• CLOSED: Las Vegan Cafe

  • (21)
    5

    Closed

  • Catering Catering
    Vegan

Aug 2015 the cafe bakery here shut down. Owners now operate as catering service only, out of this same space. REPORTED CLOSED, OCT 2016.


21 Reviews

First Review by ampallang

Tofulicious

Points +1159

Vegan
03 Oct 2015

Horrible

The couple that started this establishment ran a fantastic (if somewhat disorganised) cafe, and I was excited to return at the beginning of the year. After paying for meals and drinks, my dining companion and I were directed to sit in the back room (which felt strangely like a large broom-closet) where we sat awkwardly opposite a table of people who continued to shoot unpleasant looks at us as though we were interrupting their private business meeting. The table vacated, and they continued chatting and laughing with other staff in the front room.

After around 15 minutes, I approached the receptionist who had taken our order to enquire about our drinks - which were in a fridge not two metres away - looking irritated, she said she would bring them to us shortly (even though we were clearly the only customers present). We asked for a refund, whereupon the owner demanded to know why and what the problem was (but did eventually provide a refund). It was clear to my dining companion and myself that the owners must have had no intention of maintaining the premises as a cafe; and that we would never again patronise such a venue (whether for accessories or catering purposes) that portrayed such disregard and disrespect towards their paying customers.

Cons: rude, contemptuous attitude towards customers, poor service

chocoholicPhilosophe

Points +863

Vegan
20 Mar 2015

Not as good as I hoped

I've had lunch here a couple of times, and bought baked goods a few times. I wanted to love it, but can't quite get there.

Overall, I've found the lunches to be ok, certainly not bad, but nothing to get excited about. The hot chocolate I had one time was probably the worst vegan hot chocolate I've ever paid for, really weak and watery, and maybe I've just been unlucky, but I've found that each time I've had baked goods (I had a strawberry lime muffin once, and a brownie another time), they were rather dry and crumbly, and I know vegan baked goods can be better than that.

On the other hand, Vegan Style, the shoe shop that shares the same space, is fantastic, and it's great to be able to look at shoes while waiting for your food to arrive.

Pros: Attached to an awesome vegan shoe shop, Pretty cheap for a sit down lunch

Cons: Food isn't fantastic

ShelleyWilliams

Points +26

Vegan
09 Dec 2014

Delish & excellent!

Don't be fooled by the lack of food in the windows! Go on in and you'll find the cafe is behind all the beautiful vegan shows and belts. Highly recommend the chicken schnitzel and cupcakes - amaaaaazing! Staff are so lovely and helpful and the atmosphere is cottage meets tranquil ambience. Meal size is generous and delicious - FIVE happy cows points!!

Pros: Served quickly, Food delicious, Friendly service

Tiggy

Points +14236

Vegan
28 Nov 2014

Simple and decent food

I'm enjoying the Las Vegan menu at the moment, as well as its dinner specials. The addition of pizzas to the menu a while ago has been a good thing in my opinion and I also enjoy being able to have what I think is the only vegan mac and cheese in a cafe in Melbourne. Given the limitations of vegan cheese substitutes it's pretty good all things considered. The Tex Mex items on the menu - quesadilla, burrito, etc - cant quite compete with the place up the road, but Las Vegan has a real grassroots vegan feel to it, with gatherings of animal rights types regularly happening. Plenty of vegan sweets too. I like taking home a brownie for later and I used to grab a muffin for morning tea almost every day when I worked in the neighbourhood. Unfortunately they're only open for dinner a couple of nights a week but good for a reasonably priced meal when they are.

Pros: Grassroots vegan cafe, Good brownies (and other desserts)

CristyVegSanderson

Points +20

Vegan
18 Sep 2014

Generous Serve and Tasty!

The cafe has been renovated recently and looks good! I had the tofu and tempeh wrap and it was delicious - and they were happy to make adjustments. It was stuffed with so much tempeh - serve size was really great. Had also ordered a cake from them the day before (Jaffa Baci) - and everyone in my family LOVED it! The price of the cake was fantastic too! Have always had a good meal there! And its very cool that the Vegan Style shoe shop is there too. Keep up the great work guys!

Pros: Value for money, Tasty Food, Vegan shoes as well

Cons: Cold climate

LiT

Points +107

Vegan
22 Feb 2014

Don't bother

The place looks run down and grungy. It needs a good clean.
The waitress was so unfriendly.
The food was below average. I'd rather stay at home that go back there.
There are amazing vegan restaurants all over Melbourne, no need to waste your time with this place.

