Vegan food is food. It’s also good food.
And sometimes, it’s great because long gone are the days of being served salad after salad after salad. And although there still seems to be some aversion to food that is vegan, it’s clearly on the downward trend. (Featured image: Speedo’s Cafe)
In Sydney, we can now find fine-dining vegan restaurants as well as pizzerias and desserts. There are pub classics turned vegan and quite the number of restaurants that have ditched the meat to provide diners with cruelty-free alternatives. So, whatever your definition of good food is, there’s certainly something to pique your interest here.
1. Gelato Blue, Newtown
Sometimes we want to go straight to dessert and skip the main. We’ve all been there, and then we’ve all felt some guilt afterward. However, that guilty feeling is lessened when dessert is gelato from Gelato Blue who make their gelato with coconut milk. They’ve got a tonne of flavours just like a regular ice creamery and they even do sugar-free flavours for those on an extra health kick.
Find Gelato Blue at 318 King Street
2. Speedo’s Cafe, North Bondi
Not all the items on the menu at Speedo’s are vegan, but these caramelised banana and chia pancakes most definitely are.
Find Speedo’s Cafe at 126 Ramsgate Avenue
3. Gigi Pizzeria, Newtown
When we first heard of Gigi’s Pizzeria, we immediately thought that pizza without cheese was impossible. Or, a crime. But these thoughts were just our preconceived notions which were blown away once we actually tasted the pizzas at Gigi’s. The pizzas are stone roasted in a wood-fired oven in the traditional Neapolitan method and use the finest ingredients around so you don’t even notice that there’s no cheese.
Find Gigi’s Pizzeria at 379 King Street
4. Alibi Bar and Kitchen, Woolloomooloo
Alibi’s menu is designed by Matthew Kenney, the world-renowned plantbased chef who refuses to compromise on flavour and style. In collaboration with executive chef Kasper Christensen and group chef Scott Winegard, Alibi’s menu features some vegan dishes that are healthy and others that are not so healthy. Go all out and order the Chef’s Tasting Menu. You won’t be disappointed.
Find Alibi at 6 Cowper Wharf Roadway
5. Yellow, Potts Point
Although vegan food is often linked to ethical eating, that’s not the focus at Yellow. Instead, Yellow is about creating fine-dining quality food that just happens to be plant-based. Sit down to a five or seven-course tasting menu and you’ll soon find out how fabulous their creations are.
Find Yellow at 57 MacLeay Street
6. The Green Lion, Marrickville
Your typical pub fare, but vegan. It doesn’t just look good, it is good. There are burgers, schnitties and pizzas, pastas and even a seafood basket. At their new premises in Marrickville (formerly, the Green Lion could be found in Rozelle), you can eat-in, takeaway or have your meal home delivered. BYO is also on the cards.
Find The Green Lion at 14 Chalder Street
7. Flyover, Sydney CBD
Every week at Flyover there is a new menu featuring the freshest of veg, which is just one of the reasons why this hole-in-the-wall Indian streetfood venue has a solid following. To find out what will be on the menu, check their Instagram. Expect fritters though, made from a variety of vegetables. Yummy!
Find Flyover at 1 Temperance Lane
8. Bad Hombres, Surry Hills and Bondi
You wouldn’t immediately think vegan when talking about Mexican food, but when you’re talking about Bad Hombres, you immediately think good food. And the good food they serve up is 100% plant-based and damn tasty. So, the next time you’re thinking about eating Mexican for dinner, think Bad Hombres.
Find Bad Hombres at 40 Reservoir Street and Shop 8 Upper Ground Floor, 75-79 Hall Street
9. Bodhi, Sydney CBD
Dim Sum it up at Bodhi in Hyde Park. Yum Cha lunch is served daily from 11am to 2pm (3pm Sundays) where you’ll find Australian field mushroom dumplings, green tea and choy sum dumplings, and pan seared stuffed sweet potato slice to name just a few of the incredible dishes you could choose from.
Find Bodhi at 2/4 College Street