Melbourne is undoubtedly Australia’s dinner table, a table at which I am yet to have a bad meal. When I lived there, many years ago now, I still ate meat – now that I’m vegan, I’ve had to find new favourites on my visits, or order different items on a familiar menu. If you’ve just landed in this glorious city and are in need of some delicious plant-based eats, make it your business to seek these ones out!
Union Kiosk
10 Howey Place, Melbourne 3000
Closest train station: Flinders Street
Get off the tram: Little Collins Street
Check out more here: unionkiosk.com.au and @unionkiosk
One of Melbourne’s hidden gems. Run, don’t walk, to this fabulous cosy all-vegan nook, tucked away down a lane off Little Collins Street, where the aroma of toasting bread, fresh pastries and coffee (Melbourne coffee! It’s in a league of its own) will have you salivating. My husband and I shared a jaffle between us on our first visit but we soon realised that was a mistake! We tried several flavours during our trip – the tofu scramble with “bacon”, “cheddar” and hollandaise ($11.50), the mushroom, basil, spinach and “mozzarella” ($11) but our favourite was the roast “chicken”, spinach and “feta” ($13). The staff are friendly and welcoming, the coffee is hot and every jaffle comes burnished a tantalising gold from the iron, garnished with tiny crystals of sea salt. A word of advice: as hard as it is, let the jaffles cool down first!
Red Sparrow Pizza
406 Smith St, Collingwood 3066
Get off the tram: Rose Street/Smith Street (86 tram)
Check out more here: redsparrowpizza.com and @redsparrowpizza
You will not eat like a sparrow at Melbourne’s first and only all-vegan pizzeria, so do yourself a favour and don’t go there with the appetite of one! This friendly, laidback place serves an impressive menu of all plant-based pizzas, from the traditional family fave Hawaiian ($24) (I like pineapple on pizza, don’t @ me!) to vegetable-laden pesto lover’s dream Verde ($25) and the fan favourite G.O.A.T ($27) which features a vegan goat’s cheese so complex in flavour and creamy in texture, I was convinced they might have put real goat’s cheese on it by mistake (they had not). We also tried Red Sparrow’s famous Not Wings ($14), which came with your choice of BBQ or Hot sauce marinade, served with pickles and ranch dip. These were an incredible treat. Allergens are catered for and clearly marked on the menu, so those avoiding soy and gluten as well as animal products can also enjoy pizza perfection!
The Green Man’s Arms
418 Lygon Street, Carlton 3053
Get off the tram: Lygon Street/Elgin Street (trams 1 and 6)
Check out more here: greenmansarms.com.au and @greenmansarms
An entirely vegetarian (and in fact mostly vegan) menu in a classic pub setting – as former Londoners, my husband and I felt right at home here. They even serve PINTS (we have grown used to schooners only!) so we needed no persuasion to enjoy some proudly Victorian 3 Ravens Juicy IPA in the biggest glass on offer. The food is also exceptional – if you’re just having drinks, make sure you order the king oyster mushroom “calamari” ($19) to go alongside. Each morsel is so delicious and full of flavour that even a mushroom hater like my husband couldn’t resist. When we came back for a special dinner, we enjoyed their fabulous Cos-No mocktails ($12) addictively tart with cranberry, blackberry and lime juices alongside the eggplant schnitzel ($26), tofu larb ($20), fried cauliflower ($14) and sauteed greens ($18). Everything is sourced locally and the menu is designed around what is at its seasonal best. And we clearly aren’t the only ones who felt at home at the Green Man – it’s a very popular place every night of the week, so make sure you book a table.
