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.
-
L3 264 Swanston St (at Chinatown), Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3000
-
Loading...
-
- Wheelchair accessible
-
-
Last update on 06 Dec 2023 by geometric-noise
Update business info -
Are you the owner?
Claim this business -
Added by KingKong on 27 Jan 2013
-
-
132 Reviews
First Review by KingKong
DariaTihonova
Points +44
Delicious Chinese Food - Edit
Very flavourful and delicious, huge portions and we didn’t finish everything so we got to have the left overs for dinner 😊
Read moreGuest
KellyLarmant
Points +23
Bland - Edit
Had 3 dishes and they were all bland. Do not go to impress non-vegans.
Read moreGuest
Wuji_Luiji
Points +2613
Good vegan lunch spot - Edit
We stopped here for lunch and all enjoyed our meal. I had the wonton noodle soup. This was yummy, though I was hoping it would have had more vegetables in it. The wontons themselves were great. I'll have to choose a dish with more vegetables next time. My friends enjoyed their mock meat dishes.
Read moreGuest
Ryanboz
Points +16
Amazing - Edit
This is by far the best food I've eaten in my life.
Read moreThe sweet and sour pork and special fried rice is spot on.
I live in Mooroolbark but it is well worth the drive.
Pros: Staff are very friendly, Really quick service
Cons: Move to the eastern suburbs!!
Guest
KelseyMayfield
Points +30
delicious and authentic - Edit
this was a rare case where a veg Chinese restaurant that feels authentic. it was also really delicious! plenty of tofu and veg options for people who don't like fake meat.
Read moremy meat eating friends also loved it.
Pros: delicious food, great service, tons of options
Cons: not very big
Guest
kornfeld
Points +46
Really Tasty Veg. Chinese Restaurant - Edit
I've found myself in Melbourne on business and stumbled upon this gem right in the heart of the City. I've eaten in veg. Chinese restaurants all over the world and I can't recall one I've found as pleasant as this one. Thus far I've had 4 meals here. Each one seemed better than the last. The balance of salt, oil and flavor is just about right.
Read moreGuest
Limmey
Points +144
amazing food - Edit
This is my favourite fake meat option restaurant anywhere.
Read moreTheir sweet and sour pork is amazing and the goose is to die for, like eat so much you die of fullness.
I take my meat eating friends here and they love it because the flavours and consistency are similar and better.
It has helped me turn those friends from meat eating to plant based diets.
Thanks Gong de Lin!
Guest
camillegerst
Points +36
Good food, big menu - Edit
The food was good and the mock meat was okay. Their menu is big so I would be interested in trying more dishes. The staff was average and price are a little high.
Read morePros: Vegan, Big menu, Nice atmosphere
Cons: High prices
Guest
Samanthajjn
Points +50
amazing - Edit
I love gong de Lin ! The options are endless The sweet corn soup is just Devine !! ❤️❤️
Read morePros: sweet corn soup
Cons: none
Guest
junglechick
Points +238
Great food - Edit
I came here on a recent visit to Melbourne and was very happy with the food. The restaurant was fully booked when I got there (I hadn't called ahead) so they offered me a little table in the corner along with a free soup. I had the beef and black bean with rice and it was very tasty but a little oily. The sweet corn soup was great. I really enjoyed coming here and would recommend it.
Read morePros: location , good food, nice staff
Cons: can be oily
Guest
miawmiaw
Points +150
Impressively changed my perception - Edit
Made our second visit recently after a not-so-impressive dining about 2 years ago. Our rating for this place has totally changed to the better. Plenty of choices, lot's to try. Nicely cooked. Not the usual Chinese cooking (Malaysian / HK/ Singaporean); it's a different taste. Highly recommended.
Read moreGuest
PotatoesTho
Points +13574
Darn good dumplings - Edit
Enjoyed some excellent steamed dumplings, probably the best in recent times, along with an assortment of other snacks, a soup and a rice dish. The food was all well presented and of good quality.
Read moreThe service however, put a dampener on the experience. We found the waitress to be a little too impatient and persuasive with the ordering process and she seemed surly when I declined to leave a tip. Based on the food alone, Gong De Lin is definitely worth a visit or two.
Guest
ClarkeVincent
Points +163
great central vegan food - Edit
I had pan fried noodle with vegetarian pork and cabbage. It was very tasty, nicely spicy and a big serving: perfect!
Read moreGuest
chocoholicPhilosophe
Points +865
Good Chinese in the city - Edit
A friend and I came here for dinner on a weeknight last week. We didn't make a booking, and we had our choice of seats.
Read moreI'd have to visit a few more times to be able to make a fair assessment of the (extensive) menu, but we really enjoyed what we had - sweet and sour pork (awesome return to childhood Chinese favourites) and mushrooms with bok choi. I also tried a hot freshly made soy milk, which was nice but not exciting.
The setting was modern, clean and pleasant, and the staff were nice. I probably won't be back in a hurry, but I expect that I will visit again more than once.
Pros: Clean, bright interior, Extensive menu
Cons: Not cheap
Guest
aussiefox84
Points +18
“nice food in melbourne china town for a vegan” - Edit
very nice food in a clean and modern little restaurant in china town.
Read moreprices were very good and overall was great value for money.
If you're a vegan i would highly recommend you give this place a visit.
staff were very friendly too.
