Chinese restaurant located above Noodle Kingdom with access via a lift. Has vegetable dishes, stir frys, rice plates, and mock meats. Simple, pleasant decor. Re-opened following renovation, Dec 2016. Note that not all alcohol is confirmed to be vegan-friendly (wine is not vegan friendly.) Open Mon-Sun 11:00am-3:00pm, 5:00pm-10:00pm.
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L3 264 Swanston St (at Chinatown), Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3000
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- Wheelchair accessible
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Last update on 21 Mar 2025 by oliviaac
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Added by KingKong on 27 Jan 2013
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145 Reviews
First Review by KingKong
ClarissaGovic
Points +22
Always good - Edit
I always hole up here on a cold Melbourne day after hours of window shopping. I love nothing more than to be able to disappear off the main streets and be whisked away up an elevator to an unassuming eatery. A large welcoming pot of tea is quickly ordered while I decide on what to order next. I am slowly making my way through the ‘chef’s hat specials’. These have proven to be great.
Read moreI had the sweet and sour pork on rice this time and the soy pork was perfectly crispy on the outside and tasty. The sauce was a perfect balance of sweetness. The rice and the sauce could have been a bit warmer but it was hardly noticeable to damper the enjoyment of my meal.
Highly recommend this dish and this eatery.
Pros: Great service , Refills of my tea pot!! , Menu is extensive and all plant based
Guest
reusablecup
Points +155
Yummy Vegan Chinese, Though It Can Get Pretty Packed - Edit
Tasty vegan chinese food, similar vibe to Veggie Bowl. Venue is quite small and when busy it can be quite hectic with long waits. Recommend booking during popular times.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2025-07-04
Pros: Tasty chinese vegan food
Guest
Tofulicious
Points +1452
Terrible - Edit
Not sure about the rest of their dishes but this was one of the worst soups I’ve ever had. Ordered ‘spicy hot and sour soup’ which translated to thickened vinegar water with noodles and a few slices of mock meats (ham etc.) with the softest vegetables I’ve had since my Eastern European mother cooked all my meals (the veggies cost extra btw).
Read moreI love a piping hot meal, but this was boiling to the extent that I had to wait over half an hour to eat it, and even then burned my mouth. Due no doubt to the quantity of starch throughout the ‘soup’ (sludge).
Huge serving which, in this instance, was not a positive. Will stick to the vegan Viets, Malays and Thais from now on.
Updated from previous review on 2025-06-20
Pros: Friendly service
Cons: Horrible soup, Overcooked mushy vegetables , Overpriced for what it is (cost me $20 with card)
Guest
fredphillips
Points +41
All-vegan Chinese. Love it! - Edit
I eat here once a week. It’s the best. Huge range of dishes. Good value. Generous serve sizes. Fast service. My favourite place in Melbourne by far.
Read morePros: Tasty food, Reasonable prices , Friendly service
Cons: Need to sort out the background music
Guest
KatyAdastraV
Points +55
Lunchtime takeaway! - Edit
Yummy food and good portion size. I got M44 which was a like a spicy sweet and sour ch*cken - tasty!
Read morePros: Taste, Portion size , Amount of ch*cken
Guest
Rakadactyl
Points +159
All vegan food - Edit
Despite the menu saying vegetarian I was informed by staff all food options are vegan, and the choice is huge! We settled on crispy goose, boiled dumplings, mapo tofu and sichuan beef, all of it was incredible! Wish I had time to go back and try more!
Read moreKittybiscuit
I asked the same last week and they said everything was vegan.
Read moreTiggy
The drinks are not all vegan.
Read moreKittybiscuit
I couldn’t see any non vegan drinks but does that mean the wine? I don’t usually look at wine.
Read moreGuest
Kittybiscuit
Points +9188
Tasty food and generous servings - Edit
I asked which items were vegan and they said everything is vegan. I’m so confused.
Read moreIt’s been a few years since I came here and I was looking for a place to eat with some friends I used to work with in the cbd. The menu has a lot of options and it took some time to decide. In the end we decided to share some snacks and then have a main meal to ourselves. We shared the “goose” and some pan fried dumplings and the cucumber salad. I really enjoyed all of these options. Especially the goose. For my main I ordered a noodle soup with wontons. The wontons were really tasty and I liked the broth. Very generous servings. I had an oolong tea with rose which I wasn’t that impressed with.
Service was great and the staff were nice.
We were so busy talking I forgot to take photos.
