Best Vegetarian Tasting Menus in Sydney 2026

Vegetarian versus vegan in Sydney's top rooms

The practical difference is the dairy. A vegetarian tasting can lean on butter, cream, cheese and egg, which is the backbone of European fine-dining technique, so a vegetarian diner in Sydney often eats better than a strictly plant-based one at the same address. The trade-off is that fewer rooms print a vegetarian set menu than you would expect; most fold it into the booking as a dietary request. Knowing which kitchens have a dedicated meat-free degustation, and which build one on the night, is the whole game.

The list leads with Yellow, the only two-hat meat-free room, and Otto Ristorante, which lists a set six-course vegetarian degustation, then the rooms that tailor a tasting to order: Sixpenny, Aria, Oncore by Clare Smyth and the garden-driven Chiswick. Every name links to its full review, with the course count and how to request it. For the strictly plant-based version of this guide, see the Sydney vegan fine dining guide; for the wider city, the Sydney dining guide.

The vegetarian tastings

Yellow

Plant-based · Potts Point · $125 six-course tasting

The tasting: six courses, printed · meat-free by default

Yellow is the only Sydney room to win two chef's hats on an entirely meat-free menu, which makes it the default answer here even though its tasting is technically vegan. Brent Savage builds the six-course menu, $125, around heirloom vegetables from growers near the city, and Nick Hildebrandt pairs it with a list deep in interesting bottles. For a vegetarian diner, that means a complete degustation with nothing to arrange in advance, and the freedom to add a dairy element if you want one. It is the most accomplished vegetable cooking in Sydney and the easiest meat-free tasting to book. A fine anniversary dinner in Potts Point.

Otto Ristorante

Italian · Woolloomooloo, Finger Wharf · six-course vegetarian degustation

The tasting: dedicated six-course vegetarian menu · printed option

Otto is the rare Sydney room that prints a vegetarian tasting on the standard menu rather than building one to order. The long-running Italian room on the Woolloomooloo Finger Wharf lists a six-course vegetarian degustation alongside its meat and seafood menus, so a table of mixed eaters all get a proper tasting without negotiation. The cooking is modern Italian, pasta-forward and generous with dairy, which is exactly where a vegetarian degustation shines. The harbour-edge setting on the wharf is one of the prettiest in the city. Book the vegetarian menu directly when you reserve; no special notice needed.

Sixpenny

Modern Australian · Stanmore · $265 seven-course tasting

The tasting: seven courses, vegetarian version on request

Sixpenny runs a seven-course tasting at $265 from a small terrace room in Stanmore, built on a kitchen garden and a wood oven, and it adapts that tasting cleanly to a vegetarian brief. Because the kitchen is already produce-led, the vegetarian degustation is close to the house style rather than a stripped-back substitute, and the dairy and egg work give it real depth. The room seats only a few dozen, so the request matters: flag vegetarian in the booking and the kitchen will plan the seven courses around it. The best vegetable degustation outside the harbour postcodes.

Aria

Modern Australian · Circular Quay · five or eight courses

The tasting: dedicated vegetarian menu, five or eight course

Aria, the Matt Moran room facing the Opera House, runs a dedicated vegetarian tasting in both five and eight-course formats, requested at the time of booking. Executive chef Joel Bickford gives the vegetarian menu the same seasonal produce and harbour ceremony as the meat version, and the eight-course is the full degustation for a special night. It is the grand-occasion choice on this list, all white tablecloths and bridge views. Ask for the vegetarian tasting when you reserve and request a window table while you are at it. Strong for a first date that needs to impress.

Oncore by Clare Smyth

Modern British · Barangaroo, Crown Sydney · tasting from ~$295

The tasting: vegetarian degustation on request

Oncore is the most ambitious vegetarian tasting in Sydney, if you ask for it. Clare Smyth made her name on vegetable cooking that upstaged the protein, and her Level 26 room at Crown Sydney will compose a full vegetarian degustation alongside the standard tasting. With dairy in play, the kitchen's famous potato dish and its butter-rich technique come fully into their own, which is where a vegetarian menu beats a vegan one. Note vegetarian in the dietary field several days ahead. The dressed-up, harbour-view top of this list. Pair it with the best tasting menus worldwide.

