Vego and Loven It

Look you are going to walk into this place and think OMG the décor maybe we should quickly turn around and leave, but DON’T because this place is amazing.
Someone told me it has been in Adelaide since the 80s how true this is I am not 100% sure but the décor would suggest that may be true.
This place is an institution, cheap and damn good! The only place in Adelaide where half a burger will be enough to keep you full and content.
The lentil soup is so full of flavour and damn cheap, whether you manage to squeeze in and get a table or whether you takeaway you will be happy.
The Bali burger will forever be a fave from the age of 17 till now, I think the menu only has had one change since then which is the spicy mushroom burger.
No matter what burger you get you will be happy and full. But don’t be fooled the full size you probably do not even need unless you have not eaten in a day or two!
Will always return, Robin there is always flat off his feet but no matter what your food will be fresh and hot.
Delish. Delish. Delish. Warm and happy feeling this place gives you.

This place is like an institution for me, I’ve been coming whenever am in the area during their slightly unusual operating hours for a decade. I just love the vibe of this place, the excentricity of the décor, the classic menu. In winter I highly recommend the lentil soup which is by far and away the best lentil soup ever. And the chocolate milkshake. Which despite craning my neck over to see how they’re making it, I’ve never once been able to replicate at home and reminds me of Milo in a wonderfully nostalgic way. The bread used for the burgers or as a side as with soup is delicious, I think it’s like a dark rye? So good. Well worth a look if you’re popping past.

I’ve been wanting to visit this place for years, but every time I’ve been it has been closed. I finally had my chance today on a lunch break. Unfortunately I am still yet to try the food. I was waiting 10 minutes before being seen to and had to ask if I could sit. I waited another 15 minutes and still wasn’t seen to, despite trying to get the attention of the waitress. I’ll come back another time to give the place the benefit of the doubt, but in the mean time I rate this place: Service 0 out of 5, food TBD

Vego & Loven It makes for a very interesting experience!
First you walk up an extremely narrow stair case & then into a weird & hippie, but WONDERFUL, place.
I went with 2 others girls and we were lucky to get a table. Minutes after we sat down — the place was absolutely full. And after tasting my ‘Absolutely Fabulous’ burger, I can see why. WOW! They know exactly how to do amazing burgers! Beautiful rye roll packed amazingness.
Handy that they do half burgers — but I couldn’t help myself & I got a full size!
Do yourself a favour & pay this place a visit.
Be prepared for the one big down fall though — there’s no chips!

At one end of the dining spectrum there is silver service, starched napery (yes, napery) and expensive dishes of dubious nutritional value.
Resplendent at the other end of the scale is Vego and Loven It in all its natural, awkwardly-​shaped, goodness-​filled glory, not to mention unique décor.
It’s hard to do justice, in mere words, to the food here, or to the care and skill with which it is prepared and presented, but a start would be words like fresh, succulent, mouthwatering, tasty and pure.
Take the humble falafel, for example. Vego’s version is big enough for two for lunch. The actual falafel is large, soft and fresh, full of the nutty flavour of chick peas and slightly spiced. It’s served wrapped in a… falafel wrap… along with a salad made of freshly grated carrot, tasty tomato slices, lettuce, bean sprouts and a lovely zingy mayonnaise.
A word about Vego’s salads. Too often, salad ingredients are kept in the fridge until the moment of preparation, then returned to the icy darkness of the Kelvinator. Salad, in the humble opinion of this reviewer, should be served with the ingredients at room temperature, to make the most of the natural flavours. The rare flavour of the non-​hybrid tomato, the juice of the grated carrot, the subtle buttery green flavour of the lettuce — all of it is intensified when the salad is at room temperature. They know this at Vego, and must get their salad makings out of the fridge early. After all, natural flavours and aromas are a big part of Vego is all about.
So next time you get the urge to taste the ‘picked today’ flavours of real food, make your way to Rundle Street and Vego and Loven It. The ridiculously steep and narrow staircase is not quite a stairway to heaven, but in food terms, it’s damn close.

