Christchurch Riverside Market – All of the Great Vegan Food

This popular bakery stall sells a few delicious vegan sandwiches from the cabinet for when you’re on the go. This includes a juicy spiced jackfruit roll with salad, a tempeh bun with pickled vege, and a sandwich with hummus, olives and roast veggies. Not everything is vegan at this stall so do make sure to double-check!

Nutritious, delicious and easy, you’ll have to get into the Christchurch Riverside Market early before Bellbird sells out of the veggie options. They also have plenty of fresh loaves of bread to take home for lunch!

I’ll start by saying the staff were super helpful! Offering to rinse off the grill before they started making our food when we requested the vegan option. Which, by the way, was so good! We’d recommend it to anyone who misses a soft, classic cheeseburger.

The vegan burger uses a patty free from animal products from The Brothers Green. A company focused on using Aotearoa’s natural hemp to produce health and beauty products, including yummy vegan patties. Completely melt-in-your-mouth when covered in hot cheese! A simple but scrumptious burger from Christchurch Riverside Market we don’t regret eating.

Avocado smash on sourdough with soft, seasoned potatoes and a balsamic salad sounds like a perfect start to the day! Veggie Guy Bobby’s got you covered if you’re in town and looking for a quick easy brunch from Christchurch Riverside Market.

As well as serving vegan brunch, Bobby’s sells fresh local produce, which they also use to make their cold-press juices! Giving you that early morning boost of energy just when you need it.

The stall in the middle of the market, popping with colour and sugary delights! Riverside Candy Shoppe sells an array of multicoloured sweets and candy ropes, drawing the eyes of all the children (and some eager adults) to the endless rows of lollies and hard candies lining the shelves.

As vegan options go, they sell 3 types of candy rope (black liquorice, red liquorice, and soft dark liquorice) while also stocking a few gelatine-free lolly bags and boiled sweets. Go to Christchurch Riverside Market and satisfy your sweet tooth!

Are you craving the cosy comfort of a hot soup filled with flavour and goodness? Cluck Cluck Slurp at Christchurch Riverside Market serves up vegan Ramen that will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy inside. They have two vegan options throughout the menu – vegan veggie dumplings, and vegetarian ramen.

The ramen is made in a miso and vegetable broth, with fried tofu soaking up all the flavour! Lotus crisps, edamame, bean sprouts and corn provide tasty nutrients to leave your tummy full and happy. Make sure to specify you’d like it made vegan.

You can always rely on Dosa Kitchen for tasty vegan South Indian Kai! Their plant-based options consist of a vegan plate (mixed veg curry, dahl, rice and naan), and a vegan dosa. As well as several vegan curries to pick from!

The vegan dosa (pictured) is a thin savoury pancake, and with your choice of plain or masala, they are served with chutneys and a small curry. The masala dosa comes stuffed with smashed aloo, cumin seeds, and other spices, making for a great snack or a light lunch!

I know you’ll be surprised to learn that a place like Empire Chicken offers a vegetarian option, let alone vegan. But it does, and they’re not just fries! So, if you’re visiting Christchurch Riverside Market and all of your omni friends are ordering fried chicken, you don’t have to miss out. The crispy vegan ‘chicken’ tenders are made from deep-fried seitan with a bit of spice to give it some flavour. These were surprisingly good and we would totally order them again! 

Obviously, there are plenty of other options inside Christchurch Riverside Market if you feel uncomfortable eating fake chicken from a chicken joint. However, the fact that they are offering a vegan option is a step in the right direction! 

As people who don’t eat meat, we wouldn’t usually recommend hot dog joints! However, Fritz’s Wieners does a surprisingly good vegan hot dog so we had to mention them. The sausage itself is spiced perfectly, a way better flavour than your average sausage! However, if you’re not keen on fake meats then we’d give this one a miss. But if you’re craving some reliable comfort food, this is it!

Supporting vegan items from a meat-based business is always important. Especially when it encourages them to give more thought to their veggie options as the demand increases. Fritz’s staff were incredibly accommodating, cooking the sausage on a separate grill and checking the ingredients booklet to make sure it was vegan!

When we travelled through Vietnam in 2020, we were probably eating one Bahn mi a day! So when we found Hanoi Alley at Christchurch Riverside Market, we were super excited.

A soft and crispy baguette filled with fresh coriander, a juicy slab of marinated tofu, and fresh veggies topped with sriracha. So. Yum. They also serve some of the best fresh tofu spring rolls in the city, which come with THE MOST DELICIOUS satay dipping sauce. Try it. Try it. Tryyyy iiiittt.

