Vegan Food in Cairns: Where to Eat

Eating vegan while travelling can sometimes be a bit hit-and-miss, but Cairns surprised me with just how many options I found.

I was eating vegan when I visited Cairns, so during our week in the city I was constantly on the lookout for places where I could find a good plant-based meal.

While I’m no longer vegan, everything in this guide comes from my experience of finding and eating vegan food in Cairns.

And I certainly didn’t have to survive on chips and salad.

I found everything from Korean bibimbap and Vietnamese set menus to pub meals, vegan desserts and gelato with an impressive selection of plant-based flavours.

There was even Vietnamese coffee made with coconut condensed milk.

Below are the places I tried, what I ate and what I thought of them, along with a few newer Cairns options that have appeared since my visit.

Menus and vegan options change, so always check the current menu or ask staff before ordering.

This article may contain affiliate links. This means that if you make a purchase after clicking on a link, I may receive a small commission. Read the full disclaimer here.

---

Quick Picks for Vegan Food in Cairns

If you don’t want to read through every restaurant, these were my standouts:

• Best overall vegan meal: Rendezvous-Du-Vietnam – a dedicated vegan menu and plenty of choice.
• Best vegan treat: Gelocchio – when I visited, there was a whole section of vegan gelato and sorbet flavours.
• Best pub-style option: Hemingway’s Brewery – particularly handy if you’re travelling with people who aren’t vegan.
• Best coffee: Annee’s Caphê Sua Da – Vietnamese-style coffee made with coconut condensed milk.

---

Ochre

Ochre is a Modern Australian restaurant on the Cairns waterfront, with a focus on Australian produce and native ingredients.

When we visited for lunch, there weren’t many vegan choices on the menu. There was one vegan main, an entrée and a dessert, but I wasn’t keen on the main being offered that day.

As the restaurant wasn’t particularly busy, I asked if the kitchen could make me a vegan salad instead.

They were happy to help, and what arrived was much more interesting than a basic bowl of lettuce – a huge salad filled with different ingredients and a vegan dressing.

The real surprise was dessert.

There was a vegan chocolate brownie, and after spending plenty of time travelling as a vegan, I know how unusual it can be to find a proper vegan dessert rather than simply being offered sorbet or fruit.

The brownie was rich and dense, and definitely big enough to share with Simon.

Ochre’s menu has changed since my visit and there aren’t currently many obviously vegan choices on the published lunch menu.

If you’d particularly like to eat here, I’d check what they can offer before booking.

Corea Corea

Corea Corea is a casual Korean restaurant tucked away upstairs in Orchid Plaza in central Cairns.

There were only a couple of vegetarian choices when I visited, and I ordered the bibimbap, asking for the egg to be removed to make it vegan.

It arrived quickly with fresh vegetables, fluffy rice and those delicious crispy bits of rice from the bottom of the bowl. It was simple, filling and exactly what I wanted.

Simon ordered a non-vegan meal and enjoyed it so much that he kept suggesting we go back again.

The current menu still includes vegetarian bibimbap with vegetables, tofu and a fried egg, as well as vegetarian japchae.

Neither is specifically labelled vegan, so check what can be modified and whether the sauces and other ingredients are suitable.

Hemingway’s Brewery

Hemingway’s Brewery was an easy choice after our day snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef.

It’s at Cairns Wharf, close to where many reef boats arrive, so we could walk straight off the boat and go looking for dinner – and Simon could try some of the locally brewed craft beer.

We arrived at about 4:30 pm, when only the limited afternoon menu was available, so rather than wait we ordered pizza.

The staff were happy to make ours half-and-half. My half had vegan cheese while Simon added pepperoni and pesto to his, which worked perfectly for us.

The menu has changed since our visit, but Hemingway’s still has dishes with vegan options, including pizzas and salads.

There’s also still a limited menu between 3 and 5 pm, which is worth remembering if you’re planning to eat straight after a Great Barrier Reef trip.

True Thai

True Thai was close to our accommodation and an easy option for dinner.

We started with spring rolls, then I had a chilli and basil stir-fry with vegetables and tofu, along with coconut rice.

