Where to eat vegan in Manchester
Meat-eaters don't have a monopoly on delicious food, and Manchester's vegan food scene is going from strength to strength. We've highlighted some of our favourite places to eat vegan and vegetarian, with help from our friends at Chocolate & Beyond and Vegan Manchester.
When you're on the go...
This bright little shop in the Northern Quarter fuelled The Skinny North for our whole first year of publishing. Offensively cheap wraps come stuffed with all manner of houmous, beets, pickles and salad – and falafel, obvs – and they do some nice juices too. 3 Newton St, city centre; a second branch is in Rusholme, on Wilmslow Rd
Caribbean and Mediterranean-inspired veggie and vegan food? Count us right in. Anyone who's been to Sounds from the Other City festival will be familiar with the lovely Lama, which sometimes serves as a live music venue. The community-focused cafe serves up wraps, sandwiches, curries and specials, and doubles as a bar on some evenings. 220 Chapel St, Salford
Set up as a social enterprise to help people achieve a healthier lifestyle, Salford-born vegan caff Cowherds does big bowls of goodness and bottles of their own organic cold-pressed juices. Operating out of vans and pop-ups, Cowherds is currently awaiting its next home but we're promised a new pod is on its way. Watch their Insta for the latest. Location tbc
For a cafe vibe...
Specialising in 'vegan junkfood', V Rev is one of the best places to eat vegan in Manchester. Burgers with special sauce, hotdogs, nachos, milkshakes, ice cream floats and those iconic red pleather booths... it's an American diner dream. Edge Street, city centre
A Manchester stalwart, Eighth Day is one of the city's original veggie havens with a well-stocked produce shop as well as a cafe, which has plenty of vegan options. It's a rare oasis on the busy Oxford Road corridor. 111 Oxford Rd
Another longtime fave, Earth cafe – in the basement of Manchester Buddhist Centre – offers some of the best value for money in town, with pile-em-up platters of hearty vegan food for a few quid. It's also a great meeting spot and pillar of the community, often hosting readings and other events. 16-20 Turner St, city centre
If it's a full English you're after, Northern Quarter favourite Trof serve up a sturdy vegan number, topping off a winning combo of vegan hash, mushrooms, hash brown, beans, tomato and granary toast with fried breadcrumbed avocado. What a time to be alive, eh? 8 Thomas St, city centre
For a sit-down meal...
They're open for breakfast and lunch, but what makes Teatime Collective properly outstanding is their evening set menu. Rally a group of eight or more to book a private dinner, and enjoy three courses of delicious home cooking – the chocolate torte (with vegan ice cream) is the best we've ever tasted. St. Wilfrid's Enterprise, Royce Rd, Hulme
With a vegan menu that's almost as big as its non-vegan counterpart, The Pasta Factory is a real find among recent new openings. All the pasta is made fresh and presented simply with classic Italian accompaniments – spritz, campari soda, and traditional moka coffee. 77 Shudehill St, city centre
Cherished gig hole Deaf Insitute has recently revamped its bar food menu to take on a surprising but welcome vegan focus, with vegan mains like massaman curry, mac 'n' cheese and loaded nachos now acting as the backbone – rather than afterthought – to the venue's dining prospects. 135 Grosvenor Steet
Venture a little further out to Stockport and you'll find new vegan (and gluten-free) restaurant in the heart of the Old Town, where head chef and owner Matthew Nutter hopes to revolutionise vegan fine dining. Along with a £55 taster menu featuring regularly changing seasonal dishes, there's also an a la carte menu with at least three choices of starters, mains and desserts – the innovative flavours have which have won Skinny readers over so much that you've voted for The Allotment as both a Best Newcomer and Best Restaurant winner in the 2017 Skinny Food and Drink Survey. 6 Vernon St, Stockport
For that sweet tooth...
Many cafes either have vegan cakes on the menu or can make them on request; and we're enjoying seeing a rise in options thanks to a number of great bakers supplying many of Manchester's nicest spots.
Trove bakery supplies Takk and Idle Hands (as well as itself, obvs), while Blawd supplies Common and the Rapha pop-up cafe. (Check out our chat with Blawd.)
Black Cat Bakery sends its goods to Ezra & Gil, Foundation Coffee, Z-Arts cafe and Chorlton's Unicorn and Spoon Inn, among others.
For a special occasion...
1847 Bistro
A modern vegetarian restaurant with vegan options, 1847 is ideal for a date, family gathering or long-overdue catchup, all stripped back Scandi interiors and beautifully presented plates. The desserts are particularly inventive (hello, whisky jelly!) Two courses'll set you back £20ish, three £25. 55 Mosley St
Where have we missed? Let us know in the comments or via Twitter at @TheSkinnyNorth.