Pros: vegan, well priced, nice resturant
Guest
hatman919
Points +242
Strange place. - Edit
I went in here once at around 9pm as I really felt like dessert, and most other places in the CBD that did vegan desserts were closed. It took over 45 minutes for them to make the dessert, which was strange because it wasn't overly busy. I can't even remember exactly what I had, I think it was just a deep friend banana with ice cream. To be fair, it was delicious and I was in a pretty good mood that night so I didn't really mind waiting anyway. Can't really comment on any of the food but the stuff other people were eating looked pretty tasty.
Read moreGuest
aquaprofunda
Points +20
NOT GLUTEN FREE FRIENDLY - Edit
While the food was tasty, this place is NOT GLUTEN FREE FRIENDLY.
Read moreI am gluten intolerant and my dining partner has crohn's disease, so not eating gluten isn't a lifestyle choice. From the start of our visit I was politely querying our waitress about dishes on the menu. She assured us that some of the fake meat was wheat protein and some was soy. When our "tofu hotpot" (which she confirmed on ordering was GF) arrived, it was full of fake seafood. I again queried her to make sure it wasn't wheat protein meat, which she told me it was not.
Unfortunately within minutes of eating my dining partner began to have a major reaction - so definitely not gluten free!
We went here because some sites had tagged this place as "gluten free friendly", but please avoid Gon De Lin if this is one of your requirements.
Pros: Tasty food, Huge menu, Loads of fake meat dishes
Cons: Do not communicate clearly on GF, Do not clearly describe dish on menu
Guest
fizzkakz
Points +58
Good Option - Edit
While the atmosphere is a little lacking the staff are nice and the food is great. You can pick up a cheap lunch ($10.50 for a spicy tofu with rice) and spend upwards from there. The menu is focused on Chinese mock meat dishes but if that isn't your thing there are still plenty of alternatives.
Read moreI'd give you 4.5 cows if you played some music :)
Updated from previous review on Wednesday December 03, 2014
Pros: Authentic , $
Cons: Atmosphere
Guest
David Ward
Points +59
Brilliant - Edit
Been here once now, it was fantastic. We were fast to be seated and got a view over the street. The menu was full of pictures and good descriptions so off to a good start.
Read moreThere is lots of variety in their menu. Took some time to have our order taken but it arrived prompt and tasted delicious.
Pros: Taste, Variety, Service
Guest
coling
Points +129
hard to find but worth it - Edit
when you enter the noodle kingdom doors there is no real directions, but get the lift to level 3. pleasant decor as opposed to so many " vegetarian places" ho think veggie means down-market mix no match decor. food is $16 to $20 for mains however servings are quite ample and quite tasty. Have been veggie for 20 years and quite pleased to find this place, not having to suffer the dodgy veggie dishes in nearby Chinese cafes. This is above the cafe level and is a restaurant, staff are possibly volunteers as it seem to be run on the Buddhist realm, all in all, great place and worthy of a revisit
Read morePros: value, tasty, comfortable
Cons: bit pricy but is reasonable, entry
Guest
bendrum72
Points +37
Very Uninspiring And Uninspired Food - Edit
Bland, boring, oily and the staff are so rude! Plates stick to the tables so hygiene is quite suspect here too. Beware the veggie pancake, it had no veggies in it! Lol.
Read moreThis place is a bit of a joke. Very expensive for what the dishes entail. If you've been vegetarian only for a couple of weeks, you may like this place, however most vegetarians care about what they eat and there is no care in this flood
Pros: Cbd
Cons: Expensive, Oily, No Taste
Guest
vegelover
Points +316
Nice Noodles! - Edit
Went with family, easy to locate (but of course parking in CBD always a problem). Nicely decorated, clean.
Read moreVery impressed by Fried Noddle With Assorted Vegetables NO. 2.
Staff friendly.
Tried RO1 Fried rice with vegetarian pork in casserole but I think this dish a bit bland. Healthy though.
Will go again to try!
Pros: Nice Noodles!, Food very nicely presented., Nice view from the restaurant.
Cons: Parking a bit of problem.
Guest
fletchiekins
Points +124
Really liked this place shame about the building - Edit
I have been here twice for food and have had a great time both times however even though the restaurant is nicely decorated the lift and restaurant below (it's on the 3rd floor) is not so nice. Well worth a visit for the food - I loved the sweet and sour 'pork'.
Read moreGuest
KingKong
Points +124
Nice, healthy and great taste - Edit
I came across this place literally yesterday.
Read moreIt's above Noodle Kingdom on Swanston street, a stones throw from Bourke street, Melbourne Central and QV. Access is via the lift which is the main negative of this place. If you're a bulky wheel chair or have a double pram... plan ahead. I ended up just ditching the double for a single and a baby carrier.
Once upstairs, you're greeted by professional staff with nice decor. Very Eastern Buddhist influence.
Food wise: good price, good size servings and more importantly, tastes great. Loved their Jade Buddha fried rice and that Egg plant... well done.
Criticisms? The lift aside, and there's not much that could be done about that, a few more rice and noodle dishes can't hurt. For the lunch crowd, might be a little limited. Otherwise, it's a nice, healthy option. The thing I love about it is that there isn't an over-reliance on Mock meat. This is a vegie place that knows Vegetarianism's roots.
Pros: Location, Price, Food
Cons: The lift, Exposure, Lunch Variety
Guest
For Members
Why was my review removed? Guidelines for writing a review View our privacy policyFor Business Owners
Claim this business See inaccurate information? Submit an update here Link to this page from your site See an unfair review? View full terms & conditionsThis page has been viewed 0 times.