Sometimes it can be hard for vegetarians and vegans to find somewhere to eat out — but not in Surry Hills, Sydney’s premier dining district. Check out our list of the 10 best plant-powered eateries in the Harbour City’s restaurant capital.
A pink sign on Crown St welcomes visitors to Surry Hills’ quintessential vegetarian dining experience, with a menu made up of a mixture of Asian, Latin American and North African dishes that’s every bit as eccentric as the second-hand furniture that fills the space. The tapas-style plates are meant to be shared and enjoyed with something off the extensive drinks list — Yulli’s sources a huge variety of local beers, ciders and wines.
Welcome to Sydney’s first vegan deli, which aims to change minds about plant-powered food one plate at a time. Shift Eatery serves a huge range of meat-free products — sandwiches, health bowls, vegan meats, cheeses, ice cream, chocolates, the list goes on — complemented by an impressive specialty drinks menu, including coffee from Marvell Street and tea from Tea Craft.
This sophisticated restaurant places a contemporary spin on traditional Lebanese cuisine, plating classic flavours in a fresh, inventive way. Nour is on the pricier side, but it’s worth every cent to taste the array of vegetarian dishes in the ‘From the Garden’ section of the menu, such as wood-fired honey figs, confit cauliflower and charcoal eggplant.
Maya Masala is clear about its mission: ‘to serve you the freshest and tastiest plant-based Indian food at reasonable prices’. That means seasonal vegetables, house-blended spices and hand-made desserts all prepared the traditional way, including stone-grinding dosa flour in-house. And this quality doesn’t cost an arm and a leg — no dish comes even close to the $20 mark.
This Cleveland St institution proves that you don’t need meat to cook up finger-licking Vietnamese fare. Nourishing Quarter serves healthy vegetarian and vegan dishes that put a meat-free spin on the Viet classics — generous pho and noodle salads, for instance — as well as plenty of tapas plates with a distinct South American influence, such as quinoa rice papers rolls. And the restaurant’s kitschy decor only adds to its charm.
