Vegan
Chinese
Take-out
Asian
Gold Coast vegan restaurant serving Chinese and Asian buddhist cuisine. No garlic, onion or added MSG. The vegetable "meats" are protein substitutes made from soy, wheat, yam, seaweed, and/or mushroom. Open Mon-Sun 11:30am-8:30pm.
85 Reviews
First Review by Precious
DP+SM
Points +60
Worlds best Chinese - Edit
Words cannot describe how amazing this food was. Literally the best Chinese we have ever eaten. We ordered the honey chicken (made from sugar), combination brown fried rice, satay beef and two entrees the fried dim sims and the calamari. To top off the amazing food - the staff were extremely warm and accomodating. Would happily eat this as our last meal. 10/10
Read morePros: Vegan, Worlds best Chinese, Wonderfull staff
Guest
ChristineBarry
Points +18
Yum! - Edit
The kind of place that makes you question if it's really vegan because it taste so real! I would recommend the honey chicken and steamed dim sims as I haven't been able to find them since going vegan and really enjoyed them 😊 Enjoy!
Read morePros: all vegan options
Guest
Smithychipz
Points +38
Delicious and great value - Edit
Really lovely and quick service. The Shanghai pan fried dumplings were amazing as was the olive fried rice. Huge meals and really yummy. Definitely will be going back.
Read morePros: Delicious, generous servings
Guest
Firegirl289
Points +70
Welcoming staff & lovely food - Edit
We were thoroughly impressed with the great food & friendly service (1 vegan 1 non-vegan).
Read moreIt's a great relief to be able to look at the very extensive menu & know it's 100% vegan.
Well worth the time to investigate this friendly little restaurant.
Pros: 100% vegan, extensive menu, fast service
Cons: not much parking
Guest
Uggabugga
Points +52
Not too good - Edit
We went there yesterday, around 2 p.m., and the waiter said their kitchen was closing, so we needed to hurry- which we of course understood! But he stood there, from the moment we sat down, waiting impatiently for us to decide, which just made us order whatever very fast, as it was awkward! A group of girls arrived 5 min. later, but they were left to order in peace, which we thought was strange.. The food was super oily, blandt and there were hardly any veggies in them- though similar dishes usually are full of veggies and flavour! In other words: we felt disappointed... I remembered Tian Ran as much better, when I visited 2 years ago, but now I won't revisit.
Read morePros: Inexpencive
Cons: Oily and blandt food, Bad service
Guest
cookiemonster89
Points +52
Delicious food & great service! - Edit
We only moved to the GC and stumbled over this gem by accident and have already returned a couple of times! every dish we had so far was great, dumplings, chicken soup, veg curry, mixed veg, blackbean beed, blackbean chicken, black pepper beef all were delish and we will be bacj for sure! this place is always busy as, for good reason! we came on a monday/tueday night and were able to have a nice chat about th business and their ways of being vegan with the lady running the floor, which was very nice and made us ffel at home & welcome.
Read morePros: great food, cheap, big menu
Cons: very busy
Guest
Shaneyoung
Points +24
great place dont get take away - Edit
Always good food, but do not expect to arrive to your takeaway ready even if you give them double the time the quote you... as a long time customer i am continually disappointed with their takeaway service it feels like they serve people dining in and put take aways on the back burner. Overall great food service is lacking... i have had this problem time and time again often complaining about my problem with takeaways.
Read moreGuest
Amyeloise
Points +126
AMAZING FOOD! - Edit
Amazing food! Sweet and sour chicken is amazing! Friendly owner!
Read moreGuest
reneembm
Points +156
Has improved over the years - Edit
ORIGINAL REVIEW: Variable - A few times I've been it's been brilliant, and a few other times it's been pretty mediocre with food and service.......
Read moreNEW REVIEW: Great, has improved over the years. All vegan. New lunchtime opening hours are very handy! Love the eggplant hotpot. Friendly staff.
Pros: All vegan, Extensive menu, Inexpensive for Gold Coast
Cons: Variable quality in the past
Guest
Rico
Points +331
The original and... still pretty good! - Edit
Tian Ran was the first vegan restaurant on the Gold Coast. Thank you Tian Ran for paving the way!
Read moreThey focus on Chinese food, and feature a number of 'mock meat' dishes. If you're into mock meat then this is an excellent place to visit (i can eat it, but i'm not such a fan myself, though they do have some things i like too).
They have plenty of choices other than 'mock meat' oriented ones, though - you can get a good sense of their menu by following the link given above to their site, which shows pictures.
They also have a kids menu that i've been wanting to try but never have: fish or 'calamari' with chips or nuggets and chips. I may get to that one day.