Chiswick

Modern Australian · Woollahra · garden-driven set menu

The tasting: vegetarian menu from the kitchen garden

Chiswick, Matt Moran's garden room in Woollahra, is the relaxed, leafy pick. Set beside the Chiswick kitchen garden, it runs a vegetarian menu built largely from its own beds and a custom wood-fire oven, so the vegetables arrive with real provenance and char. It is less a formal degustation than a generous seasonal set menu, which makes it the easy-going option for a long lunch rather than a hushed tasting. The garden setting suits a daytime table best. Ask for the vegetarian menu when you book, and consider the wood-fired vegetable dishes the thing to order. Good for a team lunch in the eastern suburbs.

How to get the best vegetarian tasting in Sydney

Two moves make the difference. First, name the format: ask for the vegetarian tasting or degustation specifically, since several rooms will otherwise default to swapping a single dish on the regular menu rather than building a full meat-free run. Second, time the request: Yellow and Otto print theirs so a normal booking covers it, but Sixpenny, Aria, Oncore and Chiswick build the tasting to order and want the note when you reserve, not on arrival. If you eat dairy and egg, say so, because it opens up the cheese and custard courses a vegan brief rules out; if you want it stricter, flag that too. Confirm the course count and price when you book, since the vegetarian menu sometimes runs a course shorter. Plan the rest with an anniversary dinner, the best vegetarian restaurants worldwide and the Sydney vegan fine dining guide.

Frequently asked questions

Which Sydney restaurants do a vegetarian tasting menu?

The clearest dedicated options are Yellow in Potts Point, the two-hat meat-free room, and Otto Ristorante on Woolloomooloo Finger Wharf, which lists a set six-course vegetarian degustation. Beyond those, Sixpenny in Stanmore, Aria at Circular Quay and Oncore by Clare Smyth all build a vegetarian tasting on request, and Chiswick in Woollahra runs a garden-driven vegetarian menu. For the rest of the city, see the Sydney dining guide.

What is the best vegetarian degustation in Sydney?

Yellow sets the standard. Brent Savage's Potts Point room is the only Sydney kitchen to win two chef's hats on a fully meat-free menu, served as a six-course tasting at $125 with vegetable-friendly wine pairings. It is technically vegan, so a vegetarian diner gets the same menu and can add a cheese or dairy element if they wish. For a tasting with dairy and eggs built in, Sixpenny's seven-course menu and Aria's five or eight-course vegetarian degustation are the next picks, both among the best rooms in the city.

How many courses is a vegetarian tasting menu in Sydney?

It varies by room. Yellow runs six courses, Otto Ristorante lists a six-course vegetarian degustation, and Sixpenny's full tasting is seven courses. Aria offers its vegetarian menu in five or eight-course formats, the eight-course being the full degustation. Oncore and Chiswick tailor the length to the booking. As a rule, plan for six to eight courses at the dedicated rooms, and confirm the exact count and price when you reserve, since the vegetarian version sometimes runs a course shorter than the meat menu.

Do you need to request the vegetarian menu in advance in Sydney?

For most rooms, yes. Yellow and Otto print a vegetarian or plant-based tasting, so no special arrangement is needed beyond booking. Sixpenny, Aria, Oncore and Chiswick build the vegetarian degustation to order, and they want the request when you book rather than on arrival, since the kitchen plans the courses ahead. Aria asks for dietary requests at the time of reservation; Sixpenny and Oncore take it in the booking's dietary note. Flag any dairy, egg or allergen preference at the same time.

What is the difference between a vegetarian and a vegan tasting menu in Sydney?

A vegetarian tasting can use dairy, cheese, eggs and honey, which opens up courses a strictly vegan menu rules out, while a vegan menu removes all animal products. Yellow's default tasting is vegan, so it works for both; Otto, Sixpenny and Aria can run either a vegetarian version with dairy or a vegan one without. If you want the cheese course and the butter-rich cooking, ask for vegetarian; if you want it strictly plant-based, see our Sydney vegan fine dining guide.

Menus, course counts and prices verified against each restaurant's published information in June 2026; confirm the vegetarian menu directly when you book. Restaurants for Kings is editorial, not sponsored. Some reservation links may earn an affiliate commission, which never affects a ranking or a score.