![Large portion of "Savory Peppered Crispy [Mushroom] Nuggets" for $20 at Welcome Chinese Vegetarian Cafe in Christchurch](https://images.happycow.net/venues/1024/04/14/hcmp414_427863.jpeg)
- Top Rated in Christchurch
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Welcome Chinese Vegetarian Cafe
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Vegetarian
Vegetarian cafe in Christchurch near the University since the 2000s. Serves Chinese and western food. Features over 100 items on the menu with most being vegan. Find choices such as fried radish cake, hot plates, claypot dishes, noodles, fried rice, satay, dumplings, vegan ice cream, and more. No onion or garlic used. Open Mon-Sat 12:00pm-8:00pm. Closed Sun.
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2 Wharenui Rd, Riccarton, Christchurch, New Zealand, 8041
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Last update on 30 Dec 2024 by ChiakTeo
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55 Reviews
First Review by vegestuff
ABKB
Points +125
Vegan and gluten free options - Edit
See pros and cons Tasty food.
Read morePros: Lots of options, Can be Gluten free and vegan, Tasty
Cons: Cash preferred rather than credit card, Slightly smaller portions but price is good!
Guest
m@earthville
Points +9717
Friendly place with diverse mostly-vegan menu - Edit
There should be something to please just about anyone on the menu here. The friendly Singaporean proprietor serves up dishes from all over the Sinophone world, including Chinese, Malaysian, and Singaporean cuisine. We had two starters and two mains, and everything was delicious. Don’t miss the house-made sauces, which you can help yourself to from the back corner.
Read moreEnjoy!
Guest
nstubler
Points +485
Great! - Edit
100s of great options, almost all vegan! Super friendly host/waiter. SUPER tasty food. ((note - doesn’t take non NZ credit cards))
Read moreGuest
@ndy
Points +1276
BIG menu choices here... - Edit
There must be 100 items on their book sized menu here! We tried 4 dishes and they were all great. Dumplings, spring rolls, wontons, crispy sweet & sour potato.
Read moreThey were busy and there is quite limited seating here so arrive early or reserve a table if you're dining in - it's popular. The decor is basic but it's clean & tidy and the food was very good. The service was quick & friendly & the food was fresh and tasty.
4 plates for $30 was very reasonable.
This place is well supported by the local plant based community & we could see why.
It's refreshing to order Chinese food & not have to worry about sneaky fish sauce being added! Recommended.
Pros: Almost entirely vegan (some egg)., Budget prices., Good quality.
Guest
Amalie
Points +332
delicious! - Edit
So delicious! I had the chefs special fried rice and it was amazing! Tasted exactly like fried rice. Also tried the spring rolls which were great! Serving sizes are huge!
Read moreGuest
JonnyHicks
Points +395
A Must! - Edit
Huge menu and the food is great! Try number 47.
Read moreCons: Needs renovating.
Guest
SophieNZ
Points +278
I always leave this place satisfied - Edit
Been here countless times and I've always left happy. The food is good value and the portions and satisfactory. My picks would be the steamed dumplings, Malaysian tofu satay and cheeky nuggets. If you're after something fish-like go for the braised soy nuggets. I also recommend upgrading your rice to coconut or ginger rice. The staff are always friendly and the service is quick. One of mine and my boyfriend's favourite places.
Read morePros: service, huge choice, mix of veggies and fake meats
Guest
Lenni
Points +26
So much (awesomeness) to choose from! - Edit
I am so happy I found this place! Almost everything on the menu is vegan and as far as I remember the rest can be made vegan. But either way you will have a lot to choose from. At first the menu can seem a bit overwhelming but if you have a bit of an idea what you're looking for you'll definately find it. The curry noodle clay pot was the best dish I had so far. But even a relatively basic dish like the curry fried rice was really good. I definately recommend to try the all the homemade sauces for starters like wontons/springrolls etc.
Read morePros: Huge range of different dishes
Cons: can be a bit overwhelming
Guest
Nikki1801
Points +963
too much choice! =D - Edit
It took me so long to decide what to have, so much choice! Most the menu is vegan and labelled well. Portion was huge and good value, shame we only got to eat there once as would love to return! Shame there aren't more places like this across NZ!
