Five Must Try Restaurants for Vegetarians in North Melbourne, Australia

Originally Published December 21, 2016. UPDATED September 12, 2019

Last month, Emmett and I spent most of a week in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia eating out and then going to GIZZFest 2. We tried a handful of well-rated cafes and restaurants during our visit and there were four places that stood out well above the rest. Two of them we even visited twice! Without further ado, here is our roundup of restaurants in Melbourne’s northern suburbs that you just can’t miss if you’re a vegetarian (or veg-o as they say in Aus).

(1) Yuni’s Kitchen

Location: 251 High St, Northcote VIC 3070

What to Get: Mie Goreng (see below), Laksa (see below), Tahi Isi Sayur (deep-fried tofu balls stuffed with veggies).

*This is one of the restaurants we visited twice - it was that good.

{Sorry for the dim photo}. The plate closest is my entree from Yuni’s, the Mie Goreng (stir-fried thin egg noodles with asian vegetables & fried egg). On the upper left is Emmett's Laksa (curry soup with noodles, cabbage, bean sprout, &tofu).

(2) For the Love of Pizza

Location: 493 High St, Northcote VIC 3070

What to Get: The Hallouminati Pizza (halloumi cheese, sliced potato, spinach, and kalamata olives).

I was mildly drunk and very excited about this halloumi pizza - it was American Thanksgiving after all.

(3) Lentils as Anything

Location: 562-564 High St, Thornbury VIC 3071

What to Get: Dessert! Mango Rice Pudding and Banana Cake - both topped with house-made date sauce.

Lentils was a very cool co-op place that asks that you "pay what you will."

(4) Brother Alec

Location: 719 High St, Thornbury VIC 3071

What to Get: The three-cheese toastie and a chai latte.

We ate the three-cheese toastie at Brother Alec twice while we were in Melbourne. The second time we split one and asked for a side of raspberry jam. Delicious combo, btw. — We ate the three-cheese toastie at Brother Alec *twice* while we were in Melbourne. The second time we split one and asked for a side of raspberry jam. Delicious combo, btw.

(5) Short Round

Location: 731 High St, Thornbury VIC 3071

What to Get: Black Rice Congee with lemongrass, peanut bits, poached egg, and chili oil on the side

Honorable Mention: Lord of the Fries

Location: Multiple Throughout Melbourne.

What to Get: Chick’n + Fries with Indian Sauce.

Lord of the Fries is an excellent vegetarian fast food chain. We first tried it in Auckland, NZ and were delighted to find it again at Flinders Street Station in Melbourne as we bopped around on the metro.