On the menu: Brisbane’s best vegan food options

Vegan food in Brisbane has exploded in recent years. The city is brimming with restaurants and cafes and is now home to a veritable smorgasbord of meat-free eateries.

Whether it’s a pre-party pitstop, a posh night out or a recovery breakfast, here are some of our favourite plant-based food options.  

Best Vegan Breakfasts

Photo by @dickis.newfarm

Dicki’s Breakfast Burrito at Dicki’s, New Farm

The crunchy-coated tofu nudges the breakfast burrito with its scrambled tofu into first place. You’ll need to wrap both hands around this hunger-busting big boy, stuffed with tofu, spiced rice, black beans and kale. It’s so good even hardcore carnivores will be licking their salsa-slathered fingers.

Maple Honeycomb Yoghurt at Naim, Paddington

The staff at Naim always seem happy to make adjustments across the menu. But for a straight up no-substitutes breakfast, we reckon you can’t beat the honeycomb yoghurt. Imagine a ‘Crunchie’ but made with maple syrup instead of honey, crumbled atop coconut yoghurt with buckwheat and date granola and a little passionfruit to counter the sweetness.

Zucchini Cornbread at Putia Purefoods, Banyo

Deeply satisfying, the long list of delicious ingredients in this umami-bombed dish include a quenelle of cashew and tahini cream atop slow-braised beans and crisp ‘Buffalo’ mushrooms on toasted corn and zucchini bread. Order it, or risk serious plate envy.

Honourable vegan food mentions:

• Brioche French toast with caramel sauce at Grown, West End
• Big Breakfast at The Green Edge, Windsor
• Deluxe vegan pho at Café O’Mai, Annerley

Best Vegan Burgers

Photo by @netherworldarcade

Cryptid Classis at Netherworld Arcade, Fortitude Valley

We love the fact that it’s carnivores who have to make the menu adjustments for a change. The default setting across Netherworld’s menu, from hotdogs to ‘mac n cheese’ is vegan food, with carnivores able to request meat substitutes. The Cryptid Classic is a standout in the burger selection – a Japan meets California mash-up of a bun encasing crispy fried tofu, pickled ginger, nori, lettuce, tomato, wasabi mayo and avocado

The One Burger at Yavanna, Paddington

There’s a lot to love at Yavanna. But The One Burger is a classy act, with a surprisingly meaty-tasting patty, slathered in a cheesy sauce, with pickles, lettuce and chipotle mayonnaise. Generous and incredibly filling, it comes with a serve of excellent chips and aioli.

The Aussie Burger at Grassfed Vegan, South Brisbane

Remember roadhouse burgers complete with fried egg, pineapple and beetroot? You can get it here, albeit in a vegan food version. The beefy-tasting patty on a slightly toasted bun comes with red onions, the divisive pineapple, a vegan egg, beetroot sauce, ‘cheese’ and pickles.

Other vegan burgers worth crossing town for:

• Moo-Free Burgers – Northlakes, Redbank Plains & their roving food truck
• ABC Burger at Brewski, Brisbane City
• The Beetroot Burger at Greenhouse Canteen, South Brisbane

Best Vegan Pizza

Photo by @sorellinapizzeria

‘Chorizo’ Pizza at Sorellina, Woolloongabba

Sorellina do a range of properly charry, woodfired pizzas with the possibility of swapping out mozzarella for vegan cheese. Order the vegan chorizo pizza as it comes though. The thin chewy crust topped with vegan chorizo, cheese, onion, and basil, with a just a hint of smokiness from the wood-fired oven is a winner.

Fungi Pizza at Arrivederci Pizza, Milton

There’s an entire vegan food menu here, including more than half a dozen pizzas made with vegan cheese, from a Mediterranean to a green-topped rocket pizza. We reckon the Fungi Pizza is just a little bit luxe, with vegan cheese, mixed mushrooms, spinach, red onion, walnuts and a judicious dollop of truffle oil.

Beets & Pieces at The Burrow, West End

It’s all good until you get to the cheese on this pun-ily named pizza, however it can be swapped for vegan cheese. With wilted greens, braised beetroot, cashew ‘cheese’, marinated walnuts and port reduction on a tomato and cheese base, eating it feels almost virtuous.

For another slice of vegan perfection, try:

• Vegerama at Salt, Meats, Cheese, Newstead
• Pitstop Pizza, Coorparoo

Big Vegan Night Out

Photo by @detourrestaurant

Vegan Degustation at Bacchus, South Bank

Opulent Bacchus is the perfect place for date night. Plates are modernist works of art with the seasonally changing vegan degustation menu starting off with bread and a selection of amuse-bouche and finishing with an indulgent dessert and petit fours. Matching wines are optional.

Omnivore Menu at Detour, Woolloongabba

Set in a lovely light-filled space overlooking the foodie cul-de-sac of Logan Road, Detour plays no favourites with the menu divided into omnivore and carnivore. However, if we had to play favourites, the king brown mushrooms with chestnut pâté, sage, and sunflower seeds or the baked eggplant with saltbush tapenade, green strawberry and harissa would get our vote.

Vegan Degustation at Urbane, Brisbane City

Soft lighting, comfortable chairs, beautiful linen and crockery, and smooth-as-silk service set the scene for a special night out. Urbane were the pacesetters for the vegan food revolution in Brisbane and their ever-changing vegan degustation is served as either 5 or 7 courses with or without matching wines.

For more vegan date night ideas:

• Vintaged at the Hilton, Brisbane City
• Otto, Brisbane City
• Little Valley, Fortitude Valley

Best Vegan Desserts

Photo by @veganyumm

Berry Sinful Donut at OMG Donuts, Carseldine & Milton Markets

These gluten-free, nut free and vegan donuts were named for customers reactions on first tasting them. Unbelievably light, they come dusted in a selection of whole fruit, spices and vegetable-infused sugars. We particularly like ‘Berry Sinful’ with fresh raspberries, cacao, coconut milk, salt and chilli. Keep an eye on the OMG website for their market calendar.

Salted Caramel Cupcakes at Veganyumm Bakehouse, Everton Park

This vegan bakery does a roaring trade in gooey, rich salted caramel-topped cupcakes for good reason. However, there’s also a fine selection of brownies, doughnuts, cheesecakes and custard tarts as well as hard-to-believe-it’s-vegan celebration cakes. We promise we won’t judge if you pretend it’s your birthday.

The Happy Vegan Churro Bowl at San Churro, Various Locations

San Churro’s churros have always been made to a vegan recipe. Recently, they’ve upped the ante with a vegan food menu that includes a ‘don’t think about the kilojoules’ churro bowl. Rolled in cinnamon sugar and filled with salted caramel and honeycomb gelato, churros come drizzled with dark chocolate. Oh and topped with fresh strawberries and smashed Oreo cookies. Delish!

Put the diet on pause with these other vegan treats:

• Vegan brownies at Dello Mano, New Farm
• Peanut Butter Gelato Pops at Ciao Gelato, Nundah
• Vegan chocolate cake at Jocelyn’s Provisions, Fortitude Valley, Albion & Camp Hill

Looking for more vegan food in Queensland?

• The Gold Coast is a vegan heartland
• Townsville is home to healthy eating and vegan options
• Did you even have brunch in Brisbane if you didn’t share it on Instagram?

Where is your favourite vegan food in Brisbane? Let us know in the comments below.