The 17 Best Vegetarian Restaurants In Sydney For 2024

Almost all restaurants these days will have two or three vegetarian options. Eating out in Sydney with dietary requirements (or preferences) is really no issue, but you’ll still find that many kitchens are limited if they need to cater to meatless diets.

Many menus are designed without much consideration towards “alternative” diets. That’s why, if you’re trying to steer clear of meat, it’s always worth tracking down the best vegetarian restaurants in Sydney.

Below, I’ve listed my favourite vegetarian restaurants in Sydney. These all have substantial options for vegetarians or are exclusively vegetarian, vegan or plant-based.

Note that this list is not ranked.

Best Vegetarian Restaurants In Sydney

1. Yellow, Potts Point

When The Bentley Group first opened Yellow in 2014, it was yet another strong showing from the modest hospitality group behind its award-winning namesake restaurant and popular wine bar Monopole. In 2016, the eatery made a bold move by switching to being exclusively vegetarian and vegan, offering a set menu that highlights just how exciting meat-free eating could be when done perfectly.

2. Alibi Bar & Dining, Woolloomooloo

Inside the Ovolo Hotel on Woolloomooloo’s iconic Finger Wharf, Alibi Bar & Dining is another exclusively vegetarian and vegan restaurant flipping the script on dietaries. There’s a great deal of plant-based food here, aligned with Ovolo Group’s commitment to making each of their hotel restaurants meat-free.

While I prefer Mr. Percy at Pyrmont’s 1888 by Ovolo, Alibi is an excellent showcase of creativity by stalwart plant-based chef Shannon Martinez who draws on her Spanish heritage to give the menu a tonne of flavour.

3. Bentley Restaurant & Bar, Sydney CBD

One of Sydney’s most renowned fine dining restaurants offers several equally excellent set menus. And there’s one just for vegans, ensuring that anyone trying to steer clear of meat doesn’t feel like an afterthought. Opt for this and you’ll see why Bentley’s reputation is still faultless when it comes to Sydney’s most discerning diners.

4. Two Chaps, Marrickville

You can get a vegan version of most things on the menu at this popular cafe in Marrickville, making Two Chaps a popular choice for those with dietaries who aren’t ready to compromise. There’s an entire Mediterranean-leaning vegetarian menu to get across, packing in everything from house-made doughnuts and cakes to seasonal salads, sandwiches and substantials.

5. Mister Percy, Pyrmont

Another notch in the belt for Ovolo Group’s pioneering plant-based approach, Mister Percy is a European-inspired wine bar and kitchen with a reputation for consistency (and good wine). I prefer it over Alibi because of the setting. Located in a former wool store, the heritage space has plenty of intimate nooks making it perfect for date night.

6. INDU, Sydney CBD

With a significant part of the menu dedicated to vegetarian dishes, this Indian and Sri Lankan restaurant under Angel Place is one of my top picks for meat-free dining. Most of the dosa and hopper menus don’t use any meat at all, with fillings like palak paneer and roasted masala mushrooms.

7. Chin Chin, Surry Hills

I actually prefer the vegetarian options at Chin Chin, which is still one of the most popular Asian fusion restaurants in Australia. Exported from Melbourne in 2017, the buzzy neon-lit eatery is most known for dishes like its wagyu pad see ew, but vegetarians are well taken care of with dishes like DIY spring rolls with peanut satay and rich yellow curry with grilled zucchini, tofu and squash. Or you can just go for the vegetarian banquet menu to get all the best meat-free dishes in one hit.

8. Kindred, Darlington

You won’t find many of Sydney’s top Italian restaurants with as many vegetarian options as Darlington’s underrated Kindred. You’ve got a good few options when you’re going meat-free, from handmade pasta to mains like the excellent roasted eggplant with salsa rossa, greens, pine nut puree, fried capers and a ricotta salad.

