Vegan
Organic
Raw
Western
Beer/Wine
Delivery
Take-out
Fusion
Australian
Restaurant & bar, est. 2018 inside Ovolo Hotel. Offers gourmet plant-based cuisine. NOTE: May serve non-vegan alcohol - please send updates. Note that ovo lacto options are served in the hotel's breakfast. Shannon Martinez (from Smith & Daughters) took over this restaurant in 2023. Reported closed June 2024.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
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6 Cowper Wharf Roadway, Woolloomooloo, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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- Outdoor seating
- Reservations required
- Wheelchair accessible
- Accepts credit cards
- Free Wi-Fi
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Last update on 12 Aug 2024 by Guest
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59 Reviews
First Review by Cycliz
GrayHorwitz
Points +2081
Good all around but overpriced - Edit
Nice service, ambiance, and set menu, but definitely not worth the price. Things were tasty, but for fine dining like this I’d expect to be a bit more wowed. Compared with set menus at various other vegan restaurants (at half or less the price of Alibi) this just doesn’t hold up. Still, a nice adventure.
Read moreJamchiller
the company was 5 stars though
Read moreGuest
Vegan Victoria
Points +621
Delicious 3-course Dinner - Edit
Came here with 3 non vegans and we all enjoyed the 3-course sampler dinner. The croquette was especially tasty and the mushrooms were excellent. We ordered an extra main dish, chicken Parmesan which I loved. The stuffed cabbage was just ok. Tiramisu extraordinarily decadent!
Read morePros: Excellent choices , Attractive setting
Cons: Not cheap, Service was friendly but a little slow
Guest
Vegfix
Points +7866
100% vegan food - Edit
This was listed on Happy Cow as vegetarian so we nearly missed it! It's vegan! We checked with multiple staff members who all confirmed it's 100% vegan, even the figs are, apparently there are no wasps inside these figs 😆 The menu also says that it's all vegan. I also called the restaurant who confirmed it's been vegan food since 2021 but that they still have some old wines which are not vegan. All cocktails, beers and new wines are vegan.
Read moreWe ordered a few dishes to share and everything was great, the waiter was very knowledgeable and friendly.
The Sangria Crumble was amazing, and the Stuffed Cabbage was our favourite savoury item.
Would definitely go back to try the rest of the menu.
Highly recommend. Absolutely would go back!
Updated from previous review on 2024-02-24
theNumberOfTheBeast
Most figs varieties bred for human consumption are identifiable by being seedless and do not require wasps for pollination and production. This is a typical "gotcha vegan" but it's overwhelmingly bullsh1t. I'm glad they're still reporting vegan, I don't normally like to support M.K. ventures (he's not vegan) but it's a fun place (when someone else is paying the bill) and the service is quality.
Read moretheNumberOfTheBeast
You know, what? I was the one that got this place changed to veggo, they admitted to me half of their desserts were not vegan, using death-dairy milk. I would be thrilled if they actually stopped doing that.
Read moreVegfix
Shannon Martinez (from Smith & Daughters) took over the restaurant last year.
Read moreThe review back in November talks about breakfast but Alibi isn't open for breakfast. Alibi is a restaurant inside the Ovolo hotel, and the hotel use the same restaurant area to serve a vegetarian breakfast.
I checked with multiple staff members who all confirmed the restaurant is vegan. The menu states that it's vegan.
Shannon Martinez Instagram bio includes Alibi in the list of her restaurants, it also states '100% vegan cuisine'.
I also called the restaurant who confirmed that's its been fully vegan since 2021 and that all cocktails, beers etc are vegan BUT they do carry some old wines which are not vegan - I guess it takes a while to get rid of that old stock since the switch over.
theNumberOfTheBeast
I wonder if Shannon decided to go vegan after cancer? I remember she was vocally adamant about continuing to kill and eat animals despite owning S&D in 2020, which is why I stopped going there. Hopefully both she and Alibi are vegan now.
