You can pretty much locate any type of cuisine you can think of in Manchester. Further than the classic burger and pizza, although we have great options for those, you can easily expand your palate to Vietnamese, Sicilian, Turkish or Peruvian, and what’s more, you can likely find vegan or vegetarian options for any of these. So here’s our guide to the most delectable vegetarian restaurants to try in Manchester, if meat doesn’t float your boat.
1. Bundobust
Starting up North, the first Bundobust opened in Leeds in 2014, with a Manchester venue following in 2016, then Liverpool in 2018. Everything at Bundobust arrives in little tubs costing anywhere from £4 to £7 (£90 will buy you the entire menu). Start with okra fries and bundo chaat, before dipping into Mumbai-style veggie burgers (vada pav) made from spicy mash coated in besan flour and deep-fried, and served with chutneys and hot chillies.
Cask ales from local breweries are always available, as well as beers from Bundobust’s brewery down Oxford Road in Manchester too. All completely vegetarian and entirely delicious − we’d say it’s one of the best veggie restaurants in Manchester.
📍 St James’s Bldg, Bundobust Brewery, 61-69 Oxford St, Manchester M1 6EQ | 61 Piccadilly, Manchester M1 2AG.
🖋️ Book here.
2. Greens
Greens has been part of the veggie scene for absolutely ages now, and it’s still offering inventive gourmet vegetarian dishes in a nice, homely setting. Simon Rimmer, of Sunday Brunch fame, owns Greens, so you can expect a large menu full of appealing veggie delights. Think Greek salad, sweet potato and spinach dahl, and classic patatas bravas, alongside hearty dishes like the incredible spinach, pistachio and feta filo pie, gnocchi in chestnut mushroom sauce, and the immense falafel burger.
There are also plenty of veggie sides and tasters to go around, with rosemary chips, truffle parmesan chips, broccolini, flatbread, marinated olives and veggie black pudding all up for grabs. Although the Didsbury restaurant closed recently, you can still find Greens in Sale.
📍 54−55 Stanley Square, Sale, M33 7XZ.
🖋️ Book here.
3. The Allotment Vegan Eatery
The Allotment Vegan Eatery originally came from Matthew Nutter who set out to “make veg taste better than steak” and this restaurant does exactly that and more, making it one of the best vegetarian (vegan actually) restaurants in Manchester. Plants and nuts are recalibrated into the likes of chargrilled aubergine topped with rosehip ketchup, almond béchamel and basil salt for the fries, or a dessert of braised rhubarb and sweet potato custard.
Feast on homemade oatcakes and perfect fresh beetroot chutney. Generous portions mean no going home hungry – or thirsty, for that matter, thanks to a compact wine list. Allotment is located in Manchester city centre, in the beautiful Medieval Quarter, so if you’re lucky enough to get a sunny day, you can sit outside and admire the architecture.
📍 1−3 Cathedral Gates, Manchester, M3 1SW.
🖋️ Book here.
4. Dishoom
Although not a completely vegetarian restaurant, Dishoom provides a heck of a lot of incredible veggie dishes, all in the beautiful Manchester Hall (former Freemason’s Hall). Given that Dishoom is meant to recreate the Irani cafés of Mumbai, a comfortable buzz of chatter is exactly what you need.
Typical vegetarian dishes on the menu include paneer tikka, grilled malai mushrooms and gunpowder potatoes from the grill, small plates like khichia & chundo and okra fries, and plenty in the Ruby Murray (curry) section including mattar paneer, chole puri and the house black daal. But be sure to save space for pudding because Dishoom’s desserts aren’t to be missed, especially their kulfi. Plus, you can roll the dice, or ‘Matka’, and if it lands on a 6 then your bill is paid for. However, if you roll a 1, then you have to pay double your bill. Worth the risk? You decide.
📍 32 Bridge St, Manchester, M3 3BT.
🖋️ Book here.
5. Lotus
Located down in Withington, Lotus offers a massive selection of all of your favourite vegetarian and vegan Chinese dishes. You can eat in or get it delivered, and there’s a huge selection of dishes to choose from. The menu is inspired by the owners’ travels across Asia, from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and Japan, with dishes including crispy, grilled and steamed dim sum filled with mixed veg, cauliflower, tofu and bamboo shoots.
You can also grab a classic soup like won ton and crispy dumpling soups, a whole load of different rice and noodle dishes including Thai veg fried rice, Singapore vermicelli and satay ‘beef’ soup ramen, and plenty of mains spanning the gamut from seaweed bean curd to tofu aubergine hot pot − imagine this on a cold day. Many offer a selection of vegetarian and vegan ‘meats’ made with soya proteins, soya fibres, wheat proteins and mushrooms so if you’re a veggie or even vegan, there’s plenty of choice.
📍 536 Wilmslow Rd, Withington, Manchester M20 4BY.
🖋️ Book here.
6. Sanskruti
Unique to Manchester, Sanskruti believes that nothing represents India more than its classical cuisine and vibrant culture, which is what the team expresses in each of their dishes. The fully vegetarian restaurant only uses the freshest of ingredients in all of its dishes, offering a vegan and vegetarian menu that traverses the Indian sub-continent: from the ‘Thalis‘ of Gujarat to the ‘Dosas‘ of South India and from the ‘Chaats‘ of Mumbai to the rich, unforgettable taste of North Indian curries. Phwoar, tuck in!
📍 93−95 Mauldeth Rd, Manchester M14 6SR.
🖋️ Book here.