Vegan
Delivery
Take-out
Asian
Fusion
Gluten-free
Australian
Singaporean
Vegan eatery offering primarily Asian dishes like laksa, fried rice, sweet & sour, spring rolls, and gyoza as well as a few western style ones like burgers, nuggets, and chips. Serves coffee and chai lattes. Est. 2018. Reported closed May 2023.
52 Reviews
First Review by NateKelly
Tofulicious
Points +1617
Very Average - Edit
Nice prompt service; so-so. Tried the ‘Zinger Tower’ (which is really just a chikun patty a’la Collingwood’s Greenburger, with yummy sauce on a large white fluffy bun with a smidgin of salad); laksa; and yellow curry. Would not bother travelling here for the food, but if I was in the area and nothing else was open, I *may* consider patronising this venue.
Read morePros: very efficient service , friendly , vegan
Cons: overpriced underwhelming meals
Guest
Kittybiscuit
Points +9927
Great menu, nice juices and reasonably priced - Edit
Came here for dinner and I was delighted to see a number of customers. We shared the fried wontons served with sauce. They were crispy and the filling was nice. I had the roast “duck” for my main. This was tasty and crispy. My partner had the double decker burger and I pinched a few chips which were really good. Nice staff.
Read more2nd visit Jan 2020 ordered laksa soup which was huge and it had a lot of flavour. Also had an iced coffee which was cool and refreshing
We came here for lunch on a Sunday and both ordered different things. I had the juice (apple, lemon and mint) and I had the Singapore mee goreng whilst my partner had the a burger and iced chocolate. I really enjoyed my meal and drink. The juice was refreshing on a warm day. The service was prompt and friendly. I will go back.
Updated from previous review on 2020-01-01
Guest
aethos
Points +150
#detoxlaksaoftheday - Edit
very nice dish
Read morelots of broccoli and cauliflower
unique laksa spices
highly reccomended
comfort food :)
Guest
TastyorNasty
Points +38
Great food and service - Edit
Super inviting and friendly, small place. Went for lunch with a mixture of vegans and non vegans. Everybody loved what they ordered. One side of the menu is Asian dishes and the other a western. All of the food was great.
Read moreGuest
ciaramason
Points +66
so good and so cheap! - Edit
the food options are amazing and so cheap!
Read moreGuest
KatieBatty
Points +1512
Really yummy vegan food - Edit
I love Origin Tales- one of the only places with vegan fish and chips. My partner usually gets the Zinger burger which is great but recently he got the Sweet and Sour crispy chicken bites which were so good. Good portions!
Read morePros: Yummy!, All vegan
Cons: No dessert
Guest
RM108
Points +67
Filling and affordable - Edit
Venue was easy to find. Large and filling servings, good value. Laksa was tasty and very spicy. Hainenese rice was good but wished the dish had a liquid accompaniment like coriander soup to make it easier to swallow an otherwise dry dish. Service was fast.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2022-04-19
Pros: Affordable, tasty and filling, Variety of Asian food, Nice atmosphere
Cons: Sticky table, closed earlier than advertised , Needed more liquid to accompany dry rice dish, Saw cockroaches
Guest
Veggielife_1
Points +228
Amazing! - Edit
Absolutely amazing food. I have been a few times and ordered things like gyozas, popcorn chicken, mee goreng, laksa, hainese chicken and laksa rice. Everything was tasty and the laksa had a great kick of spice (we asked for extra spicy). Staff is very accommodating. Love the fusion menu with burgers as an option too.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2022-02-13
Guest
Inga75
Points +150
Come hungry, we will come again - Edit
Relaxed atmosphere, excellent service. We found portions generous, food was delicious.
Read morePros: All vegan
Guest
WingedNike
Points +20
One of my favourite restaurants - Edit
Delicious modern Korean food, and all vegan! Burgers and chips with delicious mock meats, if that’s your thing. Otherwise the Korean is authentic and delicious. Great service and very chill atmosphere. Love it!
