Sanskruti
Eating at this south Indian restaurant, in the Ladybarn district, is akin to a religious experience for the serious foodie – though with a facade not unlike a shop front, you might be forgiven for walking past this understated little gem. A diverse menu of vegetarian and vegan dishes includes a fantastic dal makhani, a light and subtly flavoured ringan tameta and a hearty kathal lazeez that may prompt you to enquire: “Are you sure this is not meat?” with every bite (it’s not). Visitors are presented with a gilded box of sugared fennel seeds to cleanse the palate post-dining. A resolute fave with all vegetarians in the city.
• Mains £5.95-£8.25. 95 Mauldeth Road, 0161-224 4700, sanskrutirestaurant.co.uk. Open Tues-Fri 5pm-11pm, Sat-Sun 3pm-11pm
Bistro 1847
Taking its name from the year the Vegetarian Society was established, in Manchester no less (well, Salford), Bistro 1847 is one of the city’s more sophisticated vegetarian establishments. Matt metallics, unfinished wood and actual bits of trees make up the decor, creating an atmosphere that is cosy and swish. Very much of the modern British aesthetic, you can eat fancy takes on cauliflower cheese (here, it’s whey braised and caramelised cauliflower) and fish and chips (beer-battered halloumi, mushy pea emulsion). With great small plates and mains and a relatively reasonable lunchtime meal deal, Bistro 1847 makes for both a low-lit romantic treat or a tasty working lunch.
• Two courses £19.75, three courses £25.50. 58 Mosley Street, 0161-236 1811, by1847.com. Open Mon-Fri noon-3pm, 5pm-10pm, Sat noon-10.30pm, Sun noon-8pm
V Revolution
Monochrome flooring and vinyl booths may be predictable decor for what is essentially a burger joint, but V Revolution is about as far removed from its meat-heavy Mancunian counterparts as is possible. Completely vegan with daily specials, its tidy menu of regulars make for a reliably good meal, featuring anything from a simple cheese toastie through to a double-downed “chicken” burger served with peanut butter and mashed banana. With large-format menus on request and staff who are trained in basic sign language, V Revolution proves itself to be more than a single-issue diner.
• Mains £4-£6. 88 Oldham Street, no phone, on Facebook. Open Mon, Wed-Sun noon-6pm, closed Tuesdays
Sidney Street Cafe
The Joyce Layland LGBT Centre’s low-key cafe is a cosy spot for lunch in the city’s busy university district. With daily curries, positively life-giving soups and a delicious chilli that remains a pleasing constant alongside a raft of stuff served on toast, Sidney Street Cafe could be accused of being a little DIY if it weren’t for the robust, earthen quality of the food and feeling that you are being looked after. It embodies everything you might associate with vegetarian establishments (worthy flyers, humble decor) though is all the better for it, with the friendly staff creating a wonderfully warm atmosphere (except in the winter when you may want to make for the coveted tables near the convector radiators).
• Mains £2.50-£5. 49-51 Sidney Street Cafe, 07813 981338, lgbtcentremcr.co.uk. Open Wed-Fri 10am-4pm
Greens
TV chef Simon Rimmer’s plush eaterie has an aura of rarefaction. It is on a side street in leafy Didsbury, a suburb largely dominated by upmarket chains and retired Gen Xers, so this idiosyncratic little veggie restaurant makes for a refreshing change. Rimmer is no vegetarian, which perhaps accounts for the innovative and decidedly atypical menu that is eclectic and beautifully prepared. It will please even the most devoted carnivore, with notes of contemporary British (pistachio and feta filo pie), pan-Asian (teriyaki mushroom donburi) and, peculiarly, TexMex (soft shell halloumi tacos, skin on fries).
