Lentil as Anything

Newtown & the Inner West


This Melbourne import stands out by offering tasty fare (usually South Asian–influenced) on a voluntary-contribution basis. You can give money for your meal, or volunteer time, creativity or other skills. The heartening project is deservedly popular with everyone, from latte-sipping laptoppers to backpackers, students and some people who really need the feed.

For those not in the know, the name is a pun on legendary Australian pop-rockers Mental as Anything.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Newtown & the Inner West attractions

1. Camperdown Cemetery

0.37 MILES

Take a self-guided tour beyond the monstrous 1848 fig tree into this dark, eerily unkempt cemetery next to St Stephens Church. Famous Australians buried…

2. Sydney Park

0.82 MILES

Full of dog walkers, kite flyers and stragglers from last night’s party, 40-hectare Sydney Park is a great place to chill out. From the bald hilltop you…

3. Carriageworks

0.89 MILES

Built between 1880 and 1889, this intriguing group of huge Victorian-era workshops was part of the Eveleigh Railyards. The rail workers chugged out in…

4. Verge Gallery

1.07 MILES

Part of the University of Sydney, this gallery has two exhibition spaces that show challenging, often avant-garde exhibitions by contemporary artists…

5. Nicholson Museum

1.11 MILES

Within the University of Sydney's quadrangle, this is a great under-the-radar attraction. Combining modern ideas with ancient artefacts, it's an…

6. University of Sydney

1.14 MILES

Australia’s oldest tertiary institution (1850) has around 50,000 students and boasts its own postcode. You don’t need a PhD to grab a free campus map and…

7. Victoria Park

1.22 MILES

The green gateway to the Inner West and the University of Sydney, Victoria Park is a 9-hectare grassy wedge revolving around pondlike Lake Northam and…

8. Chau Chak Wing Museum

1.23 MILES

This new museum at the University of Sydney is scheduled to open in mid-2020. It will combine the three former university museums and greatly expand the…