New Zealand is a small island nation that is home to around 4.5 million people located in the Pacific Ocean. Not only is New Zealand famous for its national rugby team, its indigenous Maori culture and its picturesque landscape, it’s also come to be known as a popular vegan friendly travel destination.
New Zealand has tons of restaurants with vegan options and has become a vegan hot spot. Here are some vegan friendly restaurant options to check out when you visit.
Sunflower Thai Vegetarian Restaurant
Serving a delightful array of Thai inspired cuisine, Sunflower Vegetarian Restaurant brings the complex and incredible flavors of Thailand to the center of busy Auckland. Sunflower Vegetarian Restaurant is an intimate little restaurant serving a delectable range of meat free dishes, including Thai green curry, tom yum kung, and crispy fried ‘chicken.’
Also, the drink menu, which includes an extensive tea-list is hands down awesome! With concoctions like the ginger and orange reviver, smoked plum, brown sugar ginger tea or the juice packed with five greens the health junkie will be in heaven.
Overall, Sunflower Vegetarian Restaurant offers vegan travelers a cheerful veggie twist on traditional Thai dishes. If you love Thai cuisine Sunflower Vegetarian Restaurant is a must try.
Revive Cafe
Appropriately named, Revive serves cuisines that literally make you feel good. Revive is an Auckland institution that has been keeping vegetarians and vegans happy in Auckland since 2005. With an extensive range of salads along with daily meal, hotpots and dhal specials Revive uniquely offers a fresh food menu that changes everyday.
Stop by and you may get lucky and find a salad bar stocked with dishes like Vietnamese charcoal infused vermicelli, leek and pesto chickpea salad, salsa verde potatoes, and purple bulghur salad with edamame. From the entree menu you may find delightful treats like curried kumara cake with cashew cheddar, sweet and sour tofu or Mediterranean silken roast potatoes.
Ultimately, Revive is all about meals that revitalize and comfort you. From refreshing cold salads to hot box dishes that warm your stomach Revive does exactly what it promises.
Little Bird Organics and the Unbakery
To experience the best, most healthy, nutritious, fresh, unrefined, non-pasteurized, pure, delicious whole foods go to Little Bird Organics and the Unbakery. Little Bird Organics is truly New Zealand’s cult vegan destination.
Most impressive is that Little Bird Organics makes everything from scratch. As well, Little Bird is creatively genius using substitutes like coconut bacon, mushroom and walnut mince, chickpea eggs, and cashew hollandaise and aioli. With dishes that are as tasty as ever the salad bowls along with the ‘cheesecake’ are legendary.
Their housemade beverages are equally tasty and nutritious. From the caramel maca chocolate shake to strawberry goji nut milk you are sure to be satisfied.
Gorilla Kitchen
Gorilla Kitchen offers vegans a light, airy, welcoming vibe that has no shortage of delicious options. Seemingly effortlessly creating hearty, nourishing meals that don’t compromise on taste Gorilla Kitchen serves up the best filled sandwiches, cheesy scones, sweet muffins and fresh salads on the block. Popular menu items include three-’cheese’ mushroom and pumpkin pasta bake, ‘seafood’ chowder and coconut curry ‘chicken’ pies.
Lord Of The Fries
If you’re looking for classic vegan fast-food fare than head to Lord of the Fries. Lord of the Fries features all the classics including cheese-burgers, chicken burgers, fish burgers. Best of all, it’s all meat free.
A popular Lord of the Fries menu option is the poutine, which combines their award-winning gravy and cheese-laden fries with fakin’ bacon, a vegan beef patty, onion and garlic mayo.
Lord of the Fries does not set out to be the healthiest plant-based joint on the block. However, when you need hang-over feed or some tasty cheat meals they have you covered. Try their famous fries, burgers, hot dogs, veggie nuggets, onion rings, vegan fish, shakes, or even breakfast offerings. With a menu where everything sounds so delicious how can you go wrong?
Bespoke Kitchen
Bespoke Kitchen‘s seasonally rotated menu serves you a delicious and innovative combination of ingredients. Though known for serving some of the best vegan food in Queenstown, Bespoke Kitchen isn’t entirely vegan. Nonetheless, it’s vegan options are all things wonderful. The red velvet pancakes (raspberry chia jam, kiwi, black sesame crisp, roast banana, coconut whip) and the bean superbowl (roast pumpkin, quinoa, refried beans, tomato lime salsa, spiced pumpkin seeds, almond sour cream, coriander pesto) are a must try. It’s plain to see that Bespoke Kitchen’s ingredients are not only innovative, but they eloquently combine everything wonderfully into each meal.
Have you been to New Zealand? Was New Zealand in fact a vegan friendly travel destination? What restaurants did you try?
