It was only a few years ago, the idea of vegan and vegetarian restaurants was barely heard of. Sure you could get certain dishes from restaurants that were vegetarian, as you can with gluten-free requirements, but it wasn’t until recently, clean eating took over our corner shops, fine dining restaurants, and pizza joints. Yes, vegan pizza is a thing and it’s glorious.
Now, vegan and vegetarian restaurants are popping up more frequently as diners continue to expand their palates, and chefs continue to experiment with vegetables and making cheese alternatives from nuts.
Without further adieu, here are the best vegan and vegetarian restaurants you can find in Sydney.
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Alibi Bar and Restaurant
Woolloomooloo
Head Chef Matthew Kenny switched to a plant-based diet a little over 15 years ago and is now a master at creating the dishes we all know and love, but making it vegan. Alibi is the colourful restaurant inside Ovolo Woolloomooloo, which acts as a bar and restaurant at different times of the day. The set dinner menu is by far the favourite. Kenny’s inventive nature and out of the box thinking led to the creation of kimchi dumplings, wattleseed butter, beetroot gin cured daikon, and confit witlof with apple and black garlic custard. At most times, the food looks like its original version, but upon first taste, it’s clear there is no meat here. The flavours and textures Kenny makes are unfathomable and definitely worth a visit even if you’re not vegan. It is sure to change minds about plant-based diets.
Gigi Pizzeria
Newtown
Gigi Pizzeria is a little famous pizza joint in Newtown, known for slinging traditional Napoletana slices. In 2015, owner Marco Mattino decided to take all animal products off the menu and has since been known as the best vegan pizza joint in Sydney. Pizza lovers can expect creative combinations such as thinly sliced roasted potatoes with truffle, broccoli and beyond sausage, and eggplant with mushrooms. The best part, the same umami flavours are still there, they just come in the form of tree nut ricotta, and plant-based cream cheese, instead of simply using vegan cheese products.
Bad Hombres
Surry Hills
This Mexican inspired vegan eatery will make you rethink your taco choices. The dimly lit, artsy space with exposed brick sets the scene for the casual dining experience, with not so casual flavours. Because everything on the menu is vegan, expect mushroom Peruvian ceviche instead of kingfish and quesadillas stuffed with creamy “Oaxaca cheese.” The tacos are a crowd pleaser and come in four flavours including baja jackfruit, miso eggplant, chipotle potato, and mushroom with cashew cream. For dessert, forget churros, they serve up Mexican rice pudding and a sweet corn creme brûlée.
Yellow
Potts Point
In 2016 Brent Savage and Nick Hildebrandt of The Bentley Group relaunched Yellow’s menu to be 100% vegetarian, and they never looked back. The popular vegan bistro is now known as the go-to place for vegetarian dishes that are a cut above the average. There is a five-course and a seven-course menu only, although they also host guest chefs often, which is a delight to experience. As for the dishes, they focus on locally grown vegetables to create dishes such as shio roasted carrot with crispy oats, sweet corn porridge served with a rye brioche roll, and dessert made of celeriac ice cream and salted caramel.
Untied
Barangaroo
While this rooftop eatery in Barangaroo isn’t entirely vegan, in March 2023, it introduced a Vegan Bottomless Brunch to its line-up. On every Sunday with seatings at 11am and 2pm, the session will see you working your way through five courses you almost won’t believe are vegan. Think goat ash chevre that isn’t made with any cheese, crispy cauliflower bites that can be dipped in a smoky coconut sauce and, for the grand finale, a piece of chilled, dairy-free raspberry chocolate truffle.
Peppe’s
Bondi
Peppe’s is an all-vegan gnocchi bar serving natural wines and house-made gnocchi. The menu is small and simple, with only a handful of sauces to choose from for your gnocchi or ‘mamma’s spag.’ Diners can expect to savour a vegan lasagna made with spinach, plant-based bechamel and Pomodoro sauce. The gnocchi dishes come in the form of gnocchi al pomodoro, al funghi served with crispy sage, and al pesto with crispy kale. Pair any dish with a glass of natural wine and you can’t go wrong.
Mark + Vinny’s
Surry Hills
This spaghetti and spritz bar tosses up some radioactive pasta. By that, we mean it’s bright and colourful. The linguine is a bright blue from the spirulina, and certainly a show stopper. Besides the colourful pasta, they also offer arancini, crispy chat potatoes, gnocchi, and charcoal bucatini with smoked mushroom pancetta and cashew cream. There is one dish on the menu that isn’t vegan, but other than that, everything else is plant-based. Be sure to try one of two of their 20 spritzes on offer.
Soul Burger
Glebe, Newtown, and Randwick
Vegan and vegetarian burgers have grown in popularity ever since the beyond burger popped into the scene. Some say it’s the patty that remarkably resembles meat, others say it is the thrill of eating a burger that’s all plant-based. Whatever the reasoning, Soul Burger is a vegan burger joint to try. They offer a range of different burgers that take the names of classic flavours, including battered fish, BBQ beef brisket, southern fried chicken, and chilli duck. Although no meat is actually in these burgers.
Shenkin Kitchen
Enmore
If you love a Mediterranean brunch or dinner, the Shenkin Kitchen should be on your list. It’s a vegetarian’s delight with dishes such as shakshuka made with eggplant, and veggie labneh plate, as well as laffa, stuffed with falafel. Although not everything on the menu is vegetarian they offer vegetarian substitutes. Their dinner menu offers a few vegetarian options including grilled oyster mushrooms, hummus plate, and more.
Comeco Foods
Newtown
Comeco Foods is a vegan and gluten-free cafe baking all your favourite sweets, but plant-based, including doughnuts and sweet potato brownies. Although the sweets are a popular choice, Comeco Foods also makes vegan sushi platters so you can entertain your vegan friends too. The platters are filled with an assortment of nigiri and rolls in all kinds of flavours.
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