Matcha burger and sweet potato chips at Matcha Mylkbar. Photo: Sofia Levin “Being vegan in Melbourne is too easy!” writes one Instagrammer, commenting on yet another food porn pic taken in a Fitzroy cafe. Indeed, Melbourne’s vegetarian and vegan scene has gone nuts, and it thrives in two epicentres. When it comes to faux eggs and “I can’t believe it’s not meat” burgers, two of Melbourne’s suburbs, northside Fitzroy and southside St Kilda, are almost neck and neck.
Both suburbs have iconic streets cutting their way through them: Brunswick and Gertrude Streets in Fitzroy, while St Kilda has Acland Street and, confusingly, Fitzroy Street. Despite a bunch of new or improved venues on Fitzroy Street (including St Hotel, and Fitzrovia, which you’d assume belongs northside), it can still be challenging to the out-of towner. Why? People often put the responsibility onto this.
St Kilda’s Acland Street is still bumper-to-bumper backpackers. However, according to Sister of Soul owner Daniel Clerici, there’s change afoot. “There’s a strong part of St Kilda that’s still geared to backpackers and travellers, but it’s evolving. St Kilda is now going through an evolution of sorts, the mindset of people is changing,” he says.
Scaffolding surrounds St Kilda’s Palais Theatre. Photo: Simon Schluter
Clerici opened his vegetarian and vegan restaurant in 2013 with the involvement of long-closed St Kilda vegetarian institution Soulmama’s original owner Paul Mathis. Since then, more vegan offerings have opened up around him, including the insanely Instagrammable Matcha Mylkbar with its vegan “eggs”.
“I don’t see it as competing,” Clerici says. “I see it as complementary. It just brings more like-minded people into the area. It highlights that there is more to St Kilda than that typical demographic that defined St Kilda for decades.”
If you’re looking to become one part of that new demographic, you’re going to get a lot more choice by the beach: St Kilda’s got double the population of Fitzroy, and over 100 more apartments listed for sale. At the moment, Fitzroy barely hits double figures. The average St Kilda flat buyer will have much more change in their pocket, too, compared to buying in Fitzroy, with the current median around $525,000, just a dash more than the same time five years ago.
Taking a dip in the iconic St Kilda Sea Baths. Photo: Derek Swalwell
There’s good and bad news for flat-buyers in Fitzroy: the median unit price has fluctuated widely over the past five years but is currently $650,000, only $20,000 more than the same time five years ago. Unlike the proliferation of vegan restaurants, there’s just not much out there when it comes to apartments.
Local Hocking Stuart agent Charles Atkins says Fitzroy’s tightly held because of its stronger rental return, the lifestyle opportunities and the infrastructure.
“The turnover in Fitzroy over 12 months would be significantly lower than St Kilda,” he says. “Each month there’s only a handful of apartments on offer. That being said, we are seeing a huge amount of developments popping up, it’s giving buyers a bit more choice.”
Sister of Soul’s Organic Acai Smoothie Bowl is so impressive you will want to share images of it with friends. Photo: Jayne D’Arcy
Vegetarian and vegan hotspots — and yes, the winner is Fitzroy.
Northside
Fitzroy:
The Vegie Bar (380 Brunswick Street)
Transformer (99 Rose Street)
“I can’t believe they’e not eggs”: Vegan eggs on toast at Matcha Mylkbar. Photo: Simon Schluter
Yong Green Food (421 Brunswick Street)
Radhey Kitchen and Chai Bar (336 Brunswick Street)
Smith & Daughters (175 Brunswick Street) and Smith and Deli (111 Moor Street)
Raw curry noodle soup from Yong Green Food. Photo: Eddie Jim
Fina’s 2 Vegan restaurant (339 Brunswick Street)
Madame K’s Vegetarian (367 Brunswick Street)
Southside
St Kilda
Smith & Deli in Fitzroy. Photo: Eddie Jim
Sister of Soul (73 Acland Street)
Matcha Mylkbar (72 Acland Street)
Falafel Xtra (139 Acland Street)
Matcha Mylkbar is one southside vegan hotspot. Photo: Simon Schluter
Lentil as Anything (41 Blessington Street)
Vegilicious (118 Carlisle Street)
Hedging their bets both ways
Pressed Juices (231 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy and 82 Acland Street, St Kilda)
Transformer bar and restaurant in Fitzroy. Photo: Pat Scala
Trippy Taco (234 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy and 6 Acland Street, St Kilda)
Mr Natural Vegetarian Pizza (469 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy and 223 Barkly Street, St Kilda)
Five things you didn’t know about Fitzroy and St Kilda
- Fitzroy is Melbourne’s first ‘suburb’, separating from the City of Melbourne in 1858.
- “Slum” areas in Fitzroy (though each house would probably be worth well over a million now) were demolished in the 1960s-1970s to make way for so-called suburbs in the sky. The Atherton Gardens Estate has four high-rise towers, each 20 storeys high, with a total of 800 flats.
- A railway line was built from Melbourne to St Kilda in 1857 to transport folk to the privately-run sea baths (they’re still open and worth a look and swim).
- St Kilda has been in development limbo for some time, though the St Kilda Triangle Masterplan was adopted by Council in March this year. The Palais is surrounded by scaffolding and looking for a new operator. Iconic live music pub The Espy has been closed for over a year.
- A plaque marks the spot where Cafe Scheherazade, one of Melbourne’s most famous cake shops, once operated on Acland Street, St Kilda. The cafe, which was opened in 1958, was a retreat for Holocaust survivors and run by Masha Zeleznikow, who died recently.