Pros: Vegan

Cons: Service is terrible, Food was below average, Pleace needs a clean

places-in-pieces

Points +665

Vegan
15 Jul 2013

great option

had the snitz & chips, which was the best vegan schnitzel i've ever eaten. my friend equally enjoyed her meal, and we shared a piece of cake that was delicious. las vegan is a must stop when in melbourne.

DiaShel

Points +48

Vegan
09 Jun 2013

Wish I had a place like close to home

The place has a nice, small cafe feel to it. We came for dinner and got a smoky BBQ chicken pizza (a special), quesadilla, and chips with 3 dips. The pizza was fantastic and the quesadilla had everything you would want in it. Not having normal cheese it didn't stick together as quesadillas do so it was a bit messy, but didn't matter to me as it was delicious. The chips were absolutely perfect, with the skins on and nice and crispy. The dijonase sauce was my favorite. Haven't had any since going vegan many years ago and it was just like I remember. Ended it was a vanilla and strawberry cupcake which was a nice finish.

Pros: Friendly service, Good food, Options

Cons: None

ShelleyScott

Points +44

Vegan
03 Jun 2013

great little place for lunch if you're in no hurry

Great food like vegan fush and chips which come in huge portions with plenty salad and great chips. The shop is quite small but has charm. Not the best service from the girl in the front but hey the food made up for that. Really want to go and try the breakfasts.

Pros: good portion sizes, good food

Cons: not good coffee and chai

eveliene99

Points +212

Vegan
15 Sep 2012

Lovely small cafe

Las Vegan is a lovely small cafe/bakery. They have a big menu with obviously plenty to choose from for vegans. The staff is friendly, their dishes are very affordable. I've had a great vegan fish 'n chips there. I would really recommend this place if you visit Melbourne. They also have a lot of interestion reading material, and cupcakes!

Pros: Affordable, Excellent food, Friendly staff

Floatingduck

Points +327

Vegan
24 May 2012

Delicious :)

I tried a burrito and a muffin - both very delicious. The staff was very friendly and i will eat here again. Check the specials before you order - they are not in the menue.

Pros: Very delicious food, Friendly staff, Big portion

Cons: -, -, -

Cannellini

Points +20

Vegan
02 Mar 2012

Love it!

Had a wonderful meal tonight as Las Vegan. We ordered the Sloppy Pete (yummy mince over chips) and nachos. Both were really good. Feel the need to rave about the nachos - they were awesome! The cakes were delectable too. This is a place I'll definitely want to come back to next time I'm in Melbourne.

Pros: delicious, great staff, great atmosphere

rankyroo

Points +48

Vegan
25 Jun 2011

lunch at las vegan!

We were nervous about heading over to Las Vegan since the new owners took over, but made the hike anyway.
With trepidation we sat outside, wanting to keep away from watchful eyes in case we were disappointed.
As soon as one of the owner's popped out, all smiles and warmth we knew we were in luck.
The new owners are lovely, the food is brilliant, and they've played around with specials that make me want to move closer so I could sneak off for my lunch breaks and devour calzones and raw cashew cream!!
Love it there.

Pros: great staff, delightful food, comfortable ambiance

KATIE H

Points +277

Vegan
18 Mar 2011

muffins and cakes

vegans forget mains just go straight for the muffins. we have found it hard to find a good vegan cake in australia until we came here, nice moist and light.

Pros: muffins, muffins, muffins

Aloo

Points +6920

Vegan
07 Feb 2011

A must visit for vegans

Loved that this little place was so friendly and cheerful and the food lovely and fresh. Enjoyed fresh juice and tasty burgers. Yes, definelty vegan heaven in vegan land (Smith Street). Had to walk and return to have the cupcakes!

Pros: Friendly, Fresh, Relaxed

simpsonyellow

Points +199

Vegan
13 Jul 2010

An Absolute Gem

A cosy little vegan nirvana. The menu is largely made up of calzones, burgers and salads, all of which are good, fresh and tasty.

The tofu and tempeh chip salad is a favourite of mine, and it's nice to see chunks of tempeh put to good flavoursome use. Of all the burgers, the faux chicken shnitzel burger warrants a special mention for it's amazing texture - worth trying for that alone. And the chips are delicious if you're hungry - chunky and with the skins still on.

