Vegan Food Collingwood: A Local's Guide Featuring Shu
Looking for vegan food in Collingwood? You've landed in the right pocket of Melbourne. This suburb does things differently: murals on every wall, bars that don’t quit, and food that actually makes plants the star of the show.
And right in the middle of it all is Shu, a restaurant with a clear focus on reimagining Sichuan through creative vegan options that’ll surprise even the most devoted foodies. This isn’t just another list of cafés serving fries; it’s your step-by-step guide to spending a whole day in Collingwood, the vegan way. From lunch with your daughters to a late-night feast with your partner or friends, these are the stops worth your time (and your appetite).
1. First things first: brekkie (and yes, coffee counts as food)
Wake up in Collingwood and you'll smell coffee before you even find your socks. It's everywhere, luring the half-asleep like some kind of legal drug dealer. This is Melbourne, where caffeine is a food group, and brekkie is the stage where it struts its stuff.
Skip the sad chains. Head to Smith or Johnston Street and let the locals show you how it's done: oat flat whites, vegan chai hard lattes that look like they're auditioning for an art show, and more smashed avo than your Instagram can handle.
And don't stress about the food. One block in any direction and you'll spot oat porridge, hazelnut cruffins, or some other brekkie twist you didn't know you needed.
But listen, timing is everything. Before 9:30 or after 11, you're golden. Anywhere in between? You'll be queuing so long you'll start questioning your life choices.
Local Tip: grab it to go and wander Johnston or Smith Street; the people-watching is better than Netflix.
2. Walk it off: markets, murals & Melbourne mischief
You've had your brekkie, now stretch those legs before your waistband regrets it. Collingwood is a living gallery where every brick’s got paint on it. Duck down Easey Street or Wellington, and you’ll find murals that make your camera roll feel underdressed.
Markets? Yep, they pop up like mushrooms after rain. Vintage finds on Cambridge, local makers tucked behind backstreets, like Melbourne is showing off.
And don't be surprised if you stumble on a laneway gig or some bloke selling homemade chilli sauce out of the boot of his car. That's just how Collingwood rolls.
Tip: While you're mural-spotting, swing by Wellington Street, where you'll find vegan samosas and lassis that hit just right.
3. All you can eat, all plants, all weekend: Shu's vegan yum cha
After a morning of mural-spotting or market-hopping, you'll want to park somewhere for lunch, and if it's the weekend, you've scored. Pop down to Johnston Street for Melbourne's all-you-can-eat vegan yum cha at Shu Restaurant.
Plates just keep landing till your table looks like a still life painting: silken tofu with avo, crispy chickpea and cabbage dumplings that disappear faster than you can say “just one more,” and bao so soft you’ll want to nick a couple for the tram ride home.
Don’t get hung up on the “vegan” bit either. The konjac prawns will trick your taste buds, the mapo tofu’s got enough fire to wake Brunswick Street, and that golden mantou bread? Dangerous.
The best part? You don’t order. No menus, no decisions. Shu just sends out dish after dish like your cool mate who always knows what you should eat. Two hours, no limits; the only thing stopping you is your waistband.
Pro Tip: Bring mates. Shu’s yum cha is made for sharing, and the more hands at the table, the more dishes you can demolish. And if you’re really doing it right? Go all in with the bottomless drinks: prosecco, rosé, chardonnay, and espresso martinis.
4. Vintage digs & street strolls: Collingwood cardio
Lunch demolished, plates cleared, belly happily protesting, and now it’s time for the classic Melbourne shuffle: the post-feed wander. And Collingwood does it best. Forget gym memberships, this is your workout: cardio disguised as shopping.
Start with Gertrude Street, the cool older cousin of Smith, where contemporary galleries, fashion boutiques and sleek wine bars live side by side. One minute you’re eyeballing a modern installation, the next you’re trying on sunglasses that make you look like a 70s rock star.
Swing towards Brunswick Street’s edge, where vintage racks, second-hand bookstores, and cafes with queues out the door spill onto the pavement like they’re daring you not to stop. Jackets, vinyl, boots you’ll swear you need (you don’t, but you’ll buy them anyway).
Then loop back via Smith Street, a jumble of high-end design shops and punky thrift finds, where shiny new ceramics sit comfortably next to racks of old band tees.
