Overview
Remember the days when the only meat-free options on menus were side salads, fries and sad-looking garlic bread? Us too. While some days definitely still call for carb-loading, Sydney's growing list of plant-based cafes means the options available now are anything but beige.
And to help you find your new favourite, we've create this round up of Sydney's very best vegetarian and vegan cafes — home to tasty grain bowls, vege burgers and plant-based pastas and pizzas.
Cassandra Hannagan
DAILY GREENS, PADDINGTON
If veggie-packed shakshuka on hearty, homemade bread, fresh pastries, and vanilla-whipped ricotta with raspberry preserve sound like your thing, make sure you visit Daily Greens in Paddington. Feeling creative? There's also an option to build your own bowl, complete with an extensive list of ingredients for you to customise your own warm or cold dish — here, selections include baked tofu, charred cauliflower, spiced crispy chickpeas and dressings like avocado ranch or miso caramel. When the sun is out, soak up the rays in the plant-based cafe's leafy courtyard which has a tree growing right through its centre.
Sam Ali
KHAMSA CAFE, ERSKINEVILLE
The inner west is arguably Sydney's ground zero for plant-based dining, and Khamsa Cafe is the kind of place you'll want to visit more than once. At this all-day diner, every plate of photo-worthy Palestinian food is generously packed with fresh, flavoursome ingredients. Must-tries include the signature Jerusalem Bowl, stacked with hummus, baba ganoush, quinoa, fattoush, falafel and cauliflower and a mushroom-packed shawerma pastry. There's also a range of traditional sweet and savoury pastries — think a musakhan with sumac, mushroom and onion and semolina cake with orange blossom syrup — as well as a rotating daily lunch special of a traditional Palestinian dish. The best part? You can take your dog along with you, too. It is a clear front-runner for the best vegan and vegetarian cafe in Sydney.
CORNERSMITH, ANNANDALE
This thriving, family-run casual dining spot is living proof that from little things big things grow. Starting as a humble eatery, the Cornersmith empire now includes cooking classes, cookbooks and plenty of homemade pickled and preserved goods to take home. The Annandale plant-based cafe has a simple, seasonal menu which includes decadent toasties, fresh salads and a particularly delicious tahini granola bowl with roasted pears. You'll can sit down and enjoy your meal in the friendly, laidback surrounds or preorder an adorable picnic box to enjoy in one of the nearby Sydney parks.
SHIFT EATERY, SURRY HILLS
Surry Hills locals love Shift Eatery. Office workers and city dwellers alike frequently crowd the pavement waiting for a lunchtime pick-me-up from Sydney's first meat-free deli. The Sydney vegan cafe's ethos is simple: it's all about making the shift to a plant-based diet as easy as possible. And that's exactly what it does. Known for its meat-free takes on popular dishes — think a plant-based reuben and meatball sub — this cafe will have even the biggest sceptics converted. Sample the self proclaimed 'best vegan bacon and egg bagel in the whole world' and find out if it's as good as a traditional one. Spoiler alert: it's better.
Alana Dimou
TWO CHAPS, MARRICKVILLE
Two Chaps is the kind of place you can visit on the reg and yet dine on something different every visit. The cosy Marrickville plant-based cafe and bakery has an ever-changing, seasonal menu designed to reduce food waste, support local producers, and keep its hungry customers coming back for more. While the dinner menu's fresh, homemade pasta packed with nuts and vegetables has amassed a cult-like following, things during the day are just as delicious thanks to some of Sydney's best plant-based doughnuts and homemade pies. And did someone say dulce de leche-filled brioche? Whether you stop in for a little pick-me-up or a full-blown feast, you'll walk away feeling satisfied.
RUBY LONESOME, PETERSHAM
This little local cafe has a whole lot of heart — and a simple menu featuring meat-free versions of all the classics. The Cheeze Burger will have you asking why you didn't try plant-based earlier, while specials might include the melt-in-your-mouth Sloppy Jocelyn — it will get all over your face but is so tasty you won't mind. Order the Big Boi for breakfast if you're hungry or a Buddha Bowl if you're looking for something lighter, then peruse the countertop for super cute and tasty take-home goodies like pickled veggies, relishes, cashew cheese and daily-made baked goods. Heck, even order yourself an entire fairy bread cake, really indulging at one of Sydney's best vegetarian and vegan cafes.