The Best Sumner Restaurants With Great Vegan Options

The more traditional choice for Sumner restaurants. Everyone’s parents have been to the Beach Bar. It’s a classic date night spot, a popular group dinner choice, or where all the Sumner lads go to watch the rugby in the evening (or at 7 am).

They’ve got a few options for us tricky vegans: dips and pita, a yummy masala cauliflower as well as a sticky maple cauliflower, and of course, fries (duh).

As vegans, we recommend Beach bar for drinks and nibbles and beaut views of the sunrise over Sumner beach.

A classic Sumner treat for those driving past on their way to work (or the beach!) is Bohemian Bakery. It’s a takeaway cafe and bakery at Sumner shopping mall, perfect for a quick snack.

Pop by for a hot coffee (fancy matcha or chai, or your standard flat white or long black)and one of their many pastries catering to the plant-based population.

Our favourites include the monster of a croissant: The almond pan au chocolate. With a layer of almond goodness, as well as the chocolate inner, you’re going to explode from the vegan deliciousness (and from a sugar high).

They’ve also got regular vegan croissants, which we usually pick up and freeze for Xmas breakfast. As well as a decent veggie pie selection and filled rolls.

We reckon the next vegan place to be is Dot Com Cafe. They’ve got a separate vegan menu, and the greatest vegan big breakfast (we’re big-breakfast gals) in the area.

Dot Com is the spot where all the cyclists go after a ride, or where the grandmothers hang out to gossip about their grandchildren – so in our minds, it’s the best.

For us, the vegans, they serve a big breakfast with scrambled tofu and potatoes (yess!), a vegan shakshuka, bao buns, acai bowls and more!

The staff are always lovely, and if you manage to get the sun, the vibes are superb.

When we lived in Sumner, the number of times we’d come back to Le Xom for dinner after an unsuccessful dinner in the city was countless.

You can absolutely count on Le Xom to feed you the most divine vegan Vietnamese food. You’ll come away feeling full and happy and already wanting to go back!

Everything that is vegan is marked on their extensive menu. If there’s something else you want, most of the time they can swap out the protein for tofu or some other alternative! Just chat to the staff and they’ll be happy to help.

Veggies, tofu, fake meats, rice and roti are what you can expect. Different types of stir fry, curries, even spring rolls and “chicken wings”.

Can you handle spice? Do you love Sichuan? Are you ready to lick your plate clean? Miss Peppercorn is our old favourite restaurant and your new one.

The vegan items are all labelled very clearly on the menu, and in green so it’s easy to spot! Dishes like Mapo tofu, dan dan noodles, and hand-made dumplings filled with shiitake and veg are sure to tickle your fancy.

And if those don’t, then there’s vegan fried rice, wok-tossed vege and plenty of salad options. Everything here is tasty, but we really recommend the Mapo tofu and spring onion pancakes.

Be warned: Strictly spice lovers only. If you can’t feel your tongue by the end of the night, you’re doing something right!

Treats galore! If you have small kids (or an adult sweet tooth) Utopia Ice is ultimately where you’ll end up. An ice cream and a walk along the beach sounds ideal, doesn’t it?

Or even, a long day of surf and then a loaded waffle to finish with? Yes, please.

Their flavours are seasonal, so change often. Which only means more to taste! Plus, more than half of their flavours are dairy-free, booyah.

Utopia has heaps of funky and delicious vegan flavours that you’ll never be disappointed with.

For example, the sweet but savoury black sesame crunch, or the more traditional rhubarb and vanilla bean, or even a quirky pear and reisling. However, our personal favourite is the coconut, coffee and cardamom.