The Best Vegan Restaurants in Nelson and Golden Bay

We’ll start with a good and wholesome one; East Street. An entirely vegan restaurant in Nelson, located right in the centre of town. We love supporting vegan businesses, especially when they serve mouth-watering goodness for lunch!

Burgers, bean quesadillas, Ceasar salads and ‘chicken’ sandos galore, East St is a plant-based baby’s dream come true. Even the name of one of their popular menu items, the ‘Beast Burger’, sounds like you’re in for a good time! A fresh bun made in-house stacked with a Beyond patty, pickles, caramelised onions, lettuce, tomato, and some juicy BBQ sauce. Yes, please!!

Located on Church St, Nelson

If you like an all-day burger joint, then we’ll point you in the direction of Culture Burger. Breakfast, lunch or dinner, your burger craving will be satisfied! While this restaurant isn’t fully vegan, they do have a separate vegan menu you can ask the waitstaff for (epic).

Pictured is the vegan Totofu burger. This bad boy has a chunk of fried tofu, sauteed mushrooms, and crispy potato strings, sauced up with some BBQ sauce and vegan mayo. Drool-worthy. There are even some vegan side options! Like fries covered in melted cheese and hot sauce, and tortilla chips with pineapple salsa. It’s not hard to eat vegan here because the food is so good!

Located on Trafalgar St, Nelson

Roots Bar is a classic for those who have been to or through Takaka. Everyone knows it for the buzzy vibes, beers on tap, live music and soul-filling kai. The fact that they have vegan options (and tasty ones at that) makes it even better!

You’ll catch a whole variety of people hanging out here enjoying the live band on stage, and enjoying a drink around the heavy wooden tables outside. Our go-to are the vegan burgers which change every so often, but our favourite has been a meat-style patty with melted cheese, pickles and caramelised onion. Put Roots Bar on your list!

Located on Commerical St, Takaka

If you’re in the mood for pizza, Dangerous Kitchen in Takaka serves a perfectly crispy-based pizza with juicy, cheesy toppings. They’ve always got one or two vegan pizzas on offer, whether you’re after a single slice or a whole pizza!

However, if you don’t fancy a pizza, their Buddha bowl with organic falafel is one of our favourites too. They even have a vegan burrito filled with beans, cheese, quinoa and other plant-based goodness! Dangerous Kitchen is a safe option when thinking about where you’ll go for lunch.

Located on Commercial St, Takaka

One of our favourite things about Mussel Inn is their compostable toilets…how vegan is that!! Our second favourite thing is their home-brewed beers, and our third is the vegan chocolate cake. Hmm, the vegan pies are pretty good too! Okay okay, it’s safe to say we’re obsessed with everything about this place.

Whether you’re after a quiet pint and lunch in the sun, or keen for dinner and a gig, the Inn provides the vibes. They’ve always got a vegan pie available (pictured is Mexican-flavoured), and their vegan chocolate cake (maybe one or 2 more vegan options on the menu). Trust us when we say that the chocolate cake is genuinely a piece of chocolate heaven.

Located on State Highway 60, Onekaka

If you’ve been anywhere near Motueka, you definitely would have heard (if not already been) about TOAD Hall! This place is so popular that the line to order a takeaway coffee is regularly out the door. When you enter the building, there is a small store where they sell fresh produce like fruits, veggies, meals and snacks to-go or even some Grater Goods deli ‘meats’!

Inside the restaurant, they have plenty of vegan options whether you’re in for breakfast or lunch. Tasty kai like vegan-based smoothie bowls (there’s a nice charcoal-based bowl you should try if you’re up for something different!), smashed avo on crispy bread, vegan burgers, vermicelli noodle bowls, and our favourite; The falafel platter. With soft pita, fresh greens, and tabouleh full of flavour, you’ll be stoked when this arrives at your table.

Located on High St South, Motueka

If you’re looking for wholesome and affordable vegan food in Motueka, you’ve found it! Revite is hidden down the back of an alley between a crystal store and a boho clothing shop. You already know the food is going to be soulful! They are a plant-based cafe, so be mindful that while everything is vegetarian, it’s not all vegan.

Revite have a couple of lunch deals, like dahl or curry and naan for cheap! They also sell hot pies, samosa, pakora, falafel, filo, and some sweet options like raw slices and wholefood cakes. It’s a very eclectic group of people who come to eat here, so if you’re a solo traveller you’re sure to meet some friends! Lunchtime is very busy with a line right out the door (which is a good sign!), so make sure you time it right.

Located on High St, Motueka

Given that Marahau is a small area, there aren’t too many places to go for a decent feed. This as well as the fact that The Fat Tui’s burgers are genuinely delicious, means that this burger joint is busy busy! You want to time it right and probably go earlier rather than later as the wait time gets pretty long.

But the wait is worth it for a fresh burger the size of your face filled with all that tasty burger-y yumminess! There’s always been between 1 and 3 vegan options when we go, and they’re always good! This time that we went they had a mushroom and kimchi burger, as well as a satay jackfruit. Always with fresh lettuce, tomato and avocado. Mmmm.

Located at Sandy bay-Marahau Rd, Marahau

Widely known for its wood-fired pizzas, Park Cafe is located just outside the entrance to the Abel Tasman National Walk! Perfect if you want a quick brekkie before going into the bush, or if you’ve just come out after a long hike and need sustenance.

For breakfast, they have a healthy muesli with fresh fruits and coconut yoghurt. There is also the option to put some bits and pieces together if you are after something like avocado or beans on toast. They also have a couple of vegan cabinet options such as quinoa salad or a falafel wrap. And that’s not even mentioning the pizzas! Margarita or mushroom pizza with vegan cheese and a soft, doughy base. Perfectly fired in the pizza oven. Just what you need after a long walk on the Tasman!

Located at Sandy bay-Marahau Rd, Marahau