Updated from previous review on 2023-04-28
Guest
stopsign38
Points +1454
Has nice dishes but can be hit and miss - Edit
Hidden away (up an old elevator) vegetarian Chinese restaurant, all the meals are vegan.
Read moreThe menu is huge, and there are some really nice dishes, but there are some that aren’t great too. One sitting I had the King Oyster and vegetables, was really tasty. But my wife had the Sichuan Tofu (plain tofu in a ‘spicy soup’) we ended up both sharing the mushroom dish.
We will come back and try other dishes in the menu.
Updated from previous review on 2025-03-07
Pros: Lots of options, Some nice dishes
Cons: Too many options , Can be hit and miss, some dishes not great
Guest
RunEatWorld
Points +3804
Good but not great - Edit
I had high expectations after reading the reviews but it fell a bit flat for us. The chilli dumplings had zero chilli and weren't served hot. The mushroom tofu clay pot was more sauce than anything else but did have a good Szechuan pepper flavour. The kung pao hedgehog mushroom also had no chilli heat and was very saucy. It was good but it didn't live up to the standards we were used to in Hong Kong.
Read moreGuest
tinnedbeans
Points +1182
Delicious - Edit
Getting there feels like unearthing a hidden treasure with the hidden elevator 😅. Absolutely love the huge offering of vegan-friendly dishes. Tasty.
Read morePros: Vegan-ified Chinese mock meat dishes, Basically completely vegan
Guest
deirdreee
Points +547
delicious - Edit
A hidden gem! Large menu with lots of different fake meats. It was hard to choose, but my noodles were very good! Would love to go back.
Read moreGuest
GrayHorwitz
Points +2105
Everything is vegan now! (and delicious!) - Edit
Really nice tastes and textures with their mock meats and fun busy little setting. A bit pricier than similar things in Sydney, but that’s Melbourne for ya! The Peking duck was lots of fun.
Read moreGuest
LC70PZJ70
Points +746
Yum! - Edit
Awesome spot hidden on level three. Great selection. Cheap prices.
Read moreGuest
flowtothesun86
Points +80
Amazing mock meats - Edit
The sweet and sour pork and Peking duck are must-try dishes!! You will not be disappointed by this tucked-away peaceful and well-ventilated restaurant. Has a calm, family-feel to it and very authentic.
Read morePros: Great portion sizes , Delicious mock meats , Plenty of options
Cons: Don’t go in there expecting it to be tidy or posh
Guest
evoontoast
Points +1661
The Tian Ci of Melbourne - Edit
If I lived in Melbourne…this would be the regular hangout spot FOR SURE….
Read moreGuest
Hawaii
Points +39
Great food - Edit
Delicious Asian restaurant - huge menu. Try getting a booth seat overlooking the city. Recommend the Golden Treasure Cold Platter, I swap the cold tofu with a fried tofu.
Read morePros: Golden Treasure Cold Platter
Cons: Hard to find
Guest
kelseyjaynex
Points +3267
Tasty Chinese - Edit
Was easy to find from the sign on Swanston St, then just took a rickety old lift up. I liked the booth seating next to windows looking down onto the street.
Read moreThe menu is huge and not very descriptive which made it hard to choose. My partner and I ended up with the “hat trick” (tofu mushroom claypot), spicy “pork” with mushroom and cabbage, and vegetable wontons in spicy sauce. Didn’t really like the wontons and they took ages to come out, but the mains were very flavourful if a little salty/oily. Loved the wood ear mushrooms in the pork dish.
Would be good to know what their best dishes are as it seems like the food could be a little hit and miss? Would come back!
Pros: authentic feel, big servings
Cons: restaurant was messy (boxes laying around etc)
Guest
Llobby
Points +253
Good option in the CBD - Edit
There’s not many options in the CBD so this is a great spot if you need a veggie Chinese fix for lunch or dinner 7 days a week.
Read moreThey have an interesting selection of dishes along with the old faves. My go to is Sweet & Sour pork as it is at most Veg Chinese restaurants. Good thing with this S&S Pork is there’s tons of pineapple and no squishy tomato.
Service is friendly and sometimes quirky. Don’t let the lift ride put you off as it’s a relaxing atmosphere and occasionally the local Buddhist monks will eat here for lunch which is nice.
Guest
Joylemes
Points +605
Good vegan food - Edit
Nice to find a good spot with vegan food at cbd. Hard to choose just one meal, ended up with a take away container for dinner.
Read moreGuest
Grace425
Points +536
Whats not to love? - Edit
I feel like I have stumbled upon a gem!
Read moreA tucked away elevator to the left of the boba place then up to level 3 and its like walking into the most comforting atmosphere.
