This is a nice place to get a drink and a bite, in a venue that exudes character and personality. Food options are original with full of interesting flavours and textures, though portions are small.

I don't know how I hadn't heard of this place until recently but my god everything was incredible. We often leave upscale vegan restaurants underwhelmed and still kind of hungry, but the portions were perfect. I'm a tired, old, jaded vegan so nothing impresses me anymore, but Ballard's is hands down my favourite restaurant in Melbourne.

This place trumps any other fancy restaurant in the city. Food is incredible and prices are very reasonable for the quality of the food. The place is cozy and nice. No one will miss the meat or cheese and will surely enjoy the veg!

Definitely my new favorite restaurant in Melbourne for plant based food. Everything was so delicious !! Every dish had someting special; you couldn't just replicate them at home easily. The spinach and basil dip and the tomato many ways were my favorites 😋😋 Service was nice and quick. Will be back !

You don't need animal products to enjoy an amazing meal! 10/10. The garlic bread was amazing! The gnocchi was fantastic! The service was quick, the food came out quickly too! Honestly one of the best places to go out for dinner. Please keep up the good work! You are doing it perfectly!

Ballard’s has been a local gem since the moment it opened. It’s a perfect blend of relaxed vibe and great food. Can’t fault it! The menu is always evolving so there’s something new to try every time. It’s getting harder to just walk in as more and more people find out about how good it is, but hey - can’t stay a neighborhood secret forever! Well worth the minor hassle of booking.

Hands down the best feed I've had in years. Food and atmosphere on point. Staff were great, potato skins were a standout. Loved it all, will be back.

I dined here on Sunday night, and I believe that the chef came out of the kitchen as I was paying my bill, and although I regret it to be honest I was so intimidated by the sheer excellence of the food that I didn’t say anything at the time, so I will say it now. This place and menu is so inordinately unassuming, simple menu items of garlic bread and roast potatoes come to the table and present themselves at the most carefully crafted flavour explosions that I would not shy away from calling Ballard’s the best vegan restaurant in Melbourne, if not one of the best restaurants overall. On top of all of this, in my opinion and for what you get, Ballard’s is very affordable, and we splurged on a $66 bottle of wine! If I’m looking to impress someone, and for an evening of intimate, elegant, moody, rustic goodness this is where I’m taking them.

It’s too bad the price of real estate in Thornberry makes being a neighbour at Ballard’s out of my reach. I’d say this is the best vegan restaurant in the world but “best” is a too ambiguous qualifier. Ballard’s is certainly the tastiest and most satisfying vegan resto I’ve been to. It combines subtle execution with decent portion size, something the rest of the world hasn’t quite caught on to yet. My only complaint is they don’t post pics of food often enough on Instagram and there isn’t a recipe book to take home. I’ll just have to fly back here, but too bad no amount of plant base eating can off set the carbon footprint of a long distance flight but we can’t be good all the time.

Incredible. Absolutely mind blowingly delicious food. Great wine list too. And service!

Ballard's is my absolute favourite restaurant I've ever been to. Somehow you just nail every single thing on the menu, the flavours are just so good! If you are in Melb you MUST go here. Sunday roasts are an epic, the gnocci is 🤤 and the parma deal was amazing (pls bring it back).

Ballard's is my favourite vegan restaurant/bar in the world. Always great vibes, tunes, staff, people, decorations, wines. The food is never anything short of superb, and the menu is especially nourishing to my stubborn vegan soul for not comprising loads of wannabe meat dishes. How good are vegetables eh? It's a ten out of ten.

This place is legit one of the best in Melbourne. To say they are skilled in the art of vegan cooking is an understatement. Wish I lived closer, as I only get there once in a blue moon! Can’t wait for my next visit.

My absolute favourite spot as a vegan in Melbourne! Every dish is well thought out and most importantly, absolutely delicious. It’s casual enough that you feel relaxed, but the food quality is better than some fine dining restaurants.

