Lacto
Ovo
Organic
Western
Juice bar
Beer/Wine
Take-out
Catering
Fusion
Australian

Refurbished and re-opened Dec 2015. Cafe serving lunch, dinner and desserts. Many dishes are gluten-free. Reported to serve dairy and eggs as of December 2024. Sometimes has live music. Was originally at 335 Trafalgar Square E. Open Tue 12:00pm-10:00pm, Wed-Sat 12:00pm-9:00pm. Closed Sun-Mon.


Venue map for East St Cafe and Bar
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108 Reviews

First Review by Gertrude225

kwvegan

Points +70

Vegan
20 Mar 2025

Funky Vibe and Tasty Bites

We weren't super hungry so just grabbed two small plates - The Kumara Fries and Tofu Bites. Both came with dipping sauces that were flavorful but so thin it was difficult to get much on your fry or tofu bite. But the tofu bites had great seasoning on their own. Both plates came out piping hot. We need to go back and try more of the menu.
Now about the vibe - lots of vinyl records on the wall and the menus are inside old album covers. There are plants all around and tons of light.

Sommerkind_1

Points +450

Vegan
09 Mar 2025

Cozy

Very sad to just pass through Nelson in the afternoon so we just got a selection of deserts and a donut. The Biscoff donut wasn't too special but the lemon and cheese cake were delicious. Good coffee and a nice vibe as well! They also sell some local tea.

EloiseSheridan

Points +54

Vegan
08 Mar 2025

Still great the second trip round

I unexpectedly got a second work trip to Nelson within a year from Australia. Last year, we stayed very close to East St and I visited I think 5 times in 4 days. This time a bit further away, but 3 visits in 5 days were still worthwhile. A bit disappointed to see they have had to add some dairy and eggs, but understand the necessity in today's market. Still have excellent vegan and gf options and the staff are lovely. Enjoyed the decor and atmosphere 👌

Updated from previous review on 2025-03-08

Pros: Vegan and gf options, Kissadeer might be one of my favourite dishes ever, Varied menu across the day

Cons: Not completely vegan any more

VeganVegasGirl

Points +772

Vegan
31 Jan 2025

Tot 10 Favorite!

Mouthwatering vegan foods; one of my favorite vegan restaurants anywhere. Fun informal vibe with friendly service, and delicious desserts. I could eat here weekly!

Pros: Informal, fun atmosphere, Fabulous food, Great desserts

East st

07 Feb 2025

owenk

Points +72

Vegan
12 Jan 2025

One if best vegan restaurants in NZ

One if best vegan restaurants in NZ. Lots of choices on a varied menu. Staff were helpful. However we asked for no chipotle sauce on burger but chef still added it😒We were still charged full price despite not eating burger buns. Would have scored a five only for that.

Pros: Lots of options including desserts, Starters / small plates were excellent, IPA beer on tap was very good

Cons: Not very careful with dietary requirements

East st

19 Jan 2025

Hi there, Im very very sorry that this happened to you. Can I ask did you order the burgers without the buns? happy to offer you a voucher an apology for the chipotle aioli being in your burger. I will let the kitchen know. Thanks Vikki

yannick__ka

Points +1511

Vegan
08 Jan 2025

East St Cafe and Bar

One of our favorite places in New Zealand so far. We had a bowl and a quesadilla. Both were delicious and the portions were filling. For dessert we had the creme brulee and a banana split.

Pros: Many vegan options , Friendly staff , Fair prizes

Hodzic_fam

Points +1812

Vegan
21 Dec 2024

Great all around

It was a great experience all around. Food was tasty and beautifully presented, clean, and staff was very friendly. The beast burger was amazing 🔥

nicole_m

Points +3623

Vegan
13 Dec 2024

No longer all vegan

Update December 14, 2024 - they’re adding eggs and dairy to the menu. Boo
—————

thankfully the food is delicious. I’m glad they fit me in as a lone diner on a busy Friday night too.

Updated from previous review on 2024-11-20

Pros: All vegan, Delicious food

Cons: Not open Sundays

nicole_m

13 Dec 2024

lesbeanflannel

Points +868

Vegan
12 Sep 2024

Great Atmosphere

Atmosphere and service are wonderful! Love the plants and that it’s all vegan. We both ordered Cesar salads for lunch - partner really enjoyed hers, mine was good but not something I’d rave about or crave. Best Cesar I’ve had was Vegan Street in Calgary, so I’ve yet to find one that matches that flavour!! Still would recommend a visit, found the portion sizes to be huge and fair for the expense.

janetnz

Points +627

Vegan
30 Mar 2024

Best salad I’ve ever had

I ordered the Cesar salad with a side/extra hash brown and holy [censored] that was a good Cesar salad; the best I have ever had. The hash brown was unnecessary for bulking up the meal but was a good addition for the flavour mix. I had been worried it might be mostly lettuce but they were very very generous with the olives, vegan feta, facon, cherry tomatoes etc. It also had fake chicken which was ok, but I actually think if they swapped that for a hash brown it would be really good.

NikolasFredriksen

Points +65

Vegan
22 Feb 2024

Delicious food, delicious vibes

Went there for a little snack and some afternoon beers and thoroughly enjoyed it. The food was delicious and the whole vibe there is fun and chill.

channellehazel

Points +353

Vegan
14 Jan 2024

Lovely restaurant

Really nice staff, good food, and nice ambience! I enjoyed all the pot plants everywhere, and we both liked our meals.

