As a vegan, traveling Australia is a dream. In most places, there are acai bowls and other vegan options all over the place. However, in some of the smaller places, it can be challenging especially if you’re just traveling through. This is why I’ve compiled this vegan food guide for the East Coast of Australia.
This is by no means a thorough vegan food guide of all the places. It is just meant to give you some ideas. Also, I was traveling down the East Coast with my dad, so we stayed at hotels which included breakfast and/or dinner sometimes which means that not for every place I will have a breakfast and a dinner option. So, feel free to message me your suggestions and I am happy to include them!
Cairns
For everything from breakfast to dinner, check out Perrotta’s at the Gallery with modern Australian and Italian cuisine. It’s not far away from the Esplanade and you can veganize some of their options. Go to Royal India on the Esplanade for vegan options (just let the waiter know you are vegan) and nice views.
Lafew Cafe and Kombucha Bar is a plant-based cafe in Cairns. Apart from their very cute interior, they also offer some delicious treats and different options of vegan iced chocolate. Would definitely recommend going here!
Townsville
For some really amazing vegan food go to the Seaview Hotel The Strand. They only have one vegan option, the vegan pumpkin, chickpea, and coconut curry but this one is delicious. The only thing to be aware of is that the waiting time can be really long. So make sure to bring enough time.
Raw Energy is an Australian chain whose Townsville location is located directly on the Strand (and right next to our motel). They offer vegan bowls, smoothies and treats and I’ve actually also been to their Brisbane location because I’ve enjoyed my food there so much.
Airlie Beach
For dinner, Breeze Bar is a good choice. Talk to the staff about vegan options as they might not be listed on the menu. I had beetroot bruschetta, which was very delicious, and vegan pasta.
This next place is easy to miss; Wisdom Cafe is hidden away from Airlie Beach’s main street. However, it is worth a visit. They offer some vegan options for breakfast, lunch, and some desserts.
Mackay
One of your options here includes the Australian chain Zambrero’s Mackay location. Their Mexican menu includes multiple vegan options so you won’t leave hungry. For some dessert afterward, head to Gelatissimo, their vegan choices are delicious.
Rockhampton
For breakfast and lunch, I would recommend going to the Giddy Goat Cafe. I went for breakfast and had a very nice bowl.
Agnes Water
I highly recommend stopping close to Agnes Water to check out this gem. We found the 1770 Getaway Garden Cafe because it is just a short drive away from the Paperbark Forest Walk (more on that in my blog post on hidden gems along the East Coast). Like the walk, the garden cafe seems kind of enchanted. Just look at the pictures of the path you have to go to get to it.
They are located right next to a little pond and have some vegan options as well. Because I wasn’t really hungry, I went for a filling smoothie and a juice (that counts as a meal as well, right?).
Hervey Bay
Even though we were only in Hervey Bay for two nights, we actually went to the Beach House Hotel for dinner twice. That has to say something, right? Their garlic bread can be made vegan and they have some other options that can be veganized as well. Just talk to the person at the counter. I’ve had the vegan version of the warm roasted butternut pumpkin salad and the chickpea and pumpkin burger and I loved both.
Since we had breakfast at our Bed & Breakfast, we didn’t go out for breakfast. We went past Cody’s Coffee Shack though which looked nice, so you might give that a go!
Noosa Heads
If you know me, you know that I’m a big fan of acai bowls. So it comes as no surprise, that I had to check out Acai Brothers for breakfast. It’s safe to say that I wasn’t disappointed. For dinner, you can give O-Ren a shot. Located on Noosa’s famous Hastings Street, this restaurant offers exotic Asian food, vegan options included.
For all you people with a sweet tooth out there (count me in), there are multiple places to go to for vegan desserts. Ben & Jerry’s have some vegan options and Happy Pops does too. How did I manage to go for dessert twice even though I was only in Noosa for one day? Well, how does it feel to be such a judgy person?
Caloundra
This is a place recommended to me by Phoebe from Kaptain Kenny. The Pocket Espresso Bar is located only steps away from the beach, so you are in for some stunning views. They have some vegan options available. Unfortunately, I wasn’t really hungry, so I just shared some sweet potato fries with my dad.
Brisbane
For some nice vegan food with the view of the Story Bridge and Brisbane River go to Il Centro. This Italian place has a vegan menu and the waiters will happily tell you how to veganize their options. Brisbane also has a Raw Energy store with lots of vegan treats.
A place we didn’t get to try out is Urbane. This is the place to go for a whole vegan dinner – five or seven courses, all vegan.
This is it for your vegan food guide for the East Coast of Australia. Let me know if you have any other suggestions. And I would love for you to tag me if you try out any of these places!