Finally, duck into Oxford or Peel Street for the quieter gems: tiny shops with that “only locals know” energy, plus a caffeine hit if you need a second wind. By now, you’ve basically done Collingwood’s version of a treadmill, except way more stylish.
Real Talk: These vintage shops run on chaos and oat lattes. One’s open at 11, the other’s out for lunch ‘til 3, and the best one might be “closed” but actually open if you just knock. Keep walking, keep peeking. Collingwood always rewards the patient (and the nosy).
5. Dinner = theatre (Shu’s 5- or 10-course showstopper)
After a day of Collingwood wandering, dinner is your curtain call, and Shu’s the stage. Forget greasy pub chips or yet another vegan pizza; this is dinner as performance art.
On Tuesday to Saturday nights (because yes, even chefs deserve Mondays and Sunday nights off), Shu goes all out for a sit-down showstopper. Two options, both plant-based, both unmissable:
Act One: The 5-Course Chef’s Special
Think of this as the tight, well-rehearsed set. You’ll kick off with Sichuan-style appetisers before moving into big hitters like grilled exotic mushrooms tucked into a crispy pie, or Shu’s legendary yuxiang roasted eggplant with a Chinese doughnut on the side. And dessert? A matcha cashew cannoli filled with plant honeycomb and almond dust. Perfect for date night, or if you’ve still got room after a day of Collingwood snacking.
Act Two: The 10-Course Vegan Degustation
This is the full blockbuster. Ten plates, each one a little love letter to Sichuan flavours, all dressed up in Shu’s signature “art gallery on a plate” style. One moment you’re cracking into roasted eggplant with pickled chilli paste and golden mantou bread, the next you’re twirling sticky rice balls through peanut butter soy. There’s lion’s mane mushroom in pepper sauce, daikon pot plants that look too pretty to eat (but you will), and a cashew mousse finale that tastes like it moonlights as dessert and sculpture at the same time.
And because this is theatre, you can add the wine pairing: a cocktail to open the show, three pours to carry you through the acts, and a dessert wine to bow out with.
6. Night owl mode: cocktails, gigs & questionable dance moves
Dinner’s wrapped, Shu’s lights are dimming, but Collingwood? She’s just getting started. Step off Johnston's side streets, where old warehouses have been reborn into gig spots and secret parties. Push further towards Brunswick and you’ll find the stylish sippers: cocktail bars where the menus read like novels and the wine lists love a natural drop.
Gertrude Street also got you covered with mixes that make you forget they're plant-based. And because this is Collingwood, late-night munchies don’t have to mean greasy regret. Vegan-friendly bites keep popping up around Victoria Parade and beyond, making sure your 1 AM self won’t hate your 9 AM self.
7. Endgame: Shu as your private chef (flex level = max)
Think you’ve seen Collingwood’s vegan scene? Here’s the plot twist: Shu doesn’t just run one of Melbourne’s boldest vegan restaurants; we bring the whole show to your own table. Forget your usual vegan fries or mock meats dressed up as the real thing. Shu’s private chef experience is a healthy, playful feast where every meal is cooked and plated like edible art.
It’s fun, it’s indulgent, and it’s the kind of serving that makes dinner at home feel like you’ve hired a theatre troupe (but tastier). Perfect for birthdays, flex nights, or just proving to your friends that plant-based dining can go way beyond cheese substitutes.
Before you call it a night in Collingwood...
Every vegan in the city knows Collingwood and Fitzroy have history. Places that once catered to small subcultures have evolved into the go-to dining experience in Australia today. What used to be fringe is now forward-thinking, sustainable, and fun, with restaurants that continue to push plant-based food way past “salad and fries.”
Shu, located on Johnston, proves it every week with menus that could cater to die-hard locals and curious first-timers. Bookings fill fast (hot tip: don’t leave it to the last page of your plans), and for good reason (the reputation here is years in the making). Collingwood’s food scene is a transformer of sorts, showing how much can change when a community decides to enjoy flavour without compromise.
So yeah, forget your usual routine. Tonight’s about celebrating a lot more than what’s on the plate; it's about how this corner of Melbourne continues to lead the charge, one bold vegan feast at a time.