Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Ovo
International
Organic
Beer/Wine
Delivery
Take-out
European
Vegetarian restaurant on the south coast of Wellington serving innovative cuisine, local and organic wines, botanical cocktails and craft beer on tap. The restaurant has a sheltered courtyard and views of the bay. Bookings recommended. Open Mon-Sun 9:00am-10:00pm.
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Rep Onepu Road, Lyall Bay, Wellington, New Zealand
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- Outdoor seating
- Accepts credit cards
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Last update on 18 Apr 2023 by VeganRunner_88
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Added by Wildevegan on 12 Mar 2017
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99 Reviews
First Review by Wildevegan
dave-alter
Points +398
One of my favorite places in Wellington - Edit
Love the location. Food is great, people are friendly!
Read morePros: Affordable , Delicious, Cozy
Guest
GreenMark
Points +186
Best food in New Zealand - Edit
Had the gnocchi, several starters and the ice cream Sunday. I can barely move
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-02-12
Guest
Jazzyire
Points +356
Delicious Vegan brunch! - Edit
My husband and I stopped by this morning to have brunch there as we wanted a full English breakfast while travelling around New Zealand and The Botanist delivered! I got a “veganise me” , a fruit juice and 2 slices of cake! A snickers bar and white chocolate cheesecake. Everything was delicious . No photo as I was enjoying it so much!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-01-13
Pros: Great variety of dishes , Lovely staff , Fab decor
Cons: Quite pricey
Guest
JonnotheFusspot
Points +93
Dinner Menu is 100% Plant based - Edit
We went there last night and it was really good! (Personally I think they are better than Nolita - another good plant based restaurant in Wellington).
Read moreThey also have good soy milk that doesn’t have the sickly aftertaste that other cafes have started using over the past couple of years, so that’s another plus.
NB, for clarification, the Lunch menu is vegetarian and vegan - just the Dinner menu is 100% vegan
Updated from previous review on 2026-01-03
Pros: Hawai’ian burger, Garlic pita bread, Soy bean salad
Guest
NiamhC41
Points +1968
Great food slow service - Edit
Incredibly tasty lunch, just the whole process took a while. Couldn’t fault the staff mind you, they clearly needed more bodies!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2026-01-02
Guest
SusanSayers
Points +46
Could it get any better? Honestly, no! - Edit
Lots of GF options. Vegan pancakes were awesome.
Read moreGuest
LoveAnimalLoveNature
Points +2157
Lovely vegetarian restaurant - Edit
The menu is mainly vegan some dishes come with egg and are vegetarian. Staff is super friendly and they've got an awesome drinks menu too.
Read moreWe had a burger, a salad, the full vegan brekkie and pancakes. It was all very tasty. Especially the salad was amazing! Vegan mock meat is very often used on the lunch menu.
Guest
BeaBabs
Points +138
It was ok - Edit
They made the wrong thing for my son, a burger with egg & dairy sauces when we requested the vegan breakfast burger. Pancakes were pretty flat, more like a thick & dense crepe than pancakes, taste wise they were ok. Ordered a Bellini but it had no flavour of peach, definitely didn’t have peach juice in it & the prosecco wasn’t tasty. Took 40ish minutes to get our food, over 20 minutes for hubby to get his coffee, there was only one other table of people who had already received their meals when we arrived and ordered so it wasn’t because they were busy.
Read morePros: Beautiful building with lots of plants , Lovely area with the beach right across the road
Cons: Made the wrong thing, Long wait time
Guest
tokyoshachiku
Points +237
A major disappointment - Edit
I’ve been here twice over two years, first time with high expectations, but my roasted cauliflower then tasted barely cooked. Can’t remember how everybody else’s meal was.
Read moreGave them another chance on my next visit to Wellington, but this time was a joke, the battered cauliflower bites were so salty they were inedible (they kindly didn’t charge us for this), the chicken katsu curry wasn’t seasoned at all and would be hard to actually describe as a curry, except for its saucy consistency, definitely not anything like the original Japanese dish. We waited a long time for our meals, but the table next to us had to wait an hour and a half for theirs (they also said their meals were very poor when we asked). The staff said they got a sudden rush of Uber orders, which they were for some reason prioritizing over people who actually made the effort to go to their restaurant.
Pros: The waitress was very nice and apologetic, They were very accommodating for children and dogs, The atmosphere was good enough
Cons: Food was really bad or bland, Service was extremely slow, Giving vegan food a bad name in my opinion
Guest
OrientEspresso
Points +114
Outstanding Vegan Dishes - Edit
The Japanese onomiyaki savory pancakes were incredible! The mix of vegetables, herbs, and pickles folded in savory pancakes… heavenly! I had never tasted vegan Fish & Chips, and the creativity of using banana blossoms for the “fish” was so impressive and satisfying! Honorable mention also goes to the souvlaki wrap and fajita bowl. The creamy lemon mousse dessert blended so well with the berries and chocolate bits topping. The location is beautiful, right there on the beach, which made for a perfect walk after dinner. 
Read morePros: Adventurous and creative vegan cuisine , Wonderful flavor profiles, Presentation
Cons: Organic juices came in a can
TurnipForPlants
Love the look of those vegan fish and chips.
Read moreGuest
lauradorothee
Points +182
Dinner menu was 100% vegan! - Edit
Extremely delicious and everything was vegan (breakfast menu is not as they serve eggs, but the dinner menu was fully vegan!). Good mix of classic and creative dishes - we had poutine as a starter, followed by gyros and a katsu chicken burger. Yum! Good home made ice tea as well and reasonably priced. Would go again!
