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 06 Dec 2023 by geometric-noise
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Added by KingKong on 27 Jan 2013
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132 Reviews
First Review by KingKong
Ilovemyfood!
Points +459
Huge menu! - Edit
This restaurant was recommended to me so I wanted to try it while I was visiting Melbourne. The menu was huge; appeared to have a very large quantity of mock meat dishes (something I rarely eat).
Read moreThe vegetable spring rolls were nice but the teppanyaki hedgehog mushroom dish was AMAZING (hence the 4 stars) - so hot, spicy and flavoursome! I’d definitely return for the same dish again.
My non vegan friend enjoyed her lamb dish too but I can’t recall the exact dish she had.
The restaurant wasn’t particularly inviting and the staff although present, were inattentive. I feel if the customer service was better we would have definitely had dessert and additional drinks.
Updated from previous review on 2023-03-14
Pros: Huge menu, Delicious teppanyaki hedgehog mushroom dish, Quick food service
Cons: Inattentive staff , No split bills
Guest
leannem
Points +109
can’t wait to go again - Edit
Ate there today, food was really good, can’t wait to go again.
Read morePros: Even meat eating friends loved it
Guest
novog1
Points +1343
Chinese vegan - Edit
central location, great Chinese vegan food.
Read moreGuest
CallumBatchelor
Points +17
Delicious food - Edit
Really great food. Large selection.
Read moreThe chicken was SLIGHTLY over cooked so it went from crispy to crunchy but still delicious. Only reason it's not 5 stars. #Veganuary
Guest
ilikevegg
Points +350
Decent food interesting vibes - Edit
Good place to go when you want a quick and satisfying vegan meal. I do get concerned the elevator is going to break down when I visit. Nonetheless I still go.
Read moreGuest
Summerrrrrrr
Points +36
Yummmmmy - Edit
I tried the sweet and sour pork with rice which was tasty and only$15 😍
Read moreGuest
daniel__ka
Points +898
Nice Chinese vegan restaurant. - Edit
A nice vegetarian option in Melbourne. Pretty average food and a simple place, but good food, with an Authentic Chinese flavor.
Read moreI see here on Happy Cow that the place is vegetarian but the waiter told us that they are fully vegan.
They have mock meat and mock seafood options and a big variety of veganised Chinese dishes.
The servicie and cleanliness could be improved.
Updated from previous review on 2022-11-30
Tiggy
They’re not actually fully vegan. They offer dairy ice cream as an option and serve alcoholic beverages that are not vegan.
Read moredaniel__ka
Oh, good to know! Thanks for the comment. We were not sure why they were not listed as vegan.
Read moreGuest
Plume5085
Points +764
Vegan pecking duck - Edit
Small cozy place with excellent food, especially dumplings and mock duck.
Read moreGuest
florconfa
Points +724
Fav Fav Fav - Edit
Come here as much as I can, wish their store in box hill was still open. Food tastes amazing every time and I love everything they have. Definitely recommend coming here and eating all the food. Dumplings are amazing.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2022-11-18
Pros: all vegan :)), yummy food
Cons: A little pricy
Guest
Vix333
Points +768
Good food, but not all vegan! - Edit
Love this place and the vegan sweet and sour pork is divine! But although many websites and reviews say this is fully vegan, it's not. We nearly ordered a desert with ice-cream, luckily the waitress told us it wasn't vegan as we hadn't even thought to ask. Great otherwise though!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2022-07-25
Pros: Delicious, Almost all vegan, lots of choice
Cons: Ice-cream not vegan
Guest
Siconze
Points +120
Gong 'em - Edit
Good location, although the elevator is slow and very small so it may take a few trips of people travelling up and down till you can fit. The staff were fairly rude with seating us and taking our order, and we saw them treat others similarly.
Read moreThe food was nice enough, but everything was oily and had too much sugar. It was more like fast food than a nice fresh restaurant meal.
Would recommend going across the river to Vegie Kitchen instead.
Cons: Uncomfortable vibe, Unfriendly staff
Guest
EmmaJqne
Points +424
Best Vegan Chinese - Edit
So happy I found this hidden gem in the city! There is a huge selection of meals including mock meats, mushrooms, tofu and more. My favourite is the ‘Sweet and Sour Pork’ - delicious!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2021-07-21
Guest
Bonnipan
Points +114
Yummy - Edit
Ordered three dishes, it took a while for the food to come out. Two were cold dishes, the third one was supposed to be hot but came out luke warm, otherwise everything tasted good. I was especially excited they had the vego version of "happy couple" (夫妻肺片 - spicy sliced beef and beef offal) using mushroom/fungi. It was one of my fav cold dishes before I stopped eating meat and this really hit the spot.
Read morePros: Good range of Chinese dishes, "happy couple" 夫妻肺片 was a highlight, Food was delicious
Cons: Slow service, Hot food came out lukewarm
Guest
aashkat
Points +590
Average food - Edit
Food is average, not special. Good and fast customer service. The dishes I ordered were ok not amazing especially the soup! The soup from main menu was terrible! Just noodles no veggies at all and the broth tasted not fresh!
Read moreGuest
LisaSpykers
Points +8010
Could've been better... - Edit
I'll start with the food. It all tasted pretty good: sweet and sour pork, hedgehog mushrooms, and bao buns, but unfortunately, we both had upset stomachs afterwards. The portion sizes were very small for the amount they cost too (roughly $20 a plate).
