Melbourne has fast become the vegan capital of Australia and is a great destination if you are a vegan foodie.
The number of restaurants here offering great vegan options here is incredible, but it could also be overwhelming if it’s your first time here.
In this guide, I’ve narrowed down the best vegan Melbourne cafes and restaurants that you need to visit. Mark them down in your foodie bucket list:
Funghi e Tartufo
This fully Italian restaurant located in Hardware Lane in Melbourne CBD is one of the best meals I’ve had in my Melbourne trip.
The dishes here are authentic and superb. Amazing depth of flavours. Everything tastes amazing, but I’m especially wowed by the desserts.
For primi (main course), the fried eggplant Napoli tagliatelle and truffle mushroom pappardelle are standouts. Afterwards, definitely get the cheesecake al cioccolato (tastes like a Ferrero Rocher in a cheesecake form) and pistachio gelato (superbly rich and flavourful) to finish off your meal.
Service is also top-notch. Friendly and helpful staff even though the restaurant was completely full when I visited.
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Red Sparrow Pizza
This vegan wood-fire pizzeria in Melbourne makes great pizzas, and even more amazing vegan wings.
The pizzas are fresh, and the base is fragrant and chewy. Tried the pepperoni pizza, cheeseburger pizza (with crumbled burger patty, cheese, pickles, sesame seeds, etc) and the G.O.A.T pizza (a special with vegan goat cheese, caramelised onion, tomato, pine nuts, etc). All three pizzas I've tried here are consistently great.
But the stand out dish for me is their Not Wings vegan chicken wings. The texture is one of the best I’ve had. Perfectly meaty and delicious. And the wings are coated with a sweet sticky sauce. Don't miss this if you are a fan of vegan meat alternatives.
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Nuttea
Nuttea makes delicious bubble tea with thick cream made with 5 types of nuts - Walnut, hazelnut, cashew, almond and macadamia. It’s hard to find a vegan cream that’s this thick, creamy with a nutty flavour. I would highly recommend getting a drink with the thick cream, like the earl grey with chocolate nut cream or the matcha nut mylk tea.
They have two locations in Melbourne - One in Melbourne Central, and one in Fitzroy located inside Vincent's Marketplace, which is a vegan grocery store.
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Smith & Deli
Smith & Deli in Melbourne offers a modern and sophisticated vegan deli experience, specializing in sandwiches and baked goods.
You’ll find a selection of toasties and sandwiches here like the reubenstein toastie which has pastrami and sauerkraut, or the foghorn legless which is a sourdough sandwich with schnitzel and bacon.
For me, the highlight here is the selection of pastries. You’ll find a cabinet full of delectable options, like the berry yoghurt danish and the chocolate stick that I tried, both of which are fantastic.
They also have a grocery section selling pantry staples and frozen ready-to-eat meals.
Union Kiosk
Union Kiosk specialises in jaffles, which is a closed toasted sandwich. Everything is vegan here and they have a great selection of jaffles with coffee. You'll also find a cabinet full of baked goods like croissant and cookies.
Out of all the jaffles I've tried here, I love the Korean beef kimchi gochujang jaffle, and the tthe tofu scramble, ham, cheese and hollandaise jaffles. The mac and cheese one, however, is a bit weak in the cheesy flavours.
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Neko Neko
Although Neko Neko is not a vegan restaurant, many of their dishes are vegan. The vegan options are marked with a 🌱.
If you are a cat lover, you will also love the cat magazines and decor here. “Neko” means cat in Japanese.
All their ramen are vegan by default, and you can add extra toppings or change to gluten free ramen for extra. They also have vegan bento, curry and bento.
The vegan tan tan ramen, which is a soy mince ramen in a creamy sesame broth, is delicious with a flavourful broth. The texture of the ramen is also great. Recommended!
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Sister Of Soul
Sister Of Soul in St Kilda is a 100% vegan restaurant with an Asian focused fusion menu.
The food in general is pretty good, although nothing really stand out to me. Pleasantly surprised to see okonomiyaki on the menu, as it’s not common to see a vegan version. It’s a panfried cabbage pancake drizzled with tonkatsu sauce and mayo. One of my favourite dishes that night. However, the Nasi Goreng and Zen Balance Bowl are not very memorable.
