Welcome to the Manchester Vegan Guide 2022 – the ultimate list of the best vegan food in Manchester.
What type of vegan food would you like to eat in Manchester?
100% Vegan Restaurants in Manchester
100% Vegetarian Restaurants in Manchester
Manchester Restaurants With Vegan Menus
The Best 100% Vegan Restaurants in Manchester
Purezza
Central Retail District, City Centre
Purezza pizza has been voted the best vegan pizza in the UK and it has won a top prize at the World Pizza Championships in Italy. Their recently opened Manchester restaurant brings sustainable Neapolitan dining to the city centre and it’s so worth a visit. The 100% vegan menu offers wood-fired sourdough pizzas topped with vegan smoked mozzarella, mouthwatering plant-based meats, fresh herbs and roast veggies.
Speak In Code
Albert Square, City Centre
Speak In Code is an award-winning speakeasy bar specialising in creative cocktails and plant-based small plates. Expect to walk into a cosy brick-lined bar and be offered never seen before cocktails and tasty vegan dishes to share. Favourites include mock duck steamed buns, jackfruit tacos, cauliflower wings and so much more.
The Allotment Vegan Restaurant
Lloyd St, City Centre
Established by award-winning chef Matthew Nutter, The Allotment Vegan Restaurant offers a vegan fine-dining experience in Manchester City Centre. Locals and tourists flock to the high-end vegan restaurant to try the famous 10 course tasting menu, which showcases a variety of refined plant-based dishes made with local ingredients and creative cooking techniques. If you prefer a more casual dining experience, The Allotment also offers an A La Carte menu with brunch, lunch and Sunday roast options. Of course, the extensive wine list is fully vegan and they also have a brilliant cocktail menu.
Lotus Plant Based Kitchen
Withington
Lotus Plant Based Kitchen used to be a vegetarian Chinese café but it’s recently decided to go fully plant-based and they’ve sourced vegan alternatives used in traditional Chinese and Asian recipes. The incredible menu promises everything from crispy aromatic duck to sambal fish and peking ribs, and the reviews of Lotus are out of this world.
Ice Shack
Withington
Found in between Fallowfield & Withington, the Ice Shack is slightly out-of-town but so worth the journey. The fully vegan dessert parlour freshly makes over thirty different vegan ice-cream varieties as well as the best vegan cakes in Manchester. As if that wasn’t enough, the team also offers cookies, waffles, chocolate truffles & milkshakes available for dine-in or takeaway.
Vegan Shack
Piccadilly Gardens, City Centre
Vegan Shack is the future of fast food and I would describe it as a vegan hybrid of McDonalds and KFC – aka everything you could possibly want. From dirty vegan burgers to buffalo fried chick’n and cookie dough milkshakes, it’s guaranteed to satisfy your vegan junk food cravings.
Four Side Vegan Pizza @ Electrik Bar
Chorlton
Tucked inside Electrik Bar in Chorlton you’ll find Four Side Vegan Pizza, a plant-based pizza shop serving authentic Detroit style pizza pies without the meat and dairy. The team at Four Side make their own delicious vegan meats in-house, and the pepperoni and meat-feast pizzas are definitely the best vegan pizzas in Manchester. If you fancy something on the side, the cheesy garlic knots are sensational.
Go Falafel
Multiple Locations
Whether you’re a committed vegan or a meat-eater attempting Veganuary, falafel is always a great choice. 100% vegan chain Go Falafel feeds the Manchester population with fresh falafel, creamy hummus, zesty salads and smoothies every day of the week. With stores on Deansgate and in Piccadilly Gardens, it’s the perfect place for a quick healthy lunch or a tasty snack. They also have stores in Liverpool & London.
Wholesome Junkies
Northern Quarter & Ancoats, City Centre
The team at Wholesome Junkies creates unbelievably delicious vegan junk food with a wholesome twist. Aiming to save the planet one dish at a time, head to Wholesome Junkies to indulge in burgers, wings, mac ‘n’ cheese & dessert made cruelty-free without any animal products. They can be found at Arndale Market, Ancoats General Store and Baltic Market in Liverpool too.