Falafel. Kumara. Hummus. Salad. What more could you need?

Herba Gourmet at Christchurch Riverside Market gives you a little bit of everything. Salty hand-cut chips, crispy falafel (the good kind where it’s still moist in the middle), chickpea and quinoa salads, topped with vegan aioli! If you need a healthy meal to lift your spirits, go and see the staff at Herba.

With a slogan like “Wholesome. Honest.”, you bet these guys will be serving up the nutrients. Some of their vegan salad options include kumara with black beans, broccoli and cranberry slaw, and chickpea and quinoa, topped with falafel protein. The good stuff.

Who doesn’t love a sushi train? Especially when it’s fresh, delicious and plant-based! Hikari is tucked away in a corner of Christchurch Riverside Market, with comfy booths lined up alongside the sushi conveyor belt on one side, and bar seats on the other.

The plates that make their way past the tables are clearly marked with signage if they are vegan. Some of the options include freshly rolled avocado sushi, hot tempura patties and crispy, salty edamame. Mmmm.

Indonesian cuisine has got to be one of the most reliable types of food to eat as a vegan. Indo Tempeh at Riverside Market does not disappoint! Get a vegan meal for only $15, with 6 different types of tempeh and two different flavours of rice, you get to try it all! Packed full of protein and flavour, this tempeh is some of the best you’ll taste in Christchurch.

They serve flavours such as orek tempeh, bacem, yellow spiced tempeh, rendang, and mendoan, as well as a tempeh curry drizzled over the top of the turmeric and pandan spiced rice. This is a plate we could eat every day.

Mo:Mo House serves serious Nepalese deliciousness. Their vegan dumplings are so full of flavour and comfort, we could eat 100 of them in one sitting! Served deep-fried or steamed, you’ll only want more. Another plus to this place is the friendly staff, making the food taste even better if that’s possible!

They also have a Nepalese-style potato stick, which is essentially fried potato on a stick with a yummy sauce on the side. But hey, you can never go wrong with fried potato!

Classic greasy New York-style pizza sold whole or by the slice. Pretty Good Pizza serves pizza that is more than pretty good! This small store tucked away in Riverside Market has tomato base options as well as creamy bases for vegans. They use a dairy-free mozzarella which is a 10/10 melt, perfect for when you’re craving a hot, greasy slice of cheesy pizza! 

If you’re a fan of mushrooms then they offer a funghi pizza: a cheesy base topped with mushrooms and drizzled in truffle oil. And if you’re not, then the classic Margherita pizza is just as good. 

Known for its fresh fruit juices made in-house and raw vegan slices lining the cabinet, Pure Pulp has all your whole food needs. Plus, this stall is extremely vegan-friendly!

Their slices include flavours like peppermint, snickers and jelly tip, just the thing to go with your juice or smoothie. Pure Pulp also serves fresh Buddha bowls with avocado and quinoa, chia puddings, fruit salad, vitality bowls packed with nourishment, cold press juice and even hot juices! Check these guys out at Christchurch Riverside Market, and your belly will thank you.

Fun, colourful vibes and delicious, spicy noodle soup. Ramen Ria is just outside of the market block. A  purple, lively restaurant with vibrant 3D décor, filled with the aromas of DELICIOUS hot food. Plus, they offer a wide selection of vegan eats! Ranging from ramen (of course), to tempura bao buns, tofu donburi bowls, vegan bento and stir-fry rice noodles.  

The spice levels are super accommodating. Whether your tolerance is absolutely no spice to a ‘Kiwi hot’, whichever way you like your ramen, it will be sure to impress.

Soft mapo tofu wrapped in a warm, crispy roti. Do we need to say more? Roti Joes offers hawker rolls and tofu rice bowls for the hungry vegans of Christchurch Riverside Market!

Roti Joes combines two of our favourite things – flavourful tofu and hot roti. Serving Malaysian street food with strong flavours and the perfect crunch! You’ll have to get in early in the day as they’re relatively new and sell out pretty fast.

Warm ciabatta buns, crispy hashbrowns, fresh avocado with grilled kumara and delicious coconut bacon… ah my mouth is watering even writing this. Shaka Bros has FOUR vegan burger options to treat us with!

Make sure to also try their thick hand-cut fries on the side. Whether you’re after breakfast, lunch or dinner, they’re open from 8 am until late. Shaka Bros is one of our top go-to’s for a burger in the city!