Correction (4 October 2026): an earlier version of this page listed places and details we could not stand behind. It has been rewritten from scratch: every place below was confirmed at two independent sources between 2 October 2026 and 4 October 2026, and every price was copied from the page it was published on.
This page answers one question: where can you find vegan and plant-based food in and around Thornbury? It covers six places. Two are on High Street in Thornbury, three are in Northcote and one is in Preston.
Each place was checked against at least two independent sources, including its own site and, where listed, the Australian Good Food Guide or Broadsheet. Menu markers and kitchen statements are reported exactly as the venue prints them, and nothing beyond that.
A marker is the venue’s own promise, not ours. Where we could not find a kitchen statement, the entry says so and ends with one question to ask. For coeliac or allergy needs, ask the venue directly before you order.
The quick picks
| If you’re after | Head to | Order this | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| All plant-based dinner menu | Ballard’s | see below | not printed here |
| Cheap vegan bar food | Cafe Gummo | Hummus & Black Bean (vegan) | $10 |
| Fully vegan restaurant | Brother Bon | see below | not printed here |
| Half-vegan Ethiopian menu | Mesob Ethiopian Restaurant | see below | not printed here |
| Vegan burger, gluten-free bun | Chew Burger | Vegan Burger | not printed here |
| Vegan fish and chips | Northcote Fish & Chips | see below | not printed here |
Ballard’s — 915 High Street, Thornbury VIC 3071
Ballard’s answers the vegan question on its own site: “Yes, it’s all plant based.” The site lists the menu from 6 pm Monday to Saturday and says it is closed Sundays. The menu is labelled a sample that changes, so treat the dishes as a guide. It prints Layered potato lasagna w shiitake bolognese & white pepper cream at $34 with a GF marker.
Kitchen statement: The site says everything is plant based and marks some dishes GF, such as the Lions mane bourguignon, but we could not find a statement about shared equipment, so ask before ordering for a coeliac.
Cafe Gummo — 711 High Street, Thornbury VIC 3071
Cafe Gummo is a bar, and its site lists vegan meals on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at a promotional price. The menu prints Hummus & Black Bean (vegan) at $10 under toasties. Right beside it, the menu marks Cheese (vegetarian) at $9, so the brackets do separate vegan from vegetarian. The site lists Tuesday to Friday from 5pm till late, with the kitchen closing at midnight.
On the menu (copied from cafegummo.com on 3 October 2026):
- Hummus & Black Bean (vegan): $10
Menu markers: The menu puts (vegan) and (vegetarian) in brackets after the item name, and we could not find a kitchen statement on shared equipment.
Brother Bon — 377-379 High Street, Northcote VIC 3070
Brother Bon’s own site says: “At Brother Bon, we serve delicious, 100% vegan meals made with fresh ingredients, care, and creativity.” AGFG tags it with raw food options, romantic, takeaway and vegan options. The site also prints a kids menu, gluten free options and halal friendly. It lists dinner Tuesday to Saturday from 5:30 to 9:30pm and Sunday from 5:30 to 9pm, plus weekend lunch, and is closed on public holidays.
Fully plant-based or options: Fully vegan according to its own site, so the question is which dish, and for gluten the site prints gluten free options but we could not find a kitchen statement.
Mesob Ethiopian Restaurant — 213 High Street, Northcote VIC 3070
Mesob’s site says: “Half the menu is vegan – ensuring everyone is catered for.” The menu prints the Herbivore combination platter at 26pp, and it notes that minimum numbers of people apply. The site says its injera is made with organic Teff flour, “a whole, gluten-free grain”. It lists Tuesday to Saturday from 5:30pm till late.
Ask: Whether the vegan dishes and the injera are prepared apart from the meat dishes and other flours, because we could not find a kitchen statement on that.
Chew Burger — 147 Plenty Road, Preston VIC 3072
Chew Burger is a burger shop in Preston, and its site describes a Vegan Burger with a gluten-free bun, vegan pattie, thyme, salsa, guacamole and vegan mayo. The site lists Tuesday through Sunday, 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM. We did not capture a price for the vegan burger, and the other burgers we copied are listed with brisket patties, so order by name.
Menu markers: The menu line names a gluten-free bun and a vegan pattie, but we could not find a statement on shared grills or fryers, so ask.
Northcote Fish & Chips — 341 High Street, Northcote VIC 3070
Northcote Fish & Chips describes itself as “Serving traditional and vegan fish & chips & a huge range of vegan burgers & traditional burgers.” Its site lists takeaway and direct delivery. The trading hours text lists Friday 12 PM - 10 pm, though its Monday and Tuesday listing differs from its other data, so check before heading over. We could not read item prices.
Ask: Whether the vegan fish and chips are cooked in a separate fryer from the traditional ones, because we could not find a kitchen statement.
Quick answers
Where can I eat fully vegan in Thornbury?
Ballard’s on High Street says on its own site “Yes, it’s all plant based.” Brother Bon in Northcote describes its meals on its own site as fully vegan. Both are sit-down restaurants, so check each site for current hours.
Is there cheap vegan food in Thornbury?
Cafe Gummo’s site lists vegan meals on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at a promotional price, and its menu prints Hummus & Black Bean (vegan) at $10. The kitchen closes at midnight according to its site.
Where can I find vegan burgers near Thornbury?
Chew Burger in Preston lists a Vegan Burger with a gluten-free bun and vegan pattie, and Northcote Fish & Chips says it serves a huge range of vegan burgers. Neither price was captured for vegan burgers, so check the menus.
Where can a mixed vegan and non-vegan group eat near Thornbury?
Mesob in Northcote says half its menu is vegan so everyone is catered for, and its menu prints the Herbivore combination platter at 26pp. Brother Bon is fully vegan according to its site, which also prints a kids menu.
How we checked
We checked every place on this page against at least two independent sources between 2 October 2026 and 4 October 2026: OpenStreetMap, carrot-jellyfish-7mgz.squarespace.com, the places’ own websites, the Australian Good Food Guide, Broadsheet and chew-burger.square.site. Every price is copied exactly as printed on the page linked under Sources, between 2 October 2026 and 3 October 2026, the date given beside each menu. Menus, prices and opening hours change, so check with the venue before you go. The cover photo is illustrative, from Unsplash, and does not show any place on this page.
Seen something out of date? Email [email protected] with the page link and what has changed, and we will check it again.
Sources
- Ballard’s: openstreetmap.org/597556271, carrot-jellyfish-7mgz.squarespace.com, carrot-jellyfish-7mgz.squarespace.com/our-menu
- Cafe Gummo: openstreetmap.org/617332919, cafegummo.com/contact-1, cafegummo.com/gigs, cafegummo.com/menu, cafegummo.com
- Brother Bon: openstreetmap.org/2365435372, agfg.com.au/brother-bon-80509, brotherbon.com.au, brotherbon.com.au/menu
- Mesob Ethiopian Restaurant: mesob.com.au, broadsheet.com.au/mesob-ethiopian-restaurant
- Chew Burger: openstreetmap.org/3467612384, chew-burger.square.site, chewburger.com.au
- Northcote Fish & Chips: openstreetmap.org/6744765532, northcotefishandchips.com.au