GRUB Plant Powered Sundays
Green Quarter, City Centre
GRUB Plant Powered Sundays is Europe’s first weekly vegan street food event, bringing together a variety of different vegan street food vendors each Sunday for a real plant-based feast. From quesadillas to doughnuts and South Indian dosas, you can literally eat your heart out at GRUB and it’s all vegan.
Little Aladdin Vegan Café
Northern Quarter, City Centre
Little Aladdin is a small café in Northern Quarter offering a fully vegan menu of six rotating curries with rice, vegan naan bread or roti. They also do great onion bhajis and pakoras, as well as burgers and chips if you don’t fancy Indian food.
Döner Summer
Charles St (Inside YES), City Centre
Döner Summer make the best vegan doner kebabs in Manchester. Featuring plant-based doner meat & vegan chicken shawarma strips, salad, chilli sauce and pink aioli in soft Turkish bread, these kebabs are just as good (if not better) than the real thing. The Döner Summer dream started in Yorkshire, so you’ll also find their excellent kebabs in Leeds, York & Hull.
Herbivorous
Oxford Road, City Centre
Head to Herbivorous for epic vegan street food in Manchester’s university district. Located in the vibrant Hatch pop-up destination, grab buffalo wings and cheezy fries before exploring the other pop-up shops for vintage clothing, local pale-ales and hand-poured soy candles.
Seitan’s Kebab
University of Manchester, City Centre
Seitan’s Kebab is an independent vegan street food business cooking up fresh & healthy versions of the much-loved takeaway kebab. Their sizzling tandoori kebab with garlic sauce is packed full of flavour with a texture so similar to meat I could hardly tell the difference, and their plant-based doner meat is pretty incredible too. You’ll find Seitan’s Kebab at the Market Place (University of Manchester) during term-time only. If you’re vegan-curious, then Seitan’s Kebab is the place to try a vegan kebab that really tastes like the real thing.
Mod’s Vegan Café
Oxford Road, City Centre
Well known Manchester Vinyl DJ Martin the Mod is the owner of Mod’s Vegan Café, offering veganised pub classics like Rogan Josh & Chilli Non Carne, as well as burgers and all day breakfast. You’ll find Martin the Mod at The Thirsty Scholar, a popular free live music venue & nightclub underneath Oxford Road railway bridge.
What The Pitta!
Northern Quarter, City Centre
What The Pitta! started out in Camden, London and quickly became a star player in the London vegan scene. Much to the delight of Manchester-based vegans, the company has now opened a store up north to show Mancunians just how brilliant their vegan doner kebabs are. Filled with plant-based doner meat, salad & sauce, the kebabs come wrapped in traditional spongy Turkish bread and stuffed with chips too!
Plant Grill
Escape To Freight Island, Mayfield, City Centre
‘Good Food Good Mood’ is the motto of this street food van based at the incredibly popular Escape to Freight Island. Plant Grill specialises in vegan shawarma kebabs, burgers and crispy smashed potatoes with gravy. It’s simple, but it’s perfect.
Divine Wellness
Moss Side
Live in South Manchester and fancy a trip to a 100% vegan café? Divine Wellness is the place to go with a huge plant-based menu that will feed your soul as well as your belly. Favourite dishes include coconut lentil stuffed aubergine with mango salsa and shitake mushroom pittas with sweet potato wedges.
Frost Burgers
Ardwick
Frost Burgers is a fully vegan takeaway available on Uber Eats or for collection. They’re popular because of their huge portions of vegan burgz along with fries and thick shakes. The plant-based Honey Comb Brownies are also insane.
Vegan Sting
Oxford Street, City Centre
Vegan kebabs and halal snack packs are on offer at Vegan Sting, a new delivery and collection-only vegan joint in the centre of town. Awaken your tastebuds with spicy tandoori chick’n kebabs and flavourful chick’n curry with cajun chips. Their burgers are pretty great too.
