Are you a vegan or veg-curious person visiting Auckland?
Auckland is New Zealand’s largest city, making up 32% of the country’s population. It is also New Zealand’s main international gateway. Thus, it is likely that you will find yourself in Auckland at some point during your next trip to Middle Earth.
Auckland is one of the world’s most culturally diverse cities, with the fourth highest foreign-born population. This diversity brings a melting pot of flavours and cultures into Auckland’s dining scene, with food being dished up from all four corners of the globe.
If you’re a vegan visiting (or passing through) Auckland, you may be concerned about how vegan-friendly Auckland actually is. After all, meat, dairy, eggs, and honey are some of the country’s biggest exports. We’re also well known for our ridiculously high sheep-to-person ratio (currently 6:1).
However, much like the rest of the world, Auckland (and New Zealand) has experienced an explosion in veganism in recent years. New Zealand is considered the fourth most vegan country in the world, based on a study that observed the frequency of vegan-related search terms on Google.
Having lived in Auckland my entire life, including my (nearly) five years of being vegan, I find myself somewhat qualified to direct you towards the best vegan eats this city has to offer! In no particular order, here are my top five recommendations for vegan food in Auckland!
Sunflower Thai Vegetarian Restaurant
Despite what its name might suggest, Sunflower Thai is a fully vegan restaurant that uses no animal products and no MSG. In fact, I believe Sunflower Thai was the first vegan restaurant that I ever stepped foot in, making it an appropriate eatery to begin this list with!
They have been serving Aucklanders for nearly a decade, possibly making it the longest running vegan restaurant in the city.
It is conveniently tucked away on a side street in Auckland’s CBD and is the only Thai vegan restaurant in the city centre. If you’re a hungry traveller in the area and looking for a no-frills eatery to satisfy your Thai food cravings, then this is the place for you.
They have an extensive menu with many mock meat options (one of my non-vegan friends was blown away by the ‘fish’ in their burger!), as well as clearly marked gluten-free options. Their food is free from onion and garlic.
From time to time, they will have limited-edition dishes, such as mango sticky rice and buddha bowls.
Despite what its name may suggest, the restaurant’s menu is in fact 100% vegan.
6/50 High Street, Auckland CBD, Auckland.
Open Monday-Saturday from 12-3pm and 5pm-9pm.
Gorilla Kitchen
Gorilla Kitchen originally began as a travelling food truck but since 2018, it has been a permanent establishment in Eden Terrace on the fringe of Auckland CBD. Now that it is open for lunch and dinner six days a week, you have every opportunity to check them out on your next trip to Auckland.
Gorilla Kitchen’s name serves as a great reminder that you can be fit and strong on a vegan diet (gorillas are herbivores and are the world’s strongest primates)! Furthermore, their tasty and generously portioned food serves as a great example of just how satisfying vegan food can be.
While their grab-and-go cabinet food options have dwindled over the years, there remains an extensive range of delicious food and drinks to order off the menu. They have great names for their vegan takes on western comfort foods, including ‘Phush and Chups’ (how kiwis apparently pronounce ‘fish and chips’), ‘Nacho Business’, ‘Seize Her Salad’ and ‘Satay Faction Burger’.
There is a good selection of gluten-free savoury options and many of their burgers and pizzas can be made gluten-free at an additional cost. Their gluten-free sweet options are a bit lacking, but those of you who can guzzle down gluten, their pancakes look divine and they often have massive cake slices in the cabinet.
Gorilla Kitchen is 100% vegan.
159 Symonds Street, Eden Terrace, Auckland.
Open Tuesday-Sunday from 11am-9:30pm.
Khu Khu Eatery
Many local vegans (and non-vegans) claim Khu Khu to be Auckland’s best vegan restaurant and for good reason. Located on the lively shopping precinct of Ponsonby Road, Khu Khu is a great place to stop for lunch or for dinner before a night out.
