Opening to the public on June 7, the Veggie Nook on Keira Street is the newest addition for the Lukic family who also own an eatery of the same name in Bowral.

Read more: New fluid art supplies store opens in the southern Illawarra

"It's something that's not easily accessible ... it's missing in this region," Danny Lukic told the Mercury. "Everything we do is vegetarian, with a strong focus on vegan and gluten free alternatives and the majority of our menu will be vegan."

Mr Lukic runs the businesses with his brother and sister-in-law, and said they really wanted to do their little bit to "help revitalise the region".

"We're really keen to help Wollongong get back on its feet, because it lost like 30 per cent of its hospitality and retailers last year," he said.

Nachos will be their signature dish though other delights on the menu to tempt tastebuds include zucchini fritters, vegan buffalo wings (cauliflower), fried green tomatoes, burgers and hot dogs.

Ms Lukic hoped the new venture would become a destination in Wollongong for all vegetarians and vegans rather than having to sift through a menu for the token items that could eat.

The Veggie Nook will be open from 8am to 5pm Monday to Wednesday, and 8am to 8ish Thursday to Saturday.

Read more: A UOW researcher wants to know why people emailed love letters to trees

Further south, the Taste of Asia is the second installment for Sunny Gomolrath who runs a vegan-friendly restaurant of the same name in North Nowra.

"We got some customers travelling from here - Shellharbour and Kiama - down to visit my restaurant in Nowra," the Thai expat said. "It's been a very good business.

The Shellharbour contingent boasts "the revolution of eating vegan" with a variety of mock meat, plant-based and gluten free items on their Thai and Asian-inspired menu.

Ms Gomolrath has taken over the old White House Cafe on Addison Street, with the restaurant open every day for lunch and dinner. Hungry people can select cuisine inspired by the people from China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.

Taste of Asia is pet-friendly with an al fresco dining area and will officially open on Sunday June 6 with live music from 11am to 9pm.

We depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.