Unicorn Grocery
Chorlton
Not exactly a restaurant, but Chorlton’s Unicorn Grocery is the only vegan grocery store in Manchester so it definitely deserves a place in the Manchester Vegan Guide. The co-operative store is worker-owned and stocks local organic fruit & veg along with vegan pantry items, freshly baked breads and plant-based cakes.
The Best Vegetarian Restaurants in Manchester
The Vegetarian Society was set up in Manchester nearly 200 years ago, so it’s no wonder that the city is full of veggie eateries and shops.
Bundobust
Piccadilly, City Centre
Serving up veggie Indian street food & craft beer, Bundobust is quickly becoming one of the best vegetarian dining establishments in the north of England. A huge chunk of the menu is vegan-friendly, with plant-based diners going crazy for the bhaji butty (self-explanatory), the bhel puri (samosa pastry with puffed rice, pomegranate & chutney) and the massala dosa (lentil pancakes stuffed with potato and served with sour Sambhar soup). Don’t miss the extensive craft beer menu as well as the ultimate beer snack, okra fries.
Greens Vegetarian
West Didsbury
Located in vibrant West Didsbury, Greens is a critically acclaimed vegetarian restaurant founded by TV chef Simon Rimmer. “It’s not your lifestyle, but your tastebuds we care about.” is the restaurants central ethos, which is reflected in the innovative menu that showcases meat-free dishes with serious flavour. I love the handmade gnocchi with tomato and red wine sauce, or the roasted tikka spiced cauliflower with split yellow pea dhal.
The Walled Gardens
Whalley Range
The Walled Gardens is an intimate underground restaurant in Manchester serving just eight people each sitting. Founded by award-winning plant-based chef Eddie Shepherd, the unique culinary experience is centred around a 12 course tasting menu which is prepared and served by the chef himself. The restaurant is exclusively vegetarian however a full vegan menu can be served as long as you let Eddie know at the time of booking.
Jaipur Palace
Chorlton, Fallowfield & Altrincham
You’ll find the best vegan Indian food in Manchester at Jaipur Palace, where the outstanding Tripadvisor reviews speak volumes. All three venues offer a completely vegetarian menu with tonnes of vegan street food, curries and sides. Highlights include the Aloo Tikki Chaat with vegan mint yoghurt and the Upside Down Curry with sweet potato & aubergine.
Veggie Pret
Deansgate, City Centre
Manchester is home to the only Veggie Pret in the north of England, and it sure is popular. Featuring all of the Pret sandwich classics made veggie or vegan, it’s the perfect place for lunch on-the-go or a leisurely catch-up with friends over an oat latte. Veggie Pret also has an incredible vegan bakery offering including cookies, slices and breakfast pastries.
Eighth Day Co-op Café
Oxford Road, City Centre
8th Day Food Cooperative and Café has been trading for over 50 years and is somewhat of a Manchester veggie institution. Upstairs you’ll find veggie & vegan pantry items & fresh produce whilst the basement café serves vegan curries, nourish bowls, burgers and snacks.
Alvarium
Northern Quarter, City Centre
Alvarium means beehive in Latin, and a trip to this cocktail bar and kitchen will sure make you feel like you’re in touch with nature. Complete with a flower wall & garden vibes throughout, head on down for casual vegan grub including plant-based mac n cheese, roast dinners and their famous potato wedges. Whilst the menu is fully vegan, some of the cocktails contain animal products.
Sandbar
University District, City Centre
Sandbar is a veggie beer café with amazing homemade pizza and sustainability at the heart of everything they do. Most of the extensive beer menu is vegan friendly and their pizza menu includes the likes of vegan chorizo, pulled BBQ jackfruit, vegan smoked salmon and much more.
Lily’s Deli
Chorlton
The founders of Lily’s Vegetarian Indian Restaurant in Ashton have now opened a store for the city folk on Manchester Road in Chorlton. Lily’s Deli offers Indian bites, curries and sweet treats to takeaway or eat-in. Everything is veggie and a huge selection of the menu is vegan too.