• Mains £12.50-£13.50, 41-43 Lapwing Lane, 0161-434 4259, greensdidsbury.co.uk. Open Mon 5.30pm-9.30pm, Tues-Wed noon-2pm and 5.30pm-9.30pm, Thurs-Fri noon-2pm and 5.30pm-10pm, Sat noon-2.30pm and 5.30pm-10pm, Sun 12.30pm-9.30pm
Teatime Collective
Perhaps the most unusual place on this list, Hulme’s all-vegan Teatime Collective is housed partly in a converted church and partly in a Portakabin, with a few tables on the small patio outside. It’s a cafe and an ice-cream parlour, thoughwith limited opening hours it is perhaps best as a lunchtime treat. With a menu consisting of the sort of basic bar food it is so hard to come by when vegan, the club sandwich – with vegan chicken, bacon and mayo – is an especially satisfying bit of stodge, while the mushroom and corn sopes are indulgently, delicately, moreish. If the somewhat hard-to-find location proves a little inaccessible, find them catering a host of events all over the city.
• Mains £4.50-£7. St Wilfrids Enterprise Centre, Royce Road, 07708 927425, teatimecollective.co.uk. Open Mon, Wed-Sat 11am-4pm, closed Sundays and Tuesdays
The 8th Day Co-operative cafe
Also in Manchester’s university quarter (a few doors down from Falafil, below), the 8th Day Co-op is an oasis for vegetarians, comprising an impressively stocked health food shop and a basement cafe serving daily soups and specials – generally bakes, dals, curries and stews. The quality is always high, though be warned, so are the prices – a small bowl of soup and a slice of bread will set you back just under a fiver. Redemption can be found in the cakes and crumbles, which are easily the best in town. For better value – but equal quality – hit up the deli counter upstairs.
• Mains £4-£7. 111 Oxford Road, 0161-273 4878, 8thday.coop. Open Mon-Fri 9am-7pm, Sat 10am-5pm, closed Sundays
Fuel
Fuel does very much what you might imagine a place called Fuel to do: large portions, vegetarian breakfasts, chips with everything. With a somewhat unoriginal but always-pleasing menu of wraps, big salads, burgers and various things served on toast, Fuel is unlikely to receive a Michelin star anytime soon, but it’s always cosy, affable atmosphere makes it the perfect spot for a midweek tea. The vegan meze offers a satisfying platter of straightforward nibbles, with a generous allowance of falafel, coleslaw, olives, and the venue’s much-loved sweet potato wedges. When done filling your boots, head upstairs where anything from an on-site zine fair to a low-fi band night might be happening.
• Mains £4.50-£7. 448 Wilmslow Road, 0161-448 9702, fuelcafebar.tumblr.com. Open Mon-Thurs 11am-midnight, Fri 11am-2am, Sat 10am-2pm, Sun 10am-midnight
Earth Cafe
This snug subterranean cafe and juice bar beneath a Buddhist meditation centre in the city’s otherwise energetic Northern Quarter has a surprisingly airy and light feel considering it is underground. There is an ever-changing menu of tasty dals and stews, an ever-present salad bar and a different vegetarian roulade every day. The cake counter is always worth coming back for, not least for the delectably rich vegan tiramisu. And if visiting for the first time it would be entirely remiss not to sample the delicious Turkish apple tea.
• Mains £4-£7. 16-20 Turner Street, 0161-834 1996, earthcafe.co. Open Mon-Fri 10am-4pm, Sat 10am-5pm, closed Sundays
Falafil
There is some kind of alchemy in Falafil’s combination of deep-fried chickpea patties, salad, hummus, tahini, roast potatoes, gherkins, pickled cabbage and chilli sauce. Found on the heavily student-populated corridor of Oxford Road, come lunchtime there is a long queue running out the door, so be prepared to wait for a falafel wrap – it’s worth it. With just a few tables and a brightly lit and somewhat noisy atmosphere, this is not a place to linger, but if you’re in want of a quick and delicious falafel fix (along with one of the zesty fresh smoothies the cafe specialises in), then nowhere else does it better.
• Mains £3-£5. 127 Oxford Road, 0161-273 6364, no website. Open daily 9am-10pm
