Go-to guide to vegan eats in Newcastle
Being the vegan of the group often leaves the choice of where to go for dinner on your shoulders –I know, I know, you’re not a picky eater, you’re just highly selective! Here are a few places in Newcastle that’ll tickle the tastebuds of both you and your non-vegan friends.
Cafes
Head to Charlestown to enjoy this 100% vegan bakery! Claire’s Cupcakes opened in 2019 and has really made a name for itself with its unique sweet vegan offerings.
Where: 34/338 Charlestown Rd, Charlestown
This little gem is perfect for vegans, vegos, gluten-free, and meat-eaters with its focus on fresh seasonal produce.
Where: 52 Clyde St, Hamilton North
If you’re a vegan in Newcastle, there’s no doubt you’ve visited this beauty in Mayfield once or twice. With a couple of all-day vegan dishes available, and one of the coolest interiors in town it certainly is a winner!
Where: 1-5 Maitland Rd, Mayfield
Dudley’s 100% vegan café is creating dishes not only certain to be popular amongst vegans but will be sure to impress even the heaviest of meat-eaters!
Where: 1/122 Ocean St, Dudley
How can anything that is sugar, dairy, and gluten-free, vegan, paleo-proof, organic and nutritious for you taste any good? Well, take a visit to Mama P café in Charlestown and you'll discover for yourself that it's totally possible.
Where: 142 Pacific Hwy, Charlestown
The Newcastle CBD venue is challenging the status quo with their beautiful wholefoods menu, laden with vegan, vegetarian, and all-round healthy options.
Where: 227 Hunter St, Newcastle
Home to an almighty vegan bowl and of course a delectable vegan option for the venue’s famous Moor Newcastle East Tagine Night.
Where: 33 Hunter St, Newcastle East
Raw Energy is all about the raw potential you get from the freshness of food, Raw caters to vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free meals.
Where: 18 Honeysuckle Dr, Newcastle
This Darby St café is known for their divinely colourful and deliciously tasting vegan dishes with their vegan gluten-free waffles one of our favs!
Where: 8/113-125 Darby St, Cooks Hill
The Junction’s classic café which never disappoints with their cosy indoor and outdoor settings, good old fashioned quality service, and vegan dishes to satisfy all.
Where: 52 Glebe Rd, The Junction
How does a Miso Eggplant Salad sound? Or what about the Spiced Potato & Zucchini Tacos? Or maybe the Pumpkin Roti is more your thing? Whatever it is, they’re all vegan!
Where: 127 Darby St, Cooks Hill
The Maitland Rd superhero-themed café has just launched a new menu that features a number of vegan options including a Vegan Breakfast complete with Meatless Farm products and a Vegan Bliss Bowl.
Where: 52 Maitland Rd, Islington
Vego’s
Newy’s first and only vegetarian fast food outlet has a whole range of vegan options that will undoubtedly satisfy that Saturday arvo burger and chippy cravings.
Where: 82 Maitland Rd, Islington
Restaurants
In the heart of Newcastle West, you’ll find authentic Mexican street food with almost everything on the menu able to be made vegan. Antojitos bean mix is unlike any other with spicy fried potatoes and sautéed spinach adding extra flavour and texture you never knew you needed.
Where: 11 Steel St, Newcastle West
Authentic Thai takeaway with a whole dedicated vegan menu? Yes, please! You'll find Bangkok on Darby towards the Hunter Street end of town, bursting with colour and flavour. Plenty of gluten-free options are also available.
Where: 9 Darby St, Newcastle
Serving genuine Italian soul food in the heart of Newcastle, Bella Italia’s extensive vegan menu is a must for those chasing an authentic Italian feast. Entrées, pizza, pasta, and desserts all done vegan, this menu will leave you spoilt for choice.
Where: 545 Hunter St, Newcastle
Dumpling Flavour
The perfect place to go with a group of friends for the ultimate Chinese vegan banquet. Dumpling Flavour has a whole vegan menu, normally displayed on the wall of the restaurant, and other meals –like the fried rice and some noodle dishes –that can easily be made vegan.
Where: 1/88 Darby St, Cooks Hill
This could well and truly be home to Newcastle’s best vegan dumplings. Like Dumpling Flavour, the meals are perfect to share with friends and I can almost guarantee you’re going to want to try the whole menu. Eight Buns is the kind of place that makes your eyes bigger than your stomach. Your very satisfied stomach, that is.