Monk Bodhi Dharma
202 Carlisle Street, Balaclava 3183
Closest train station: Balaclava
Get off the tram: Chapel Street/Carlisle Street (3/3a, 16 or 78)
Check out more here: monkbodhidharma.com and @monkbodhidharma
A cosy and super-friendly plant-based cafe that serves breakfast, brunch and lunch, tucked away off the busy Balaclava main strip (for the uninitiated, go down the laneway next to the Woolworths). The food is delicious and generous – our table ordered the fluffy zucchini hotcakes with beetroot relish and vegan sour cream ($22), the Hungry Jimbo which featured a gluten-free polenta bread piled with vegemite, avocado and tomatoes ($21.50) and the chickpea tofu ($21.50) which came atop a mountain of delicious sauteed kale. Being a chai lover, especially in the colder months, I had to try their healing house-brewed chai ($7) and it did not disappoint. Spicy, creamy and served in one of their famous and very charming Daruma cups (depicting the cafe’s namesake, the Indian monk Bodhidharma), it made me smile on the inside as well as out.
The Carringbush Hotel
228 Langridge Street, Abbotsford 3067
Closest train station: Collingwood or North Richmond
Get off the tram: North Richmond Station/Victoria Street
Check out more here: carringbushhotel.com and @thecarringbushhotel
Another entirely meat-free pub with vegan options aplenty. With 22 beers on tap, many
made locally, you can come for lunch and make a full afternoon of it, as we did! Whether
you’re in the mood for veganised pub favourites like burgers, parmigiana, curry or pie of the day (all $25) or a posher option like oven-roasted cauliflower with tahini yoghurt and radish salad ($25), the meals are delicious, fresh and deeply satisfying. One might even say, meaty! “Are you sure this isn’t real lamb?” my husband, who hasn’t eaten meat for 20 years, whispered after taking a bite of his gnocchi with “lamb” ragout ($25), which was savoury, unctuous and very convincing! Take your favourite carnivores with you and watch them marvel.
ShanDong MaMa
Shop 7, 200 Bourke Street AND 5 Centre Place, Melbourne 3000
Closest train station: Flinders Street or Melbourne Central
Get off the tram: Bourke Street
Check out more here: @shandongmama
The most unpretentious looking places often house delicious treasures and you’ll certainly get this with ShanDong MaMa’s famous vegan zucchini dumplings ($21 for 12). Dunked in their homemade tongue-tingling chilli oil, dumpling lovers will be in heaven! There’s also a good selection of stir-fried vegetable dishes including the unusual but delicious wasabi spinach ($12.80). We also enjoyed a vegan noodle dish that might have been an on-the-night special! We went to the Bourke Street location but further research suggests that the Centre Place branch has more vegan options. I’m keen to try the cold and spicy sesame noodles ($14.90), lotus chips ($7.90) and the enoki mushroom salad ($10.90) on our next visit.
Lord of the Fries
Various locations around Melbourne, we visited 184 King Street, Melbourne 3000
Closest train station: Southern Cross
Check out more here: lordofthefries.com.au and @lordofthefries1
Because you can only eat so much kale and quinoa salad, amirite?! This 100% vegan burger joint has been a firm favourite of mine for years. The Original (from $13.65), the Biggie (from $16.90) and The Lot (from $16.90) are my usual rotation and if you don’t also get the amazing fries, what are you even doing there? You get all the juicy deliciousness of the burgers you remember from childhood or from pre-vegan midnight munchies but totally plant-based and cruelty free. It’s such a treat.
Vegie Bar
380 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy 3065
Get off the tram: Brunswick Street (stop 17 on Tram 11)
Check out more here: vegiebar.com.au and @vegiebar
One does not simply visit Melbourne and not eat at Vegie Bar.
One of the city’s highest-rated, most beloved and longest-running veggie restaurants (open since 1988), Vegie Bar hits the mark time after time. We’ve been coming here for years and never been disappointed by the extensive menu and great atmosphere of VB. Go hungry, because you will want EVERYTHING. As we’d been eating mostly burgers, dumplings and jaffles for 24 hours, we went with the Original Stir Fry ($22) and Mostly Greens ($23), both of which were chock full of fresh seasonal green vegetables and organic tofu and tempeh, served with brown rice and a mouth-watering satay sauce. And it’s worth being virtuous with your main because then you can wander next door to Vegie Bar’s sibling venture, Girls and Boys, a 100% vegan dessert bar offering ice creams, desserts and smoothies. With flavours ranging from Lemon Delicious (my favourite) to Biscoff, you’ll be looking for any excuse to return so you can try all of them.
