This November marks World Vegan Month, a celebration of the plant-based lifestyle that around 3.8 million Aussies follow and love – and that number is growing by the day, proving you definitely can make friends with salad. To meet the demand, more and more eateries are offering plant-based and veggie options that aren’t just a lacklustre eggplant (you can find Sydney's best vegetarian restaurants here and top vegan restaurants here). Now, a new study has revealed Australia’s most vegan-friendly suburbs, based on the number of plant-based offerings per person, with NSW’s coastal town Port Macquarie crowned the nation’s vegan and vegetarian capital. Known for its ripper surf beaches, longest-serving lighthouse, and the now-closed theme park Fantasy Glades (RIP), Port Macquarie is also home to 1,405 restaurants offering vegan-friendly options, with 80 per cent having top-notch reviews on Tripadvisor. Got a spinach-loving mate? Take a leaf out of Graeme Connors’ book and head north for a weekend getaway – it’s about a four-hour drive from Sydney to Port Mac. (You can check out our ultimate guide to Port Macquarie here.)
Coming in second place for its ace green-leaning food offerings was Caloundra in Queensland, which boasts 1,021 restaurants with vegan and vegetarian options. In third place was Albury, on the NSW-Victoria border, featuring 17.1 vegan-friendly restaurants per capita – almost nine times more than fourth-place Blacktown (but also: how good, Blacktown!).
Luxe pizza oven brand Gozney analysed 48 of the country’s most populated areas to find the best places for plant-based eating, based on per capita counts of restaurants offering vegan and vegetarian options, those rated four stars and above on Tripadvisor, and Google search interest.
Surprisingly, Australia’s capital cities – including Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane – all fell short on vegan and vegetarian offerings, with Canberra ranking highest in 20th place, having 4.2 restaurants offering meat-free meals per capita.
But it’s not all soggy-lettuce news; NSW takes home the cruelty-free gold medal as the most vegan-friendly state, with more than a third of the top 20 spots and three in the top five.
Keen to hit the road and eat your way around all the best plant-based spots?
Check out the 20 best Aussie locations for vegan and vegetarian dining:
- Port Macquarie
- Caloundra
- Albury
- Blacktown
- Hervey Bay
- Orange
- Frankston
- Werribee
- Adelaide Hills
- Wagga Wagga
- Shepparton
- Castle Hill
- Hoppers Crossing
- Gold Coast
- Melton,
- 17 Rowville
- Berwick
- Ballarat
- Canberra
- Nowra, NSW
You can check out the study here.