Ruyi Vegetarian House
Chorlton
Ruyi Vegetarian House is one of the only vegetarian Asian restaurants in Greater Manchester and it’s definitely worth a visit. The oriental fusion menu is based around Chinese-style delicious mock meats and popular dishes include the vegan prawn dumplings as well as the pork bao buns. If you fancy something bigger, go for the plant-based aromatic crispy duck pancakes or the satay chicken fried rice. From the huge menu of over a hundred dishes, only four are non-vegan which sounds pretty good to us.
Sanskruti Restaurant
Fallowfield
It’s common knowledge that you’ll find Manchester’s best Indian food in the Fallowfield area, and Sanskruti is undoubtedly the best vegetarian Indian restaurant in the area. On the menu you’ll find authentic Indian dishes such as daals, pani puri, bhajis & thali but I personally can’t get enough of the South Indian mushroom dosa served with sambhar & coconut chutney.
Falafil Express
Oxford Road, City Centre
Veggies, vegans and falafel lovers alike flock to Falafil Express for their popular £5 lunch box featuring golden balls of goodness along with dolmades, tabbouleh, pickled veg, salad, flatbread and hummus. The portions are huge and the ingredients are as fresh as they get. You can also order Falafil Express on Deliveroo if you live in central Manchester.
The Gherkin
Levenshulme
Veggie & vegan bistro The Gherkin is a new restaurant in Levenshulme serving breakfast, lunch, dinner & cocktails to South Manchester’s plant-based population. Don’t miss the banana pancakes with toffee sauce, the homemade empanadas and the signature frozen Vimto margarita.
Goodtime Games
West Didsbury
Goodtime Games is an independent board game café that’s recently opened in the heart of West Didsbury. Grab some friends and enjoy a coffee or beer whilst playing the huge selection of board games available. The food menu is predominantly vegan and offers tasty dishes like the jerk tofu brunch burrito or Taiwanese-style vegan bubble waffle ice cream if you’re feeling sweet.
Coffee Cranks Cooperative
Alexandra Park
If you enjoy your vegan lunch with a side of social conscience, then Coffee Cranks Coop is the place to go. The coffee shop and café is 100% worker owned and profits help support free trike rides for elderly and mobility impaired people in the local area. When the team aren’t focused on brilliant community initiatives, they’re brewing epic coffee & cooking up vegetarian goodness using local organic ingredients. Vegan options include the big vegan breakfast as well as several fresh homemade salads and soups.
Greenhouse Café
University of Manchester, City Centre
Veggie food and speciality coffee is available at Greenhouse Café for Manchester’s hungry students. There’s always a vegan soup available with crusty bread, as well as hot dishes and salads too.
Fuel Café Bar
Withington
Fuel Café Bar is an independent vegetarian café bar and live music venue, offering vegan breakfast & lunch options along with decadent plant-based cakes and slices. Don’t miss the vegan full English breakfast, the oyster mushroom shawarma with lime slaw and the lotus buttercream cake for dessert.
World Peace Café
Chorlton-cum-Hardy
Found within the Kadampa Meditation Centre, World Peace Café is a cheerful vegetarian eatery offering generous portions of vegan food such as home-made soups and lemon, spinach & coconut dahl. Most of the ingredients are organic and locally grown, meaning after a good meal and a spot of meditation, you’ll be feeling zen as can be.
Home Community Café
Didsbury
Home Community Café is a registered charity run by volunteers to provide a warm and welcoming space for everyone. Whether you’re struggling with loneliness, stress, mobility issues or the chaos of everyday life, Home is a space to connect with new people, chat to volunteers and create relationships. The menu is fully vegetarian and offers vegan cakes, soups, toasties and sandwiches.
Veggie Place
University of Manchester, City Centre
Veggie Place is a vegetarian store within the University of Manchester campus that offers 100% veggie groceries as well as vegan quick eats such as smoothies, salads, pasties and pies.
Manchester Restaurants With Vegan Menus
The Garden Eatery
Hale
The Garden Eatery is a health food bar and juicery in the leafy suburb of Hale, offering largely plant-based dishes with the environment in mind. Both nutritious & delicious, vegan diners love the buckwheat pancakes with caramelised banana & pecans, as well as the rainbow lasagne with basil & cashew cheese sauce. A huge chunk of the menu is vegan, along with a cabinet full of vegan cheesecakes and slices, so you’ll be absolutely spoilt for choice.
