Four affordable vegetarian restaurants near campus
Liangyu Sun shares the best vegetarian eats you can try next time you’re at uni.
A $20 vegetarian breakfast palate, $10 green smoothie and $30 vegetarian burger and chips. Have the high prices of vegetarian meals ever made you question your decision to go meatless? After all vegetarian meals should be accessible to all but by today’s standards, it’s hard to find a hearty vegetarian meal that doesn’t break your budget.
In saying that, there are a few places around the Camperdown campus that have great vegetarian food, for a reasonable price.
Sitting around the corner of the Engineering Building, and the Seymour Centre is Tian Ci Vegan. This vegan restaurant offers a variety of Chinese Buddhist Vegan food, also known as Su Zhai (素斋). Veg fried ‘oyster’, ‘duck’, five-spice Eggplant and Tofu and everyone’s favourite veg fried rice. If you are going for a quick lunch by yourself or dinner after class with friends, try their Stir-fried Dried Rice Noodles with Three Treasures for $14.80, or Tian Ci’s signature fried rice, which is only $10.80!
You can also share the vege fried ‘duck’ with plum sauce with your friend. In total, it will cost each of you around $15-$20 for an indulgent dinner. For a dairy-free dessert, remember to try their sweet soy bean curd for only $4. As a bonus, the owner offers complimentary deep fried vegan ‘shrimp‘ crackers.
Located on King St near Newtown Station, Golden Lotus is a vegan eatery that offers you vegetarian Pho, Laksa, wonton soup -- anything you would crave on an autumn day for a reasonable price of around $10-$15. Their wonton soup is only $8.80, you can add some rice for $2 -- it’s the best combination you ever need in winter! One thing to keep in mind is that they are not open for lunch Monday to Thursday, and the opening time for dinner is 5:30pm.
Mother Chu's Vegetarian Kitchen (朱媽媽素食餐廳）
Perhaps one of the most well-known and long-standing Chinese vegetarian restaurants in Sydney, Mother Chu’s Vegetarian Kitchen located in Chinatown. It’s only a few minutes walk from Museum and Town Hall Station. If you are taking trains or buses (426, 428, 430) to commute to Uni, you can drop by here to have a quick lunch or dinner without draining your pocket.
Their Wonton soup is a must-try, you can order two in one wonton soup for around 12 wontons and a soul-warming mushroom soup for only $11. The Szechuan Style Mapo-Tofu Noodle Clay Pot is a little spicy, but flavourful and warm, which is $13. The decoration and vibe of the restaurant will send you back to 1970s Chinatown and if you’re not sure what to get, the owner will gladly recommend you some off-menu specials.
This leafy little cafe in Newtown has the best vegan Tofu Burrito in Newtown, for a reasonable price of $15. The price of most dishes is mid-range at around $15-$20. It is a spot to chill and relax and treat yourself to a weekend brunch. Try the Nacho bowl with corn chips, guacamole and coconut cream for lunch. The drinks menu offers a huge variety of smoothies, but the only downside is that the drinks are a bit overpriced (starting at $11).