I've been a fan of Gong de Lin for a long time. It's one of those crowd-pleasing Chinese restaurants with an incredibly massive menu that will satisfy everyone. Gong de Lin is pretty typical of most Buddhist vegetarian Chinese restaurants in that it serves a whole lot of mock meat -- but if mock meat's not your thing, there are plenty of veggie-only offerings too. Also plenty of tofu options. Over the years I've had and can recommend the sweet and sour pork, the teppanyaki steak with black pepper sauce, the lemon chicken, the curry potato casserole, and veggie fried rice. The sweet and sour pork and lemon chicken are probably my favorites, and I'm not even a huge fan of mock meats! But these are delicious. Everything here is vegan except for some drinks and desserts that might have honey -- be sure to specify that you are vegan when ordering any sweet drink or desserts. Atmosphere-wise, this place is a bit weird and hard to describe. More function than form, I'd say. Gong de Lin is hidden in the same building as popular rooftop bar Goldilocks, with a noodle shop on the ground floor. You go into the noodle shop and immediately head to the elevator on the left, which feels all secretive and Melbourne-y and stuff. Then you take the lift to level 3 and the doors open into the strangely sterile-yet-peaceful Gong de Lin. It's very bright and has cheesy Chinese flute music playing in the background, with dated decor and a smattering of Buddhist touches around. To improve on the atmosphere, I highly suggest you grab one of the tables against the window. There's a lot more natural light here and it's fun to look down on Swanston St. Service is good, always quiet and polite. Honestly, the only thing that prevents me from coming here on a regular basis is cost. Some dishes are reasonably priced, but a lot of dishes seem more expensive than their portion sizes should allow for. The food is good, but sometimes you feel like you're paying upscale prices for a not-upscale vibe, so that's a bit of a let-down. Still, definitely worth a visit if you're in the CBD and looking for good Chinese food in a quiet oasis above all the hustle and bustle. read more

Gong De Lin - Gong de Lin menu - Restaurants Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

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To be perfectly honest this place was fantastically mediocre. The entrance to this establishment involves a ride in a rickettyish lift. However upon entry, the vibes are quite nice and calming. Upon being seated we were served by a lady who was nice but kinda abrupt. We obviously came for the food and as vegetarians/vegans with decent ish standards we were both slightly impressed yet disappointed at the same time. I mean the food is tasty and decent at what I would say is a reasonable price BUT it's also kinda disappointing The quality was not quite there on the night and the flavours a bit overpowering. Food left a msg aftertaste which could not be satiated for a good time after. Overall though I always love a good vegan restaurant so for what it delivers definitely was happy enough :) read more

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My wife found out this place. we ordered 2 types of fresh steamed dumplings and chicken over rice. all of it was great. thick curry tasted really good. the lilly flower dessert was really pretty looking and tasted good. our server pommy was nice in explaining the menu which made ordering easy. Recommend for anyone vegetarian. read more

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"Sister" restaurant to the Fo Yuang Gallery in Queen Street, this one lacks the ambiance of the Buddhist Temple & is a lot pricier. A massive menu that is marked "vegetarian" so you'll need to check if it is in fact vegan too. Mock meats a plenty so you can have your texture & meat flavours without an animal actually being involved, seafood, pork, and of course dumplings and tofu there is something for every Asian taste. Can get busy with larger groups but service is quick & efficient. read more

Gong De Lin - Ma Po tofu - Restaurants Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

I was taken here by a very dear friend for dinner and it was just about a perfect evening. Nice clean decor, attentive and friendly staff, an easy atmosphere, air conditioning, and the food - primo! The menu is extensive, but, as my friend said to me after we'd agonised over ordering for some time, everything is great so you can roll the dice and order just about anything and be confident that it'll be delicious! Would I have liked to have been able to order a beer or a wine with my dinner? Yes, absolutely. I'm very happy to have found a new favourite spot. I highly recommend giving it a try. I will definitely be going back very soon. read more

Gong De Lin - Restaurants Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

Reasonably priced and a great range of vegetarian food. Service was quick and friendly. Tonnes of fake meat and vege dishes, in a great location that was close to the station. 10/10! read more

Awesome dining experience here. Delicious food, excellent service. Needed to eat and run to get to the theatre in half an hour and they pulled through for us (granted they weren't busy). Delicious sweet and sour 'pork' and spicy chicken and peanut dish. No onion or garlic used in dishes - great for low FODMAPs requirements - but still packed with flavour. Lovely atmosphere and a great hidden gem in Melbourne. Will definitely return to this place very soon. read more

Accidentally stumbled across this place when fighting our way through Boxing Day sales. Ugh. Why I was in the city then I'll never know. But, no word of a lie, I was feeling terrible. I needed to go home. I didn't even want to sit on the tram. So we stumbled across Gone De Lin, went up the lift and it was nice and quiet and air conditioned and there was lovely quiet music. And we sat. And we ate. And I felt better. Much better. The food is good, all vegan, average prices. The staff are very friendly, nearly attentive enough, and fast. The meals are large and there are a lot of fake meat options. Will definitely be back! read more