Read morePedroXimenez
Colour me confused because although their front page claims plant based their menus mention dairy and meat with no comment that it is mock?
Read moretheNumberOfTheBeast
Definitely plant based. They used to offer some anti-vegan desserts, but the word is these have discontinued.
Read moreVegfix
PedroXimenez.... I also was confused by the wording on the menu but they were definitely made with meat and dairy replacements.
Read moreTiggy
Not really 100% vegan if the hotel serves eggs and dairy there. Your money is going towards that. Shannon Martinez is not vegan and Matthew Kenney is, well, just look. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/22/dining/vegan-chef-matthew-kenney.html
Read moreGuest
DianaEscalante
Points +730
Fancy delicious and vibey - Edit
Not normally a huge fan of small servings and fancy foods however took a chance for an anniversary with my partner and we were blown away, have now been here twice. The food is delicious and different and had ingredients we hadn't tried before. The service was lovely and the atmosphere very good. Visiting here is an experience, I really recommend any of their courses and they have an amazing selection of wines too.
Read morePros: The vibe, The taste, The set courses
Cons: Would be nice if cheaper but I get it
Guest
rymc
Points +562
Don’t bother - Edit
Dined here with my wife for final night in Sydney. Felt like being in a ghost town, with a slow as hell kitchen and a restaurant with no ambience to speak of. The food isn’t so bad that you’ll get sick or anything, to be clear - and when you actually have staff check on your table, they’re very nice - but overall it’s not worth the money.
Read moreWife had the cacio e pepe, I had the “squid” dish. We also had the focaccia and olives appetizer. Olives were a fine drinking snack, the focaccia was… okay, slightly underbaked somehow with a whipped ricotta on the side that was more akin to a runny cream. The cacio e pepe was rather bland with overwhelming pepper flavor yet no cheese flavor to speak of, and slightly undercooked (read: not al dente). The squid dish wasn’t the worst and might be notable if the rest of the menu wasn’t disappointing. The tiramisu is good but it’s not enough to sway the experience - and I think comes from a different (vegan) kitchen anyway.
They wound up giving us an extra dessert for free to apologize for the bad service, which… is nice and all, but I’d rather just go elsewhere. This felt like eating in Vegas - all show with little substance.
Pros: Decent desserts, Nice staff
Cons: Inattentive staff or understaffed, Underwhelming flavors for main dishes , No ambience to speak of
Guest
wendyforster
Points +50
Fabulous upmarket plant based restaurant - Edit
Wow, what a find! Great vibe, friendly staff and amazing food. It’s really good to find a completely plant based restaurant providing everything you would expect in a good upmarket general restaurant. Would def go again!
Read morePros: Food, Service, Ambience
Cons: None!
Guest
Auber-genie
Points +51
N0 stars 00000 - Edit
This app automatically applies one star for a fully vegan restaurant, which this is not. I also wanted to leave zero stars as the only options for breakfast were overpriced oats or a fruit platter. For Sydney's, thus 55% of Australia's best vegan restaurant, this was extremely pitiful, disappointing, and inappropriate for the pedistool that was to be our best dining experience in Sydney. We went for breakfast as there wasn't a high tea or brunch option today, and we were booked for Yellow this evening before we fly out. Even for being the default restaurant inside a premier hotel, the despicable options my dog could make at home was inappropriate and unsuitable for an establishment that retains such a status.
Read morePros: Not, One, Thing
Cons: Overpriced Oats and fruit were the only plant-, -based / vegan option, Pathetic options 4 an establishment with this rep!
Vegfix
Hi Auber-genie, sorry to hear you had a bad experience here. Alibi isn't open for breakfast, it's the hotel itself that runs the Vegetarian breakfast in the same restaurant area as Alibi. I get it though, we stayed at the hotel and were disappointed that it's not Alibi doing decent vegan breakfasts.