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Wabi Sabi Salon
Decorated with colourful traditional Japanese signs, Wabi Sabi Salon is a vegan-option restaurant located in Collingwood. They have 3 vegan teishoku sets and I chose the ‘pumpkin stuffed mushroom tempura’. Teishoku, meaning ‘set meal’ in Japanese, usually comes with a main dish, several side dishes, soup and rice.
The price for the teishoku sets are pretty high at around $32, but the quality and variety of food make it worthwhile. Each component, from the main dish to the small sides, is delicious and offers a great range of textures and flavours. The crispy mushroom tempura, in particular, stood out as my favourite. I also added a mini curry to the set, though it didn’t quite justify the additional $6.
Beyond teishoku, Wabi Sabi Salon also offers vegan tantan ramen, gyoza, and tofu curry rice.
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Lona Misa
Lona Misa is a vegetarian restaurant at the Ovolo hotel in South Yarra, Melbourne. When you first arrived, you’ll be welcomed by its funky and colourful decor. You’ll definitely be obsessed with the space if you like taking photos for Instagram.
I visited here for breakfast; They have 4 vegan choices in the breakfast menu. The Tom's famous dumplings are served with black soy vinegar, fermented chilli and goji berries. It’s tasty with deep flavours thanks to the vinegar with chilli. Another dish that I love is the crispy potato rosti. It’s like the better version if a hash brown.
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Jumi’s Cafe
Located in South Yarra, Jumi’s Cafe is a healthy vegan cafe with a good selection of wraps, salads and desserts. Although they focus on takeaway, they still have a few seats in the cafe.
I tried one of their superfood smoothies which is well-made and delicious.
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Piccolina Gelateria
This gelato specialty shop has several locations in Melbourne. Their dairy-free options are vegan, featuring flavors such as dark chocolate, passionfruit, and the pistachio gelato I tried. The texture and flavours are excellent, making it an ideal spot to grab dessert after dinner.
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Daniels Donuts
This doughnut chain has some tasty vegan options, including vegan custard, jam, cream & jam and original glazed. With multiple locations in Melbourne, this is a convenient option if you want to have something sweet during the day.
Multiple locations | Instagram | Facebook
Hikari
This cafe in Melbourne CBD is not particularly vegan friendly, but I tried the soy matcha latte here and it’s amazing. The minimalist, wooden interior makes it a great place to sit down for a drink in the busy Melbourne city.
Hareruya Pantry
This hole-in-the-wall Japanese takeaway shop has some unique vegan gelato flavours. On the day of visit, they have two vegan flavours: akashiso (red shiso/perilla), and red fruits + elderflower yuzu.
I chose the latter to make a monaka, which is a Japanese sweet usually made with sweet red bean paste sandwiched between two wafers. This one is a more modern take with ice cream/sorbet.
Vincent's Marketplace
This grocery shop in Fitzroy carries all vegan products. The selection of mock meat and Asian items is amazing here. The prices are also quite reasonable.
You’ll also find the amazing Nuttea here if you haven’t tried the branch in Melbourne CBD.
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Girls & Boys
This place has some of the best vegan ice cream. Not only is the ice cream good, you can also have it as thick-shake, sundaes and ice cream cookie sandwich. They also have a selection of smoothies and açai bowls.
On the other side of the shop you’ll find the takeaway counter of Vegie Bar. Selection includes burgers, pizzas, burritos and more.
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Lord Of The Fries
This vegan fast food chain has a few branches in Melbourne. You’ll find the classic items like burgers and loaded fries here. The taste is generally pretty decent, but because it’s a franchise business, sometimes the service can be inconsistent from shop to shop.
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CIBI
The food here is not my favourite, which is a shame because of its unique atmosphere. The store is separated into the cafe section and the shop section. The shop carries beautiful kitchenware and imported Japanese goods.
However, the dishes here are not particularly vegan friendly. I chose the vegan CIBI lunch plate. The main part of the dish is 3 thin slices of glazed eggplant and a piece of tofu cake. The vegetarian version has an egg, but there’s no substitute for that when changing to vegan. Other than the eggplant and tofu, there’s just cooked veggies and rice. Overall, for vegans, you’re not getting enough food for the price.
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Honourable Mentions (That I didn’t Get The Time To Go)
Smith and Daughters
Vegie Bar
Green Man’s Arms
Trippy Taco
Gong De Lin
Goje
Woking Amazing
Brother Bon
Loving Hut
Shu
