Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Indian

Hare Krishna affiliated restaurant in a tucked away location, so look for it. Offers Indian vegetarian food such as samosa, pakora, dal, and combo plate meals. Around one-half of the menu items are vegan. Open Mon-Sun 11:00am-5:00pm.


Venue map for Cardamom Pod
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31 Reviews

First Review by KelseyApple

Iluv2roam

Points +86

Mostly Veg
06 Jul 2024

Exceptional

Excellent service & food even close to closing. Had medium bowl with vegetarian lasagna & vegan dahl & rice; took raw berry pie for later (JUST TRY...BLISS). ALOT of food for very fair price. Also take away offer option @ closing....go find out!

Pros: Flavors, Options for small place, Service

jollyhoe

Points +770

Vegan
26 Jun 2024

Gorgeous place

Amazing food, good vegan options and nice atmosphere.

Valeriazwow

Points +1042

Vegan
18 Jun 2023

Simple and tasty vegan food

This is a really lovely hidden gem in the heart of Byron Bay. Simple, healthy and tasty food on offer with lots of exciting desserts too. I got a large TA box filled with: tofu salad, bean salad and the vegetable curry. I also got the raw vegan tiramisu which was incredible!

Pros: Really affordable (14 aud large TA boxes), Raw desserts

bibinkaa

Points +28

Vegan
26 Apr 2023

Blissful experience

This wonderful place is filled with love for food and people😄I fell in love with their organic dhal and the cakes! I will be back to experience more of it.
Thank you so much for your service Cardamon Pod!
*vegan options

Pros: Satisfies all the taste buds , Lovely and welcoming owners, The heavenly cakes!

Cons: None

NDVegan

Points +6350

Vegan
15 Jun 2022

Wholesome

Hearty, wholesome Indian food. Great value and yum. The curries, koftas, cauliflower pakoras & the sago pudding are all so tasty.
Casual dining and quick meals from the bae maries. Also its healthy food for feeding toddlers. Easy to chew, healthy and delicious. My bubs loves the curries and Dahl. I wish they had high chairs.

Updated from previous review on 2022-06-15

JohnPrior

Points +950

Vegan
28 Mar 2022

Nice place with good food

A great option for budget travelers. Lots of vegan options.

Sarbee13

Points +381

Vegan
03 May 2021

Loved it

Absolutely delicious and affordable. Lovely family behind the counter.
We got the huge vegan samosas with mango chutney and daal with rice. Highly recommend!
** Also they had a sign out on the main sidewalk, so was very easy to find.

Jez

Points +489

Vegan
05 Apr 2021

10/10 Local Vego Joint

Byron institution for vego friendly food at a good price. Best Dahl in town, their lentil mousakka is heavenly and their curries are tasty too. Staff are super friendly too

VanessaBallard

Points +15

Vegetarian
15 Mar 2021

Best food

We have visited this place many times over the years while on holidays. I am never disappointed. Today I had dahl (outstanding as always), eggplant pakora with mango salsa (superb), and salad (fresh and delicious). Honestly can't fault this place, except the food is so good I always end up eating too much! Got a raw treat to takeaway (as was so full) and just had that with a cup of tea and it was delish. I have eaten at many places in Byron but this place runs rings around many of the more expensive, fancy places. I am already thinking about what I'm going to order tomorrow for lunch. Awesome food at a decent price.

Pros: Dahl

ElizabethOrtegaGait

Points +48

Vegan
31 Aug 2020

Excellent place

A small gem a bit hidden, but with delicious dishes served in really large portions. Lots of vegan options and very affordable. Staff extremely nice and helpful.

Pros: Delicious, low price

Cons: Small, only 3-4 tables

chiaracr

Points +330

Vegan
25 Jan 2020

friendly atmosphere and amazing food

I love indian currys and this is a great place for them! Really friendly staff and a lot to choose from! the only place close to the main beach where you can get an affordable and delicious meal.

Pros: friendly staff, great taste

michwind

Points +208

Vegan
19 Oct 2019

Good food at reasonable price

Usual Hare Krishna options with some vegan and some veg. The food is fine for a quick vegan fix. Nothing outstanding.

Wraynos

Points +20

Vegan
03 Sep 2019

Nice food

Vegetarian but has a good selection of vegan options. The food is pre prepared but doesn't lack in flavour.

LC70PZJ70

Points +674

Vegan
18 Aug 2019

Delicious food at a great cost

. Brilliant food. Excellent staff.

Pros: Excellent food, Many options, Affordable prices

keatonfrenchfrey

Points +54

Mostly Veg
17 Mar 2019

Great food, nice people

You’ll love this place if your vegan/vegetarian/omni. Had about 5 different items on my plate and enjoyed every single one

Pros: Great portions, Sweet service, Best lentil Dahl whoa

Cons: Background music never changes

DanPhilippou

Points +275

Vegan
26 Feb 2019

Easy and fast!

Lovely service, easily choose between a small, medium or large plate and fill it with whatever you want. Lots of Vegan options and super affordable. The small plate is more than enough for a dinner, but I went for a large because I just loved the food so much.