Dishoom
Bridge St, City Centre
After huge success in London, Dishoom finally opened a Manchester restaurant in 2018 much to the delight of Indian food-obsessed Mancunians. Found in the Spinningfields area, the restaurant’s interior is reminiscent of Bombay’s old Irani cafés and features Persian lamps and portraits of influential Indian figures from the previous century. The extensive vegan menu covers breakfast, lunch and dinner including vegan sausage naan roll & chaap pineapple tikka with mock chicken. The cocktail list is amazing and the overall vibe of the place is spot on.
Don Giovanni
Oxford St, City Centre
Don Giovanni has been at the forefront of the Manchester Italian dining scene for almost forty years and they’ve finally curated an extensive vegan menu for the city’s plant-based clientele. Highlights from the ‘Vegano’ menu include aubergine parmigiana, spaghetti bolognese with plant-based parmesan cheese, pizzas with vegan mozzarella alongside vegan panna cotta with vanilla & berry compote for dessert. After trying out a few of these dishes, it’s clear that you’ll find the best vegan Italian food at Don Giovanni’s.
*Psssst, you’ll also find an equally brilliant vegan menu at Cibo by Don Giovanni on Liverpool Road, just off Deansgate.
Mowgli Street Food
The Corn Exchange, City Centre
Fresh Indian street food is on the (vegan) menu at Mowgli and there’s a huge selection available for plant-based guests. You can’t go wrong with the Vegan Yoghurt Chat Bombs or the Green Ginger & Rhubarb Dahl, whilst the Mowgli Chip Butty is a hit with carb-lovers everywhere. If you fancy trying a few different vegan curries, then definitely order the Vegan School Tiffin complete with four different tiers of delicious Indian goodness. After a huge Indian feast, the watermelon sorbet is the perfect palate cleanser for dessert.
Hampton & Voúis
Princess St, City Centre
Speciality coffee house and kitchen Hampton & Voúis has an amazing vegan menu with a heavy focus on plant-based pancake stacks. 4 vegan stacks are available including the jammy dodger stack, the lotus biscuit stack, the Oreo peanut butter stack and the biscoff and bueno stack.
Sweet Mandarin
Northern Quarter, City Centre
Chinese restaurant and cookery school Sweet Mandarin has one of the best vegan menus in Manchester. From spring rolls and crispy dumplings to no-egg fried rice and jungle green vegetable curry, there’s everything you could ever want on the menu for a real vegan banquet.
Folk Café Bar
Didsbury & Prestwich
Folk is a relaxed neighbourhood café and craft beer bar with hearty vegan options. Start your day with the full vegan breakfast or shakshuka with tofu before moving onto the Beyond Burger with cashew cream or the tofu Thai green curry.
The Counter House
Ancoats, City Centre
The Counter House is a neighbourhood fusion restaurant offering exciting vegan dishes from around the world. From the vegan full breakfast in the morning to goan curry and spicy glazed tofu in the evening, there’s a huge choice available. The star of the show is undoubtedly the vegan peanut butter and dark chocolate brownie with raspberry ripple ice-cream, so even if you just head to The Counter House for dessert, nobody would blame you.
Tampopo
The Corn Exchange & Albert Square, City Centre
Pan Asian restaurant Tampopo has some incredible vegan options available at both of its city centre locations. To start, grab the vegan sharing platter for two with spring rolls, sticky tofu, corn fritters, roti slices and smacked cucumber. For your main course enjoy the jackfruit rendang, the sweet potato katsu curry or the tofu black pepper stirfry.
Elnecot
Ancoats, City Centre
Elnecot Bar and Kitchen has some smashing vegan options on the menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Start your day with a vegan sausage butty smothered in ketchup or head down after midday for fava bean butter curry or sweet potato tacos. Elnecot are pretty famous for their Sunday roasts and the vegan nut roast option is great, served with crispy potatoes, seasonal veg and vegan gravy.