The restaurant's small, tidy and unpretentious. Servings are generous and the price is reasonable.
Pros: solid chinese vegan food, great for 'mock meat', low cost
Guest
Sharon8h_76
Points +33
So much food! - Edit
Being unable to buy a chinese meal in our home town, we jumped at the opportunity while holidaying in Surfers Paradise. This restaurant did not disappoint. Large sized meals at reasonable prices.
Read moreGuest
Purejoy58
Points +181
Beautiful Food - Edit
Excellent service and Delicious food. Old fashioned Chinese Restaurant with a fantastic menu selection.
Read moreGuest
Anita_Gray
Points +34
delicious Chinese - Edit
Small, family run Chinese shop. Always delicious. Very friendly staff. I love the Satay "chicken" and veggies and sweet & sour "pork".
Read morePros: delicious food, even better than "normal" chinese, not too expensive, average of $13 per dish which g
Cons: parking can be very hard, especially at night, not the best place to go on a date, sometimes ther
Guest
miawmiaw
Points +163
Good food, cooked deliciously. - Edit
Good to find a vegetarian restaurant in Gold Coast, and one which has been serving the veg community for so long. Food is great, a variety to choose from.
Read moreWas there recently for dinner. It was full house so we knew it would be a long wait. Besides all the tables to serve there were also many take-aways. Watching how the manager handled all of it and still kept his cool and smiles was just amazing. In the end our food came. It was nice and fulfilling, worth the wait. The interior set up was simple but we don't mind at all. We go mainly for the food anyway.
Will be back the next time we come back to Gold Coast.
Pros: Patient and calm manager/ owner, Delicious food.
Cons: Slow service during holiday seasons.
Guest
Kirsten_Kinash
Points +26
Tastes so authentic it's almost scary - Edit
The service was friendly and food was great!
Read morePros: Good service, warm , huge menu
Cons: Not good for high carb low fat vegans, a bit oil-y
Guest
ChelseaHollins
Points +96
Ominivores think it's real meat x) - Edit
I have taken people that eat meat here and they have though it is real, especially the chicken (always seems to be that way). I stopped eating Chinese when I went vegan because I used to only eat sweet and sour chicken, and I got nervous about things like fried rice because of non-vegan ingredients O didn't know about, but going here is completely amazing. The owner is fantastic.
Read moreIt's a typical looking Chinese takeaway/eat-in "restraint", so I wouldn't go her for a formal meal, but the food makes up for it completely.
If you're opting for a healthy meal, make sure you skip any fried entrées as they are fairly oily, but I can't say I skip them myself- too good!
Pros: Really tastes like meat, Heapppps of options, Guy that owns it, Eric, is awesome
Cons: oily, not the healthiest option
Guest
Tahlia22
Points +24
Service with a smile - Edit
Having only recently moved to the Gold Coast, Tian Ran was the first restaurant I had visited and I can't stop going back. The menu has a wide variety to suit anyone. I have taken my non-vegetarian friends there and they love it too. The atmosphere is very peaceful and the staff are lovely. The entrée that I usually order is the "chicken" drumsticks and they are very satisfying. For the main meal I always order the sweet and sour "chicken" with a side of rice and it never disappoints. Dessert is a difficult choice between the sago and soy ice-cream or the banana split and soy ice-cream. For a vegan restaurant the pricing is inexpensive. This is my favourite restaurant on the Coast by far.
Read morePros: Pricing, Variety, Friendly Service
Guest
hayleymclinden
Points +22
The Only Reason to Live in the Gold Coast - Edit
Tian Ran is such a great Asian style restaurant!!! My husband and I visited this place almost weekly when we spent a year living on the coast and were never, ever disappointed. My husband really loved to visit when he missed the idea of meat and it really hit the spot.
Read moreThey have such a great menu, we ate there so often and didn't manage to try every dish. The prices are great, the food is SO tasty and the owner must be the nicest man on the planet. He always welcomes you with such a big smile and such friendly service!
We have seriously considered moving back to the coast just for this food!
Pros: Delicious, Cheap as chips, Great Service
Cons: NONE!
Guest
nstrawbr
Points +65
Great Food with Great Service - Edit
We have only got takeout from here on numerous occasions. I am not sure why we havent eatin in but anyway the man that works the counter which I believe is the owner is always so nice and the food is extremely good. We havnt been dissapointed with anything from here. Definitely recommend
Read morePros: Friendly Staff, Amazing Food, Good Selection
Guest
DavidHearne
Points +124
Treated well with great food - a must for Vegans! - Edit
We went to Tian Ran for New Years eve and it was wonderful. Our host (lovely man) and waitress looked after our every need. We invited a non-vegetarian and everyone enjoyed the wonderful food! The Olive Rice was something truly wonderful and most mains were just lovely! You should give this place a try as a Vegan or Vegetarian or any lover of food. Just a great place - we drove from Brisbane and it was well worth the trip.
