Vegan Byron Bay: Top 10 Favorites

Byron Bay is paradise for vegans and vegetarians. Not only do you have a choice of 100% vegetarian restaurants, but the farmers market and health food stores offer you some delicious local, organic, and sustainably produced foods that you can use when preparing your own meals.

After researching several sites, including Trip Advisor, here’s a list of ten favourites.

1. Manna Haven Cafe Restaurant serves 100% vegetarian and vegan meals made from fresh local ingredients. They have a large selection of gluten-free options and are highly rated on Google and Trip Advisor. “Exceedingly healthy. Exceptionally delicious” is their philosophy. They are a non-profit organisation who seek to promote a healthy and happy way of life.

Serving: breakfast and lunch.

2. Cardamon Pod serves vegan and vegetarian Indian and middle eastern-inspired cuisine. As well as their delicious hot dishes they have a good range of interesting salads that include protein ingredients such as tofu, chickpeas, falafel, lentils and tempeh. Don’t you love it when you can have your veg food AND protein? Not many restaurants seem to really get that.

Serving: Breakfast (weekends), lunch and dinner

3. Heart and Halo serves 100% vegan and vegetarian breakfasts, pizzas, veggie and lentil soups, an Indian buffet and a salad bar. Local and organic produce is used wherever possible. They use only Himalayan salt, which is full of minerals.

Serving: breakfast, lunch, dinner

4. Naked Treaties is a healthfood store which has a 100% vegan Raw Bar. A sample of their offerings include:

slow pressed juice, superfood smoothies, kombucha
Raw banana crepes with homemade coconut yogurt, berry chia compote, homemade nutella and superfood sprinkles
Alkalizing porridge made from quinoa flakes, millet flakes and amaranth flakes, topped with banana, coconut yogurt, nuts, seeds and cinnamon.
Salads
Raw pizza
Savoury buckwheat crepes filled with fresh salad, pesto, zucchini hummus, avocado, sauerkraut and a tahini lemon dressing.

Serving: breakfast and lunch.

5. Fundies (and Fundamental Healthfood Shop) is in a wooden cottage that used to serve as Byron Bay’s post office. They serve 100% vegan and vegetarian food such as fresh salads, hot meals, juices and smoothes.

Serving: Breakfast and lunch.

6. Santos healthfood shop

A co-operative, owned by the community for the community. As well as organic produce, they have fresh salads and treats to take away.

7. Asia Joes serves fresh and healthy wok food inspired by Asian street vendors with a lot of vegan and gluten free choices. Dishes include Nasi Goreng, pad thai, Malaysian satay stir fries and big bowl laksa.

8. Miss Margarita will give Mexican food lovers their fix. The menu offers quite a few vegetarian options and, as usual for Mexican food, it is mostly gluten-free.

Serving: Lunch and dinner.