YO! Sushi
Arndale Shopping Centre, City Centre
If you’ve never eaten at YO! Sushi then you’ve probably still seen the colourful little dishes rotating on a conveyor belt and thought that it looked pretty cool. Besides the conveyor belt excitement, the Japanese food on offer is actually incredibly tasty and very vegan friendly. Don’t miss the award-winning tofu katsu curry or the Yasai rolls with teriyaki & vegan mayo.
Cosy Club
The Corn Exchange, City Centre
Modern British Restaurant the Cosy Club has veganized many of the nation’s favourite dishes and we’re here for it. Head down for vegan meatballs, vegan fish & chips with tartare sauce or a vegan cheeseburger with plant-based gouda and Beyond Meat. I also love the vegan baked vanilla cheesecake with berry compote for dessert.
Honest Burgers
Bridge St, City Centre
The vegan burger offering at Honest Burgers is pretty top-notch. Choose between the classic vegan cheeseburger with a plant-based beef pattie & vegan smoked gouda or the vegan bacon beef burger with ‘This Isn’t Bacon’ and meat-free bacon ketchup.
Pho
The Corn Exchange, City Centre
Founded in 2005, Pho brings authentic Vietnamese noodle soup to Manchester’s hungry residents every day of the week. The menu is filled with plant-based alternatives to traditional Vietnamese dishes like the spicy vegan chicken pho or the tofu & button mushroom version. If you fancy something a little less, well, soupy then go for the wok fried noodles with vegan chicken & Asian greens or the spring rolls with peanut dipping sauce.
Mughli Charcoal Pit
Rusholme
Mughli Charcoal Pit offers Indian & Pakistani soul food paired with twisted cocktails on Curry Mile in Manchester, and it’s one of the best vegan-friendly restaurants in the city. The fun street food menu offers plant-based dishes like Indian style babaganoush (coal roasted aubergine, vegan yoghurt, gunpowder & pomegranate) as well as chilli cauliflower, okra fries and masala potato curry. Vegan raita and three different types of vegan naan set Mughli apart from other Indian restaurants that only offer a stodgy roti for plant-based diners, and the house chutney tray is not to be missed either.
Six By Nico
Central Retail District, City Centre
With restaurants across the UK & Ireland, Six by Nico offers a new six-course tasting menu every six-weeks, each concept based upon a different country, theme or idea. The highly popular experience is often booked out weeks in advance thanks to the reasonable price and excellent food quality. Six by Nico offers a vegan six-course menu providing that you specify your dietary requirements at the time of booking.
Wah Ji Wah
King St West, City Centre
Wah Ji Wah describes itself as an Indian foodie paradise which sounds pretty good to us. The separate vegan & vegetarian menu promises vegan chicken pepper fry, onion bhaji with crushed peanuts, vegan chicken tikka masala and pickled aubergine aloo with potatoes amongst many other options.
Adam Reid at The French
St Peter’s Square, City Centre
Adam Reid at the French offers fine dining made local with an emphasis on seasonal local produce of the highest quality. With prior notice a full six-course vegan set menu can be offered including zucchini flowers, sweetheart cabbage with peas, hazelnut & rich mushroom foam and strawberry sorbet with macerated berries for dessert.
Feel Good Club
Northern Quarter, City Centre
Feel Good Club is a café and sustainable clothing store in Northern Quarter famous for their amazing vegan cronuts (croissant doughnuts) with a rainbow coloured vanilla and white chocolate filling. Savoury options include the Breakfast Brioche Roll with turmeric spiced tofu or the avo toast with sumac and balsamic onion drizzle.
Ginger’s Comfort Emporium
Northern Quarter, City Centre
You’ll find amazing vegan ice-cream in Manchester at Ginger’s Comfort Emporium. Tucked away inside Affleck’s Palace, you won’t come across Ginger’s by chance, but instead you’ll seek it out for your uncontrollable vegan ice-cream cravings. Their most famous vegan ice-cream is the ‘Chorlton Crack’ which is a mixture of salted caramel & peanut butter, but plant-based visitors also love the malted coconut milk and the classic vegan strawberry. Ginger’s Comfort Emporium can also be hired for weddings, parties and corporate events if you want to share their amazing ice-cream with others on a special occasion.