There wasn’t anything particularly memorable about the meal, but it was tasty, filling and did the job – sometimes that’s exactly what you want after a long day of sightseeing.

True Thai is still listed as offering vegan options, but check when ordering. With Thai food, ingredients such as fish sauce and oyster sauce mean a vegetable or tofu dish isn’t automatically vegan.

They also offer takeaway and delivery, making this a handy option if you want an easy night in.

Rendezvous-Du-Vietnam

Rendezvous-Du-Vietnam was my favourite vegan meal in Cairns.

We discovered it by accident while walking past and spotting the separate vegan and vegetarian menu, which was enough to convince us to come back for dinner.

Rather than having just one or two dishes that could be modified, there was a proper vegan menu with plenty of choice.

I ordered a vegan set menu with spring rolls to start, followed by mixed steamed vegetables and a clay pot with rice, tomato and tofu. Dessert was chosen by the chef, and that night it was lychee jelly.

Everything was delicious, and the portion sizes were just right for a multi-course meal.

Simon could order a similar non-vegan set menu, which was another bonus when travelling together with different diets.

Rendezvous-Du-Vietnam still has a dedicated vegan menu, including individual dishes and vegan set menus, making it one of the easiest options on this list if you want more than a token vegan choice.

You can take a look at their vegan menu here.

Pho Viet Vietnamese Noodle Bar

Pho Viet was our quick and inexpensive option on our last day in Cairns.

We stopped for an early lunch before heading to the airport, knowing we wouldn’t have much opportunity to eat again until we landed back in Adelaide.

We were in a hurry – which is also why I completely forgot to take a photo.

When I visited, there weren’t dishes specifically labelled vegan, but I found out that the veggie noodle soup was vegan. It was simple, tasty and exactly what I needed before a flight.

Pho Viet still has veggie noodle soup and tofu dishes on the menu, although I haven’t been able to confirm that the current soup is vegan.

Check the broth and other ingredients with staff before ordering.

Annee’s Caphê Sua Du

I don’t normally drink coffee, but Annee’s Caphê Sua Da was one of my favourite finds in Cairns – and we ended up going twice.

Vietnamese coffee is traditionally made with condensed milk, which can make it tricky if you’re vegan. Annee’s offers coconut condensed milk, so you can still get that sweet, strong Vietnamese-style coffee without the dairy.

The first time we visited there were about fifteen people waiting, which gave us a good indication of how popular it was.

I ordered a Creamy Coconut coffee. I’d had coconut coffee while travelling in Vietnam before, and while this was iced rather than hot, it had that same combination of strong coffee, sweetness and coconut that I remembered.

It was so good that we came back for another one.

Considering I don’t usually drink coffee, that probably tells you everything you need to know.

Gelocchio

Gelocchio was another of my favourite vegan finds in Cairns – so much so that we went back a second time.

At many ice cream shops, the vegan choice is one or two fruit sorbets. When I visited Gelocchio, there was an entire section devoted to vegan options, with twelve flavours to choose from.

Suddenly having that much choice was almost a problem!

On our first visit I chose dragonfruit and apple and guava. A couple of days later we returned for lychee and passionfruit. Clearly I was making the most of being in tropical North Queensland.

Gelocchio still has a large selection of vegan options, although flavours change, so don’t expect the exact twelve I found. There are now two Gelocchio stores in Cairns.

I’m just glad I discovered it towards the end of our trip, because otherwise I might have ended up there every night.

Grill’d

Grill’d isn’t unique to Cairns – it’s an Australian burger chain – but sometimes when you’re travelling you just need an easy meal where you know there will be something you can eat.

That’s exactly how we ended up there on our first night.

I ordered the Vegan Impossible Garden Goodness burger, which was on the menu at the time. It was a decent burger – tasty enough without being one of the standout meals of the trip.

The menu has changed since my visit, but Grill’d still offers plant-based choices.

Be aware that it distinguishes between plant-based and vegan, so check the current ingredients and ordering options if you need your meal to be completely vegan.

It’s not somewhere I’d seek out over the more interesting local options, but it’s a useful fallback when convenience matters.