A main with side salad or chips will come to around the $10 mark, but make sure you save room for sweets, as the muffins and vanilla slice are awesome. There's also all you can drink chai (with Bonsoy soy milk) for $3.50.

Nice laid back, homely atmosphere. I always find it nearly impossible to pass up Las Vegan when I'm in the neighbourhood and, if it weren't for the short opening hours, I probably wouldn't eat anywhere else.

Pros: Good value, Everything on the menu is great

Cons: Short opening hours

Aloo

22 Feb 2013

oooh I didn't know they did vanilla slice...hmmm will check that out next time!

simpsonyellow

22 Feb 2013

Sorry for getting your hopes up but, sadly, vanilla slice is no longer available at Las Vegan. A few months after I posted this review, their supplier stopped making them (unlike the muffins, the vanilla slices weren't made in-house by Las Vegan). They've recently changed management though, so maybe the vanilla slice will make a comeback...

Somewhere that you can *occasionally* get vegan vanilla slice is La Panella Bakery in Preston. I've only seen it there a few times though, so you may want to call ahead.

t-bone123456

Points +52

Vegan
25 Jun 2010

Nice little place

Nice little place - all veg and tasty. My husband and I love coming to this side of town...also Trippy Taco a few doors down, also a great Ethiopian restaurant close-by too that have veg options. Great vegan cakes made on the premises. All up a great place for veg food.

Pros: friendly staff, excellent food

SonjaCPA

Points +5270

Vegan
01 Dec 2009

vegan calzones!

We stopped in for lunch while on vacation in Nov 2009. We showed up just before the lunch rush and the little place got quite full. We ordered the potato and TVP calzones to start. They seemed more like baked pierogies to us, but they were quite tasty. We shared a faux chicken schnitzel burger with a gourmet salad (which was quite gourmet indeed!). I washed it all down with a large glass of fresh squeezed orange juice. Yum! We took the sour cherry and banana muffins to go. Definitely check the place out!

Pros: tasty and fresh

Cons: small space

Petesternz

Points +1447

Vegan
28 Nov 2009

PLEASE MOVE NEAR ME!

YUM YUM YUM YUM YUM. This is now one of my favourite places in Melbourne. Absolutely scrumptious - with great baked goods, and yummy eat in options as well. I had their Thai mock chicken burger and it was fantastic, with good texture and sauce. Their fries are some of the best I've had anywhere - fresh cut with big chunks. And their muffins are amongst the best I've had in the world. The Sour cherry is to die for. This place just rocks!

Pros: Everything

Cons: Short hours

mathilda

Points +16

Vegan
18 Jul 2009

Las Vegan is now open Thursday and Friday nights

Good news for anyone who can't get away at lunch time to eat at Las Vegan, they are now open from 11am to 9pm on Thursday's and Friday's. This is an amazing place, not just for Vegans, but for anyone who places importance on eating the best food that money can buy. Nothing processed here, plenty of organic ingredients (they are the only restaurant in town that serves non-frozen, hand cut organic chips, and they are awesome) and everything (even the organic soup stock) is made from scratch in Las Vegan's own kitchen, except of course for the obvious items such as tofu, tempeh and chicken schnitzels. This place is Melbourne's best known secret, so go there before the hoards discover it, and try one of their amazing Calzone (only $6.00) or Indonesian style Rice Balls with authentic satay sauce ($9.00). Their lentil burgers are melt in the mouth delicious and their salads have more than just salad mix with either too much or a just dribble of dressing. Just one thing, all meals are made to order, so sometimes when the place is rocking you might have to wait a bit longer than you would at your local fast food dive. As they say, good food takes time. So sit back, relax, enjoy the friendly ambiance and prepare for something addictive and unforgettable.

Pros: excellent food, good value, totally vegan

ampallang

Points +365

Vegan
25 Nov 2008

CHIPS, BURGERS, SALADS and MUFFINS

Only open few hours but worth the visit, mostly ogranic and all vegan! Great salads, lovely tofu- tvp burgers, rice dishes, pies and calzones. Also really nice hot chips! Chai tea for cheap with soy milk. Speciality of the shop is muffins made in the kitchen, really tasty. Gluten free options, sadly not for the muffins as of yet. Meals around $7-10 for a big serve

Pros: All vegan, small business, variety

Cons: open short hours




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