Brother Bon
377-379 High Street, Northcote 3070
Closest train station: Northcote
Get off the tram: Arthurton Road/High Street
Check out more here: brotherbon.com.au and @brotherbonmelb
I cannot overstate how glorious it is, when you are used to getting one or two (if you’re lucky) options, to have an entire, extensive menu to choose from! Absolutely everything at this charming, spacious and friendly place is vegan – and yes, we double checked as we were in such disbelief. After a long deliberation, and quizzing the lovely server on her favourites, we enjoyed the tofu bites with tartare sauce ($16.50) which were crunchy on the outside and pillow-soft on the inside and the sensational vegetable dumplings ($15) to start. For mains, my husband couldn’t resist the “fish” and chips ($24.90) made with battered banana blossom that was gorgeously flaky and crispy. My char kway teow with “chicken” ($28) was perfection, wide toothsome noodles and fresh vegetables all tinged with that addictive smoky wok flavour I find quite irresistible. Everything was delicious and beautifully cooked and presented. With such generous portions, dessert was simply out of the question, though another table’s deep-fried banana and hazelnut roti ($19) looked very appealing. Go with an empty stomach and a party of friends who don’t mind sharing!
Naked for Satan
285 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy 3065
Get off the tram: Brunswick Street (stop 16 on Tram 11)
Check out more here: nakedforsatan.com.au and @nakedforsatan_
Come for the stunning views of Melbourne’s skyline, stay for the fabulous drinks, including a wide and intriguing range of infused vodkas, from cherry ripe to passionfruit, peach and pomegranate ($14 each). There’s plenty of vegan options on the bar menu such as hummus ($15), yellow split pea dahl ($24.50) and, of course, chips with lemon salt ($13.80). I don’t know what it is about this bar, but coming here always makes me feel young, hopeful and carefree. All things you want to feel when you’re on holiday!
Voila Patisserie
223-225 Elizabeth Street, Coburg North 3058
Closest train station: Regent
Get off the tram: West Preston/Gilbert Rd
Check out more here: voiladirect.square.site and @voilapatisseriemelbourne
An entirely gluten free patisserie that also does some incredible vegan cakes. Moist (an obligatory adjective when describing good cake!), decadent and impeccably presented, we had classic carrot cake ($7), orange polenta, toffee date pudding, chocolate velvet, and chocolate moelleux (all $7.50) to choose from and I had a hard time believing that any of them were vegan, let alone gluten-free as well. Every indulgent morsel of these sublime cakes disappeared quickly, and rightly so. They do large celebration cakes as well and if I lived in Melbourne, I think I’d be ordering a box of their fluffy mixed berry or Belgian chocolate vegan muffins ($25) pretty regularly.
Token Toasties
385 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy 3065
Get off the tram: Brunswick Street (stop 17 on Tram 11)
Check out more here: tokentoasties.com and @tokentoasties
You won’t be short of vegan options on Brunswick Street (see above!) so if you don’t feel like trundling into the CBD for a vegan toastie at Union Kiosk, you’ll find eight delicious vegan options at Token with the added bonus of fries, potato gems or onion rings to go alongside. Perfect for those mornings where you’re feeling a little dusty…or have to catch an early flight, in our case! We loved the Smash ($14) featuring avocado, “cheddar” and tomato, and the fabulously-named The Bird is Not The Word ($16) which was generously filled with chickn, avocado, jalapenos and spinach. One more Melbourne coffee for the road and that was us sorted until it was time to find an Uber to the airport. My sweatshirt really says it all.
These are just a selection of the best we encountered on our most recent trips – there were many other places we wanted to try but simply ran out of time and stomach space! Please share your own recommendations with us and stay tuned for Part Two of the Best Vegan Eats in Melbourne, which I hope will be very soon. I’m watching those flight prices like a hungry vegan hawk…
