Being vegetarian and even vegan while traveling is getting easier. Back when I lived in Oz in 2001, vegetarian was a rare enough concept…forget about vegan. When I went back in 2012 for my honeymoon, even then finding vegetarian food was challenging. And now within just 5 years things have changed significantly.
Vegan and plant based diets have gained recognition and enough following for chefs, cooks and restaurateurs around the globe to stop and pay attention.
Sydney, Australia is no exception. And I’m not talking about just the traditional vegetarian flavors we’re all accustomed to – Indian and Thai. You can vegetarian and vegan Chinese, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Australian, Italian, and even burgers!
Below I’ve presented restaurants in a few ways:
- by cuisine
- a separate list of restaurants that only serve vegetarian or vegan (no non-veg at all!)
- casual dining and fine dining
- and because I wanted to, a separate section on Indian food in Sydney
As you may know, the restaurant business is one of the hardest to get into and maintain (props to those that have ventured down this path!). And that means restaurants come and go. This is an up-to-date list, as of today, but as always double check before you head there! And I rely on our readers to share info, that can be added, edited or deleted based on your most recent experiences traveling there! So please do share!
{Vegetarian and Vegan Food in Sydney, Australia}
Asian Cuisine:
I ate at Peace Harmony a few times during my most recent visit. They had two locations – one near Darling Harbour and another in the Central Business District. According to their website, they took a break and are planning to re-open again sometime this year. Both locations were very casual, hole in the wall places and the food was really good.
Bodhi Restaurant (20 minute walk from Darling Harbour)
Mother Chu’s Vegetarian Kitchen (about a 20 minute walk from Darling Harbour)
Green Gourmet 100% vegan, Chinese food, specializes in Yum Cha (about 2mi or 35 minute walk from Darling Harbour; probably Uber or get a cab)
Golden Lotus is casual, 100% vegan Vietnamese cuisine in Newtown (about 3mi from Darling Harbour)
Burgers and Fries:
Lord of the Fries is an Australian chain restaurant serving vegan burgers and fries. There are 2 central Sydney locations – George Street (about 10 minute walk from Darling Harbour) as well as in Central Station. There’s also a location in the Paramatta Westfield Mall, but that’s quite far from the city center.
Soul Burger is 100% plant based or vegan burgers, fries and shakes.
Sweet and Savory Pies:
Funky Pies serves vegan as well as gluten free, savory and sweet pies; in Bondi
Fine Dining (reservations are recommended):
The Gantry – they offer a full vegetarian menu as well as a tasting menu and are located right on the water near the Harbour Bridge.
Yulli’s – all of their dishes are vegetarian and/or vegan and/or gluten free, served in a quirky tasting room. It’s a little over a mile from Darling Harbour in Surry Hills, closer to Allianz Stadium.
The Malaya – Serving Malaysian food with harbour views. They have a separate vegetarian menu that appears to be vegan as well.
Cafe Sydney – the rooftop restaurant offers sweeping panoramic views and they have a separate vegan menu.
Bentley Restaurant – $$$, they have 1 vegetarian entree and a separate vegetarian tasting menu; rather expensive for the food for vegetarians (the ambiance is great!).
est. is French fusion cuisine. They have a small, separate vegetarian menu.
Raw Food:
Earth to Table: at Bondi Junction; must try the cakes! $$, casual
{Restaurants that are 100% Vegetarian and/or Vegan}
The restaurants on this list are taken from the categories above. I just wanted to add the 100% vegetarian restaurants in a separate list for anyone who only eats at places that do not serve non-vegetarian items.
Casual:
Peace Harmony Sydney: casual, $$, Vietnamese
Soul Burger is 100% plant based or vegan burgers, fries and shakes
Bodhi Restaurant: somewhere between casual and fine dining, $$, more Vietnamese
Mother Chu’s Vegetarian Kitchen: casual, $$, Chinese
Green Gourmet is casual, $$, 100% vegan Chinese in Newtown
Golden Lotus is casual, 100% vegan Vietnamese cuisine in Newtown
Fine Dining:
Yulli’s: fine dining, $$$
Harvest Vegetarian Restaurant: fine dining, $$$
{Indian Food in Sydney, Australia}
There are a number of Indian restaurants in Sydney. I didn’t eat at any. I was in Sydney about a week after my wedding at which we had had nothing but Indian food for several weeks straight, so I stayed away from it on my honeymoon in Aus. However usually Indian food is very vegetarian friendly.
As far as fine dining, Indian food my husband and I did check out Zaaffran on our most recent visit. We found it not good for vegetarians and also very expensive. It’s in the mall at Darling Harbour, so the expensive part is to be expected as what you’re really paying for (as a vegetarian) is the ambiance.
The Spice Room ($$$) in Circular Quay is much more vegetarian and vegan-friendly and offers all the traditional North Indian dishes and others.
For a more casual Indian meal check out, INDU, serving South Indian and Sri Lankan cuisine in the Central Business District (CBD). They serve dosa and vegan dosa.
There’s no Indian food in the Rocks but just jaunt over to nearby Circular Quay for the Spice Room.
{Conclusion}
Accessing vegan and vegetarian food in Sydney is getting easier and the speed at which things are changing is increasing. When I was there 5 years ago food was a challenge. Now there are SO many casual and fine dining options. As the plant based diet movement gains steam, more and more fully vegan and vegetarian restaurants will open as well as increasingly restaurants will offer delicious and creative vegetarian options.
In Sydney, you’ll find a variety of vegetarian and vegan options from Australian pies to Indian to Vietnamese, Thai and Chinese.
The restaurant business is touch and they come and go. This is a comprehensive list as of today (January 30, 2018), but make sure to double check the restaurants are still there before you visit!
I hope you found this info helpful! If you end up visiting Sydney, I wish you a BRILLIANT time and enjoy lots of delicious meals! I really hope this article helps you prepare and get everything you need! Let me know what you thought of it! I love hearing from our readers, as well as your fun, funny, interesting, and helpful stories from your travel experiences! You might like to follow us on Facebook and Instagram too, where we share a lot of different content and images.
{About PassportPages}
I created the PassportPages travel blog, to provide nuanced, detailed travel advice, tips, and hacks for traveling all over the world — from a unique and different perspective than the other popular travel blogs. There aren’t as many travel blogs geared towards:
- nuanced, detailed travel tips and advice
- vegetarians/vegan travelers
- ethnic Americans, Canadians, and others
- petite women
As a non-Caucasian there’s an additional layer to traveling abroad that other popular travel bloggers can’t relate to, like my experience on my most recent trip to Paris.
{About Samta}
When I’m not traveling and/or adventuring (and even when I am), I operate my tech startup, ShaadiShop. ShaadiShop is a marketplace for Indian-friendly wedding venues in California.
During undergrad I decided to study abroad which triggered my travel passion. I lived in Adelaide, Australia for a year and after that, for the next 10 years I spent 1-2 months each year, traveling to various destinations around the globe, on my own while I managed my direct marketing company.
I think traveling solo, prepared me to become an entrepreneur – journeying into new experiences, figuring it out as I went, self-reliance, facing your fears head on, trying new things, and so much more!
Then I decided to get a Masters in Business Administration, and I met my husband. Now we travel around the globe together and often. I love backpacks, vegetarian and vegan cooking and of course planning our next trip. I’m also kinda addicted to blueberries. =p
Check in on the blog or better yet follow PassportPages to get travel info from around the world. And definitely post your questions and comments. I love hearing from our readers! Cheers!
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