I have walked down Rundle St countless times but never took much notice of the non descriptive door & well worn staircase that leads to Vego N Lovin it. A few girls from work took me here for lunch & I was a bit hesitant, I would eat chicken with a side of chicken if possible. I tried a Mediterranean burger but glad I took the suggestion of a half size from Unilocal reviews. I was full at the end and perfectly satisfied. The ingredients are all fresh and the food for our group arrived very quickly. I tried a freshly squeezed apple juice and next time I look forward to trying another delicious combo. If you look past the furniture, think rickety and very well worn chairs and cramped wall decorations, you’ll find a great place for lunch. It’s only 4 stars in my eyes because of the broken chairs & the lack of a menu that can be easily viewed for first timers (it’s a bit squishy and awkward trying to read it in the throughfare) Can’t wait to make my way through the menu one burger at a time.

Adelaide’s secret institution.
I remain amazed how many people don’t know about Vego And Loven It. It has remained, squirreled away above Rundle St for what seems like forever, quietly serving up the best vegetarian burgers human kind has ever known.
Sure, there is never enough space. Sure, there are never enough staff. But damn, you try eating one of their burgers and not start planning in the back of your head when you can come back again for another… and another.

Woah. There were a lot of things I was expecting at the top of this nondescript, one-​man-​wide, whitewashed staircase, but a hallowed hall of all things wholesome and vego (complete with metal+tile mosaics of mer-​people, a «stars of Hollywood» feature and a floral shrine to both Bali and … swans[?]) was a shock. In the best way possible, like in a «straight out of an episode of Portlandia» way.
Another shock? An $ 8 half-​burger that took me several hours and attempts to finish. The photos don’t lie — the burgers are piled high with everything from sprouts, avo and hummus to carrot, beetroot, lettuce, and really anything else you could pull out of your granny’s garden. The bun was especially fantastic — it was almost like a malted wheat? Whatever it was, it was thick, soft and fresh and I likely could have had anything between those slices and loved it. Grab your cash, march up those stairs (single file) and join the revolution.

Vego and Loven it is a haven for people like me.
My people being those of the herbivore persuasion, who are also a little strapped for cash.
I also like the way it is decorated in similar fashion to my room, and that is lots of cool crap everywhere in no particular order. Or at least that’s how I would like to think I decorate my room…
There used to be a mosaic sign that was easy to miss on your way up rundle mall but now there is a bigger more obvious sign. Which is convenient. However I do miss the open hours sign that advised 11am till whenever they damn well feel like closing.
This place has gotten a little friendlier overall in the last year in fact. I used to feel apologetic and a bit scared placing my takeaway orders here on my lunch break, but when i went recently the greeting was warm, and the waitstaff were happy to seat us.
Bring your glasses. Or like me you will have to lean over someones cosy table for two date to read the menu. or just make sure you’re wearing deoderant when you do so (it’s only polite).
Get a half burger, they’re $ 9 instead of $ 15 and you will still be satisfied. The burgers range from a mexican burger to a bali burger. The mexican burger is one of my faves, but they warn you about the cheesy (faux of course) level and you should heed this warning if you haven’t tried it, my dining partner wasnt a big fan of the mushy texture. But I love it!
The wraps are also well worth a try and you can go halfy on that two, and they are still quite big.
50c for water. I think places are meant to give tap water for free no? I refilled my glass multiple times, I am not sure if they have a generous water refill system or I am a dirty scab who didn’t pay for all my water :/​But anyway I won’t remove a star because who needs water when the mango (soy) smoothies are so smooth-​tastic.
So just do it, take your carnivore friends and show them how delicious being vego can be.
As that famous restuarant says, da da da da daaa I’m vego and loven it (or something like that).

