Ten restaurants proving that vegetarian and vegan cooking isn’t just a phase
Confidentials 3 years agoA haven of vegan and vegetarian delights, Manchester and its suburbs woke up to the benefits of meat-free cooking years ago. Some of the restaurants on this list have been around for years. Lily’s Vegetarian Cuisine has been serving top drawer Indian food to the residents of Ashton for nearly two decades. Others are veritable newbies – Herbivorous only opening the doors to its first bricks and mortar in October 2021. All are proving to the hungry public that their animal-friendly cuisine is much more than a bowl of boiled lentils and some soggy tofu.
Read on for our guide to the best vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Manchester and beyond:
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Manchester City Centre
The Allotment Vegan Eatery
The seeds of Matthew Nutter’s fine dining adventure were sown when he set out to “make veg taste better than steak”. And the menu at The Allotment Vegan Eatery exceeds this ambition.
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Manchester City Centre
Bahn Vi | New Century
Owners, Harry and Jessica created Banh Vi after travelling across South East Asia and being inspired by the cuisine offered by street food vendors in Thailand and Vietnam.
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Gatley
Bhaji Pala
Bhaji Pala is a vegan restaurant, bringing customers the food of Western India. The Indian subcontinent has a long tradition of vegetarian food, vegan not so much. But who needs paneer when you’ve got tandoori pineapple?
The restaurant bills itself as the only purely vegan Indian restaurant in Greater Manchester, which could account for the crowds. Booking is most definitely advised.
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Greater Manchester
Bundobust Brewery
A real Northern success story, the second location for Bundobust in Manchester and the fourth in the family of northern-based restaurants (Manchester Piccadilly, Leeds and Liverpool have come before), the Bundobust Brewery is a welcome addition to Oxford Street at the southern part of the city.
With a menu that mirrors its sister restaurants, the food is a reliable selection of Indian-style vegetarian small plates. Expect to find crisp okra fries dusted with black salt and mango powder and the iconic vada pav – a deep-fried mashed potato ball in a bun, with red and green chutneys.
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Withington
Herbivorous
Fresh from the roaring success of its first venue down at Hatch on Oxford Road in Manchester, Herbivorous opened its first self-made restaurant in Withington in October 2021. Co-founders Robyn and Damien have been cooking together since they first started dating so the passion for the food they create runs deep.
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Ashton-under-Lyne
Lily’s Indian Vegetarian Cuisine
Lily’s Indian Vegetarian Cuisine is an unassuming restaurant in Ashton-under-Lyne that happens to serve some of the best South Indian food in the UK.
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Book Now Withington
Sanskruti Withington
Sanskruti Withington is well-known in the area for its vegan and vegetarian cuisine which takes in Gujurati thalis, South Indian dosas, Mumbai chaat and the rich curries of Punjab.
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Manchester City Centre
Vegan Shack
Local hit Vegan Shack started life in owner Dimeji Sadiq’s one bedroom Salford flat where he used to cook up plant-based versions of fast food for himself and his girlfriend.