Read morePros: vegan heaven!
Guest
LisaS.
Points +36
very friendly stuff - Edit
We got some take away which was in 15 min ready to go. We had steamed dumplings, ramen with veges and tofu and some "meat" with veges. Everything was tasting good especially the meat stuff,it was crunchy outside and tasting like duck.
Read morePros: very friendly stuff
Guest
FastFood4Ever
Points +65
Best Dumplings! - Edit
I love, love, love, love, love this restaurant! Being a vegan and going to a new city, I was pleasantly surprised to find this gem. It wasn't too far away from where I was staying so my partner and I came here constantly. They have a variety of sauces on a shelf in the dining room, GO NUTS!
Read moreThe menu is large so I tried a lot, here's a list of safe items to choose from for your first visit!
Things I enjoyed-
Entrees:
Steamed Dumplings, Crispy Tofu (try with soy, sweet chilli and/or plum sauce)
Vegan Specials:
Claypot Coconut Curry with Ramen (was good once it cooled down, could be spicy for some), Plum Sauce Soy Protein with Rice (safest bet for a first visit)
Main Dishes:
Sweet and Sour Tofu (huge tofu pieces!!), Hotplate Sesame Mushroom with Bean Sprout and Veggy
Dessert:
Red Bean Pastry (Very Dense, Split 1 between 2)
Things I didn't enjoy-
The Crispy TVP delight was SWEET! had some sort of cinnamon bun sauce all over the dish, I would not recommend unless you're into that.
Pros: Cheap!!, Friendly Service, Steamed. Dumplings.
Cons: The Crispy TVP Delight.
Guest
DeclanDG
Points +23
Damn Straight - Edit
My go-to place in ChCh. Can't beat it. Happy every time I eat there.
Read morePros: Huge Vegan Menu, Value for Money, Tongue and Cheek Waiter
Cons: Bit Chilly in Winter
Guest
Carebearhere
Points +44
Delicious - Edit
Had the steamed dumplings and Hong Kong Fried Noodle, would definitely order again
Read morePros: Low cost, Large selection, Friendly staff
Cons: Limited parking when I went
Guest
african_daisy
Points +116
amazing food, great service! - Edit
what we had tasted very freshand the tofu/mock meat were both delicious. we were well taken care of, all questions answered and had a nice chat with the staff. the mushroom beef jerky is also something special! :) would go again!
Read moreGuest
Fontalamh
Points +247
amazing variety - Edit
this visit to Christchurch we decided to eat take away. All the dishes were really tasty with an incredible variety of textures and all without onions and garlic. The red bean pastry and deep fried bananas are great vegan desserts.
Read morePros: lots of vegan options, onion and garlic free to avoid disrupted meditatio
Cons: polystyrene and plastic takeaway containers
Guest
Rosinchen
Points +49
Go here and feast. - Edit
The food is amazing and so cheap! Seems like 95% of their menu is vegan, with the exception of some omelette dishes.
Read moreThe samosas are to die for, but so is everything else.
They got everything ready within 15 minutes.
Loved it.
Pros: Amazing food, Cheap, Large vegan selection
Cons: Maybe not the most stylish restaurant , But who cares?
Guest
mizawizakiza
Points +26
Good thing I don't live too close - Edit
This is the type of place that if you lived within walking distance you possibly would never cook at home. Cheap, especially with their $20 set menu. Only a ten minute walk from the university. Quite a popular place for students. The steamed dumplings have me wanting more and the crock pots are quite flavorsome.
Read morePros: A lot of choice, Large Portions, Cheap
Cons: Decor
Guest
CharlotteDrene
Points +163
Praise be! - Edit
This place has out of this world vegan options. The people are super friendly. The peanut sauce is to die for.
Read moreThey make these things on sticks, covered in peanut sauce. I don't know what they are but they are chewy and if you want to improve your life you oughta get some.
Guest
Ryecatcher
Points +2218
Don't go there if you don't have to - Edit
So that's how it goes: The food is good and the menu is pretty big, especially providing lots of vegan options. Basically that's all, there is nothing more special about this place, hence I am surprised about all that gushing praise. Besides, the menu looks huge but when you read it carefully, you will discover that most of the dishes are very similar to each other - so the range is a bit an embellishment.