Read moreGuest
Tasty.Plant.Based
Points +818
Great portions, and very tasty! - Edit
I'm not sure origin Tales have ever disappointed us. We have ordered a ton of times during lockdown, their food is great.
Read moreThey have a good range of starters and mains, and offer a selection of burgers too.
Their Char Quay Tow is spectacular. It has deep umami soy sauce flavours that I haven't found anywhere else. They use good mock Cha Shu pork, though often I'm left wanting more of that in the dish. The way they cook their tofu is amazing, they're denser on the outside but fluffy and soft on the inside, like little bites of omelette. There is so much veg packed in with these noodles, it's so good.
The Mi Goreng is also great, very spicy and packed full of prawns and veggies.
The crispy roasted duck is excellent, and the chicken nuggets they sell are ready tasty and really good value for money. They have the nugget style spongy stringy texture with I like.
The smokey fried rice and laksa fried rice are also worth a try if you like rice dishes, we wouldn't bother with the Haianese chicken, or the sweet and sour dishes again.
Their loaded cheese fries are great, but their truffle fries are other wordly. Crispy and hot, they're so truffley, and the truffle mayo is just something else. Highly recommend.
They have recently been doing more deserts, the peanut butter cheesecake is a win for me.
Pros: Good quality food, Generous portions , Reasonable price.
Guest
beancurdled
Points +1675
friendly family food - Edit
I like that they have a varied menu with some standard favourites and other dishes you don’t find at most vegan places in Melbourne. The first time I went, I ordered the zhajiangmian - a dish I had never heard of, let alone tried before. The combination of textures and flavours was pretty special. It’s not in a particularly convenient location for me though so I hadn’t been back for years. But I was nearby and looking for somewhere open for takeaway lunch on a Sunday during lockdown and The Origin Tales came through. I’m pretty sure it’s a family who run the place - there’s always a lovely older lady at the counter and a young guy in the kitchen. I ordered char kway teow and it was ready to go in 10 min max. Again, great combo of flavours and textures - couple of types of tofu and fake meat, bit of fresh crunchy veg, slippery flat rice noodles and thin chewy wheat noodles, in a dark salty sauce. Hit the spot on a chilly day and prices are reasonable. I should visit more often.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2021-07-25
Guest
amandadiana
Points +1157
Great Menu - Edit
Everything I have ordered here is always so tasty
Read moreGuest
user2secpic
Points +56
Amazing vegan food! - Edit
Found this place by looking through this app! It’s right down the road from us so we checked it out and it didn’t disappoint! I had the famous zinger stacker everyone has been talking about here spicy version and me and my partner also ordered some popcorn chicken and some loaded fries which was all delicious. Tastes all Asian inspired. Can’t wait to go back here as they have an extensive menu with great variety!
Read moreGuest
Dankemp
Points +42
Great hainanese 'chicken' - Edit
Really good menu options and I recommend the hainanese 'chicken'. Iced tea and outside seat 👌
Read moreGuest
willtravelforfood
Points +1028
Tasty and a good mix of healthy and not-so-healthy options - Edit
I really love this place. The branding makes it look a lot less classy than it is - don't be fooled, it's really nice!
Read moreI was worried the food would be a little bland as they don't use garlic or onion, but it was really delicious. Highly recommended the noodles. And my partner loved the burger. Big portions too!
Updated - Dec 2020:
Have been back a few times and while I've always had a nice time and would encourage people to support vegan businesses, I must say it's not the best food in the world. The noodles are great but I've found some of the entrees to be overfried and dry. A good place for a relaxed, easy, meal but not the fanciest, freshest or best food.
It's good but not fantastic. Please still go, just don't expert the fanciest food
Guest
Xinfudge
Points +229
Great feed! - Edit
Loved the laksa here, creamy coconut and lots of veg, just the way I like it.
Read moreStaff was nice and accommodating.
Guest
TravisTwahn
Points +52
Amazing burgers! - Edit
As a burger loving vegan this place gets my vote. Double Decker burger is a spicy satay delight and the chicken bacon burger reminiscent of club sandwich joy for those, like me, who have a past life of meat eating.