What a fantastically awkward little eatery. I suspect the designer may have been a teenage movie buff with a schizophrenic dependency on craft glue. Lampshades covered in sea shells, mosaics on every available surface, and more photos of Marilyn Monroe than even she would have thought possible.
This café is essentially a Balinese funhouse with an ode to fifties movie stars. I dig. The creaky floors and musty smell are like eating lunch in the belly of an old ship. My half size tempeh burger was still so big I had to negotiate it with a knife and fork, and while my pal and I chatted around these delicious vego delicacies I was indeed, ‘loven it.’ But when I trotted over to the water cooler and filled up my little spirit glass a pink handwritten sign caught my eye: ‘Fifty cents per glass of water.‘
What? Half a buck per glass? Of water? If it was blessed by a member of the clergy, maybe. Otherwise, that just ain’t right.

Whether you are vego or not, and I am not, this place is worth a try at least once. Half burgers WILL actually fill you up, seriously! Vego and Lovin it are a unique and wonderful place to meet a small group for lunch (small venue, upstairs) in the heart of Adelaide’s CBD. The healthy and hearty food is the no. 1 reason as to why you should go check this place out:)

If John Butler were to be visualised as a café this place is what he would look like.
A long skinny stairwell would represent his gangly legs, leading to his torso — the heart and soul and of the café where all the burger love is produced from.
Dressed with a convoluted mix of mosaic picture frames, post cards of luxurious 80s holiday destinations (like Hawaii) and a mismatch of vinyl chairs and lino tables somehow blends together to make for a quirky, washed (not unwashed) hippie (not hipster) vibe.
And the burger masterpieces created from the brain of this place (the kitchen) come with names like «Ab Fab» or «The Mexican» — all time classic hits that have been topping the foodie charts for 25 years in Adelaide.
The menu is written on the most inconvenient spot in the café, but who needs to read about ingredients when you can just fall in love with the name and the vibe of a song — sorry — burger, right?
Nothing is made with meat and every burger has some version of lentil or chickpea involvement. As Tom W mentioned, only go with half unless you have been starving yourself for a week and don’t feel shy to ask for extra avo or hummus included.
Although no Banana Pancakes are made in store and they ONLY except CASH in hand, you will fall in love with the aura and energy of this café, its staff and the hearty burger party going on inside that will make anyone’s heart sing with joy.

Squeezed in between two stores on Rundle St is an unassuming yellow doorway with an almost illegible mosaic tiled sign hanging above it.
Up two narrow flights of stairs, you start to hear the laughter coming from inside this place. Once inside, you can see why. There’s a certain vibe that makes you smile, not in a lovey dovey hippie way, in a content kind of way.
I ordered the Absolutely Fabulous burger and it lived up to its name. I only ordered the half size for lunch which was more than adequate. I might order the full size if I’ve been stranded on a desert island for 5 weeks with no food and this was my first meal.
The service is chirpy and helpful, the décor is what I’ve come to expect from Adelaide’s vegan eateries and the prices are reasonable.
This places makes a perfect lunch spot for the busy shopper along Runsle St. But shhhhh! Don’t tell everyone about it, it’s kinda nice being somewhat unknown.

It is a viable place to have brunch or lunch if you want something new. It serves big portion with cheap price. I tried absolutely fabulous and spicy mushroom. Both are really unique and I can’t really tell what is inside the ‘secret’ pâté. It is not opened on weekends and weeknights though. I really salute the boss for keeping the restaurant as it was 24 years ago.

