. Just wait until you try these vegan dumplings!

Loving Hut

Located in Richmond and West Melbourne, Loving Hut is where you’ll find the best vegan dumplings you will ever try.

Their handmade vegan dumplings are filled with yummy Asian vegetables including bamboo shoots and mushrooms; they are absolutely scrumptious whether pan-fried or steamed. When you’re there, make sure you also try their vegan chow mein and lemongrass tofu!

The best vegan Japanese food you’ll ever try

Vegan sushi topped with sliced avocado neatly arranged on a plate and looking good

Here’s where to find tasty, ethical and plant-based Japanese food in Melbourne.

Neko Neko

For the best vegan Japanese food, Neko Neko in Fitzroy is a great place to start. Their teishoku meal set menu offers a variety of crummy vegan options such as bean and potato croquettes, agedashi tofu with miso eggplant and ramen options made with vegan soy mince meat.

Future Sushi

Being Australia’s first plant-based sushi brand, Future Sushi in Collingwood is the ultimate destination for vegan sushi. As all their sushi is 100% plant-based, you can enjoy classic Japanese sushi such as nigiri salmon, tuna, panko-crusted chicken and maki salmon sushi.

Vegan Mexican food for the spice lover

a plate of vegan tacos filled with vegetables

Everyone loves Mexican food. The next time you feel like food with a bit of a kick, here’s where you can find the best vegan Mexican food in Melbourne.

Fonda Mexican

With a range of locations around Melbourne, Fonda Mexican in Hawthorn has a great menu that offers a variety of vegan options.

They have yummy sweet potato tacos, falafel burritos and mushroom tacos, all wrapped in vegan tortillas and drizzled with vegan chipotle aioli. You also have to try their Mex Bim-Bap, made with charred sweet corn, black beans, roasted sweet potato, spinach, pickled cabbage and quinoa! They have also just launched their vegan Birria Tacos that are made with vegan cheese and taste incredible.

 

Now you know where to find the best vegan restaurants in Melbourne, all that’s left to do is venture out and try their amazing dishes on offer, perfect for breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert.