Animal advocacy group SAFE is urging consumers to opt out of that bacon burger. They are asking Kiwis to keep pork off their fork with their pick of New Zealands top gourmet vegetarian and vegan burgers for World Vegetarian Month this October.

On the back of the pork industry cruelty exposs earlier this year, and in plenty of time for summer takeaways and barbeques, SAFE recently assessed the vegan and vegetarian options available across New Zealand, narrowing it down to the five most delicious and vegetarian-friendly burger restaurants:

Best Gourmet. Handmade Burgers (Auckland) are applauded for their juicy vegan options of deep-fried tempeh with hummus, avocado, salad & plum sauce, all on a fresh toasted bun, and a falafel burger.

Best Value for Money. Burger chain Burgerfuel, with stores all over New Zealand, goes the extra mile for vegetarians, ensuring their burgers have New Zealand Vegetarian Society approval. The huge V-Dub Vege is 100% vegan, (with the aioli and cheddar removed). Top it off with sweet tomato relish and a creamy peanut satay sauce and you are good to go!

Most inventive. The internationally famed Fergburger (Queenstown) does not let the vegetarians down - with two options, Holier than Thou and Bun Laden. You might be waiting a while but it will be worth it for crispy, golden tempura-coated silken tofu, salad and crunchy snow pea shoots (swap out the sauces for tomato relish).

Healthiest. Lotus Heart (Christchurch) wins for their delectable, tasty and healthy sunflower seed pattie with chutney and fresh salad (ask for it vegan).

Meatiest. Wellingtonians can sample the delights of the Courtney burger at Ekim: marinated tofu with a beetroot relish. Ekim also has the delicious Dale and the Mum, with falafel, hummus and jalapeno salsa.

Receiving honorable mentions are vegetarian burgers from Cosset, Velvet Burger, Cassells and Midnight Espresso (ask for no dairy or egg to make them vegan). SAFE rates Frys traditional or chicken-style burgers as the best for throwing on the barbeque at home.

SAFE says there are more reasons than ever to try a vegetarian lifestyle.

"That bacon burger might sound tasty, but what pigs go through to produce it certainly is not. Any one that was disturbed by the pork industry cruelty expos should definitely give a vegetarian diet a go," says promotions manager and Go Veg ambassador Amanda Sorrenson.

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Burger lovers urged to 'keep pork off their fork'