Lentil as Anything

It’s no wonder they have won awards on here. Lentil As Anything have not dropped their high standards over the years. The food is always delicious and the staff friendly and welcoming.

Approximate cost: $20

Brilliant concept! People who can't offer to buy can have a meal, people a bit more wealthy pay extra. Which keeps the balance. Long tables so easy to meet people. Really welcoming place with great staff and cool customers

I really love Lentil as Anything, although the one in Abbotsford is by far the best! Vegetarian meals only, and they are delicious and prepared with very fresh and local tasting ingredients. The service is always great with really friendly staff, and there's a good variety of food to choose from

Approximate cost: $20

Really like the idea behind this place with the pay what you feel its worth payment system, The food is lovely & hopefully it doesn't get taken advantage of with people only paying very small amounts as I think its worth a average meal price that most cafes with similar food would charge

They provide good quality vegetarian meals and the chai tea is absolutely delicious. While it is pay as you feel, the quality and service that is provided is worth as much, if not more than a regular cafe. We love this place and will pay more for it than other for-profit restaurants. Can't wait for them to have another branch not so far away.

One of the old favourites. This really is an incredible venture. A pay as you feel vegetarian buffet. Please remember to offer a little more if you can afford as this helps to cover the costs of those that aren't as well off.

who needs meat? I didn't even notice it wasn't there - every scrap of food was sublime - who needs fine dining? My favourite place to eat EVER and believe me Ive eaten all over the world - prepared and served with smiley love. Bought the recipe book to take back to the UK. Make a 'contribution' rather than a fixed price is a first for me and a truly lovely ethos for helping those who may not be able to

Great for vegetarian meals. They have a few different options to choose from and they also usually have a vegan option on the menu too. It's pay what you feel, so make sure you leave generous $$$

Lovely concept here at 'Lentil as anything' with pay-as-you-feel for your meal.
I ordered the corn fritters with tomato salsa and sour cream. Was so delicious! Service was friendly and helpful and they were dealing with a (sometimes difficult) big group of us.
Would definitely recommend to others :-)

Always a fave of mine..food is always great..great variety..breakfast is very slow though and tend to forget or mix my order..but lunch and dinner is a winner..great atmosphere and gets busy but gorgeous outdoors..a real gem.

I didn't really like it, to be honest, its an awkward atmosphere and quite confusing if you haven't been there before, it feels more like a soup kitchen for the homeless than a restaurant, I felt uncomfortable here. I do like the idea behind it though.

This is the place you never to go if you ever are running low on cash and still want to eat the tastiest vegan meal you can get, the staff are super friendly and you pay how much you want to, i always try to pay at least $5-10 but they are always greatful.
Great place to check out!

One of my very favourite vegan eateries, where the 'pay what you feel' system is established as a not for profit venture. In short, you pay what you feel your meal and experience is worth. It also offers those that cannot afford to eat out (or at all), the opportunity to be fed which is why its always good to give a few dollars extra, or more if you can afford. The meals are surprisingly delicious and it's a self serve which is great for families. Everything changes daily and will feature whatever is in season.

This initiative is utterly philanthropic, a true testament too humanity. Although one may think hippy buffet vegetarian cuisine isn't their style, honestly, the food is incredible. Each night of the week is a different type of cuisine, and every night is scrumptious. Don't expect a table for 8 or anything, a place this great is far from a secret, there is always the gorgeous greens to sit and enjoy your food al fresco style on.

Approximate cost: $your discretion

Always blown away with the delicious fresh and healthy food and the adequately strong coffees. If you haven't tried it yet, give the vegetarian lasagne a try. I think it's on Saturdays.

Lentil As Anything was amazing! We were there as part of a school retreat and the staff there made us feel so welcome. There is a huge variety of food, and it is all vegan, healthy and delicious! You pay as much as you feel your meal is worth, and this goes to support Lentil in their operations. It is entirely non-for-profit and run by volunteers. Such a hidden gem!

Love this place, when I found it.. he he he. Can be hard to locate but do persist guys as its an awesome place to relax and share some lovely cooked food made with love! Pay what you feel, but I assure you you will be impressed and pay well.

A hidden gem in vibrant st Kilda, always bustling on the weekends because of their affordable vegetarian and vegan meal options with the admirable business ethics of "pay what you feel". A business that is kind to the community and eco conscious, you can't go wrong - especially with their chefs choice platters.

Approximate cost: $5-15

Totally got the concept - pay what you feel its worth. I am an over payer for sure because everything is just so delicious. Its hard sometimes to find a great vegetarian place but this one is just the best around. Can get really busy so be prepared to wait.

Approximate cost: $You Decide

Five Stars all around!!! This place is just amazing. The establishment itself is a little squishy and very hot in summer with the food cooking in the same room (I felt sorry for the cooks). Staff are volunteers and the food prices stand on a foundation of 'pay what you feel'. This mean's you pay what you can either afford or what you feel the meal is worth. You can even add a little extra if you want to really help the cause. It steps outside the capitalist money hungry dining model and it made me feel warm and fuzzy just being in there knowing it was outside the 'norm'.

