I’m simply gonna say it: one of the best vegan meals I’ve ever eaten was in Melbourne, Australia. This metropolis is a haven for plant-based eaters, the place even the neighborhood bar has a tofu dish that might rival superb eating.
So naturally, I needed to spherical up my favourite spots from my two journeys in 2024 and 2025. This isn’t a complete listing—Melbourne has an excessive amount of good meals for that and I’m (sadly) not a resident—however it’s a greatest-hits tour of the meals that made me need to transfer there.
I’ve additionally included a handful of issues to do in Melbourne based mostly on our latest stays.
The place to eat
Ballard’s 915 Excessive St (Northcote neighborhood)
If I might teleport myself to at least one restaurant proper now, it will be Ballard’s. This cozy, unpretentious spot in Northcote has quietly earned the title of finest restaurant in Melbourne in my ebook. We went twice throughout our first journey, and made a beeline again on our second.
The menu modifications usually, but when the New Zealand-style French onion dip is on there, don’t skip it. The primary time we had it (on Valentine’s day), it was served with a tomato caramel and beetroot cracker that I nonetheless dream about. The home-made focaccia and burnt eggplant dip are additionally must-order dishes.
This fully vegan restaurant is the sensible creation of Chef Tamlyn Martinovich Faulkner, a artistic, quick-witted chef who additionally runs a very humorous (learn: not little one applicable) instagram account.
And regardless of the superb dining-level execution and beneficiant parts, this place has nice neighborhood restaurant vibes (and costs).
On Valentine’s Day final 12 months, we did the four-course tasting menu, which in some way was eight programs (2 dishes per course), and it was criminally inexpensive for the standard.
Smith + Daughters (Collingwood neighborhood)
Created by chef Shannon Martinez, Smith + Daughters is what occurs when vegan punk rock meets culinary genius. You possibly can order a la carte, however each instances, we opted for the chef’s tasting menu—principally a no-holds-barred parade of 8 to 10 dishes that the kitchen is happy about that season. Come hungry. The parts are beneficiant. I needed to be wheelbarrowed out of there on my first (the second time, I knew to tempo myself).
Should you can, reserve a seat on the bar counter. You’ll get front-row views of the kitchen motion, plus a possibility to speak with the cooks (if it’s not an excellent busy night time). On our most up-to-date go to, we talked to chef Sean, who’s been working with Martinez for seven years. Once we requested why the meals in Melbourne is so good, his reply stunned me.
“Melbourne’s not a lovely metropolis, however we’re a nightlife metropolis, so the eating places and bars are glorious. We work laborious at that.”
The opposite advantage of sitting on the bar is that the cooks can steer you in the correct route based mostly in your tastes. For example, our chef advised us that the unique dessert I had deliberate on ordering (chocolate cake as a result of I’m a chocolate lady, though cake is normally underwhelming) was good however that the banana pudding was ahmazing. And he was proper. The fluffy, creamy, completely candy and salty banana pudding was an ethereal dream.
Vegie Bar (Fitzroy neighborhood)
A Fitzroy legend, Vegie Bar is the type of place the place vegans and omnivores alike can all discover one thing enjoyable and flavorful in an informal ambiance.
The menu is huge and globe-trotting—assume pad Thai, tacos, pizza, burgers, salads, you title it. And whereas I’m typically skeptical of locations that attempt to do an excessive amount of, every thing we tried on the menu was good even when not thoughts blowing.
The actual star was the lemon meringue tart. It blew my thoughts. Like, cue dramatic music and a single tear rolling down my cheek ranges of fine. I nonetheless give it some thought and it’s simply considered one of my high 5 desserts of all time.
Patsy’s Melbourne (CBD neighborhood)
Impressed by Mediterranean wine tradition and farm-to-table eating, Patsy’s is the type of upscale however not fussy place that makes you need to keep for hours.
Should you occur to go on a sunny afternoon, the dreamy backyard is the right place to get pleasure from a vegetable-forward lunch, a glass or two of wine, and good dialog. Whereas we sipped our wines (mine non-alcoholic) and the solar flecked our shoulders, we watched the workers unpack recent summer season produce from the farm and pour samples of wine. It actually felt like a Mediterranean postcard.