Read moreGuest
Angéline8888
Points +983
Fancy and delicious food! - Edit
I was amazed by the quality of the food there!!!
Read moreThe eggplants were bluffing!
The size are a bit small but unexpectedly it was enough with a dessert
The tiramisu wow I loved it!!!
Updated from previous review on 2023-11-15
Guest
Faz
Points +979
No Alibi - Edit
TL;DR - Disappointing both in terms of the food and the experience. Be aware that the a la carte menu is NOT available on weekends, including Friday nights.
Read moreBooked a reservation for our 8 year anniversary. Our expectations were high given the type of restaurant and the reviews. Sadly is was disappointing at nearly every turn.
When we arrived there was no one around to greet/seat us, not a great first impression. After waiting a minute or two we went to the bar to advise them we had a dinner reservation. The bar staff alerted one of the waiters and we were shown to our seat.
Despite the restaurant being nearly completely empty, we were sat at a table that honestly, seemed like it had been placed there when they ran out of other tables. We initially thought they sat us there because we were just a couple, but during our meal we saw them sit other couples at larger tables. Disappointing also because when I made the reservation online, the form asked if there was any special occasion and I had selected anniversary, so I though they might have seated us somewhere nice or in one of the private booths that were all empty when arrived (and still mostly empty when we left.) But no one even mentioned our booking note.
The next disappointment came when we were handed the menus and discovered that the a la carte menu wasn't included. I enquired about the a la carte menu and was told that it wasn't available on weekends. Super disappointing as we were most excited to order the Cacio e Pepe. Additionally, the confirmation email made no mention that it was bar food only on weekends and even included a link to the a la carte menu.
So we were left to order from the Bar Menu, which consists of snack food, entrees and appetisers. The menu also states that all of the meals are "designed to be shared"; interesting considering a Cheeseburger was one of the options.
Seeing as we had already travelled there and we had a show reservation after dinner, we decided to dine there. We ended up ordering Fried Olives, Focaccia, Meatballs and a Cheeseburger. Happy anniversary! Should have just gone to Lord of the Fries.
The description for the olives was; “Sicilian green olives, cream cheese, feta, crème fraiche”, we had expected the crème fraiche to be served on the side for dipping, but when I asked about it I was told that it was inside the olives, but my partner and I found it hard to believe the managed to stuff everything inside the olives.
Continued in the photo...
Pros: Listened to feedback
Cons: Inattentive staff; had to ask twice for water, A la carte menu not available on weekends
rymc
If it helps, you didn’t miss anything with the cacio e pepe. Very underwhelming.
Read moreFaz
@rymc it’s a small comfort I suppose!
Read moreGuest
excited666
Points +41
Amazing food and atmosphere - Edit
One thing I've missed since turning Vegan 7years ago is a good crumbly schnitzel and this place delivers! A huge portion with parmigiana sauce, delicious. My wife and I just celebrated our anniversary here and it's a very fancy posh restaurant, very friendly staff and good music at a good volume. We had three starters, mushrooms, focaccia, and spanakopita, and we polished the plates. Highly recommend, we'll definitely be back and not just for special events.
Read moreGuest
TrevorBNE
Points +87
Fantastic! - Edit
Food was excellent - new menu is by Shannon Martinez. Great service & drinks to boot. Meals are a decent size as well & very filling.
Read morePros: Service, Parmigiana & Lasagne - excellent vegan Parmesan, 72hr slow braised pumpkin
Guest
MelissaW
Points +960
Brilliant experience! - Edit
We had a lovely anniversary dinner here and it was a brilliant experience with gorgeous food - we practically rolled ourselves out!
Read morePros: Good portions , Not too pricy for a nice meal
Guest
adatewithsam
Points +142
The best High Tea! - Edit
I came here for a high tea and the desserts were unreal! One of the best plant based high teas I've had!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-09-22
Guest
aphantomspalate
Points +626
Good vegan high tea - Edit
High tea was good but I wouldn't call it the best. The dessert dishes can be improved but the savory stuff were amazing!