Pros: Helpful staff, Nice food, Cool setting

Cons: Bit pricey

East st

07 May 2024

Thanks for the feedback on everything we strive for. With pricing compared to most places we are pretty reasonably priced. We haven't upped much pricing even though everything across the board has gone up for us. We pay the price but we want to keep it that way so people can continue to afford to eat out and have quality food

albertina

Points +87

Vegan
13 Jan 2024

Thanks the Lord for places like this 🤩

It’s not only a vegan eatery but also such a high-vibe spot. I felt lots of happy vibes when I entered the place. Was it the paintings on the wall together with the original hairstyles of the waiters? I don’t now exactly but I got definitely good vibes from this place ❤️
Obviously loved the food also 😉 #Veganuary

Pros: Atmosphere , Menu , Service

rpoulova

Points +1687

Vegan
16 Dec 2023

My dream place!

Seriously, if I ever opened my own vegan place, this would be it! The items on the menu are exactly my favourite (don't get discouraged by the delivery menu on their website, that's not the full menu!) - burgers, quesadillas, reuben sandwich, pasta, risotto... O-M-G. There's also daily specials! Separate menu for lunch/snack/dinner. Service is quick and the food amazing, the interior of the restaurant is very cosy and beautifully decorated, and they host interesting events. I wanna eat there every day for the rest of my life, please.

Edit: My second visit after 3 months was far less enthusiastic, the menu has changed substantially and my favourite items such as risotto were no longer there. I couldn't decide as nothing sounded very appealing. Finally I decided for a Caesar salad, and it was well seasoned and full of flavour, but still nothing I would really crave. Prices seem to have gone up, too, and service was a bit slow.

Updated from previous review on 2023-12-16

Drum4it

Points +45

Vegan
29 Nov 2023

A welcomed night out...

Very well staffed, nice people, good atmosphere and decor and most importantly a varied and exciting menu...

I had the stack, wasn't sure what to expect but it was pretty cool and different to anything I've had before. Cheesecake was great as was the oat milk latte...

I am now back at my hotel feeling very full :-)

Chiddles

Points +79

Vegan
27 Nov 2023

Soooo good

It's the only fully vegan place in Nelson and its amazing! It's so hard to find vegan hot chocolate and theirs is amazing. The food is great, they sell giant vegan marshmallows and it's full of plants.

Pros: Great food, Good atmosphere

Orion

Points +1447

Vegan
19 Nov 2023

Best restaurant in town!

All vegan, all delicious.
Pretty much can’t go wrong here with the food and staff are always welcoming.

travelvegan24

Points +26

Vegan
11 Nov 2023

Finally a completely vegan restaurant!

Lovely service, phenomenal food and cozy atmosphere with lots of plants. Definitely coming back to try the other dishes! We had the Teriyaki bowl and a burger - both so good!!!

Pros: Tasty food, Cozy, Super friendly

VeganSoapDude

Points +9762

Vegan
10 Nov 2023

So good

Unique menu items, very delicious. I've never had broccoli on a reuben, but it was surprisingly amazing. Delicious food and a really cool place. Definitely don't miss it if you're passing through

Clem22

Points +42

Vegan
29 Oct 2023

Delicious !

We ate very well ! We also had desserts which were delicious! The staff is very friendly. A very good experience, we will return without hesitation! And the coffees are great too!

Tonyh161

Points +92

Vegetarian
07 Oct 2023

Dinner

We had a great meal here last night! Loved the burgers and the cocktails were delicious 😋

Pros: Food was great. , Staff super friendly , Loved the pink lady cocktails

Cons: Nothing , Still nothing , Nope nothing

Angéline8888

Points +983

Vegan
23 Aug 2023

Best vegan restaurant in NZ

Simple: WE LOVED IT
We went there 2 times and it was so delicious!! I loved the vibe, the food tasted really good and was original and different that what we had so far
I loved their cinnamon roll 😋
I definitely recommend it!

Pros: The wide menu, The vibe, The taste

Cons: A bit pricy

RoopaKrithivasan

Points +92

Vegetarian
29 Jun 2023

Best Caesar salad

Loved everything we got. Garbanzo fingers were amazing and this should be a thing everywhere. My favorite was the Cesar salad. Can't remember exactly what else we got but everybody went home happy. It's also a very cute, plant-filled space which I'm sure is even nicer in summer and with live music.

Pros: All the food was great, Lovely quirky vibe , Kid-friendly options

Kyle.O

Points +28

Vegan
27 Apr 2023

Fully vegan menu, great atmosphere.

Visited East St twice, even though we were only planning on passing through Nelson! Unforeseen circumstances of our travel saw us back in Nelson and we headed straight back to East St to sample more.

Pros: Completely vegan menu, Great atmosphere , The menus come in old record sleves!

MatureVegan

Points +123

Vegan
19 Apr 2023

So glad we came here

From excellent friendly service to a truly inspired menu this restaurant is definitely a haven for vegans. So good we went back twice in the short time we had in Nelson. Everything we tried was wonderful!

Updated from previous review on 2023-04-14

Pros: Food is ALL vegan so choose with abandon, We each had 3 courses all were delicious , Creme Brule excellent!

Cons: Pricey but worth it

ryder.timothy

Points +57

Mostly Veg
19 Apr 2023

So good we ate here 3 x

Great food. Great staff. Ate here 3x in 3 days while we were on holiday.

Pros: Totally vegan , Great flavors , Great vibe

Cons: Not the cheapest but worth it , Parking can be difficult

PaulHolroyd

Points +482

Vegan
15 Mar 2023

Best vegan burger!

I had the Mama burger with chunky chips, absolutely gorgeous. Best burger I've had for a while.




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