Where: 47 Beaumont St, Hamilton
Greasers at The Family
You might have remembered when Pinos took over the kitchen at The Family with Pino’s Diner, well they’ve been replaced but with still serving up all your favourite plant-based diner goods.
Where: 635 Hunter St, Newcastle
There’s nothing vegans hate more than bland food, and the team over at Habesha Ethiopian are certain to serve up anything but!
Where: 7/50 Glebe Rd, The Junction
The Honeysuckle Japanese restaurant has a mighty Vegan food offering and is perfect for a celebratory night out.
Where: 1 Honeysuckle Dr, Newcastle
Newy Fried Chicken is so much more than your average chicken joint, the food and the vibe of the place is designed to keep even the pickiest of eaters happy. There are flavoursome vegan options!
Where: 139 Maitland Rd, Islington
If you haven’t stopped by Newcastle’s only completely vegan Italian restaurant by now, you’re doing yourself a disservice. With a menu that changes regularly, a night at Pinos will never disappoint.
Where: 98 Maitland Rd, Islington
Who would have known Newcastle’s go-to burger joint can also be known for serving up some of the best vegan burgs in town?
Where: 1/266 King St, Newcastle | The Corner at Charlestown
Sapphire Indian
With a vegan menu available on request, Sapphire Indian is the perfect choice for the nights both your tummy and soul need warming with a big bowl of rice and curry. As Newcastle’s only fine dining Indian restaurant, Sapphire prides itself on delivering exceptional service with meals that will exceed every expectation. Plus, their entire vegan menu can be done takeaway. Bonus!
Where: 367 Glebe Rd, Merewether
Sticky Rice
A quite traditional Thai menu, most of Sticky Rice’s vegetarian options are able to be modified to suit a vegan palate when removing the egg and fish sauce. Staff are always happy to vegan-ise dishes when asked and are very respectful of any allergies. Sticky Rice has two locations across Newcastle –The Wickham restaurant more suited to dine-ins and the Newcastle East restaurant is the perfect stop in for a quick take away dinner at the beach.
Where: 116 Hannell St, Wickham | 19 Scott St, Newcastle East
Probably Newcastle’s most “Instagramable” restaurant, Susuru’s menu contains three vegan ramen options as well as several sides and sometimes a vegan dessert if you’re lucky! What’s more heart-warming than a bowl of tasty vegan ramen inside of a restaurant with aesthetics that will level up your Instagram game with one photo? I’ll wait…
Where: 140 King St, Newcastle
This humbling dining experience immediately takes you on a sensory visit to India through rich, flavoursome meals, yoga, meditation, and cooking classes. The Bhakti Tree serves purely vegetarian meals with many vegan options and takes pride in presenting its customers with a lasting, loving experience
Where: 410 Maitland Rd, Mayfield
When someone says takeaway food, the mind doesn’t usually go to vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and healthy, nutritional options. Zambrero is changing the game on this front and it’s happening right here in Newcastle.
Where: 72 Beaumont St, Hamilton
Pubs & Bottle Shops
Gone are the days of a bowl of chips with tomato sauce or a simple salad (hold the cheese!) being the only option for vegans at pubs in Newcastle. A select few pubs now have full vegan menus that make not knowing what to order a good thing for once.
Artisanal Cellars
Located in Newcastle's East End Artisanal Cellars has one of the best selections of vegan wines in Newcastle. The clearly displayed labels with the Vegan friendly logo make it super easy to spot the vegan friendly options.
Where: Shop R17/169-185 Hunter St, Newcastle (located in the East End next to Woolworths Metro).
The Kent Hotel
You won’t believe the extent The Kent has gone to to make sure vegans are fully catered to in the “pub feed” department. Mac and cheese, burgers, curries, loaded fries, cauliflower wings, nachos – the list goes on. This is definitely a must for vegans in Newcastle.
Where: 59 Beaumont St, Hamilton
Serving a dedicated vegan menu, The Lucky is definitely the place to go for a pub-feed with a twist. The vegan cheese featured in most of the meals is one of the best you’ll try, and the open-style kitchen puts you right in the chargrilling action. Definitely a memorable pub experience.
Where: 237 Hunter St, Newcastle
Nags Head Hotel
Joining the vegan pub gang is The Nags Head Hotel in Adamstown. This menu is a bit of a hidden gem outside of Newcastle's CBD but definitely worth the extra few minutes drive! The vegan menu is separate from the main dinner and lunch menus, so be sure to ask for a vegan menu on arrival.
Where: 272 Brunker Road, Adamstown
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