The celebrity chef behind Efendy, Anason and Tombrik has opened a plant-based Turkish restaurant right at Wynyard station. Don’t be fooled by the glowing neon sign. Maydanoz is not here to sober you up before your night ride home. The offering comes from celebrity chef Somer Sivrioğlu, who opened the doors to Maydanoz just one week before jetting off to Istanbul to shoot a season of MasterChef Turkey. The Turkish restaurant specialises in the vibrant vegetable fare of the western Aegean coastline. The menu skips over the skewered meats, but who needs ‘em when you can have a chargrilled halloumi kebab, glazed in a honey sesame sauce and served on a tabletop grill. 1/50 Carrington St, Sydney maydanoz.com.au

How daring, how completely rogue Yellow was in 2016 when it turned green. Not least because back then – and let us not forget how meat-driven dining was in 2016 – it was a pretty well-liked restaurant without such a radical move. But Nick Hilderbrandt and Brent Savage, the sommelier-and-chef team behind Bentley and Monopole, seemed determined to give people what they want even if they don’t quite realise it yet. Bentley, Yellow and Monopole had successfully offered vegan tasting menus for years, and suddenly it seemed like the time had come. Vegetarian was having a moment; a novelty that has resolutely endured. Yellow remains one of the best plant-based restaurants in Sydney. The menu is inventive and delicious, playing on textures and richness, bringing umami where vegan dishes can often be lacking. Burnt cabbage comes with broad beans and whipped Dutch potatoes. Hemp seed gnudi bathes in tomato dashi with shiso. Yellow is a compelling glimpse into what vegan dining can be, and long may it lead the way. 57 Macleay Street, Potts Point – yellowsydney.com.au

While INDU is not, strictly speaking, a vegetarian restaurant, you have to look pretty hard to find the meat dishes dotted across the menu. Vegetables are king at this underground bunker in Angel Place and the fragrant Sri Lankan and southern Indian dishes of fried crisp and tender eggplant moju or the world of loaded hoppers, with their golden yolks and verdant palak paneer stuffing will have even the most committed carnivores satisfied. 350 George Street, Sydney indudining.com.au

Anyone who thinks that vegan food can’t be fun has clearly never been to Bad Hombres. What started out as a pop-up back in 2017 was quickly converted into a full-time gig which is purely plant-powered. Chow down on nachos loaded with house cheddar “cheese”, black beans, pico de gallo and cashew cream or any number of rotating taco specials from jackfruit tinga to miso eggplant and way more. Wines here are natural, beers are served ice cold and the vibes are a little bit rock and roll. 40 Reservoir Street, Surry Hills badhombres.com.au

This bustling pizza shop on Marrickville’s bustling Victoria Road doesn’t shout about its only-vegetarian menu, which does gluten-free and vegan options on many items. It’s that good. Rather than reeling in no-meat eaters with slogans and promises, it spends energy on the actual food. And so news gets around that there’s amazing pizza here made using a Two Chaps sourdough starter, and everybody comes. There’s often a queue outside Pizza Madre for a table. It is vegetarian-friendly, to use the worst term to describe any menu, but it is also all-human friendly. Because humans like great pizza, they will turn up for a charred and chewy base topped with butter roasted mushrooms, cime di rapa, fior di latte, Monte rosso washed rind cheese and garlic oil pizza because it’s so very good. The menu is seasonal and local – which means no imported Tipo 00 flour – to kick another goal for the planet. And the pistachio tiramisu dessert is a knockout. 2/205 Victoria Road, Marrickville pizzamadre.com.au

It’s not news to Sydney diners that Alibi is a veggie-forward restaurant that is part of Ovolo Hotel Group’s Plant’d initiative. But it’s worth noting that pioneer of plant-based cuisine Shannon Martinez (of Melbourne’s Smith & Daughters and Lona Misa) is now leading the next evolution of the brand’s ethical eating ethos. There is a tortilla with aioli and no eggs. Cacio e pepe pasta with no cheese, a cotoletta parmigiana, and a ‘beef’ carpaccio which is actually made from rice paper, and served with horseradish and anchovy, figs, fried capers and vegan parmesan. Inside Ovolo Hotel, 6 Cowper Wharf Roadway, Woolloomooloo ovolohotels.com/ovolo/woolloomooloo/alibi-bar-and-dining/

Vegan restaurants are nothing new to Enmore, and nor are Thai restaurants, but the 2018 opening of Little Turtle on Stanmore Road certainly made an impact for its modern take on Thai cuisine and vibrant fit-out. Usual suspects like drunken noodles and tom yum soup are present but you will also find some house originals like sticky sesame ‘wings’ of battered cauliflower coated with soy and sprinkled with sesame seeds, or mushroom crostini with a dairy-free cream sauce and sweet plum. 10 Stanmore Road, Enmore littleturtlerestaurant.com

From humble beginnings as a pocket-friendly vego restaurant on Crown Street, to one of Australia’s most beloved and creative breweries and even an outpost up in Byron Bay, Yulli’s has been a hit from the start. The Surry Hills diner serves up mainly Asian-inspired dishes with a few detours via Mexico and a pitstop in Morocco. The small space is big on flavour and every single dish is vegan, with plenty of gluten-free options for good measure. Go in a group so you can make the most of the extensive menu (or take out the guesswork and opt for a banquet) with some kale and saltbush gyoza to start, zucchini flowers with truffle oil cream and walnuts, smoked eggplant with Romesco and pomegranate for main, and a mind-bending vegan kanafe for dessert. 417 Crown St, Surry Hills yullis.com.au

When Gigi first turned green in 2015, it was a much bigger risk than it might be today but given the lines that continue to snake down south King Street, it’s been worth it. Here, you’ll find staunchly traditional hand-stretched Napoli style pizza, with ethical vegan-only toppings. Enjoy an Aperol Spritz and then a few slices of the Funghi e Radiccio pizza, which features Swiss Brown mushrooms, dairy-free blue cheese, parsley, radicchio and roasted walnuts. 379 King Street, Newtown gigipizzeria.com.au

If you’re into seaside dining and plant-based power with your coffee, look no further than Pilgrims in Cronulla. An outpost of the original in Milton on the South Coast, Pilgrims is all about vibrant and exciting café fare and substantial eats where you don’t miss the meat. Come night time, the coffee joint transforms into a Mexican-style cantina serving up vegetarian quesadilla, enchilada and spicy patatas bravas, perfect with a Corona or a shot of tequila. 97 Gerrale Street, Cronulla pilgrimscronulla.com.au