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.


Venue map for The Botanist
© OpenStreetMap contributors

92 Reviews

First Review by Wildevegan

Roger in PA

Points +337

Mostly Veg
03 Feb 2023

Entirely vegan, imaginative menu, delicious food, nice atmosphere

Five stars. All items are vegan. I had the hot and sour chaap (soy based ‘meat’ with rice noodles, julienned seasonal veg and broccoli), my other half had the broccoli and tofu buckwheat (smoked tofu, charred broccoli steak, roasted sesame sauce, tarragon butter buckwheat), and we shared the cheesecake of the day (chocolate with vanilla 'ice cream'), and thoroughly enjoyed it all. Imaginatively conceived, very tasty, and beautifully presented. Terrific beer selection. Outdoor seating. Pleasant interior atmosphere. We sat inside on a high table at a window in the front — the best seat in the house, where we enjoyed watching the goings-on on the beach and planes landing across the bay into Wellington Airport. The neighborhood, Lyall Bay, is a lively beach town, not (yet) gentrified, and thoroughly pleasant.

Updated from previous review on 2023-02-03

Pros: Really tasty vegan food with generous portions, Good service, Pleasing atmosphere

Cons: Acoustics amplify loud talkers — a minor issue

Savannastent

Points +102

Vegan
03 Feb 2023

Vegan heaven

Delicious food always!!! Lovely dining experience, amazing staff and the food is so scrumptious, their crème brûlée and cheesecake is to die for and I will always be a regular here.

rpoulova

Points +1688

Vegan
27 Jan 2023

Beautiful interior and nice staff

Really cosy place just next to the beach. The restaurant is spacious, bright, decorated with plants and has lots of seating both inside and outside. It has a pleasant vibe and lovely staff.

I came there for the "salmon" bagel but on spot decided for the banh mi. It was good and fresh, and the service was quick. They have many vegan options, specially on the brunch menu, so I definitely need to come back to taste more.

Pros: Loads of seating , Cosy interior , Many vegan options

aurelieb13

Points +58

Vegan
13 Dec 2022

Nice vibe and good food

Great food, big portions. Wasn’t very clear what was vegan vs vegetarian. I was under the impression that the whole store was vegan but then I saw eggs on the menu. There was no alternative milk option on the menu either but when I asked they made it vegan.

Pros: Big portions, Nice location

Cons: Unclear menu, Slightly expensive

TejD

Points +534

Vegan
30 Oct 2022

Incredible rigatoni

Loved the stuffed jalapeno peppers and rigatoni. Great flavours. Super friendly staff. Separate lunch and dinner menus. Sadly no room for dessert. Four stars as not fully vegan.

Tania_SlowerTravels

Points +549

Vegan
18 Oct 2022

Fantastic choice available

Extensive lunch and breakfast menu with lots of both vegan and vegetarian options.

Pros: Lots of vegan options, Serves alcohol, Gorgeous location

ChunkyWombat

Points +1182

Vegan
16 Oct 2022

Plant me some flowers so I can make this at home!

Please come to my garden so you can teach me how to grow this delicious spinach and potato! Nice interior and excellent recommendation from my girlfriend. Enjoyed the vegan spudstack greatly

BernadettToth

Points +164

Vegan
11 Sep 2022

Love the variety

Tasty food, good variety of vegan food and delicious cakes. 😋 Loved the sunny garden part, dog friendly too. 🙂

Ecky

Points +46

Vegan
05 Jul 2022

Fantastic

Nice vibe, good service, excellent food. Most of the menu was vegan and everything was clearly marked.

MaddalenaDalSasso

Points +160

Vegan
24 Nov 2021

100% vegan

Kofta bowl is my favourite, with red lentil and quinoa koftas and spiced rice. Lots of items I found too spicy, especially the beef negimaki! About half a dozen dessert options, but the creme brulee is incredible!

Pros: Full of vegan options, Wide variety of dishes and drinks

Cons: Expensive, Not very good value for money

jedafin

Points +160

Vegan
02 Aug 2021

Oh wow!

Like the other reviews this place is amazing 👏 "veganise me" was an easy choice 👌

CourtneyTyler

Points +70

Vegetarian
19 Jul 2021

Spoilt for choice!

Beautiful food, amazing service and an awesome spot right on the water.

The vegan hash was 👌🏼I added an extra side of facon as well.

nicole_m

Points +3704

Vegan
10 Apr 2021

So many great options

Hard to choose what to get as so many things on the menu look good. I’ve tried the fish and chips (yum!) and the Sunfed/Green Apple salad - also yum. Full range of drinks available and the premises is in a good spot by the sea, so some tables have a lovely view to top it all off.

