Welcome Chinese Vegetarian Cafe — Restaurant in Christchurch

Welcome Chinese Vegetarian Cafe – Review by Zee Tana

Visited: Friday night (Matariki), 7:00pm Dined with: My partner Occasion: Celebrating Matariki in Ōtautahi Location: 2 Wharenui Road, Upper Riccarton, Christchurch

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If you know, you know. Welcome Chinese Vegetarian Cafe isn’t flashy or hyped — but it’s absolutely everything you’d hope for from a classic Chinese vegan eatery. This is where you go when you’re craving full plates, punchy flavour, and fast service. On a chilly Matariki evening, it hit the spot with comfort, speed, and flavour in equal measure.

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First Impressions

Unassuming from the outside, but clearly well-loved — the kind of place locals return to again and again. Inside, it’s compact, bright, and bustling. Every table was full, with a constant stream of orders coming from the kitchen — and for good reason.

Though the space was crowded, there was something reassuring about it: a full house meant they were clearly doing something right.

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Service

Friendly, knowledgeable, and efficient. The staff managed the floor smoothly despite the crowd. Our waiter knew the menu well, made helpful recommendations, and kept things moving without making us feel rushed. Water, food, and drinks came quickly, with just the right level of attentiveness.

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Food & Drink

We ordered a generous spread:

Entrees: • Siew Mei (9 mini pieces) – a flavour-packed bite-sized starter, soft and savoury. • Vegetable Tofu Kebabs – deliciously grilled and lightly seasoned, with a satisfying char.

Mains: • Spicy Mushroom Balls (2 chillies) – not for the faint-hearted! Full heat and deep flavour. • Malaysian Crispy Tofu Goreng – crispy on the outside, pillowy on the inside, with bold seasoning. • Braised Mushrooms with Green Vegetables – earthy, tender, and perfectly cooked. • Special Fried Rice – the staple that tied it all together, generous and loaded with vegetables.

Drinks: • Ginger Beer • Passionfruit Juice – both refreshing and a nice balance to the spicier dishes.

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The Verdict

Flavourful, fresh, fast, and filling. The kind of meal that satisfies every craving — salty, spicy, sweet, and hearty all at once. It’s not gourmet, but it doesn’t pretend to be. This is comfort food done well and done right.

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Final Thoughts

Would we go back? Absolutely. We’ll return next time we’re in Ōtautahi and craving proper vegan kai — especially for a hearty, reliable dinner.

Rating: 4.5 / 5 Best for: Affordable, generous, plant-based Chinese meals with no fuss Not ideal for: Intimate or quiet date nights — this place is popular and loud for a reason

Three words: Cheap....

1/12/2017 & 8/12/2017 - The food is good and tasty, however I still get overcharged without a proper explanation 🤔. Not a lot, but it does add up in the long run.

03/11/2017 - Tonight's dinner (and drinks) - Lychee drink, Icy Chocolate with Ice Cream, Tom Yum mushroom soup, Stir Fry Flat Rice Noodle and Soysage Veggy Rice. Fantastic vegetarian food. 😋 Extensive selections (approximately 140 dishes) and delicious vegetarian (vegan) menu (see online for menu). They serve quality vegetarian food and is well priced from $9 to $18 per main while the drinks and desserts only cost between $1.50 to $5.50. I came here with my daughter to try something different. Rather than having meats tonight, we have decided to try vegetarian cuisine. I found this place via Google Map and decided to give it a try. When we arrived, there were only three occupied tables. We sat down and looked at the menu. We were a slightly overwhelmed when we first saw the menu as this is the first time we came here and not sure what to expect. We took awhile to decide what we want to eat after extensively going through the menu! We decided to order: 9 steam dumplings, single [serving] tom yum mushroom soup, regular size stir fry flat rice noodle and regular size soysage veggy rice (see the photos, except the dumplings as we ate it too quickly). By the way, the main dishes come in two sizes; regular or large portion. The tom yum mushroom soup (entrée) was very tasty, and the dumplings are flavoursome and we enjoyed it very much. The sliced vegan sausages do taste like real meat sausages. The stir fry flat noodle is slightly bland with my daughter needing to add some tomato sauce to improve the flavour. The place is slightly dated but cosy atmosphere. Comfy seating. Friendly staff. My daughter is a very slow eater and took her awhile to finish, and we never feel rushed to finish our meals. After we finish our dinner, it was time for the bill. It all came to $43.30. After I paid and gone, I rechecked the amount at home (based on the online menu), and found that I was slightly overcharged by $3.70. Not going to break the bank any time soon but would be good if the owner can double check with me and/ or calculate the invoice twice.

Would I go back? Yes. Would I recommend this? Yes, the food is definitely a hit but do check the bill...

Ok from the outside and even the inside it is not the flashest restaraunt but let's say you asked a girl out and then found out she was vegetarian (Snap). Instead of going to your favourite steakhouse where she can order the "chicken salad but without the chicken" this place has great tasting and a decent menu for just vegetarian food.

Talk to the staff about your choices there are some hot dishes here for the spice lovers and some normal ones for the newbie vegetarians if you want to be the only chicken in the place.

Remember if your date is vegetarian be daring in your choices as it will look like you are not afraid of the food also stone grill option works for the sizzle. I will be going back for the food but I am not converted.

Don't judge the book by its cover with this restaraunt the food will surprise even the meat eaters! Drinks options are limited but after dining you could take the girl back to your just vegetarian converted fridge for...