Opinion 9 best vegan restaurants in Adelaide you have to try

Adelaide’s vegan dining scene is thriving! Check out these must-try vegan restaurants in Adelaide, plus a ton of cafés and hidden gems with plant-based options!

I visited for the first time recently and was overwhelmed (in the best way) by all the options! For anyone else in the same boat, we’ve compiled a shortlist of must-try vegan restaurants in Adelaide that we (and some local vegan experts) highly recommend! 🧡

Whether you’re Adelaide-born and raised or just in town for a visit, be sure to add these top vegan spots to your list!

1. Staazi & Co (CBD)

Introducing your new go-to for easy takeaway: Staazi & Co, a mobile food van (and now a brick-and-mortar shop on Grenfell Street) dedicated to bringing mind-blowing vegan Greek food to the hungry streets of Adelaide. Operating since 2017, Staazi & Co have well and truly cemented themselves as one of the most beloved Greek eateries around – vegan or not – which speaks to just how authentic they’re committed to making their food. 

The whole menu is plant-based, fresh, and full of love and veggie goodness. Staazi & Co also use meat and dairy alternatives to veganise traditionally meat-heavy Greek dishes. For example, their open ‘yiros’ plate comes with juicy plant-based ‘lamb’ served on a toasted pita and dressed with a range of zesty, fresh ingredients like slaw, tomato, red onion, and dairy-free tzatziki. 

Although Staazi & Co. may be relatively small for a food joint, it more than makes up for it by packing a tremendous amount of heart and flavour into every pita – a great vegan option for on-the-go.

2. Joy of Flora (West Croydon)

Nestled in the heart of West Croydon, just next to the train station, is a delightfully leafy vegan haven with some of Adelaide’s best plant-based brunch options. Joy of Flora is, first and foremost, a vegan kitchen and café, but it’s also a sustainability-focused catering business, art exhibition space, and function space. 

Between the airy indoor seating area and the rustic (and dog-friendly!) ‘secret garden’ out the back, it’s perfect for any occasion, from a casual catch-up or work-from-café sesh to a larger plant-based-food-fuelled get-together.

Joy of Flora is renowned for its tempting menu of comforting, home-style meals. However, it also offers lighter options like fresh salads, smoothie bowls, juices, and sweeter treats like croissants and raw cakes. My recommendation for an indulgent vegan brunch would be the McJOF – Joy of Flora’s take on a McMuffin – which features a plant-based sausage patty, egg, and melted cheese with a hash brown. I dare you to find a yummier way to start the day!

3. Zenhouse (West Hindmarsh)

An absolute mainstay since its inception in 2006, it’s hard to imagine the Adelaide vegan scene without Zenhouse at this point! This delightful, 100% plant-based fusion restaurant is one of the best vegan spots in town (or at least just 10 mins out of town), serving up a wide variety of Asian dishes as well as a few Western options like burgers, all made with locally sourced ingredients wherever possible. 

Zenhouse specialises in mock meats, with heaps of sizzling plates to choose from – including vegan Mongolian beef, crispy fried chicken, satay skewers, dumplings, noodle dishes and more. 

If you prefer veggie-based dishes, there are plenty of saucy options to choose from, too. My favourite is the rendang curry with tender mushrooms, carrots, and potatoes. So comforting and indulgent – just like everything else on the menu 😉

4. Two-Bit Villains (CBD)

Perched in a unique location atop Adelaide Arcade’s historic Grand Ballroom (with a balcony overlooking Rundle Mall), Two-Bit Villains is a vintage-inspired soda bar and restaurant serving up vegetarian, Americana-inspired cuisine – with heaps of gluten-free options and just about everything able to be made vegan!

Their handcrafted specialty sodas, made with real fruit and spices, perfectly complement the rest of the classic diner-style menu. Grab one of their award-winning vegan beef or chicken burgers, vegan chicken tenders, or a dairy-free sundae (I did say Americana-inspired, right?). 

And once you’ve emerged from your lovely little food coma, browse their racks of rockabilly clothes and eclectic jewellery or stock up on the vegan butchery range they offer. Two-Bit Villains has been making their own meat alternatives for more than 10 years, so they know what they’re doing – and I love that they’re now making it possible for people to cook their own ‘meaty’ meat-free meals with their products at home, too.

5. Veggie Vie (CBD)

For simple, nourishing vegan food and drinks, you’re not going to want to miss Veggie Vie, a veritable plant-based oasis hidden down a laneway in Adelaide’s restaurant district. Veggie Vie started as Veggie Velo, a mobile burger shop that owners Manu and Monica ran from a tricycle of all the adorable things. The scheme was so successful that they later evolved into a juice bar – only to keep growing due to popular demand! 

