Paddington vegan restaurant famed for ‘vegan KFC’ to close for second time

A westside restaurant famed for its quirky, modern take on vegan food, including “cheeseburgers’’ and “KFC’’, has been dealt a second major blow in just one year.

Yavanna's much-loved "chicken'' parmigiana will feature on the menu in its final weeks.

One of Brisbane’s best-loved vegan eateries, Yavanna in Paddington, has been hit with a second body blow in just over a year.

After post-Covid supply chain issues forced it to shut in March last year, the owners have revealed it will close again in a few weeks ahead of demolition of its Latrobe Tce building.

The restaurant, which specialised in meat-free, lookalike meat dishes such as “cheeseburgers’’ and what customers fondly called “vegan KFC’’, said they were now looking desperately for a new home.

“We wanted to share with you that we are closing soon. Our lease is coming to an end and we’re doing everything we can to find a new location,’’ they posted on their Facebook on Tuesday.

Yavanna is closing for the second time in just over a year.

“If we don’t, we’ll be closing our doors for good.

“We want to take a moment to express our deep gratitude for the support you’ve shown us over the years.

“Your enthusiasm for plant-based cuisine and your kind words have meant the world to us.

“We hope to see you in the coming weeks as we prepare to say goodbye.

“Thank you for being a part of our Yavanna family.’’

The owners said they had been on a month-to-month lease and still had time ot look for a new space.

“We’ve looked at about three or four. We don’t have a suburb in mind, we’re still researching it, but we’re looking for somewhere smaller and trying to get less rent,’’ they said.

The last development application over the high-profile corner site was lodged in 2013.

Yavanna first opened in 2018 under then head chef John Baker, a Tolkein fan who named it after a character in the author’s book Silmarillion.

Venue It’s Mirchi took over ownership in April last year, after the first closure.