Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Ovo
Western
Mediterranean
Breakfast

Maintains a coffee house culture of 1950's and 1960's. Offers light food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Extensive drinks and desserts menu. Many vegan choices and can change a few other dishes to be vegan upon request. Reported under new ownership March 2023. Open Mon-Thu 7:00am-12:00am, Fri 7:00am-1:00am, Sat-Sun 8:00am-9:00pm, Sun 7:00am-12:00am.


40 Reviews

First Review by Jeremy_V

chantea

Points +234

Vegan
26 Apr 2014

Nothing Bad about Badde Manors

* sorry about the pun. :/

Recently we visited Sydney and it was a goal to go to the original Cruelty Free Shop in Glebe. I heard there was a little cafe there that did vegan food, so we walked down the street to find this quirky corner cafe called Badde Manors. We had a look at the menu and became very excited by the many vegan options, especially the big breakfast. We were having lunch elsewhere, but came back to have a chocolate brownie and a soy latte. The brownie was absolutely delicious, chewy, warm and melts in your mouth.

The following day we had the vegan big breakfast. It wasn't quite as big as I'd hoped, but it was delicious. The beans were the best part. Everything was fresh, wholesome and the prices were reasonable. Staff were a bit grumpy, but everyone has off days. This does seem like a pretty popular little place, so it's an obvious winner.

Pros: Lots of vegan options, The brownies

Tiggy

Points +15260

Vegan
27 Jan 2014

Disappointed again

I went to this place for breakfast this morning and was reminded of all the mediocre things I wrote about in my original review. For a while I would come here every time I was in Sydney (because it has vegan options and I like Glebe), but never quite understood why there was always a crowd. It is central I suppose and does the job for most people. The decor and booth seating in the front part are nice and I enjoy the look and feel of the place but I struggle to find something I want from the vegan options, especially before 11:30am when only the breakfast menu is available. On previous occasions I've opted for the field mushrooms on toast and this time I shared the Big Vegan Breakfast. This wasn't that big, tasted OK but was pretty unexciting and came with only one slice of toast, not enough to accompany the other food on the plate (including pumpkin, not really a breakfast food for me). However, it was cheaper than many vegan breakfasts at other cafes and I have to say that the prices here are pretty good by cafe standards. The coffee is advertised on the website as Rainforest Alliance but when I asked the server and the barista, they both told me it wasn't. Unfortunately, you get the sense here that vegans are an afterthought. On one occasion I ordered a dish marked vegan on the menu but it was accompanied by a package of butter, which I returned and was offered no alternative, meaning dry toast. The vegan fudge brownie, which I've had in the past, was rich and delicious, but it would be nice if a few more of their vast selection of cakes were vegan, as this was the only one. After being disappointed again today I don't know if I feel like coming back.

Updated from previous review on Tuesday January 29, 2013

Pros: Pleasant decor and environment, Buzzing and social, Competitive prices

Cons: Limited vegan options, Some dishes not fantastic

thecriclover99

Points +148

Vegan
24 Nov 2013

Tofu Burger was underwhelming

I had the tofu burger. I liked the satay sauce, but not the burger so much.

I also had the bruschetta... That was very nice.

Pros: bruschetta, satay sauce, hot apple cider

Cons: tofu burger

Petesternz

Points +1429

Vegan
10 Jul 2013

Liked the breakfast

I thought this place was much better than previous reviewers. Though it was not the warmest place around (temperature or atmosphere) the food was very solid for brunch. The vegan big brekkie was quite good, with the food very fresh and lots of yummy things, including mushrooms, homemade baked beans and big slices of toast. Coffee was good, and so was an order of vegan porridge. All things considered, it was an enjoyable brunch. Menu hardly loaded with vegan options, and baked goods mostly not vegan, but brunch was good.

VegoTraveller

Points +54

Vegetarian
01 Jun 2013

Great Vegetarian

I stumbled across this place accidentally when brunching with a friend on glebe point road. Had a great variety of tasty vegetarian options available at a reasonable price. Cosy interior. Would be better if there were more options with no onion or garlic.

Pros: tasty, variety, central

Cons: many items have onion and garlic

Moix

Points +343

Vegan
30 Sep 2012

Fab!