The produce is grown on their farm and so they have an intensive wine menu from winemakers utilizing regenerative methods. Your entire menu is vegetarian and except a dish has cheese in it, it’s vegan.
Favourite dishes: the roasted carrots with pine nut and currant agrodolce, and the golden beetroot tortellini with poppy seeds and almond salsa.
Yuni’s Kitchen (Northcote neighborhood)
An informal Indonesian gem run by the stunning Yuni and that includes her household recipes from Indonesia, Yuni’s Kitchen serves up huge taste at tiny costs. Whereas the restaurant isn’t vegan or vegetarian, like virtually each restaurant in Melbourne, there have been a number of high-quality choices on the menu. I cherished the vegan laksa and bakwan (crispy fried corn fritters).
And if the climate is sweet, the out of doors seating is enjoyable and eccentric.
Lona Misa (South Yarra neighborhood)
One other brainchild of Chef Shannon Martinez, Lona Misa is a Latin-inspired restaurant that occurs to dwell inside a really stylish resort. Most of the menu objects are imitations of meat (not utilizing pre-made options like past meat however made in-house utilizing objects like seitan and mushrooms) the place the cooks are actually pushing the envelope. One of many dishes jogged my memory a lot of rooster that I needed to triple test with the chef that it was not the truth is rooster.
Undoubtedly a enjoyable spot to strive when you get pleasure from (or miss) meat.
Pink Sparrow Pizza (Collingwood neighborhood)
Craving pizza? Pink Sparrow is your spot. It’s an all-vegan pizzeria with severely good crust, melty vegan cheese, and a formidable lineup of pies. Additionally they serve “not wings” which are very convincingly meaty when you’re into that kind of factor.
It’s tremendous informal, so good for lunch or a laid-back night time once you need to eat one thing indulgent in stretchy pants.
Smith + Deli (Collingwood neighborhood)
Subsequent door to its grownup sister Smith + Daughters, Smith + Deli is your go-to cafe for over-the-top vegan sandwiches, pastries, and donuts. Image an almond croissant greater than my head (scrumptious, however I couldn’t end it, not even with the assistance of Max), plus breakfast sammies oozing with vegan cheese and seitan bacon.
It will get busy on weekends round brunch, so plan accordingly when you don’t need to wait in line.
Molly Rose Brewing (Collingwood neighborhood)
Molly Rose Brewing is Exhibit A within the case for why Melbourne’s meals scene is elite. Throughout our first go to, we occurred to be within the neighborhood so we popped into this bar for a drink and left raving in regards to the high quality of the meals (and variety of vegan choices).
The spotlight was the char kway teow, a Malaysian avenue meals dish made with flat stir-fried rice noodles and a deeply savory sauce. The model on their menu is vegetarian and so they simply made it vegan for us.
I had by no means heard of this dish, however what I’ve discovered is that Australia has actually good (and infrequently genuine) Malaysian meals that you just’d be hard-pressed to seek out within the U.S.
Different standouts on the menu: a watermelon tartare and a cucumber salad with whipped tofu and chili oil that was so good, I recreated it for one of many summer season meal plans in Meal Plans by Rainbow Plant Life.
Cafe Jabelle (Carlton North neighborhood)
We chanced on Cafe Jabelle, a comfortable family-run Lebanese cafe after an extended day of strolling, and had a stunning chat with the proprietor. The fattoush—topped with crispy do-it-yourself pita chips—was possibly one of the best I’ve ever had. The baba ganoush? Smoky, creamy, dreamy (even eggplant-hating Max authorized).
Issues to do in Melbourne
Melbourne is a type of cities the place you may hop from gallery to backyard to bookshop to avenue artwork tour—and discover world-class vegan eats each step of the way in which. Whereas the meals was clearly the star of the present for me, these experiences added a lot coloration, allure, and inspiration to our journey.
