Eating Vegan in Australia

After months of traveling through Southeast Asia, eating vegan in Australia felt almost effortless.

I no longer had to ask whether cafés had plant-based milk, scan menus for hidden ingredients, or explain what vegan meant. Most places offered at least a few vegan options, and many cafés and restaurants clearly labeled them on the menu.

Another thing that changed that I wasn’t eating by myself anymore.

Since Doreen isn’t vegan, we usually picked regular restaurants that offered good vegan dishes instead of searching for exclusively for vegan places. It worked out perfectly and gave me the chance to tru all kinds of different cuisines.

Breakfast quickly became my favorite meal of the day.

Flat whites or lattes with oat milk.

Avocado toast.

Smoothies.

Let’s take a moment for the coffee. Australia absolutely lives up to its café reputation.

I don’t think I’ve ever eaten so many avocado toasts in such a period of time, if there was one vegan one on the menu, I would order it.

Dinner was usually a mix of Italian, Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Burgers, or whatever looked good that evening. One thing we both noticed were the portion sizes.

Let’s just say Australians don’t hold back on the fries. Almost every burger came with a mountain of them, and I was usually far too full to even think about dessert.

One unexpected discovery that Doreen and I both fell in love with was lemon, lime & bitters.

I’d never heard of it before Australia, but it quickly became our go-to-drink whenever we ate out. Refreshing, slightly bittersweet, and perfect on a warm summer evening.

Some of My Favorite Spots

Melbourne

Seedling Café easily served the best avocado toast of my entire trip around the world. Their vegan feta tasted unbelievably close to the real thing, and I still think about that breakfast 6 months later :D

I also loved Union Kiosk for its incredible jaffles and pastries, and Smith Burg, where I had an excellent fried cauliflower burger.

Along the Road Trip

One of my favorite discoveries was The Cove in Lakes Entrance. Their vegan fish & chips were outstanding, and the menu offered far more vegan choices that I expected.

Another memorable stop was Kohli’s Waterfront Indian Restaurant in Batemans Bay, where I had what might genuinely be the best chana masala I’ve ever eaten.

In Mallacoota, we enjoyed dinner at Scallywags (I had a great Broccolini-Kale-Salad), while Enzo’s Cucina became a great stop for comforting tomato gnocchi.

Blue Mountains & Sidney

If you’re visiting the Blue Mountains, I highly recommend stopping at Sparrows in Leura. Healthy food, excellent coffee and exactly the kind of cafe you hope to stumble upon in a hiking day.

In Sydney, I loved grabbing pie from Funky Pies near Bondi Beach before continuing the famous Bondi to Coogee walk.

For breakfast, Shuk in The Rocks became another favorite thanks to its fantastic coffee, thick shakes and an avocado toast with almond curd that was every bit as good as it sounds.

Tasmania

Tasmania surprised me with some wonderful cafés.

In St. Helens, The Lifebuoy Café served a delicious pasta salad, while Peggy’s in Bicheno kindly made a vegan sandwich that wasn’t on the menu - it came with kimchi and avocado and ended up being one of my favorite lunches on the island.

In Hobart, I kept returning to Little Lotus Café with great vegan dishes - needless to say, it became my go-to spot.

Final Thoughts

Being vegan in Australia felt easy.

Whether it was a neighborhood café, an Asian restaurant or a burger place, I almost always found something delicious without having to plan much ahead.

And if there’s only a few things I’ll forever associate with Australia, it’s this:

A flat white.

An avocado toast.

And a lemon, lime & bitters to finish the day :P