I came here with a friend about a week ago. The place was ultra busy but the staff found awesome booth seats for us. I had the vegan mushroom risotto & my friend had the eggplant schnitzel. The service was relaxed & friendly, the food came reasonably quickly & both meals were absolutely delish. Great vibe, I'd definitely go back.

Pros: Friendly, Fast, Delish

moorspede

Points +37

Vegetarian
09 Aug 2011

Badde is right

This cafe has been around forever and goes through phases. For the last couple of years it's been going through a bad one.

If you go for coffee and cake or eggs or burger you'll be fine but pretty much everything else tastes bland or just plain bad.

I had a pasta which was overcooked and so bland I couldn't eat it. As someone said the vegan eggs are awful.

wipey

Points +26

Vegan
22 May 2011

Not great for vegans

I went there for breakfast. There was only about three vegan choices. I ordered the scrabbled tofu. When it arrived I was pretty disappointed it was hardly scrambled tofu it was more like a stir fry. The tofu was just in triangles and it was STIR FRIED with other vegies. Not happy at all.

rap attack

Points +187

Vegan
09 Jul 2010

Not much that is Vegan/healthy

Boring food

Pros: Location

Cons: Boring food, Not a vegetarian/vegan place

InJessT

Points +68

Vegan
24 Jun 2009

They need vegan dessert options

I never used to like this place, but I've come around. I get either the tofu burger with satay sauce or the nachos without cheese or sour cream. There's a couple of other vegan options. It sucks there's no vegan desserts, although I'm usually too full anyway. They do a soy hot carob which is vegan.

thelink

Points +165

Vegan
08 Jan 2009

Great for breakfast

We really love to go to Badde Manors for breakfast on the weekend. The coffee is nice and strong and the "Big vegan breakfast" IS big, and also delicious. Beside the "big" brekkie, there are a few other vegan breakfast choices, such as vegan scrambled tofu.

I agree with VeJo that otherwise the choices aren't great for vegans and I am too absolutely amazed about the fact that NONE of the about 20 cakes/ tarts / strudels are vegan. What a shame!!!

Get those vegan cake recipies out Baddes!

Jeffrey

04 Nov 2009

Hi Thelink, I liked your review. I love to go to these breakfast places, but having no vegan cakes is a shame.

VeJo

Points +212

Vegan
28 Dec 2008

Not bad, not great

Badde Manors has obviously been around a long time - it's an old style vegetarian café, with slim pickings for the vegan diner. The food was fair, but not as good as we could do at home. My feeling was that it's a restaurant that's stuck in a rut, and needs to get a bit more in touch with the more sophisticated veg*n clientelle that has emerged post 1985. No desserts suitable for vegans? Outrageous! Only a few, very simple and outmoded mains available for vegans, as well, which makes you wonder why bother going to a veg restaurant then in the first place, if the choices are not so much better than a regular meat place. The service was good, and the atmosphere is pleasant.

Pros: nice atmosphere, service prompt and polite

Cons: boring food, not many vegan options, not liscenced

VeJo

30 Nov 2012

**Update, 30th November 2012. Note to self: Don't go back. I thought I'd give Badde Manors another chance, given I hadn't been there for so long. Terrible. I ordered something off the menu that was marked as vegan, and also mentioned to the waitress that I am vegan... and there was butter smeared all over the toast... no apology or regret from clueless waitress. The meal itself was dull dull dull. It is actually possible to make tofu taste good, so why not put in a little effort? The coffee was decent.

VeJo

22 Feb 2013

I went back to Badde Manors last weekend, and was even less impressed with it this time. The waitress rolled her eyes when we said we were vegans, and didn't really understand what a vegan does and doesn't eat ("oh, so you don't eat honey either?"). I didn't feel like modified nachos (which would have been chips and beans) or a bland tofu burger (that's what my husband had), so I opted for a veganised pasta from the specials board. Plain fettucini with avocado and some bits of asparagus. Really, really bland. And, again, I've had better at non-veg restaurants.

Badde Manors really need to start making an effort for their vegan clientelle.

Jeremy_V

Points +16

Vegan
04 Oct 2007

Badde Manors.. Glebe

I really like this place, and have been many times.
They seem to be always open, the food is excellent, with loads of vegan stuff. Try the tofu burger..
The coffee is good too.
Can be crowded and noisy. Tables turn over pretty quick though.

Pros: food, coffee, service

Cons: busy, cramped




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