Vegan travel and eating out

Getting around New Zealand & the World.

New Zealand Eating Out

Wanting to explore our beautiful country? Here's some vegan friendly establishments found commonly across Aotearoa.

There is an ever-growing number of vegan options available around New Zealand. Our cities are veritable delights when it comes to finding vegan meals, with many cafes and restaurants taking up the vegan challenge. Even in smaller places, cafes and restaurants often strive hard to offer vegan food.  Check out our members who are always happy for your support.

We can also recommend most Indian, Thai, falafel shops, pizza and sushi places as having vegan options. Check about fish sauce and shrimp paste in Thai places and cross contamination in falafel places. If in doubt, ask first. It always pays to double check, even if you think you know.

Remember you can always simply ask if the chef can prepare anything vegan for you. See what veggies etc they have on their menu and potentially suggest something, or an adaptation to a current meal, eg replace eggs with mushrooms, or just remove the cheese. Most places are happy to help if you ask. Most cafes are happy for you to make up a plate of side orders if they do not have a specific vegan option.

TIP: we have found many places actually have a whole vegan menu which for some reason is not promoted!  So do ask if you don’t find anything obvious, and you never know when your very own menu might magically be produced!

There are many chains who can offer vegan options; see below for a list.

The best places to find out about what the local town has to offer is to ask on one of the many vegan Facebook groups. These groups can always offer the most up to date advice, plus you are getting the information directly from other vegans who enjoy eating there! More and different groups pop up all the time, so it’s also worth a quick search on Facebook to see what else comes up.

Happy Cow is an excellent, collaborative resource for finding vegan and vegetarian eateries in practically every country!  Very extensive and lots of good information for NZ and overseas.  Website and app. available.

thecoffeeclub (1)

The Coffee Club

Lots of yummy looking options popping up on the menu! Do not discriminate with pricing, very reasonable compared to non-vegan options. At the time of writing the following were available: Vegan Chicken Schnitzel Ciabatta, Muesli Bowl with Mixed Berry Compote, Pesto and Grilled Tomato Bruschetta Pizza, Vegan Chicken Schnitzel Salad.

lotf

Lord of the Fries

Absolutely everything is vegan!!!! Like…EVERYTHING! In Auckland, Wellington, Queenstown. Vegan fast food so good it can fool an omnivore! Burgers, fries, hotdogs, chikkin nuggets, munch boxes, yummy shakes, cookies etc.

HellPizza

Hell Pizza

A huge collection of exciting options, as well as “create your own” with up to 8 toppings and a kids option. Vegan nuggets and garlic bread are also available, as well as sorbets and an ice cream sandwich. For great pizzas that are 100% Kiwi since 1996.

Zambrero

Zamberero

A Mexican with a whole vegan menu filled with options for Tacos, Nachos, Quesadillas, Burritos, Burrito bowls, a nice looking cauliflower side. They have come up with a vegan sour cream and use Angel Cheese to replace ‘normal’ cheese.

Burger_fule

Burger Fuel

Their vegan options are advertised as being cooked separately. They now have 3 awesome vegan burger options as well as sides and soy thick shakes: V TWIN VEGE, V8 VEGAN and COMBUSTION TOFU. Check the aioli and switch to BurgerFuel Vegan Aioli to make it vegan. More info on their vegan options available from the website

coffee-culture

Coffee Culture

Currently most stores are in Christchurch region plus Timaru, Hamilton and Dunedin. At the time of writing they offer lots of cabinet food and baking that is vegan as well as menu staples like Vegan Bagel, Moroccan Vegan Roll, Pumpkin and Kumara Soup, Dark Chocolate Creme Torte (Vegan).

Dominos

Dominos Pizza

Dominos pizza have introduced a large vegan range of pizzas as well as garlic bread and vegan cheesy garlic bread. There’s even a vegan option in their value range. Angel Food mozzarella is their delicious cheesy option. Great for a delicious budget pizza, though no desserts as yet.

pizza-hut

Pizza Hut

Currently only one actual vegan pizza: Roast Veggie & Caramelised Onion with Vegan Cheese. BUT we bet you can customise the vegetarian ones with vegan cheese. Create the demand!

Mad-Mex

Mad Mex

Mexican place so lots of the options can be made vegan. Awesome nutrition calculator to make life easier when trying to decide. Currently in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, New Plymouth, Wellington, and Christchurch

Pita-Pit

Pita Pit

A really easy go-to for a quick delicious lunch, kumara + lentil rostis, falafels and sometimes some other specials come up like a polenta one, and black bean patties. Stuffed full of salad, and goodies like nuts and seeds can be added too.

Subway

Subway

A number of vegan options: All breads are vegan except the Italian herbs + cheese, the wrap may contain traces of milk. Veggie patty, smashed falafel and veggie delight are all vegan, otherwise a big salad sub is a go-to.

BP

BP

A number of vegan options: Vying with Z to become the favourite petrol station of the vegan, they offer a tasty Sunfed chikkin satay pie, vegan sausage rolls and veggie bites. They also have a selection of smoothies that can replace dairy with soy milk for an extra 80c.

Z Energy

Z Energy

Vegan pies! Four of them (not always all available in each store.) The first was the result of an online design a pie competition in 2015, and the pie was launched in 2016. They also now do sausage rolls and their Pepper Shroom won in their category at the 2020 Pie Awards. Available at the Z Espress Coffee locations, you can filter their map to show Z Espress only.

World wide travel

Helping you take your passion for animals, health and the environment around the globe.
UK Vegan Society

The Vegan Passport

A multilingual vegan guide is a must have for world travel. The 5th edition is available as a downloadable app in either Google Play or the Apple store. Carry it everywhere and never have to worry about the language barrier again! When visiting a restaurant, show your waiter the relevant entry from this app, and ask them to read it. Do not attempt to pronounce the text yourself! If you are invited to a private home for a meal, show your host the relevant entry well in advance.

Happy Cow

Happy Cow Directory

A great website listing vegan and vegan friendly cafes and restaurants worldwide, as well as shops and accommodation. A must for planning any travels! Also has a handy phone app to download.

Veg Visit

Veg Visits

Veg visits is like a veggie version of Air bnb. Rent places to stay and kitchens to use with local vegan and vegetarian hosts to make your travel experience convenient and unforgettable.

The Vegan Stay

The Vegan Stay

Your vegan travel can support animal sanctuaries worldwide! Everytime you book a vegan accommodation at The Vegan Stay, you make a contribution to an animal sanctuary!