Read morePros: great variety of options, Reasonable prices
Guest
hack_man
Points +28166
The Importance of Plants - Edit
An absolutely magnificent place with sea views overlooking Lyall Bay close to the airport and a short bus ride on the no. 3 from central Wellington. The four of us arrived for the last possible bookable time of 20:45 after a day at the cricket and a couple of beers at the close by Parrot Dog taproom. We picked a bottle of Pinot Gris and shared the jalapeño poppers and mushroom calamari starters. They were both crumbed in a delicious spicy coating. My banana blossom fish and chips was divine. We also got a fragrant cherry tomato and basil pasta al sorrentina which came topped with a fabulous vegan smoked cashew ricotta. The other mains of katsu chicken burger and dirty cheeeburger went down very well indeed with our omni colleagues. There are also a wide selection of local craft beers on tap and in bottles which of course we dipped into to accompany the meals.
Read morePros: Great setting , Nice staff , Great food
Cons: A little worn in parts
Guest
lesbeanflannel
Points +1036
Solid fish n chips - Edit
Have been severely let down by vegan fish and chips before, but these ones were delicious! Wish the whole place was vegan but was glad that we visited. Found everything very laid back and had good service. Would recommend for the fish n chips!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-09-13
Guest
MerchantAdventurer
Points +120
Yum to the power of yum - Edit
Great meal, lovely staff. The vegan fish and chips were fantastic.
Read moreGuest
ninala36
Points +89
Tasty food, friendly service - Edit
Great food, vegan options clearly labeled. Friendly service, really great restaurant, would go again in a heartbeat.
Read morePros: Tasty, Clearly labeled, Nice views of Beach
Guest
Rigorous_hiss
Points +21
Okay - Edit
We went on a Tuesday night, so it wasn't very busy but the service was sub-par. We had to ask for basic things - side plates, more water when ours ran out, the right cutlery for our meals. Our server made us feel like a burden when we asked for these things.
Read moreThe food was good, not amazing. It is great to have a place that caters to a gluten free and a vegetarian person in the same family.
Overall, an okay night, but let down by the service.
Pros: Creative menu, Options for multiple food intolerances, Nice cocktails
Cons: Service, Run down bathrooms, Two different soundtracks in the restaurant
Guest
deadendjob
Points +2914
Lived up to the hype - Edit
Highly rated Vegan places have been disappointing for me in the past but this place is great. Nicely laid out interior, doggos allowed inside, friendly accommodating staff (managed to squeeze my meal in before my flight) and great food. Highly recommend checking this out if you love Vegan food and have time to kill before a flight.
Read moreGuest
VeganSoapDude
Points +11375
Worth a stop if you're near the airport - Edit
Nice food. I wish they were fully vegan. They have vegan cheeses. They're so close 😋
Read moreCons: Not 100% vegan
Guest
SaraNorlin
Points +4006
Great for breakfast - Edit
Beautiful food and a lovely view. The chia seed bowl was great and their vegan sausages were amazing.
Read moreGuest
Dance4Plants
Points +387
Amazing creative food - Edit
The botanist consistently delivers on both taste and creativity. Always worth visiting if you're in lyall bay #Veganuary
Read moreGuest
ChanelleRodeka
Points +737
Terrible service - Edit
I’ve been here many times before and the service seems to get worse and worse.
Read moreYes they were busy today, but we were not warned of this nor of any delay.
Waited 10 mins before anyone even took our order. 25 mins later no food or drinks arrived despite us asking. On asking on the second occasion she says sorry there’s a delay it’ll be another 30 mins! Wtf!
So we left and went elsewhere.
Best avoid these holidays!! You’ve been warned!
Guest
Liiiiina
Points +208
Amazing Restaurant! - Edit
Simply loved everything about this place! The interior was super cute, the staff was extremely friendly (even when we were the last guests there) and the food was just delicious. The Jalapeño Poppers were the best I‘ve ever had and the fish & chips were super yummy, too. Would 100% visit again 🥰
Read moreGuest
Traboy21
Points +20
Brunch - Edit
I had a tasty breakfast burrito (vegan).
Read moreDelicious burrito with a nice side slaw.
The staff were both lovely.
Guest
Louanthes
Points +20
Fresh, Tasty Value - Edit
This bistro with plant-based fare is great for singles, couples and families of all kinds of folks. I had the banana flower "fish and chips" and it blew me away! The poutine was delish, the slaw was light and yummy. The service was friendly if a little slow, but the ambiance was warm and cozy with a seaside view.
Read moreGuest
SagaVigreBohinen
Points +1079
Great experience, bad marketing - Edit
There were so many negative reviews on Google, but we decided to try this place anyway. Apart from one staff, we had a great experience and everyone else were super friendly. Food was amazing, though I think it really depends on what you order. We had the breakfast platter, and it was great! We also had the pancakes which I wouldn't order again..
Read moreMy one big issue with this place though, is their "vegan" marketing. Everywhere online they're calling themselves "plant-based" yet they serve eggs and are a vegetarian restaurant. If they are a vegetarian restaurant, please just use the word "vegetarian restaurant" on your socials! It's clearly a marketing-ploy, and they are not plant based.
Pros: Great vegan breakfast, Good drink options, Cosy in summer
Cons: Calling themselves plant based but vegetarian, Seem to have an issue with some staff
Guest
rhinoxara
Points +364
Friendly staff but pancakes way to sweet - Edit
The staff was very friendly and helpful. I ordered the Tiramisu pancakes and they were way to sweet because they were drowning in Sirup. I could only eat half of them and when I looked around, most people who had ordered the pancakes couldn’t finish their portion either. But I think I will come back and give it another try and order something else.
Read moreGuest
RoopaKrithivasan
Points +100
Everything was excellent - Edit
Ordered a soup, a pasta, and a kids burger, and the tiramisu. All were very good or excellent.
Read morePros: All vegan, Allergens clearly marked, Good coffee
Guest
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