The Best Vegetarian Restaurants in Sydney
Vegetarians used to be an afterthought on menus, with just two or three uninspiring dishes to choose from. That's changing – big time. Veg is now hot property in fine dining, for reasons both ethical and creative. Just look to Yellow and Alibi, two top Sydney restaurants who've made veg the main event. But the meat-free attitude also lives at casual venues, and this list strikes a balance between both. Not all these places are strictly vegetarian, but all have veg-forward offerings that go well beyond mushroom risotto.
Restaurant
Maydanoz
A veg-forward diner inspired by Turkey’s Aegean coastline. Meze is at the heart of the menu, and you can pair dishes such as beetroot falafel with Turkish wines you won’t find elsewhere.
Restaurant
Flyover Fritterie
A two-level diner influenced by the nameless street food stalls that sit under overpasses in India. Visit for the classic pakoras and chai, then come back for the jaffles with potatoes and peanut chutney, and lentil stews.
Restaurant
Pizza Madre
The Two Chaps team have passed the baton to new owners, but their meat-free legacy remains. The seasonal menu changes weekly, with vegetarian toppings you’ve probably never tried on a slice of pizza. And – busy intersection be damned – an al fresco meal on the footpath outside is a quintessential Marrickville experience.
Restaurant
Pinky-Ji
At Pinky-Ji, “unauthentic Indian” chef Jessi Singh brings all the fun and flavour of his Melbourne diner Daughter in Law to the Sydney CBD. Expect modern takes on Indian dishes in a neon-lit room draped in red velvet. Plus, a private dining room with a karaoke machine pumping tunes from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s.
Restaurant
Cairo Takeaway
Bright-green felafel, rolls stuffed with charcoal lamb and a Cairo brunch.
Restaurant
Bad Hombres
This Mexican diner's menu is entirely plant-based, and it's all the better for it. If you're a veg-lover and a fan of Mexican flavours, this is the spot for you. When your tortilla's loaded with pastor-style mushrooms, pico de gallo and pineapple; you won't even notice the meat's gone.
Restaurant
The Gantry
Enjoy artful, seafood-forward plates at this sophisticated diner at the heritage Pier One wharf. Inside it's all about sleek dark timbers – but it's the outdoor experience that truly shines. A table by Walsh Bay water is the ideal setting for a long lunch or elegant dinner.
Restaurant
Bentley Restaurant & Bar
Yellow's sister restaurant has been around since 2006, but it's more recently that it's begun catering to vegetarians with a separate tasting menu.
Cafe
Two Chaps
Behind a low-key roller door is vegetarian cafe par excellence, which also does epic pasta dinners. Sustainable and made on-site is the ethos here, and the cabinet is loaded with sandwiches and doughnuts to takeaway.
Restaurant
INDU
The creative Indian menu is half meat, half not. Everybody wins.
Restaurant
Alibi Bar and Dining
A colourful hotel restaurant with a completely plant-based menu by Shannon Martinez, the chef behind Melbourne's pioneering vegan restaurant, Smith & Daughters.
Restaurant
Jimmy's Falafel
Jimmy’s Falafel's colourful room features booths, frosted-glass sconces and tourism posters of cosmopolitan 1960s Beirut. As the name suggests, there’s falafel, which is stuffed in pita (among other things) and served alongside meze plates including eggplant salad, hummus and silverbeet. At night, there’s also meat cooked on the charcoal grill, and a wonderful smoky scent permeates the air.
Restaurant
Gigi Pizzeria
The first pizzeria in Sydney to go completely vegan. And if anything, the lines to get in are bigger than ever. Umami-rich, plant-based toppings here go above and beyond mere substitute status. You won’t miss the meat and cheese, that’s for sure.
Restaurant
Yulli's
An vegetarian favourite on Sydney's Crown Street strip.
Restaurant
Kindred
An ex-A Tavola chef serves handmade pasta, batch beer on tap and natural wines out of his Darlington home.
Restaurant
Otto Ristorante
Halfway down Woollomooloo’s picturesque Finger Wharf, Otto has been celebrating la dolce vita for more than 20 years. Also, seasonal produce in the form of modern Italian dishes – best enjoyed from the seats that spill out onto the wharf overlooking the sparkling harbour.
-4b1dc07045.webp)
-d9ac90c5f1.webp)