Soak Up Artwork on the Nationwide Gallery of Victoria
Do you know that many museums in Australia are free? I didn’t, and I used to be totally ready to fork over money to go to the Nationwide Gallery of Victoria (NGV), Australia’s oldest artwork museum. However nope—the everlasting collections are free to discover, and so they’re spectacular.
The NGV is house to every thing from classical European artwork to modern Indigenous Australian works, plus ornamental arts, trend, and sculpture.
We did find yourself paying for tickets for the particular Yayoi Kusama exhibit, and it was so value it. I went in understanding virtually nothing about this Japanese artist, and got here out totally obsessed. This lady is in her 90s and nonetheless creating mesmerizing, avant-garde artwork. Her story is wild and deeply shifting—she’s been pushing inventive boundaries for the reason that Nineteen Fifties with a method that’s daring, whimsical, and deeply private.
Stroll by means of the Royal Botanic Gardens
One other shocker? The Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria are additionally free. I don’t know who determined that artwork and sweetness must be this accessible in Australia, however I totally help them.
The gardens are large and have superbly landscaped grounds with every thing from tropical rainforest gullies and eucalyptus groves to lakes, open lawns, and unique plant collections. One minute you’re in a fern-filled forest, the subsequent you’re standing below a blooming arbour of roses.
We went on a weekday and the vibe was pure serenity: folks studying novels below the shade of big bushes, buddies catching up over lunch, and solo walkers simply soaking all of it in. It’s the type of place that makes you’re feeling immediately extra relaxed and grounded.
Admire avenue artwork in Fitzroy
Throughout our first journey, we stayed close to the Fitzroy neighborhood, which I’d describe as considerably extra hip and extra artsy than I’m. The factor we do have in frequent is a love for vegan meals. I’m not exaggerating once I say that each single block had no less than one vegan or vegetarian restaurant.
And the road artwork scene right here is subsequent stage. Assume building-sized murals and alleyways reworked into open-air galleries or avenue markets. You possibly can be part of a guided avenue artwork tour or simply wander aimlessly—you’ll discover one thing Instagram-worthy on almost each block.
Bonus tip: Seize a espresso whereas strolling as a result of the espresso in Melbourne, just like the meals, is outrageously good.
Fitzroy Gardens
To not be confused with the neighborhood of Fitzroy, Fitzroy Gardens is a historic inexperienced area that’s only a brief stroll from the CBD—and nicely value a go to. If the Royal Botanic Gardens are grand and sprawling, Fitzroy Gardens are extra intimate and storybook-like.
You’ll discover stately elms, a delicate waterfall or two, and quirky charms like a mannequin Tudor Village and Cooks’ Cottage (shipped from England and rebuilt right here, it was initially the house of Captain James Cook dinner’s dad and mom). There’s additionally a flower-filled conservatory that smells like heaven and appears like a postcard.
It’s a peaceable little escape from town bustle—an ideal place to decelerate and let your toes (and mind) relaxation.
Books for Cooks
Books for Cooks, a hidden gem in Queen Victoria Market, is a culinary nerd’s dream: a comfortable, independently owned bookshop filled with 40,000 books on meals, cooking, and wine. If I had been touring solo, I’d’ve spent half the day right here, jotting down recipe inspiration.
However I used to be with Max (who is gorgeous, however not a cookbook hoarder), so I restricted myself to a 30-minute dash. We acquired to satisfy Tim, the great proprietor, and I even signed the final copy of Huge Vegan Taste that they had in inventory.
Should you love cookbooks as a lot as I do (or simply desire a distinctive foodie memento), this spot is a should.
Your Flip—Spill the Melbourne Tea!
As talked about, this listing barely scratches the floor—Melbourne is stacked with wonderful eats, cool neighborhoods, and distinctive locations to remain. I’m at all times on the lookout for new spots to take a look at, so when you’ve been to Melbourne (otherwise you’re an area!), I’d love to listen to your favorites within the feedback.
Whether or not it’s a hole-in-the-wall cafe, a must-do exercise, or a dreamy resort, ship these recs my means!
And when you haven’t been, positively bookmark it to your subsequent foodie trip!
