18 vegetarian-friendly restaurants in Liverpool

Bundobust Liverpool followed hot on the heels of its successful siblings in Leeds and then Manchester, bringing street food Indian style together with curated craft beers in a colour-clashing canteen setting for a new – and meat-free – take on ordering a curry.

If it’s a knees-up you’re after, and eating is an aside, then The Caledonia has you fixed, offering live music while you line your stomach and lots of drinks choice, with a good stock of Belgian beers, including lambics and sours, plus craft and world brews, and local and guest ales.

Get fresh, local and honest food at City Wine Bar and Kitchen in the grade II listed ‘City Buildings’ on Old Hall Street in Liverpool. This independently owned bar and restaurant prides itself on using fresh local ingredients, producers and suppliers as much as possible.

Founded by experienced restaurateur Netra Khare, Da Gurkha is a slick operation in a simple, curry-house setting that’s as off-the-beaten-track as the menu.

Downstairs on Duke Street, DTH promises some hellishly good scran in its vegan and vegetarian-friendly brick-lined junk food bunker, where dirty burgers, loaded hotdogs, sharers, small plates and other pub grub are overflowing and beers and cocktails are also on the cards.

Situated in an airy loft space in a grade II listed Victorian building this warm and inviting vegetarian cafe offers panoramic views of the city.

With views of the water and a menu that should have something for pretty much everyone, Gusto Liverpool is a busy spot, day and night.

The name says it all: La Famiglia Bar & Restaurant is a family-run outfit serving fresh, traditional Italian cuisine rethought, using the finest ingredients.

Housed in a former tea room over two floors of an art deco building, LEAF’s name and USP was meant to be, and indeed over 60 varieties of loose-leaf tea are served, alongside coffee and cake, cocktails, beers and wine, and an eclectic menu running from breakfast right through.

Inspired by Paris’s Le Marais quarter, Tom, Dom and James opened the doors to the first Maray, on bustling Bold Street, in 2014, serving food full of the flavours of the Middle East but with their own flourishes. It was enough to impress Jay Rayner and now three Marays thrive.

If you don’t know who Nisha Katona is, you’re not watching enough Celebrity MasterChef, but, to recap, she’s the founder of Mowgli, born in 2014 right here in Liverpool – the Bold Street branch is the flagship of the Indian restaurant chain of 17 restaurants nationwide and rising.

Nord is a real asset to Liverpool’s dining scene. Housed in a bit of an unlovely 1960s office block – the former HQ of Littlewoods – the building has had some serious TLC. Now the subtle décor has shades of Mad Men rather than The Fall And Rise of Reginald Perrin with pendant lights, earthy tones and a statement orange bar.

There are many arguments you could make against Pho Liverpool. It’s a chain restaurant on a street known for its independent businesses. It’s ‘Vietnamese’ yet run by two white people from London. Yet it has a place in our guide anyway, simply because it offers one of the best meals on Bold Street for the price.

Piccolino Liverpool is located in a particularly grand building on Cook Street with a small but perfectly-formed terrace at the front. The impressive exterior seems appropriate because Piccolino always works well for fancy events, birthday parties and glamorous dates.

With its large alfresco terrace, island bar, and handsome architecture, Riva Blu Liverpool has a chic, continental feel inside and out.

Residing on the corner of Hanover Street sits Salt House Tapas, a modern yet ambient take on the popular Spanish tapas cuisine. Former employees of Ego Restaurants – Jonny and Paddy – teamed up, back in July 2010, to create their own restaurant where their real dream began.  

The second of these completely vegetarian and vegan restaurants (the first is in south Manchester suburb Withington), Sanskruti takes its cue from the diverse cultures and cuisines of India, and divides the mains on its menu into South Indian Paradise, Gujarati and Punjabi.

The Vibe serves cheery vegan food that will light up your Instagram feed and fill your belly. Known for its brunches and lunches, it offers colour-popping breaky favourites, toasties and bowls in an equally bright and inviting interior. The days when vegan food meant sludgy lentils and hippy furnishings are long gone.

The first of two Yuktis, the Old Swan restaurant opened to much fanfare in 2014 and it’s still pulling in the punters with its authentic dishes from India and beyond – Sri Lanka and Nepal included – including tandoori staples, biriyani favourites and popular thali trays.