Pros: Lots of Vegan Options, Friendly Service, Easy and very fast

Cons: They offer a lot of plastic packaging

tengarine

Points +292

Vegan
18 Jan 2019

Great food and service

Definitely recommend, yummy food and good service. Gluten free and vegan options are labelled

Pros: Lots of vegan options

Woitel

Points +35

Vegan
31 Jul 2018

This place is great. It has lots of vegan and vegetarian options.

We had great food and all for a reasonable price. I'd definitely recommend it

Pros: Lots of vegan options , Reasonably priced, Good service

Cons: No cons :)

nhansson

Points +487

Vegan
01 May 2017

cheap and tasty

Had a great meal here. I got a lot of food and it was also cheap! The vegan options were also marked. Staff could have been a bit more engaged when customers are choosing their meals.

Pros: cheap, tasty

Cons: staff

Ghost1111

Points +64

Vegan
05 Jan 2017

Decent

NOTE: I got here late

Food wasn't great and the service was less than good.

necius

Points +457

Vegan
22 Nov 2016

Good food in Byron Bay

My partner and I visited the Cardamom Pod on our recent trip to Byron Bay. I had the rice and dhal with a pakora while my partner had kofta and rice; we both found the food to be very satisfying. The prices were reasonable, though somewhat higher than what I am used to at similar stores in Brisbane.

Updated from previous review on 2016-11-22

Pros: Good food, Convenient location

amano

Points +161

Vegetarian
08 Mar 2016

Getting Worse

We have been going here for many years and unfortunately it has become worse over this time.The server yesterday placed his hand inside the salad bowls and touched the salad as he was plating it up.We noticed him handling money before and after this.There is a general air of unenthusiasm amongst the seemingly transient staff.The salad{broccoli and tofu] was swimming in overly sweet chilli dressing.

Pros: Open early to late every day, Vegetarian

Cons: Disinterested careless staff, Average tasting food

GazWatson

Points +204

Vegan
08 Sep 2015

amazing food

Ate here last night. the best vegan food I've eaten in Australia so far. I'm here in Byron Bay for a couple of days, I'll try and eat here again. the kofta balls were amazing.

Pros: loads of good vegan options

LanceSmith

Points +16

Vegan
16 Aug 2015

Great value.

After chancing upon this place, we were delighted to find Vegan food available, no waiting, in and out in good time. Food was excellent. I wouldn't hesitate to return, in fact we did the very next evening, this time ordering a bit less because the servings were very generous.

Pros: Good food (Vegan), Vegan food, Reasonable prices

Cons: Can't think of any

Lanky

Points +404

Vegetarian
03 Jun 2015

Surprised by the other reviews here

The best thing about the Cardamom Pod is that is one of only a few vegetarian places in Byron.
The worst thing is that food is cooked off site and heated up with a microwave.
A friend of mine who worked there for a while refused to eat the food he was serving.
The food itself is ok, but hardly standout. The quality is on par with those take-away Indian Home Diner style places we see around in the cities, however is costs almost double.
For a region that seems quite cosmopolitan, Byron Bay's food is still pretty White. Even the Chinese places in the area stick to 1980s classics like sweet and sour pork. The lack of authentic ethnic cuisine in the region might be why so many reviewers here praise the bland food at the cardamom pod.

Pros: Vegetarian, Convenient

Cons: Microwaved food, Bland, Overpriced for mass-produced takeaway

SeanSubhadraPinnell

19 Jun 2015

this is a wrongly advised and untruthful review. nothing at the cardamom pod is cooked offsite but everything is cooked daily and fresh in the kitchen, and heated on the stove at night except in times where there are only small amounts to be heated at the end of the night. its not very thoughtful or nice to make statements on a public forum that are completely wrong and the quality and freshness of the food is the particular quality that has been bringing the locals in droves for almost 15 years. next time you review a place take the time to find out the facts and don't write about peoples hard work and passion in an offhand way based on hearsay . thanks dude. i challenge you to come in and see the food being prepared any day and find out whats up then we can print your apology. subhadra, chef/owner

Lanky

21 Jun 2015

Thanks for clarifying, Sean. You only heat up some of the food with a microwave, not all. Good to know.
The "hearsay" you speak of is actually coming from a close friend who worked there for several months. It would surprise me greatly if he was mistaken in his belief that he was using a microwave to heat up pre-prepared food. It would also surprise me greatly if he was making up wildly false claims about the establishment in which he worked. I would be happy to come in and see you preparing fresh food- what would be a good time to do that?

NomadShane

Points +126

Vegetarian
01 Mar 2014

Cute Cafe Like Eatery

Its a small cute little cafe style eatery with outdoor seats. You order by the plate and pay $9 for 1 choice with rice, and add $3 for each additional thing you put on your plate. Decent portion size, I left perfectly full. Free water and free smiles.

Pros: Service

Cons: Size

Nikki1801

Points +963

Vegan
16 Jan 2013

cute place..

This place is tucked away down a side alley (like many quirky shops in Byron!) so take your time finding this place like all the others.
I don't remember specifically what I ate here, I think I picked an item from the buffet and a snack like a samosa. Very friendly staff, and they also sell the byron bay bliss balls (which are delicious snacks- I uploaded a photo. Pretty useless, but thought I might as well upload it anyway!




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