Turtle Bay
Northern Quarter & Oxford St, City Centre
This Caribbean eatery and cocktail bar is famous for jerk and they’ve made sure that vegan diners don’t miss out on all of the fun. Their signature plant-based jerk dish features tofu and pineapple glazed in jerk sauce served with spiced fries, coconut rice & peas, but they also do an excellent curry aubergine, a vegan chicken roti stack and crispy okra with mango mole and jerk mayo.
Via
Canal St, City Centre
Via is a bar in The Gay Village complete with drag shows, DJs and delicious vegan food. The pub grub style menu includes BBQ jackfruit tacos, no-chicken peri peri nuggets, vegan beef and chicken burgers along with vegan mozzarella pizzas.
Wolf At The Door
Northern Quarter, City Centre
Late night cocktail bar Wolf At The Door specialises in tacos and bao, with a huge chunk of the menu being vegan-friendly. After a day sesh it’s the perfect place to go when the munchies kick in, thanks to their Char Sui mushroom tacos, chip shop curry baos and loaded fries with melted vegan cheddar and sriracha mayo.
Sugar Junction
Northern Quarter, City Centre
Sugar Junction does the best vegan coffee and cake in Manchester. Head down on a rainy afternoon for an almond latte with a generous slice of vegan lemon drizzle cake on the side. If you fancy something heartier, choose the vegan breakfast with scrambled tofu, falafel, hash browns and all the trimmings.
Tattu
Spinningfields, City Centre
Complete with purple blossom trees, colourful lanterns and low lighting, Modern Chinese restaurant Tattu offers a delightful eating and drinking experience. The carefully curated menu of innovative Chinese share plates and dim sum has left a mark on restaurant critics around the country, impressed by Tattu’s refreshing take on Chinese high-end dining in the UK. The vegan options available are aplenty and include the popular OK Glazed Tempeh, Shiitake Bao Buns & Chilli Crusted Tofu. Don’t miss the Tang Yuan Doughnuts for dessert, they’re seriously good.
Common
Northern Quarter, City Centre
Common is a bar, eatery and coffee spot in Northern Quarter which is home to the famous Nell’s Pizza. Nell’s serves up 22 inch NYC inspired pies using slow fermented dough and they have loads of quirky vegan options to try. I love the Veganic with mushrooms, roast garlic cashew cream, chilli, forza win sauce and thyme as well as the marinara plus finished with chopped black olives, breadcrumbs, basil oil and fresh basil. If you can’t quite manage 22 inches of pie then don’t worry, they also do pizzas by the slice for the perfect beer snack.
FoodWell
Spinningfields, City Centre
Take a trip to this Californian inspired mindful restaurant for fresh, feel good vegan dishes that are both indulgent and healthy at the same time. Plant-based options include the Japanese Oyakodon Bowl with crispy sesame tofu as well as the trofie pasta with ligurian pesto, toasted pine nuts and garlic pangrattato. They also do a range of vegan sushi and tasty juices.
Subway
Multiple Locations
Subway has really upped its vegan game in recent years and they now have some pretty exciting plant-based options on the menu. Favourites include the ‘Tastes Like Chicken’ sub, the Meatless Meatball Marinara Melt, the Vegan Cheese Melt with veggies and the Plant Patty sub. Most of the bread is vegan and so are the sauces except for things like mayo and ranch.
Cottonopolis Food & Liquor
Northern Quarter, City Centre
Japanese-inspired restaurant Cottonopolis has some brilliant vegan options available. From aubergine katsu curry to crispy chilli cauliflower with black sesame, expect fun plant-based dishes with punchy cocktails.
Siop Shop
Northern Quarter, City Centre
Siop Shop does the best vegan doughnuts in the whole of Manchester and you have to try them. From the classic sugar coated doughnut to the maple and blueberry glazed doughnut, the vegan choices are endless and self control is discouraged.