9. BrewDog, South Eveleigh

BrewDog is pretty much a global empire at this point. The famed brewery from Scotland is still a fresh face for Sydney but the kinetic space is already making a big impact. Head along on vegan Mondays where the kitchen offers two-for-one Veggie mains, pushing out upscale pub grub.

10. Maydanoz, Sydney CBD

Maydonez is a well-rounded homage to the Aegean coastline and the diversity of Turkish cuisine. Here, you’ve got a vibrant spread of dishes focused around fresh vegetables with star picks like beetroot falafel with spinach pita, lentil koftes, and the popular halloumi with thyme honey and sesame.

11. Pizza Madre, Marrickville

Sydney’s only exclusively vegetarian pizza restaurant. Marrickville is a mecca for vegetarians, so it follows that Pizza Madre is one of the inner-west suburb’s most popular spots. The team behind nearby Two Chaps opened this one in 2017, spinning perfect sourdough pizzas with a great range of toppings. My favourite is the top-tier portobello mushroom pizza with Jerusalem artichoke, fior de latte and smoked cauliflower hummus.

12. Yulli’s, Surry Hills

A sure-shot amongst Sydney’s fiercest craft beer enthusiasts, Yulli’s in Surry Hills stands as one of the city’s most popular brewpubs. The beer always goes down a treat but the real reason most people head here is the dietary-friendly kitchen, which favours vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options.

13. The Gantry, Walsh Bay

Located in Pier One Sydney Harbour, The Gantry makes a sincere effort to cater for vegetarians with a separate set menu that’s often just as good as the meat-centric option. The dishes on here change all the time, always focused on pulling out the best of local produce with as much variety as possible so those opting for meatless dining don’t feel short-changed.

14. Shenkin Kitchen, Enmore

Part of the modest Shenkin empire, which also has venues in Erskinville and Newtown, Shenkin Kitchen is Enmore’s best cafe. This is usually just a brunch spot, so expect a lot of generous, flavourful Israeli dishes like the traditional shakshouka and, my personal favourite, the sabih with eggplant, egg, hummus and coriander in a house-made pastry.

15. Bad Hombres, Surry Hills

As the only plant-based Mexican eatery in Sydney, there’s always a considerable amount of hype behind Bad Hombres. The prices are good, the food is more than just decent, and those street-style tacos go down an absolute treat. I’m not a huge fan of the cocktails here, but the food is consistent enough that I feel comfortable recommending this local favourite.

16. Jimmy’s Falafel, Sydney CBD

Fresh vegetables, grains and legumes form a major part of Israeli cuisine so it’s no surprise one of Merivale’s most casual and energetic concepts lends perfectly to meat-free dining. A healthy soundtrack of 90s hip-hop and R&B certainly help with the atmosphere, while the kitchen pumps out a great range of consistently excellent mezze and pita options. Stay away from the Lebachi Grill if you’re trying to limit meat; the mezze section of the menu is where your attention should lie.

17. Otto Ristorante, Woolloomooloo

Celebrity spotting is a regular occurrence over at Woolloomooloo’s picturesque Finger Whaf and Otto Ristorante is usually the most productive. The long-standing Italian restaurant offers a tight but invariably delicious vegan a la carte menu for anyone going meat-free, listing dishes like saffron linguine, aged acquerello risotto and beetroot ravioli.

How Boss Hunting Chose Sydney’s Best Vegetarian Restaurants

While no one from the Boss Hunting office has any strict dietary requirements, between us we’ll never turn our noses at a dish just because there’s no trace of meat. Given we dine out very regularly in Sydney, where our office is based, we’ve got a very good idea of what restaurants are really nailing it when it comes to vegetarian, vegan and plant-based dining (and which ones are being a bit tokenistic about it).

As such, anything included on this list reflects the type of recommendations we’d make to friends. If it isn’t something we’d send a mate to; it isn’t on this list. We consider the full restaurant experience, from the taste and the price point to the service, atmosphere and creativity. 

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