Read morePros: Very nice food and Olive Rice!, Lovely, funny host, Wonderful experience
Guest
pitty
Points +72
Very friendly place with great food - Edit
We had a seafood hot pot and the salt and pepper chicken and really enjoyed our food. It's a typical chinese style mock meat restaurant and we were very happy with the quality of our food and the quantity of the portions. It's well priced and it's seems to be a quite popular place. We were the first people showing up for dinner and it quickly filled up. We'll be back!
Read morePros: well priced, very friendly, good food
Guest
Petesternz
Points +1447
Definitely worth your time! - Edit
My review below needs to be reviewed, because my last two visits to Tian Ran have been very positive. Same great service, but I've been more impressed with some of the food as well. We enjoyed a wonderful Cashew Chicken on our last visit, and our kids devoured the Sweet and Sour Chicken as well. The dumplings were nothing special, but on the whole, the food was fresh and tasty. Impressed that the Cashew chicken was super flavourful, yet not drowning in sauce. I will definitely come back here, and recommend it to others.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on Wednesday December 16, 2009
I had a nice dinner at Tian Ran. The place is very straightforward in terms of decor, but there is a nice varied menu with lots of options. The food was a bit hit and miss. Lots of fake meats on the agenda, of course, and some were better than others. The highlight of the night, by far, was the Ginger Chicken. This was a real winner, with a great sauce, and lively flavours. The spare ribs were so-so. Flavour was better than texture, and I've had better ribs of this sort. THe two veggies dishes were just poor, as is often the case with these types of places. Boring sauces, boring veggies - some of which looked to have come straight out of the freezer. The owner was very friendly though!
Pros: varied options, Affordable, Ice cream dessert available
Petesternz
Visited again in 2010 and had a MUCH better meal.
Read moreGuest
Jmyl
Points +29
Great food, friendly service - Edit
I ate at Tian Ran on a recent visit to the Gold Coast, and have eaten there before many years ago. Great food, and the staff at this restaurant are so lovely and friendly!
Read moreThey have a really big range of fake meats, as well as vegetable dishes, soups and hot pots. Everything we had was delicious.
They were also happy to accommodate some special requests from our group, and happy to explain the dishes that did not contain gluten (always a concern for me when I eat at vegetarian restaurants that serve fake meat).
Pros: Great service
Guest
RobynPoppins
Points +41
My favourite Vegetarian restaurant since 2002! - Edit
I first tried Tian Ran in 2002 and it quickly became my favourite spot to eat. I had just turned vegetarian so this place made the transition so easy with their delicious 'fake meats' made from soy protein, mushrooms, seaweed and more. My favourite dishes there (which I always get and they NEVER get boring) are the incredible chicken and vegetable curry and the sweet and sour chicken. The chicken and corn soup always makes for a nice entree and the sago and soy ice cream is the pefect way to end the dining experience. They are always reliable for good taste and quality ingredients!
Read morePros: fake meats and garlic & onion free, lots of veges, not too oily or sweet
Cons: sometimes slow
Guest
paemoses
Points +35
Happiest Waiter Ever - Edit
We had a lovely meal at this resturant tonight, 2 adults and 4 of our 6 children. Entree's were tasty. Kids had kids meals and were happy. We had Chicken and Cashews - very tasty, Beef adn Black Bean nice except for the capsicum, Tom Yum Fried Rice - lovely flavour.
Read moreAlso enjoyed coconut icecream - various flavours.
The waiter / owner has a lovely smile and is very happy.
We would highly recommend Tian Ran
Pros: smiles, food, ice cream
Cons: toilet
Guest
ekendra
Points +123
good vegan joint - Edit
This place is open for dinner only.
Read moreThe service is friendly and the food is reasonably priced.
Everything I've ordered has been tasty but sometimes it can be a bit oily.
The best thing on the menu is the wonton noodle soup.
Guest
Vegan-Winter
Points +33
fave vegan Retaurant by far. - Edit
I have been here since the day they opened and i have not one bad thing to say about this place.. only good. I love the people that work here! it is like a family environment! My fave entree is the curry puffs and the shanghai dumplings. Mains are black pepper beef, veggie curry chicken, veg chicken with gong bao. I could go on! I have brought so many omni friends here and they all come back again and again! Superb!
Read morePros: Great food, Great service, Friendly
Guest
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