Best Vegetarian Restaurants in Sydney

I am not a vegetarian, but I do love a good veggie meal every now and then.

Sydney has a huge number of restaurants that cater to both vegans and vegetarians. Many of which are award winning and/or fine dining establishments.

From plant based set menus, to meat-free burger bars, many restaurants in Sydney have well and truly dispelled the myth that vegetarian food is boring and bland.

Tasty and filling, these establishments showcase much of the best seafood and vegetable produce in Australia. Here is a selection of some of my favourite places.

The Green Lion

On the face of it, a vegetarian restaurant in a historical Australian pub seems to be a bit of a non-starter. But at The Green Lion it not only works, but people really do love it!

Situated in Marrickville, in an upstairs room at the Red Lion Hotel, the menu features traditional pub meals like fish and chips, huge burgers and nachos ' all of which is cruelty-free, and plant based.

The food here is great, and to fully embrace the veggie vibe you can even enjoy these comfort dishes with a vegan wine or two (from the Raw Vine Estate).

Gigi Pizzeria

Pizza is a real comfort food for me and one of my favourite joints in the whole of Sydney is the wonderful Gigi Pizzeria in Newtown.

A traditional Italian pizzeria, they make the most amazing wood fired pizzas and calzone in an authentic Napoletana Style, which just happen to all be vegan.

I tend to order the Funghi e Radiccio pizza, which features a delicious mix of Swiss brown mushrooms, dairy-free blue cheese, parsley, radicchio and roasted walnuts.

But most people seem to come here for their traditional marinara which they have with an ice cold glass of Aperol Spritz.

Bad Hombres

They might be known as Bad Hombres, but this restaurant makes fantastic Mexican food without a single animal product.

Located in Surry Hills, they offer a fully vegan and gluten-free menu designed to share that comes in two parts. One of which is Mexican and the other Japanese.

The laid-back restaurant is a really cool place, with casual themed d'cor and a toe-tapping 80's playlist that creates the perfect vibe in which to dine.

They offer an excellent range of dishes like FABLE Shiitake Mushroom Birria Tacos and Oyster Mushroom Alambre. As well as fabulous natural wines and tequila/mezcal cocktails.

Yulli's

Some of the most dynamic vegetarian food you could possibly hope to experience is offered up at Yulli's.

This Surry Hills institution serves an innovative menu of Asian, Mexican and Moroccan fusion food along with a fully vegan wine list too.

This popular restaurant is always busy, so it's a good idea to book ahead. But if you are able to secure a table for yourself then be sure to try out the stuffed zucchini flowers, which are made with house-made wasabi mayonnaise.

One of the best aspects of this restaurant is the live entertainment it sometimes has. This includes music, bluegrass, performance art, spoken word and even amateur film nights.

Bodhi In The Park (CLOSED)

Now this is a really cool place!

Situated in St Mary's Cathedral College at Hyde Park, this delightful restaurant offers top notch vegan yum cha and pan-Asian cuisine.

An award winning restaurant, their enlightened food is designed to be good for the body and great for the soul.

Many people come here just for the cocktails which are certainly pretty good, but I personally come here for the yam tempura spring rolls and spicy green papaya salad, which are both utterly amazing.

A quirk of this restaurant is that interestingly, and rather unconventionally, no garlic or onion is used in any of their dishes.

Other Notable Restaurants

Yellow

Soul Burger

Badde Manors

Lentil As Anything

Alibi Bar & Kitchen