The food itself was the best part. An all vegetarian menu with great flavours. We shared a share platter and okinomiyake japanese pancake between two adults and three children (two of which are young toddlers). My son was grabbing handfuls with satisfaction. It was just beautiful.

We ended up paying $30. We calculated that we usually pay $5-7 for a japanese pancake and the veg platter was worth about 20-23 so $30 was reasonable. We will certainly be back. I still feel so warm from visiting and am just so thankful they've opened such a wonderful place in the community.

Approximate cost: $10-23

With the concept of eat til you're happy and full, then pay whatever you feel like, and a vegan and vegetarian menu, this place is amazing. Even my anti-vegan, anti-vegetarian husband ate and loved the food here. He even can't wait to go back! The food is very yummy and healthy and at lunch, you can keep going back for as much as you like. And you pay what you want to. A good way to show your level appreciation for the food served. So amazing and not for profit. Definitely worth the trip and and worth supporting their cause. I also cannot wait to go back! :)

Approximate cost: $2.00 - 3.00

Place is a great concept. Buffet style meals, self serve vegetarian food. The best part is the meals are all pay what you want to. If you short on cash this is a great option.
Most staff are volunteers. Meals are pretty basic chick pea, potatoes, Moroccan style food.
Great option for lunch, customers can each as much food as they like. While the food is pretty standard they also have a barista who makes great coffee's.
While the food is not amazing 5 star quality, for what you are getting it is great value.

Approximate cost: $as much as you like.

interesting concept. staff were friendly. food is really basic. had to wait for a table. lots of hippys. tiny cafe. probably won't go back but i like the idea of it.

If there's a hole in your wallet this is the perfect place to go to get a hearty feed. There's a selection of vegetarian and vegan food in baine maries which is all organised by volunteers. Once you've eaten there's a donation box where you pay what you feel. There's options to eat both inside or outside in the sun.

Paying what you feel the meal was worth is an innovative concept, particularly combined with the fact that the majority of the staff are volunteers or have newly moved to Australia. There is a wide range of vegetarian food with some vegan options available. The atmosphere is welcoming and friendly and on a nice day you can expect the place to be packed! Good location too, in the Abbotsford Convent. Expect to see at least a few dogs milling around.

Lentil as anything has an amazing story, the owner is a very wealth, humble individual who sleeps under the stars & is an advocate for the land belonging to the original owners many thousands of years ago. His restaurant runs on the "Pay what you think your meal is worth", this caters for all clientel of all walks of life. We first visited there with the expectation of a few lentils on a plate, costing only a couple of dollars, from the minute we walked in there, it gave a sense of honesty & homely feel. The staff are all volunteers, and there are no prices or suggestions of prices on menus for food or drinks (no alcohol). After the first 10 mins in this very basic humble establishment, we had decided to pay double what we had originally gone in there expecting to pay. By the time we left, we paid triple & still thought it wasn't enough, but were a little confused as to how much we should actually give, so we made the pact that we would indeed return & next time we would bring our friends. We had the delightful pleasure of meeting the cook at the end of the end of our dining experience as I asked to please send my thanks to the chef for the delicious vegetarian meal (Im not a huge fan of vegetarian food), however this was exceptional), she presented herself to our table & it turns out she was a 70 year old pakistani woman who had volunteered her services to cook soley for the evening of the busy establishment. We would highly recommend this place for a humble dining experience & appreciation for how the business is conducted with humility.

Approximate cost: $25

This place is cosy and offers something different to the other cafes in St Kilda. Unlike the other Lentil restaurants, it is a la carte not buffet.

These guys do amazing work! Staffed by volunteers you pay what you feel the meal was worth. The food is served buffet style and you can eat as much as you want. It's always very tasty and it's all vegetarian. It's not a fine dining experience but provides good wholesome food for as much as you want to pay.

A great overall concept and it was a rather fun experience. Went here at night and for lunch and I much prefer the night time dining with the little candles and seemed to be a little romantic and cosy.
The food was served in buffet style baine maries with tea lights on the bottom. All vegetarian food spread. It tasted ok given they were in baine maries but by the time you get to your table, the food gets cold very quickly. In all fairness I believe volunteers work here so you cannot really compare this to any experience where there are set prices.
Good but don't expect too much.

I am not a vegetarian but loves the foods at this place. I feel like the foods are cooked with love and care. Loves the curries, next time I will have to try the cake. I wanted to try the cake but didn't want people to think I was being too greedy because I already had a big plate of curries. The concept of paying whatever amount is very interesting and I just hope that people are being honest and not taking advantage of this. I love the sign at the door that says something like "fairies live here"- so cute.