Shakahari Vegetarian Restaurant

Food was excellent. Service was quick, polite and helpful. Old world charm in a heritage building in Carlton. Thoroughly recommend it but you better hurry because they told us owners will be closing the doors by 23 December 2023 unless somebody rescues the business. We hope they continue on.

Love Shakahari and very sad to hear that they are likely to close their door for good. An institution in vegan cooking, I hope that it will somehow pull through and stay open.

They need to update their website. Said 'open till 10pm'. My friend and I went there about 4pm but it was closed until 5.30pm.

Lovely vegetarian food. They have a great atmosphere and amazing service. Highly recommend giving them a try!

What a great find! Fantastic option for vegetarians and vegans. The service was incredibly quick. All the dishes were good but the avocado magic was exquisite. The booking process was very smooth and the staff were quite helpful. The portion sizes, particularly for the entrees, could have been more generous. Overall, great experience and definitely would dine here again!

I'm not the type of person who wants to harm someone's reputation or business, but I had an extremely unpleasant experience in the neighbourhood. We enjoy dining out frequently, and we thought the food was excellent. However, as soon as we arrived, we were accused of being too early (by 20 minutes). We politely asked if we could have a drink while waiting, but we were rudely told they had too much to handle. It felt like they shouldn't have taken customers/unlocked the door if they couldn't manage. We were finally approached by an elderly lady from the kitchen to take our drink order, which felt a bit pushy considering they had asked us to wait. We're in our mid-20s, and it seemed like the other lady had a problem with that. Both of us have established careers in our fields, and I find it difficult to comprehend the broad generalisations and attempts to belittle younger generation.

When I went to the restroom at the back, I left the sliding door slightly open with the intention of returning in 2 minutes. I overheard the lady complaining that I had "left the door wide open! ". Oh what a disaster!

In summary, we live in the area, and regardless of how good the food is or how busy they are, the experience was marred by the attitude of one of the staff members. The atmosphere was tense from the moment we walked in. When we paid the bill, the elderly lady in the kitchen was kind and asked about the food and we said that we really enjoyed it. But the other lady displayed serious attitude issues. Absolutely disgusting way of treating people. The atmosphere was just intense from the moment we walked in. Paid the bill still thanked and got no response. All we can suggest - put in some serious work on improving the attitude. We will be fine - we enjoyed each other’s company no matter the service. But someone must be very underpaid or overworked. Or just pushing too hard past her retirement day.

Super lovely restaurant. Australia's longest running vegetarian restaurant. Check it out. Their kombucha is exceptional as well.:)

One of the oldest vegan restaurants in Australia. Great food and service. Perfect for “date night”

This establishment is the JEWEL in Melbourne's crown - all dishes are exceptional in taste, value for money and uniqueness, and the staff are SOOOO attentive, efficient, amiable and they CARE! No wonder it's been going for 30+ years!

Best vegetarian. Well priced and textures and flavours blended beautifully. Have been a patron for 35yrs and never disappoints. Love atmosphere and great staff.

We came at 6: 30 Friday night for dinner. When we were finally acknowledged, it was as if we were a bother. It took an inordinate amount of time to decide which of the dozen tables to sit us at, we were given the menus and she left. So did we. It wasn't the menu, we're vegetarian and have dined there many times. It was the unwelcome atmosphere. Hope the lady is okay. We won't bother you again.

The food at this place is amazing.the interior is well decorated too.highly recommend the laksa.

Boring food. Subdued flavours. For example.steamed broccoli with no seasoning or oil etc. Just plain. I ordered the curry, which was tasty but a bit bland, cheap ingredients, and hardly any rice. Few menu choices. This place used to be better.

I love this restaurant. Delicious dishes that are 100% vegan in a relaxed and cosy setting. This restaurant has been here forever and is a testament to how great it is. Personal favourites are the laksa and nonya curry. A must for vegans (and all) in the area.

Went there for dinner and ordered the vegetarian satay skewers. Tasted delicious! Had a glass of Prosecco afterwards.

Lovely staff members and I highly recommend the table close to the open fire!

More than excellent experience in this restaurant, with an impeccable and very warm service and an exceptional cuisine. The setting is beautiful and very pleasant, when the weather is capricious. The waiter was very friendly, he filled our glasses very often and laughed with us. It is very pleasant. The staff in the kitchen is also very friendly and very efficient.

The food was exceptional, very comforting when the weather is not so good. I can only recommend this restaurant!

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Plus qu'excellente expérience dans ce restaurant, avec un service irréprochable et très chaleureux et une cuisine exceptionnelle. Le cadre est très beau et très agréable, lorsque le temps est capricieux. Le serveur était très aimable, il nous remplissait très souvent nos verres et rigolait avec nous. C'est très agréable. Le personnel en cuisine est très aimable aussi et très efficace.

Les plats étaient exceptionnels, très réconfortant lorsqu'il ne fait pas très beau. Je ne peux que recommander ce restaurant!

Lovely place.

Pros:
-Everything vegan, so no hassle sifting through the menu.
-All dishes tested were very unique and yummy, with flavour combinations never tasted before.
-Very fast service.
-Warm and welcoming staff

Cons
-Not a huge menu, but everything looks delicious.
-Can be a bit noisy with the high ceiling and open space.

First time eating at Shakahari, and I would come back. Especially as its around the corner from Nova cinema

A gem of Carlton, incredible service, amazing food. Quick, delicious, varied flavours. An absolutely marvellous night!

My favourite vegetarian restaurant. I've been coming here for 40 years! I'm so old. One of the staff I remember from my first visit and every visit since!

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the ambience and food at this restaurant.
We sat near an open fire with a glass of red (very reasonably priced) and delicious vegan/ vegetarian meals. The food was beautifully presented, tasty and unique.
The service was prompt, polite and friendly.
We have dined here before and really recommend this restaurant.
A great evening experience.