Read moreGuest
KATIE H
Points +363
Absolutely brilliant - Edit
The service, deco, and food all lived up to S&D expectations. With almost a best of menu! So happy to get the quince doughnuts again.
Read moreThe Alibi team delivered. Our sever Felix was brilliant and made the night fun.
We tried so many things. Highlights and this is highlights of everything being absolutely delicious. Croquettes, mushrooms, eggplant and fig, all the desserts!
Price wise, I felt it is value for money when considering innovation, quality of ingredients and execution.
I can’t wait to return.
Also to answer many peoples queries, they are 100% vegan now and gone through extensive training.
Pros: Flavour explosion , Innovation , Service
Guest
Summermonkee
Points +286
Great vegan dining - Edit
This is probably one of the most impressive vegan dining I’ve encountered. So much variety and so much taste! I just wish it were healthier
Read moreSome people might not be comfortable with how “real” some dishes are like the prawns or the skewers.
The staff is so friendly too!
-tiramisu: to die for!
-creme catalana: amazing, but too sweet & I don’t like the caramelized top shell
-chamomile spaghettini: to die for
-meatballs: amazing
-tortilla: my favorite
-truffle fries: disappointing
-potato bravas: nothing special (&spicy)
-chick’n burger: pretty good, kinda spicy
-focaccia: meh, to much bread for me. The top is nice tho
-croquettes: too cheesy and unhealthy-tasting for me
-broccolini: pretty good
-chocolate truffles: drool-worthy
-mushrooms: WOW
-paella: Yum
-schnitzel: good, but too big
Updated from previous review on 2023-04-07
Pros: 100% vegan, A lot of variety, Tasty
Cons: Spenny
Guest
KristenCampbell
Points +729
Everything was so delish! - Edit
We couldn’t fault any of the meals that we had! All were so yummy and had beautiful flavours. We tried the mushrooms, meatballs, broccoli dish, patata bravas, eggplant and one of the pasta dishes. Setting was absolutely beautiful and many cocktails and drinks to choose from. Will definitely be back!
Read moreGuest
bfeitosa
Points +5368
Best carpaccio ever, not too crazy about the rest - Edit
The set menu just leaves the impression that both the restaurant and customers would get more from a separate à la carte experience, but they limit that to the "bar menu" that does not include more interesting options that appear on their website, like caccio e pepe. Anyway, their carpaccio sets a very high bar for the rest of the dining experience, which didn't follow in flavor and execution. Still raises the venue's rating to a 4 from what I'd probably taste as a 3 in general. Some dishes definitely taste better than others, nothing tastes bad, but I'm pretty sure I could have just stuck to the carpaccio and walked away much happier with my order, and richer too... So I'd suggest you go for the carpaccio if you find a way to order it separately, or just stick to what they call the "bar menu", if you want to save money, time, and calories.
Read morePros: Best carpaccio I've had, vegan or not, Fun atmosphere
Cons: Expensive, Set menu, can't order separate dishes, Rest of the menu doesn't taste as good
Guest
kirstyconnery
Points +922
amazing food and service - Edit
The food and service at alibi were amazing! All of the dishes had great flavour however the portion sizes were a bit too small considering the price.
Read moreGuest
IshbelRoss
Points +610
Amazing food - Edit
Really enjoyed our experience here. The meatballs were especially amazing aswell as the Spanish tortilla. Only complaint would be that the cheapest bottle of wine was $70 which we thought was a bit steep 😅
Read moreGuest
CloudyClaudi
Points +459
New menu, now by non-vegan chef - Edit
Alibi have changed chefs and menus from American vegan celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to Australian non-vegan chef Shannon Martinez.
Read moreWhilst Kenney's menu was accessible to vegans and non-vegans alike, the new menu from Martinez is more challenging. It features items like blood sausage and also a beef carpaccio which is made of rubbery rice paper?