Read moreI had a vegan special which was fair, but deep-fried and therefore nothing really special. In fact sadly most of the dishes are deep-fried. My plate was still sprinkling from oil, so after a minute the oil was splashed all over the table (and also a bit all over me).
Actually it's probably the best to order something to take away, because the premise itself isn't very cozy and after a while sitting there you smell like a cheap snack bar or chip stand.
I took a vegan pastry as dessert which was hard as stone. I was hardly able to take a bite, I am not kidding.
Besides, it's quite a long walk from downtown Christchurch.
All in all a pretty disappointing experience.
Pros: huge menu, food fair
Cons: sleazy place, smells oily, most dishes deep-fried
Guest
BayHabourVege
Points +81
Best Veg/Vegan Restaurant In the World - Edit
OMG!!! OMG!!! OMG!!! Curry Fried-Rice or Curry Fried-Noodles with Extra Soy Protein (spicy) = EPIC AWESOMENESS. I used to live in Christchurch for 2 years during my study at University of Canterbury and I go there nearly every day. I couldn't find a single place anywhere in the world which comes close to this Veg/Vegan Heaven. Friendly owner. Very tasty food. Man, I LOVE this place and I really miss this place. My meat-eating dorm mates also love this place.I highly recommend this place and my two favourite dishes to everyone, whether Vegan/Vegetarian or even Meat-eating folks. PLEASE OPEN A RESTAURANT in Auckland.
Read moreRatings (out of 10)
Price : 10/10 (cheap)
Food Quantity : 10/10 (more than enough)
Taste : 10/10 ( OMG!!! Bloody best tasting food ever)
Accessibility : 10/10 ( By bus or car, and near Riccarton)
Customer Service : 10/10 ( friendly-folks)
Guest
misstracee
Points +579
always welcome. - Edit
sure, the place looks a bit dodgy. i'm not going there for that. i go for the awesome food that welcome serves up. my partner and i go every wednesday for our 'welcome wednesday' meal and every wednesday we leave there happy. the staff is super friendly and the service is quick. highly recommended!
Read morePros: friendly, excellent selection, inexpensive
Guest
neve13078
Points +36
SOOOOOOO YUMMMMMMMMMMMM - Edit
Fantastic food. Fantastic service. Fantastic price. Fantastic venue. This is my favourite Chinese restaurant in New Zealand. I highly recommend it!!!
Read morePros: Fantastic food, Fantastic service, Lots of selection
Guest
happyhuman
Points +36
Cosy restaurant - friendly service and yummy food - Edit
If your craving a meaty taste this is a great place to go. Its a lovely family run restaurant. Bernard is often serving with a big friendly smile. Well worth visiting.
Read moreGuest
peas-full
Points +3569
Lots of mock meat. Delicious. Recommended! - Edit
I highly recommend this place: it is one of the best places I have found for mock meat and tofu dishes.
Read moreThe menu is extensive (4 pages or more) and you can try something different every time: 85% of it is vegan!
The food is mostly fried but it is not oily.
The owner is very friendly and prices are low.
What it lacks in atmosphere, it makes up for in deliciousness.
Pros: excellent food, extensive menu, low prices
Cons: don't go there for a romantic date.
Guest
mkpurvis
Points +66
Best place for "mock" meat - Edit
This is one of the best places I have found for mienjin and tofu-based imitation meat. I highly recommend it.
Read moreGuest
philjdomm
Points +945
many options and larger menu - Edit
i like the options of mock and staight vegan, tofu, vegetables as well.
Read moreGuest
sassyjac3
Points +35
Welcome Chinese Vegetarian in Riccarton - Edit
Everyone else pretty much tells you most things. The menu is extensive, 85% of it is vegan, and the owner is very friendly. I do however have a couple of complaints. The food is almost all fried (predominantly deep fried) and the restaurant is located kind of in a strip mall so it lacks ambience. I think the deep-frying is just a result of it being Chinese cuisine and the ambience cannot be helped, for if more people were into Vegan food we wouldn't have to deal with it.
Read morePros: Choices, Vegan Options, Friendly Owner
Cons: Deep-fried, Lacks Ambience
Guest
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