Astonished by the quality of the food here - always blows me away. It's innovative, delicious and varied. A great atmosphere, I always want to hang out for longer but they are super popular at the moment. Love the chef's commitment to his craft, hope he can keep feeding us for years to come!

We had one of those WOW dining experiences at ballards! So bustling and busy, the staff were efficient and friendly and I can't begin to describe how delicious each and every dish was! Cannot wait to return and continue making our was through the menu 😀

Very very tasty food. Great atmosphere. Cool staff. Nice pineapple daiquiri. Seats are a little upright though. Strongly recommended especially if you have a few Vegan/Vegetarians in your group.

Easily the best food I’ve had in years and no I’m not vegan :) Smoked eggplant dip with surprise pickles and fresh focaccia is the bomb. Went so many times one week that the waiter told me I needed to spend more time at home!! Love love love…

Forget about vegetarian food, this restaurant is hands-down one of the best in Melbourne. The food is absolutely delicious. Texturally & visually interesting, tasty and plentiful! Drinks list also has a great offering and the non-alc cocktails are outstanding. Run, don't walk!

Great staff, amazing food and a warm inviting place to dine. Without a doubt, some of the best vegan dishes we have ever had. As a group, we shared seven dishes followed by dessert. Each dish was full flavoured and satisfying. The light dessert was a perfect end. Very happy satisfied diners. We will return.

The best vegan restaurant hands down. Great value for money and staff are lovely. I’ve eaten here at least 10 times in the last 6 months and have never been disappointed. Taken some non vegan friends here too and they’ve all been amazed at how incredible it is! Well done team

Love this place. We are so lucky to have Ballard’s on our door step and look forward to many more delicious meals and cocktails here.

LOVE this place so much, very cool but relaxed vibes and amazing amazing food - the quality of this food could easily be served at a degustation at a posh restaurant. Last night we immensely enjoyed the broken lemon meringue pie, heirloom tomato salad with corn & onion crips (amazing), roast potato skins with peppered cabbage jus and celeriac cream, and grilled broccolini with lemon cream, tabasco + toasted almond. The menu changes frequently, but thankfully the gnocchi is always on there, so fluffy and perfectly cooked.

Flavour overload in the best possible way. Even eating bread will never be the same after that sweet and smoky garlic bread. Brussel sprouts in creamy sauce took us to heaven. Thankyou for having us! Long time followers first time diners and will certainly be back.

The best restaurant in the north, vegan or otherwise. High-quality creative food, all made in house, for a fraction of the price of its competitors. Plus, an actual vibe that doesn’t make you feel like your being painted beige by the staff.

Honestly love this place so much. Such an unassuming and comfortable environment with lovely service and makes you feel so at home. The food itself was on another level and everything was so incredibly tasty and innovative. We loved each of our dishes (especially the gnocchi, eggplant dip with focaccia, braised cabbage and garlic bread!). This place is so underrated and is definitely worth the visit vegan or not. Cant wait to visit again 🤝🏻

My favourite restaurant in Melbourne. Probably the best plant-based food I’ve ever had. Feed Me menu is a must. The Sunday roast is also delicious and always changing. Excellent wine selection. The atmosphere/decor is unique, warm, inviting. Sadly the tall, dark and handsome waiter with the quiet voice no longer works there, but don’t let that stop you from dining at Ballard’s.

Amazing food with a cosy atmosphere! Staff were friendly with food being served fairly quickly. Love the fully vegan menu.

Friday night was our third outing to Ballard's, and we decided to treat ourselves to the feed-me option - holy damn, we had so many fantastic dishes, I got to the last one I literally threw my hands up in happy surrender. It was all so incredibly tasty, as always, the wine-by-the-glass was excellent and the staff lovely. Highly recommended: would surrender again.

Nice atmosphere, great food, and a nice selection of drinks! Minor feedback: The person serving our table had a very quiet voice, so we struggled to hear what they said whenever they placed items on the table and walked away. Also, the approach of booking a table by sending message to the chef is a bit odd.