Schnitz

We ended up at Schnitz on our last night in Cairns after running out of inspiration. We didn’t want pizza, we’d eaten plenty of Asian food, and we didn’t want to spend a fortune.

I found ordering a vegan meal there more confusing than I expected.

I was told that every schnitzel could be made vegan simply by choosing the veggie schnitzel.

I wasn’t entirely convinced by that explanation, particularly for dishes with toppings such as cheese and sauces, so I kept things simple.

I ordered the veggie schnitzel with chips and paid extra for a side salad. The schnitzel itself was more like a vegetable patty than a meat-style vegan schnitzel.

It was fine, but it wasn’t one of my favourite meals in Cairns.

I’d still be cautious about assuming that plant-based means vegan at Schnitz.

Check the current allergen information and the complete meal, including crumbs, sauces and toppings, rather than simply swapping the meat for the veggie schnitzel.

More Vegan Places to Try in Cairns

Cairns’ vegan food scene has changed since my visit, and there are a few places I didn’t eat at that are worth knowing about.

I haven’t personally tried these, so I’m not going to tell you they’re amazing. But if I was returning to Cairns and looking for vegan food today, these are places I’d consider.

Bury Me Standing

Bury Me Standing would be high on my list.

It’s a fully vegan bagel shop in central Cairns, so there’s no need to study the menu or ask which dishes can be modified.

The menu includes filled bagels, bagel dogs, sweet treats and coffee, with plant-based alternatives such as vegan cream cheese.

It wasn’t around when I visited Cairns, but it’s exactly the sort of casual place I’d seek out for breakfast or lunch.

Snoogies

Snoogies is a long-running Cairns café specialising in vegetarian and vegan food.

Tucked away in Main Street Arcade in the CBD, the focus is on simple, healthy food such as salads, curries and wraps, along with juices and smoothies.

It looks particularly useful for an inexpensive lunch when you want something fresh rather than another restaurant meal.

Dundee’s Waterfront Dining

I considered eating at Dundee’s during my trip after spotting the vegan choices on the menu, but our timing didn’t work out.

The current Dundee’s Waterfront menu has a good selection of clearly labelled vegan dishes, including salads, pasta, chickpea curry and field mushrooms. There are vegan desserts too.

I haven’t eaten here myself, so I can’t personally recommend the food, but the menu makes it worth considering for a sit-down waterfront meal, particularly if you’re travelling with non-vegan companions.

Tips for Eating Vegan in Cairns

Don’t assume vegetarian means vegan. Eggs, cheese and sauces can be the difference, particularly with Asian dishes, so ask rather than assuming.

Look beyond dedicated vegan restaurants. Some of my favourite finds weren’t completely vegan. Rendezvous-Du-Vietnam had a separate vegan menu, Annee’s offered coconut condensed milk for its Vietnamese coffee, and Gelocchio had far more vegan choices than I expected.

Check menus before you go. Restaurants change menus, opening hours and vegan options, particularly if you’re returning to somewhere because you’ve seen a particular dish recommended online.

Mixed diets aren’t difficult. I was travelling with Simon, who wasn’t vegan, and we rarely struggled to find somewhere that suited us both.

Is Cairns Good for Vegan Food?

Based on my experience, yes.

I went to Cairns expecting eating vegan might take some effort, but I found far more choice than expected. There were dedicated vegan menus, dishes that could easily be modified, proper vegan desserts, plenty of gelato and even Vietnamese coffee made with coconut condensed milk.

Rendezvous-Du-Vietnam was my favourite meal, while Annee’s and Gelocchio were the two places we couldn’t resist visiting twice.

I’m no longer vegan, but if I returned to Cairns today I’d happily eat at many of these places again – and I’d definitely be adding Bury Me Standing to the list.

And if somewhere has twelve vegan gelato flavours when you visit, take advantage of it. I probably should have tried more of them.

Still planning your Cairns trip? Read these posts next
How to get from Cairns Airport to City
12 Adventure Activities in Cairns
Cairns Without a Car – 7 Must-do Day Tours

Found this post useful? Share it with your friends and pin it for later