Read moreWhile I appreciate they were super busy, it took a very long time to make an order, and the rice didn't come out with the meal, so after several minutes, I need to ask about that too. It was a disorderly and chaotic environment and felt very overpriced for the kind of experience we had.
Guest
mopdecoul
Points +55
Try the sweet and sour pork - Edit
One of the best. Never disappoints. Love going places where you can select anything off the menu
Read moreGuest
ambyeats
Points +83
Chaos - Edit
Had heard great things about this place so thought it was a must visit while in Melbourne, but from the second we stepped into this restaurant it was utter chaos. We were seated at a table that was quite literally at the reception area so when guests walked in, they circled around our table. That wouldn’t be so bad if the restaurant had a reservation system beyond recording their bookings on the back of an old envelope (yes, really). For 1.5 hours we listened to group after group walk in, mention their reservation and staff had no knowledge of it. Some bookings were forced to wait for their tables for 30 minutes, but most just chose to leave as there was simply no room left to stand. The poor staff are clearly overwhelmed and run off their feet, which meant our order wasn’t taken for half an hour. All of this could have been overlooked if the food was as good as the hype, but it was bland and overpriced. I’m honestly not the kind of person to normally leave a negative review, but please don’t waste your time here. If I could give 0 stars, I would.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2022-04-08
Guest
tinybeans
Points +52
Amazing food! - Edit
I've seen some negative reviews here that are soooo different to my experiences coming here so i'll summarise in short points how my experience was!
Read morePositives:
- Absolutely amazing food and beautiful texture
- Kind and polite staff despite being very visibly busy
- So many foods to choose from!!
Neutral:
- I recommend booking a table to make sure you have a seat, it can get very busy during peak hours!
- The staff are very busy especially in peak hour so the food may be delayed but they are trying their best!
Negatives:
- That. Damn. Elevator.
- It definitely can be pricey
- The food portions are sometimes smaller, sometimes bigger
Pros: Absolutely amazing food and beautiful texture, Kind and polite staff despite being very busy, So many foods to choose from!!
Cons: The elevator, It definitely can be pricey, The food portions can be smaller sometimes
Guest
Lyndle
Points +485
Delicious - Edit
Yummy food and lovely staff. Beef and black bean was amazing!
Read morePros: Huge vegan menu, Delicious food , Friendly staff
Guest
Lornaowl
Points +66
Massive menu! - Edit
Really busy but still welcoming. Mind boggling array of choices and excellent food. We had steamed dumplings, Peking Duck and sweet and sour pork
Read morePros: Vegan , Massive number of choices, Friendly
Guest
RM108
Points +67
Pricey, forced to pay cash, not tasty - Edit
While menu is extensive, food options were not tasty despite the high prices and very small unfilling portions. Staff unfriendly and not great service. Makes it particularly awkward when they ask for tips even when dishes are priced highly, which induces you to pay cash instead and makes you query whether this business supports the black economy. However, good to see that there is one Chinese restaurant that doesn't have meat.
Read morePros: Chinese that doesn't have meat
Cons: Forced tipping, Food taste, small portions, high prices, Difficult to access
Guest
Veggielife_1
Points +209
Nothing great - Edit
We stopped at Gong De Lin for dinner. The food was very average considering the steep prices. Customer service was terrible - we weren't even given water and drinking glasses. Staff were a bit rude and gave preference to those who had booked a table even though the restaurant was empty at the time we were there. Had to wait a long time for the food to arrive while those with bookings who arrived and were seated after us were got their meals earlier. Wouldn't visit here again.
Read moreGuest
JanisShoesmith
Points +143
Great find - Edit
Great vegan Chinese food. My non vegan friends enjoyed the food too. The staff are friendly. The restaurant is up a floor of a building that you could miss and only reached by a small lift. Have been a few times and have not been disappointed.
Read moreJust a bit pricey
Pros: Great food, Friendly staff
Cons: A little pricey
Guest
RachaelBlyth
Points +213
Worth a try - Edit
Was looking for vegan options in Melbourne and came across this on Happy Cow. Definitely glad we tried it as it was interesting to try all the mock meats and a lot of traditional Chinese items you can’t often get vegan!
Read moreThe food was not bad. The only issues was our special fried rice was burnt and the lemon chicken was a bit on the soggy side. Overall definitely worth a try for the novelty, but didn’t really blow my socks off if I’m honest.
This was during a huge Covid surge in Melbs though so unsure if all their normal cooks and staff were there?
It was a bit more on the pricey side for what we got.
Pros: Huge menu, Lovely staff
Cons: A little more expensive than we thought , Burnt fried rice
Guest
Snailwhisperer
Points +1102
Huge variety - Edit
Spoilt for choice here, there so much variety on the menu, with dishes separated nicely into sections like a regular menu (mock meat, seafood, mushroom etc)
Read moreThe sweet and sour pork was tasty, I would have liked a little more veg with it. My partner thoroughly enjoyed the sizzling beef in pepper sauce.
My only faulting feedback was the vegetable fried rice was very bland.
Nice enough atmosphere, cozy and casual feel. Very well priced menu.
Guest
AbbyMcNeill
Points +127
Hidden Vegan Gem - Edit
Fully vegan but labels vegetarian as some of the wines are not vegan.. food was amazing! Loved the sweet & sour pork!
Read morePros: Cheap, So many choices
Cons: Busy!! Small space
Guest
E2VSImmigration
Points +23
Great Environment - Edit
I've been there last week and this is very special place for me. I come here every weekend for enjoy with family or friends
Read moreGuest
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