Pros: Lots of vege options, Yummy food

Cons: Windows need clean so we can see the view better

citizenInsane

Points +1571

Vegan
03 Mar 2021

Cool spot, delicious food

I liked the place and the choice of vegan dishes. Even the drinks list is labelled, which isn't that frequent.
I had the salad with the Sunfed "chicken" and apples, and it was really delicious. My friend had a beautiful burger, and before that we shared cornbread with a jalapeno spread. Everything was great.

SuzanneRex

Points +32

Vegan
17 Jan 2021

Poor service

Waited 20 mins on a table without even being spoken to despite staff seeing me standing there. When I was eventually taken to a table I was told it would be a 40 minute wait on food. They could have told me that to begin with I wouldn't have waited!

Pros: Lots of vegan options on menu

Cons: Huge wait time, One of the bar staff very unfriendly

nbuk

Points +140

Vegan
26 Dec 2020

Veggie restaurant with a great atmosphere

This is a proper restaurant rather than a cafe - has a changing menu with good vegan options. Also does good brunch and cakes. Some decent craft beers as well as good wines and cocktails.

EmmaKelsey16

Points +42

Vegan
15 Jul 2020

Try the vegan fish and chip!!

Amazing food! We have the veganise me breakfast and the fish and chip, both incredible. The 'fish' is made of banana yet somehow has the texture and taste of fish...

Pros: Lots of vegan options

Jtydlaska

Points +582

Vegan
21 Jun 2020

Cool vibe, good food

Solid place with simple and hearty fare (burgers, sandwiches, etc). Uses a lot of mock meats, but it’s basically pub food and so it’s not a place to go for trying to eat healthily.

Pros: Mostly vegan menu, Nice ambience, Dog friendly

Cons: No healthful options

Joykaterose

Points +242

Vegan
17 Jun 2020

Delicious food with a twist on your fav meals

Full vegetarian and vegan with cafe vibes during the day and restaurant at night. Food is delicious and fun with a twist on Mexican, Indonesian, north american and English food. Most meals are or can be made vegan. Dine in or take away. Next to lyall bay beach - beachy, bohemian vibe. Great service

Pros: All vegan

millerfly13

Points +119

Vegan
04 Mar 2020

Great burgers and dog-friendly!

Love the burgers and great bringing my dog here in the partially-covered outdoor area as well so she can be included 😊 cost is OK - food approx. $15-$20-ish.

Pros: Plenty of vegan options, Dog-friendly outside

Cons: None

Leylnaz

Points +152

Vegan
25 Feb 2020

Delicious food

We tried the toastie sandwich and chicken tikka burger. Highly recommending it

Pros: Yummy food

Annabelle0704

Points +601

Vegan
04 Feb 2020

Yummy!

Great location and really nice interior. Full vego and majority of menu is vegan. Food is delish, with lots of vegan alternatives (ie facon, vegan cheese, jackfruit, vegan chicken etc). Meals are definitely on the expensive side however and the staff were not very attentive. The food is absolutely amazing though so will be back!

Pros: Food is incredible

Cons: Bit costly

RhiNerys

Points +125

Vegan
01 Feb 2020

Lovely!

This is a beautifully decorated cafe on the coast. The food and coffee is great. I had “Fish” and chips. The fish is made from banana. It had a great texture and was absolutely delicious.

GabGab

Points +16

Vegan
31 Jan 2020

Delicious food

Menu is not entirely vegan but the selection is really good. We tried the burgers and they were one of the best I ever had! Really good value for money

Pros: Lots of vegan options

vegan.nz

Points +16

Vegan
29 Jan 2020

Delicious brunch restaurant

The botanist has amazing vegan and veggie options, for anyone! I took my meat-eater husband here and he loved it as well, definitely making this one of our go to places in Wellington! The staff were also very welcoming, although the food took a while to come out, but it ended up being worth the wait!

Pros: Great options for all dietary requirements , Beautiful décor, Large portions

Cons: Food took a while

MoniqueMeliánDickson

Points +19

Vegetarian
27 Jan 2020

Beautiful Cafe

Beautiful location, great service and delicious food

Pros: lots of yummy options, Loaded fries were delicious

rrruby

Points +125

Vegan
14 Jan 2020

My favourite restaurant

All vege! Loads of vegan options, beautiful location, lovely beer. Can sometimes be a wait on food, come before you get hungry. If you come at the start of August, try the Wellington On A Plate offerings.. their 2019 blue burger was imho the best burger ever!

Pros: Good place to bring omnis, Lovely burgers, The beer

Cons: The wait times, Some items are costly




This page has been viewed 14075 times.