Read morePros: Delightful friendly owner. :)
Guest
tofutus
Points +75
Worth the visit - Edit
One of the best vegan burgers I have ever tried. Decent servings (also ordered laksa and a noodle dish). All very tasty and good value. Highly recommended.
Read morePros: Good value, Tasty, Decent servings
Guest
PiaMA
Points +86
One of the best vegan burgers I've ever eaten! Must try!! - Edit
They have one of the best vegan burgers I have ever tried.
Read moreMy partner's favourite treat is a vegan chicken burger, so we have tried quite a few all over Melbourne (and beyond). Their Zinger Tower skyrocketed to equal number 1 with one other burger (yes, we order our favourites, and no no.1 is not an easy feat haha). It's unbelievably tasty, and also full of salad not just sauce. The 'chicken' itself has a delicious crunch. We both took one bite and looked at each other with wide eyes. The sauce is so. good. Also, fantastic value!! Good sized burgers and plenty of chips for a great price. The people who run it seem lovely and genuine, as well.
We can't wait to go back and try more of the menu, they offer so much!
Pros: Fantastic tasting food, Great value, Awesome service
Cons: GO EAT THEIR FOOD IT'S SO GOOD
Guest
DanielMaloney
Points +30
My favourite local vegan spot - Edit
I adore this family-run cafe/restaurant. I love the food, the staff, the service and the outstanding variety of Eastern and Western food options. This place doesn't get get the credit it deserves and it deserves all of the credits available! North Melbourne vegans, if you're looking for a delicious, affordable feed, get your hide to The Origin Tales, it's spectacular.
Read morePros: Value, Vegan af
Guest
JasonMegchelse
Points +56
Duckin’ Delicious - Edit
I had the “duck” which was very convincing - soft “flesh” and crispy “skin” with that roasted duck taste. I also had the loaded fries, with some excellent “bacon” bits. However, the “mayo” tasted overly sweet.
Read morePros: Heaps of main options, Heaps of entree options, Food came out quickly
Guest
PotatoesTho
Points +13733
The story continues - Edit
Jan 2020
Read moreThe poke bowl as always is good value, fresh and relatively healthy. Today we also tried the cheeseburger and sweet and sour bites which were both reasonable. It's good to see a decent bun used on the burger. The iced mocha was enjoyable but the iced matcha was pretty bad!
July 2019
The Zinger Tower burger was probably my least favourite of the three on offer but still much better than most burgers out there. We had the poke bowl again and it was just as good as last time.
June 2019
We enjoyed a good Laksa soup, tasty double decker burger, and popcorn bites.
May 2019
A very good value and high quality meal! Finally a Poke bowl that delivers a good contrast of flavours and textures, brought together with a very tasty dressing. It was filling and well priced too! The mushroom burger was also very good, with a peppery sauce and mayo combo around a juicy mushroom, nuggets, and butter lettuce. It was a touch messy to eat, but that's unavoidable with mushrooms.
Updated from previous review on 2019-07-01
Pros: Good value, Friendly staff, Plenty to choose from
Guest
AnastasiaLuise
Points +18
My new favourite burgers. - Edit
I keep meaning to try the other items in the menu, but I always end up back with the burgers. They are delicious! We dined I’m on the weekend and had the tempura calamari which were also great, as well as the chicken nuggets 👌🏼👌🏼 Can’t wait to explore the rest of the menu!
Read morePros: Burgers taste fresh , Lovely service, Diverse menu
Guest
Pips
Points +1690
Good food - Edit
This place has good food and worth a try if you are in the area. My favourite was the satay skewers but the burger was good also
Read moreGuest
balkan
Points +16
Great curry laksa - Edit
Great Asian classics and dessert menu
Read morePros: Completely vegan menu
Guest
Joia
Points +50
Delicious! - Edit
Been there a few times and try something new each time. Have loved everything.
Read moreGuest
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