Veggie Vie recently set down roots as a restaurant in its new, permanent spot on McHenry Street, and it’s already drawing crowds eager to try its expanded menu of ever-tasty, humble vegan fare. Expect filling dishes like burgers, veggie bowls, and soups – with particular standouts being their barbeque jackfruit burger, their famous hot pot, and their vegan savoury croissants.

The restaurant space is also decorated with everything greenery-related and festooned with trailing vines – so your dining experience will be plant-based in more ways than one!

6. Lucky Ducks (Aldinga)

Lucky Ducks, which opened in 2022, is a relatively new addition to Adelaide’s vegan scene – but in concept, it dates back a little further. One of the chefs and owners, Jac, decided to run a vegan pop-up during an early COVID lockdown and was blown away by the sheer enthusiasm and demand from locals interested in trying more plant-based food. It was clearly a winning idea!

And so, Lucky Ducks was born, securing a permanent spot in the thriving seaside food precinct of Old Coach and Port Road. With a contemporary, relaxed vibe and a freshly installed shipping container bar to keep the drinks flowing, Lucky Ducks is particularly proud of its wine list, which features a selection of sustainable, natural wines from local Fleurieu makers that perfectly complement the 100% plant-based menu.

With dishes like za’atar pulled mushrooms, salt and pepper eggplant, karaage cauliflower bites, and basil cheesecake with summer fruits, every meal at Lucky Ducks showcases how interesting and wholesome vegan food can be.

7. PingAn Veggie Time (Bowden)

I’ve been a fan of PingAn Veggie Time since it opened in Brisbane in 2017. At the time, it was the best option for vegan Thai food in Brisbane, and it may just be the best option for vegan Thai food in Adelaide now! 

This wholesome vegan family business (named after their son, PingAn—how cute!) relocated south in 2019 and now operates a bustling food stall at Plant 4 Bowden, an industrial-style, sustainability-focused community venue packed with food-truck-style mini-restaurants. 

In this new location, PingAn Veggie Time still serves up 100% vegan versions of all their old hits, including homemade Thai curries, pad Thai noodles, pad see ew, spring rolls, BBQ buns, mushroom skewers, and more. 

The night market atmosphere is super relaxed and fun, perfect for a low-key plant-based dinner and some drinks with friends.

8. Allegra Dining Room (CBD)

Allegra Dining Room was Adelaide’s first vegan fine dining restaurant when it opened in 2019 – and it’s been setting the bar deliciously high for more to follow ever since.

Tucked away above the popular Etica pizzeria in Adelaide’s south-east, Allegra boasts a cosy, booth-seating atmosphere. It provides the perfect vibe for an intimate date night or a fancy vegan dining experience with friends and loved ones. 

Each night, a full-course (and flavour-packed) dinner is presented to showcase a selection of contemporary plant-based dishes that best represent the season. These dishes are made with locally sourced foods but inspired by various culinary traditions worldwide. 

This ethos means that the menu changes throughout the year depending on what’s in season but is always reliably centred on quality plant-based ingredients “treated thoughtfully and simply” to elevate them to a new level of sophistication.

Past menu highlights include melt-in-your-mouth smoked celeriac with kale and macadamia cream and a ‘meaty’ king oyster mushroom schnitzel drizzled with gravy.

9. Lord of the Fries (CBD)

If you’ve looked up vegan fast food in Australia before, chances are you’ve come across the drool-worthy diner that is Lord of the Fries. This ethical fast food joint has 12+ locations nationwide, including this nifty location right in the heart of Adelaide’s CBD. 

Every item on the menu – from their loaded fries, beef burgers, and classic hot dogs to their chicken nugget boxes, mac and cheese balls, and milkshakes – is entirely vegan, no matter how meat-heavy or dairy-laden it sounds!

Lord of the Fries also offers a seemingly endless list of plant-based sauces, ranging from spicy and zesty to unbelievably rich and creamy. The perfect complement for a cup of their iconic shoestring or chunky fries 🤤

Hot tip: If you order one of their burgers, upgrade to a juicy Beyond Meat beef patty. I promise you won’t regret it. 

Looking for more vegan restaurants in Adelaide? There’s more where that came from!

With plant-based options popping up across Adelaide daily, this list barely scratches the surface. Follow Happy Cow and local vegan Facebook groups for community updates. There are almost too many menus and plant-based dishes to explore! Just kidding. The limit does not exist 😉

Keep ‘em coming, Adelaide!

While you’re here, check out our bonus tips for dining out and how to order vegan at fast food chains near you.