Stumbled across this quiet little restaurant while battling the crowds on Boxing Day. Everything on the menu is vegan? Sign me up! My partner and I ordered a wonton soup, spring rolls, and a stir-fried noodle dish. All meals were very generous in their serving size, and everything tasted fresh and delicious. The young woman tending to our table was friendly and polite, and more than happy to answer any questions we had about the dishes. Lots of vegetable only dishes, as well as the mock-meat versions of some classic Asian favourites. I'll definitely visit this spot again. read more

Oh yum yum yum!! A vegan delight! Tasty, beautiful to look at and most dishes are completely vegan (I understand there is honey in some dishes, but it is clearly stated if this is the case). I really miss dumplings and pot stickers and this really satisfied my yearning. The only thing was that it seems to be the same filling in both - delicious, but would have been even more lovely to have variety in the filling. I also had the "fish" with cloud ear mushrooms - that was seriously wonderful. read more

Gong De Lin - Restaurants Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

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The food is fresh, creative and plentiful. The mock meats are impressive, especially the prawns. The veggie dumplings are delicious and fresh. The service is polite and friendly. Level 3 Swanston St is a nice place to get away from the city buzz below. read more

Gong De Lin - Vegetarian prawns with broccoli. Delicious - Restaurants Near Me - Melbourne, VIC

If I hadn't been told to keep an eye out for the elevator to take us up to Gong de Lin, then I would have kept on walking up Swanston St when I got to it. It's sitting behind a wall buts it's visible from the street and actually not that hard to see, so let's just blame the pre-dinner drinks. We stepped out of the elevator directly into the restaurant and were greeted with a smile and directed to a booth along the wall. As we perused the menu we started to get a little overwhelmed, there are A LOT of options here. Probably too many actually, but with the waitress's help we soon had placed our order. In no time our table was filled with plates. Fried dumplings to start the were quite large and with six pieces, probably would have been enough, but that's not how we do things so we powered through them. Our mock chicken was delicious (everything here is vegetarian, with lots of fake, but tasty meats to choose from) and our plate of beans with a vegetarian mince mixed through was surprisingly fantastic. We will definitely return! read more

Dined here with my fussy Vegan mother and she was very happy. We dined alone however, during what would normally be considered the rush hour for most restaurants. Non-vegetarians might find this place a bit odd with all the faux meat dishes on the menu, but vegetarians will no doubt find the vast menu a bit thrilling (particularly if you like Chinese food in general). I would visit again (only just) if I had vegetarian guests to entertain. read more

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I feel like a really bad vegetarian/vegan nog knowing about this place before. I think I've walked past it a million times and not paid it any attention. We ate on aMonday night so it was pretty quiet, but the service was super quick and friendly. Not sure how well the staff understood my requests for not hot food when they pointed at dishes that had a 3 or 4 chilli rating, but what I got was pretty delicious and big too hot. I fear I could have eaten double what I did, but thank god I didnt. Def worth checking out. Great flavours and I was super full for price i paid! read more

I got the dumplings to go for lunch, but I ended up not eating them until the morning after. They were still good, if a little hard (that was my fault - I didn't heat them up). It was pretty empty when I came in around noon. The server was nice and gave me corn soup while I waited :) I think this place is really cute and would love to come back. read more

Here you'll find a fresh atmosphere with cool decoration and combining that with Fresh vegetables make a perfect dish. Creative style with tasty food. read more

My partner and I took a chance on this restaurant for lunch on Sunday (her birthday). My partner is gluten intolerant. Nowhere on the menu does it make note of which dishes are gluten intolerant and our server had no idea. I ordered dumplings. There were no sauces on the table and the server did not bring sauces with her. I asked for these and by the time the sauces arrived my dumplings were no longer hot. My partners dish came and it was very plain. She wished the server had suggested rice with the dish. I really think that if you are going to serve dumplings, the sauces should be readily available (they make the dumpling after all!!). I also think that those who are serving should have enough knowledge and the ability to understand what gluten intolerance is. In this day and age where food intolerances are rife, and they can be really debilitating, this will dictate my choice in the future. I would not return to this restaurant nor recommend it. read more

Great vegan food and like the atmosphere but can be a quiet salty. Service has always be fast and very friendly. Love this place. Hopefully they can keep the saltiness to a minimum. read more

Located on the third floor, you have to enter another Chinese food restaurant and take the elevator up -- odd, but it works. Food was delicious, though very expensive even for Melbourne and especially for being vegan. Portions are moderate. Service is decent, though a bit clueless. Didn't blow me away due to the prices, but the food was excellent. Worth a try if you're not a budget. read more

Overly priced, poorly cooked dishes, it ruins the reputation for vegetarian food. Some improvement please

Shock your non-Vegie friends with this diamond in the rough! I loved the textural experiences I had eating the abalone, duck, veal and my favourite dish of the night the sweet and sour pork. The Pork and Veal were stand out dishes and had me convinced (the pork in particular) that I was eating meat. After 7 years of vegetarianism and 5 years experience in hospitality I have never experienced textures so close to meat ever. The Chef is a mad scientist producing (from what I understand) his meals using vegetables and soy protein concoctions. The pricing is awesome with every meal being under $20 and the customer service is exceptional. If there was a Gong De Lin in my home town I would eat there every night. read more