The Anthologist
St Peter’s Square, City Centre
The Anthologist’s cocktail terrace is probably one of the prettiest drinking spots in Manchester and the menu is extremely vegan-friendly. If you’re visiting in a group you can’t go wrong with the vegan mezze board with flat bread, vegan feta, hummus, baba ganoush and olives. Other great options include the grilled tofu and shiitake mushroom skewers with wasabi mayo and the plant burger with pineapple ketchup.
BAB NQ
Northern Quarter, City Centre
Head to BAB for kebabs worth sitting down for. Unlike your standard greasy takeaway kebab, BAB’s buns are packed full of fresh flavours and spices. Vegan options include the wild mushroom shawarma with babaganoush, vegan mayo & dukkah or the grilled tenderstem broccoli with hummus, pickled veg, dukkah and harissa purée. You can also get a halal snack-pack style shawarma with vegan cheesy chips & kebab shop salad.
Indique
West Didsbury
The name for this restaurant was coined by merging Indian & Unique to reflect the creative dishes on offer. An example is the delicious Gobi Manchurian featuring Chinese-style crispy cauliflower in a Manchurian sauce. You’ll also find vegan classics like Aloo Gobi, Tadka Dal & Onion Bhajis if you want a traditional Indian experience.
The Remedy Kitchen
Central Retail District, City Centre
The Remedy Kitchen is a 100% gluten, dairy, wheat and refined sugar free café-restaurant that creates dishes made with love and consideration. The health-boosting menu features vegan dishes such as protein pancakes with chia jam, banana, berries and coconut yoghurt or the satay chickpea buddha bowl with black rice and ginger baked sweet potato.
HOME
Manchester City Centre
HOME is an international contemporary arts centre in Manchester which also offers some of the best food and drink in the city. Enjoy a pre-theatre vegan feast of vegan fried chicken with chips, vegan slaw and bbq sauce or an artichoke and wild mushroom pizza with vegan cheese.
Roti
Chorlton
It’s been voted the best Indian restaurant in Manchester on Tripadvisor and the title is well and truly deserved. Roti is not your typical Indian joint, offering refined plant-based small plates with punchy flavour and fresh ingredients. Vegan options include Mushroom Makhani, Samosa Chaat & Aubergine Ponako alongside Masala Potatoes and Aloo Chole.
RBG Bar & Grill
Green Quarter, City Centre
I didn’t expect much vegan choice from a restaurant with ‘grill’ in the title but RBG actually has some brilliant vegan options. Located in the Park Inn by Radisson, you’ll find two different vegan burgers, a smashed falafel & red pepper kebab and two fully loaded grain salads. Best of all, RBG has loads of vegan desserts including apple & raspberry crumble with vanilla ice cream and chocolate fondant with salted caramel ice cream.
The Pen & Pencil
Northern Quarter, City Centre
You’ll find New York City dining vibes at The Pen & Pencil eatery in Northern Quarter, named after the infamous mid-20th century bar on East 45th Street in Manhattan. Start your day with the Big Vegan Breakfast and try the mushroom & lentil burger with sweet potato fries for lunch.
Pasta Factory
Shudehill, City Centre
Homemade pasta doesn’t have to contain egg and the Pasta Factory are proving it with their epic handmade vegan pasta dishes. Vegan options include green stuffed ravioli with field mushrooms as well as lasagne verde with cashews and courgette. They also do an amazing fig ravioli with coconut for dessert.
Sangam
City Centre & Didsbury
Sangam is a traditional Indian restaurant with eateries in both the city centre and Didsbury. You’ll find classic vegan Indian food on the menu such as Aloo Gobi, mushroom bhajis & yellow lentil dal, as well as innovative curries such as the Achari Bhindi okra curry and the Aloo Jaipuri with potato and crushed coriander.
The Deaf Institute
University District, City Centre
Iconic music venue The Deaf Institute also serves up ‘proper brekkie and burgers’ to those in need of a post-gig scran or for those who prefer chips to choruses. Vegan options include the vegan royale breakfast with plant-based black pudding, the vegan pancake stack with meat-free bacon and maple syrup or the vegan burger with brioche bun and garlic mayo.