Imagine being a vegetarian. Something like 90% of restaurant dishes contain meat, and if you go to a pub and ask for a vegetarian option, you will either get a confused look, handed the dessert menu or pointed towards the seldom touched salad buffet.
So at a fundamental level, places like Vego and Lovin’ It are an important oasis for those who like to enjoy a tasty meal without guilt from chewing on something that was once cute and fluffy.
Amazingly, the wide selection of burgers even makes it possible to take a devout carnivore here, although carnivores are far more likely to be offended by the overly hipster styling. There are other items too, but honestly I find it hard to order anything but my beloved Mexican Burger, which comes drenched in salsa and with a side of nachos. The portions are pretty large too, as evidenced by the option to buy a half burger on the menu.
As mentioned before, this place has a solid hipster vibe. It is unclear if the tables and chairs were abandoned by the previous tenant, or perhaps a combination of garage and estate sales. But don’t let that put you off, it is clean and the staff are very friendly.
So after all that, the biggest problem with Vego is actually finding it. As you walk down Rundle St, it is only marked by a small sign above a door.
But, please take it from me, this place is quite a find…

In the words of Samuel L Jackson: ‘My girlfriend’s a vegetarian which pretty much makes me a vegetarian.’
This isn’t true anymore, but a few months ago it was. And despite the philosophical debates that, hilariously, led to the fight that led to our breakup, it was never a big issue. Vego n Lovin It was a particular high point.
Depending upon the burger you order, sometimes you can’t even tell it’s missing meat. Which is important. As life without meat is sad.
But then even when you KNOW there’s no meat, you don’t mind. For anyone, like me, who maintains the child-​like mentality or belief that vegetables aren’t any fun, you might just change your mind whilst you dine at Vego n Lovin It.

Vego n Lovin it sells the best tasting vegetarian burgers I have ever had. It is situated up a tiny stairwell on Rundle St, making you feel like you have discovered your own special shop. However, this makes for limited space, especially during the hours of 12 – 1 when you would be extremely lucky to find a table. You can’t book either so it is just a matter of crossing your fingers and waiting. But don’t forget, you will not be disappointed!
They have a whole range of different vegetarian burgers. I’ve tried them all and really can’t choose the best, it would be like favouring one child! The Thai Burger is always amazing, but just remember no matter which one you chose it will absolutely mouth-​watering. The sizes are also ridiculously large. You get the option of having a whole or a half-​burger. A half-​burger is definitely enough to fill one very hungry person! The prizes are also very cheap with a half-​burger setting you back less than $ 10.
If you don’t feel like a burger, Vego n lovin it also do a delicious salad and soup, which also come in super-​sized serving sizes.

Adelaide isn’t always brimming with charismatic small businesses, hidden around corners and up steep staircases. Often enough someone will open a great new hipster business — a vegetarian café or a vintage boutique. Most don’t last the course. Vego N Lovin’ It has been around for years, and will probably around for a whole bunch more yet. They don’t really update the décor or the menu, because it works fine as it is. Über-​cheap, delicious vegetarian food, nestled at the top of a yellow staircase above the pseudo-​swank of Rundle St.
It’s a tiny little place, and only open for small windows of time — seats can be hard to find. Dusty old postcards, mosaics and funny little toys decorate the second-​hand furniture. It’s sort of like stumbling into the kitchen of someone’s crazy aunty. You can find a seat at the bar as you enter, the tables in the centre, or at the little dresser-​thingeys along the wall. Lots of magazines to read if you’re by yourself, and lots to look at on the walls too. The menu is written in very particular handwriting — jaggity and warped– on little squares of cardboard stuck to the wall. Oh right, the menu. Sandwiches, dips, smoothies, teas. Curry, muffins, wraps. But I’m really here for the burgers. The best vegetarian burgers in town, hands down.
There are a few on offer, all very reasonably priced. My personal favourite is the Thai Burger. This isn’t tasteless hippie shit (I don’t really know why I used the expression ‘hippie shit’, it’s something my fairly narrow-​minded Dad says…). Carrot, sweet chilli, vego pattie, delicious brown buns (potential for innuendo here?), and coriander. Coriander ties with basil for my favourite herb, sometimes I wonder if you could serve me a lump of shit with coriander on it.
As a side note, I’m not a vegetarian. But I like to eat good, healthy vegetarian food, because at its best it is often much more creative than carnivorous cooking. Vego N Lovin’ It is a great option for vegetarians, friends-​of-​vegetarians and carnivores-​with-​tastebuds.