Some of her famous dishes like Cacio E Pepe are not available on the weekend. For some strange reason Fridays to Sundays they offer a limited degustation menu only. However this is not stated anywhere on the website, so don't get caught out if you got your eye on specific dishes or don't like to be locked into a degustation menu.
Staff, while friendly, are not trained well enough for such a pricey venue.
We went with omni friends for a special occasion during the week so we got to try most dishes. It was an interesting experience but we won't rush back, especially, given the limited menu on the weekend.
Martinez' questionable comments about vegans, vegan taste buds, vegan chefs etc may also be a deterrent for some diners.
Guest
yumchadong
Points +5732
Unhealthy and too processed - Edit
Since recently you can apparently only order their set “share menu” on the weekend. Sadly, we didn’t enjoy this experience.
Read moreThe set menu was incredibly poorly designed and failed to create an enjoyable dinner experience. Partially because it was way too much food (we were full after the second course) and partially because all dishes were very oily and unhealthy. There was no balance of heavier and lighter dishes. I left with the impression that they just wanted people to spend a certain amount of money and didn’t want them to leave hungry. The share menu was just a collection of their most unhealthy dishes (oily, sugary, deep-fried) from the a la carte menu that came out in a random order. It didn’t feel like a curated dining experience at all. Why not give people a choice between dishes in the set menu? Or just ask for a minimum spend on weekends? Or put in the work to create an actual dining experience? Honestly, I’m not sure why anyone would go for the share menu at Alibi when you can have an actual dining experience at Yellow at the same price point.
Looking at the dishes we experienced in isolation, I would say the food was less than mediocre. The Caesar salad was the only dish in the shared menu that I would have ordered myself from the a la carte menu. Unfortunately, even the Caesar salad was very underwhelming as they managed to ruin it with a very oily dressing. The absolute low point was the deep fried eggplant in sugar batter which was inedible. Aside from that I found the food also too processed. Mock meats and other unhealthy processed foods aren’t really my cup of tea.
Perhaps we would have had a better experience if we would have been able to order a la carte. As it is, I cannot recommend Alibi’s set “share menu” to anyone who likes healthy, flavourful, and creative food. Unless, an experience of oily, processed food in too large quantities is what you are looking for.
Updated from previous review on 2023-02-13
Guest
jcsbuss
Points +151
Plant-based creations - Edit
The restaurant creates faux animal foods which are incredible to see and interesting to taste. Just not really sure that experience is for me. If you want to experience faux shrimp, beef, meatballs etc then this is the place for you.
Read moreThey had truly great service.
Pros: great service , Innovative food
Cons: Expensive
Guest
VeganSausageDog
Points +862
Vegan fine dining - Edit
We went for NYE and had the vegan share menu. Food was amazing, staff extra nice and love the decor of the place. Nice and quiet place and you don’t feel cramped. They had a free chocolate fondue fountain which was a nice touch.
Read moreBig thanks to the team for finding my partners sunglasses we left.
Guest
NicciHarrison
Points +84
Amazing experience - Edit
Amazing food!! We had the degustation it was delicious
Read morePros: Lots of delicious options - fully vegan menu
Guest
cice
Points +97
Great cheeze entre - Edit
Inside it's beautiful
Read moreWaiter very friendly
Great entree
Many options of different culture
Pros: Take the entree with cheeze it's great! , Many options, Great fit out
Cons: Not cheap
Guest
happypills
Points +139
Left hungry - Edit
Had high tea with my husband. First sitting at 12 - bit strange for high tea but OK. The quality of the food was good. However, there was nowhere near enough of it. We both left hungry and went somewhere else to eat straight after. I’ve been to other vegan high teas elsewhere that were more satisfying.
Read moreIf you are going to serve high tea only at lunchtime, then you need to make the serving size sufficient for a lunch meal.
Guest
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