Staff member was very accomodating letting me know that they have vegan icecream 🥺 she was a sweetie.
Portion was large! And came out fast!
$15.80 cant complain! Fair price for such a large portion and it had little fake meat (kind of like a ham?) throughout the dish.
10/10 I want to try more dishes if I am ever in the area again!
(Went back and tried the curry 10/10 new favourite)
Updated from previous review on 2024-07-30
Guest
MotherSoyMilk
Points +18
YUM YUM in my TUM TUM - Edit
The menu was a book, so many choices. I got the faux nuggets, shanghai noodles, and something else that I forgot. BUT BOI WAS IT GOOD. The price was okay and I ordered a lot more than I needed and I got most of it for take home because I was so excited to try everything. I loved the dessert like a sweet treat. Nom nom- would recommend for vegans and non vegans.
Read morePros: Shanghai Noodles, Mango Apple Drink thing, Faux Nuggets
Guest
soyboy100
Points +171
Pretty good - Edit
Very yummy and excellent service. The space is also very cozy to sit in. I quite liked the sweet and sour 'pork'. I will definitely come here again to try other things in the menu.
Read moreI am just a bit confused with the reviews saying that some things are not vegan. When I asked a lady who worked there, she told me that the menu was 100 percent vegan.
Tiggy
I’m not sure what the situation is now but at the end of 2022 they were serving cow’s milk ice cream as an option and their alcoholic beverages were not vegan.
Read moreVix333
Last time I was there about a year ago the ice-cream was dairy. We ordered it thinking it was vegan, but luckily the waitress told us - oh, by the way it's not vegan. Really hope no one has ordered it thinking it's dairy free!
Read moresoyboy100
for the icecream, I asked if it was vegan and she told me it was. I really hope it was 😭
Read moreTiggy
It would’ve been vegan. They just had a cow secretion version available too.
Read moreTiggy
@Vix333 - I didn’t know that was happening 😔 😒 I choose not to give this place my money given they serve animal abuse products 😢
Read moreGuest
FPB
Points +430
Always the best - Edit
We’ve been eating here for years .. travel from interstate, LOVE the food, it’s tasty, consistent, and restaurant is cosy, and staff very friendly, and always accommodating.
Read moreFeels really special to dine in a restaurant that is 100% Vegan 👍
Updated from previous review on 2024-06-15
Pros: Consistently tasty dishes , Friendly staff, So many choices
Guest
blovessummer
Points +362
Love the sweet and sour pork - Edit
Good fully vegan option in the cbd. The sweet and sour pork is my staple but have sampled a few other dishes too.
Read moreGuest
AuntAdaDoom
Points +141
Level 1 service is a nightmare but worth it - Edit
Situated over two levels, good luck if you get relegated to level 1 on a busy night. It’s freezing and the service is hilariously bad. Still, worth it for good cheap fresh food from an extensive menu. We are frequent flyers here.
Read moreGuest
JessMurfin
Points +475
Insane Chinese - Edit
Amazing Chinese, I had fried noodles with veggies and the portion was huge, steaming hot, heaps of flavour. Staff were lovely and really nice place to eat.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-04-08
Tiggy
Unfortunately it’s not vegan 😢
Read moreJessMurfin
Oh whoops my bad I thought it was I’ll change what I wrote. Thank you ☺️
Read moreTiggy
If only I made as much money doing this as the businesses that profit from animal abuse.
Read moreGuest
chatreuse
Points +4277
Some great dishes - Edit
Extensive menu (although vegan and vegetarian is not delineated at all, only realised it's not fully vegan from comments responding to other reviews). Favourites so far are the hot & spicy squid, which wasn't as spicy as the name suggests, rather a slow burn.
Read moreThe deep fried chikn w/red hot chilli was delish and thankfully not very hot.
The Shanghai fried noodles were bland.
We ordered the curry lamb with rice, but was given the more expensive curry lamb as a main, so we had to order the veg pan cake to eat with it. The curry is not as good as it used to be. Had water chestnuts in it, which does not go with curry.
Service is usually very good, although when we went one waitress seemed really annoyed with us for asking for more than one fork between the 3 of us. We weren't given water, and she was very brusque. And then they asked for a tip at the end, yeah fat chance. They don't offer a discount for cash payments, but almost always apply pressure to do so, but who even carries cash these days.
Pros: hot+spicy squid, deep fried chikn w/red hot chilli
Cons: bland Shanghai noodles, pressure customers to pay in cash
Guest
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