This is the second Thai eatery in this guide (see Sunflower Thai above), but you can expect a totally different dining experience. Their food is closer to being fusion cuisine; you can expect innovative twists to classic Thai dishes. Khu Khu’s menu is concise and their portions are small, but they more than make up for this with their high-quality food. All their dishes are packed full of flavour and presented beautifully in a nicely decorated and modern setting.
Their fresh rolls and kumara spring rolls, though small, both make great entrees to start you off. In terms of mains, try their highly praised Panang Curry or Tempeh Pad Thai – the latter of which can be made gluten-free and I have ordered probably five times. Their ‘Chicken Chicken Sweet & Sour‘ dish is also a hit amongst vegans and non-vegans.
If you haven’t already blown your budget or stuffed your stomach on their savoury dishes, I can highly recommend their desserts also. Alternatively, you could finish off your meal with ice-cream (for as little as $6 NZ) at the very vegan-friendly Duck Island Ice Cream parlour, which is only a 2-minute walk across the road.
Seating in the restaurant is very limited, so I highly recommend you to book ahead (especially for dinner).
Khu Khu is 100% vegan.
171A Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby, Auckland.
Open Tuesday-Thursday from 5pm-9pm and Friday-Sunday from 12pm-2pm and 5pm-10pm.
Little Bird Kitchen
I only recently visited Little Bird Kitchen for the first time and within a week, I was back again for my second visit! Little Bird is a health-focussed and allergy-friendly venue, but don’t let that fool you into thinking that the food doesn’t taste delicious.
Everything is vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, and cane-sugar-free. Their goal is to create the “most healthy, nutritious, freshest, unrefined, non-pasturised, non-pressurised, non-heat treated, pure, delicious wholefoods” by making everything from scratch themselves.
The staff are very friendly and happy to give recommendations. I was recommended to swap out the grilled banana on their kumara hotcakes for the maple and ginger poached pears that typically accompanies their chai spiced waffles. This was my first time having pears on hotcakes and it certainly won’t be my last! I like that the menu is quite ethnically diverse with Kimchi Pancakes, Vietnamese Crepes, Marinated Tempeh Salad, Sri Lankan Curry and Little Bird Jackfruit Tacos on offer.
The welcoming atmosphere and lovely interior space makes it hard to leave this place. When you do have to leave though, be sure to grab one of their delicious raw sweet treats in the cabinet on the way out. Little Bird Organics also produce a range of vegan snack products that they have on display in the cafe, such as cookies, crackers, granola, macaroons, nuts and seeds,
Little Bird Kitchen is 100% vegan.
1 Summer Street, Ponsonby, Auckland.
Open Monday-Sunday from 8am-4pm.
Joyve Cafe
Joyve Cafe opened fairly recently, but it has already captured my Asian-food-loving heart. It serves some of the best vegan food I have tried in Auckland, and I have already nearly tried every item on their menu! Their food is a mixture of authentic Chinese/Malay cuisine, with one of their chefs being from China and the other being from Malaysia.
This is a fully vegan eatery that is open for lunch and (early) dinner. Their cabinet is jam-packed with ready-to-eat snacks that seem to change on a daily basis, including curry puffs, spring rolls, steamed buns, sesame balls, fried banana balls and sometimes even nyona kuih and onde-onde.
Everything on their menu is $20 and under and the portion sizes are all very generous, making their food great value for money. Their dumplings and noodles are handmade and are high-quality and they have gluten-free-friendly rice noodle dishes. Additionally, they have bao buns and fried rice dishes. My current favourite dishes are their Brine Bean Curd Noodles and Braised Soup Noodles.
The premise is very clean and peaceful, and with wifi available, this is a great place to work from. The owner is a vegan Buddhist and is so friendly, with a genuine passion for veganism and minimising food waste. They tend to serve small plates of sliced fruit at the end of your meals and occasionally have new tasty offerings for you to sample!
Joyve Cafe is 100% vegan.
1/49 Anzac Avenue, Auckland CBD, Auckland.
Open Tuesday-Sunday from 10:30am-8pm.