What’s to Love and Hate in Manchester?
Let’s face it, there’s plenty that’s overrated about Manchester.
Slavery, Mick Hucknall, Liam Gallagher’s godawful voice, Coronation Street, Mick Hucknall, Manchester United, (you’ve never even BEEN to Manchester you fraud – take that top off!!), Bernard Manning, Morrissey’s shitty attitude, Mick Hucknall… All bad.
But I’d counter that by saying some of my most favourite things EVER hail from this Northern powerhouse. Eccles cakes for one. And for another, the Pankhurst family, who, whilst not entirely likeable, inspired a much fairer world for British women from their home city. Les Dawson is still in my opinion, the funniest man who ever lived – and Caroline Aherne the funniest woman. Both were proud Mancunians.
It can boast a who’s who of homegrown stage and screen heavyweights from Maxine Peake to Robert Donat, and the love of my life (as Inspector Morse), John Thaw, who all cut their board-treading teeth in and around Manchester.
There are far too many excellent Manchester musicians and writers to name them all here, but distinct hat tips should definitely go to Ian Curtis, Pete Shelley, John Cooper Clarke, The (Almighty!) Fall, Lemm Sissay, Graham Nash, John Mayall, Anthony Burgess, Thomas De Quincy, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Elizabeth Gaskell, Jeanette Winterson…
Art too features highly, with key names including Chris Ofili, Liam Fallon, and LS Lowry – who famously depicted the matchstick men and matchstick cats and dogs he saw there.
An industrial mecca, it’s home to the world’s first commercial canal and passenger railway, and the first programmable computer was built there in the 1940s. Even my favourite radio DJs are from there!
Vegan Manchester
But my favourite Manchester fact bar none is that it’s where vegetarianism is thought to have first originated. In the early 1800s, an ironically named preacher, William Cowherd advised his Salford congregation to stop eating meat until the end of the world came – presumably to secure a place in the thereafter.
Well, I won’t cast any judgement on that. But some fab old friends and I took a break from the recent heatwave and Conservative leadership cock-wanging contest to see how well Manchester could fill our plates with vegan loveliness. Here’s how we got on…
Where I ate in Manchester
Vegan Shack
One Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester M1 1RG
Fully accessible
Cheap and cheerful, this is a great place for eating ‘on the hoof’.
We tried the vegan muffin and a triple-stack of pancakes. Everything was served up with compostable cutlery and some easily drinkable coffee.
I wouldn’t recommend hanging about here if I’m honest – the decor was tired, and the music was ear-splittingly loud for a Sunday morning. However, the staff were very amenable, and despite the no-frills presentation, the food was genuinely tasty. I’d definitely eat here again.
It has an accessible loo, as well as being friendly for small children and pushchairs – and if you’re looking for something fairly quick and easy, it’s well worth a visit.
The Eighth Day
111 Oxford Rd, Manchester M1 7DU
I adore this place! It’s moved a few times since setting up in the 1970s and whilst not all vegan (it sells some vegetarian products) it is an absolutely fabulous place. Whether grabbing a quick snack, fresh loaf or even (trumpet flourish) a whole sit down meal, it’s become a firm go-to for all our visits to the city now.
Essentially a cooperative with no typical management structure, you can be certain all its staff members have an equal and vested interest in making it a success. So you’ll get top notch customer service from a keen team who really knows their products.
And those products include fresh bakes, salads and snacks, wine, cleaning products, toiletries and cosmetics, pantry essentials, herbs and spices, alternative meds, gifts… You name it!
The only down-side I could potentially add is that although the basement cafe is fully accessible via lift, the store itself might be tough to navigate in a scooter or with pushchair in tow.
But it’s a tasty and well-stocked stop-off if you get the chance – and well positioned for Oxford Road station and students.
Herbivorous
103 Hatch Court, Oxford Street M1 7ED and various)
Herbivorous outlets seem to be popping up right across the city, but the site at Hatch on Oxford Street is probably the most central if you’re on a quick visit.
Its U.S.-inspired menu is exquisite, from spicy fries to vegan cocktails, Creole fritters to Mississippi mud pie. Helpings are generous and well-presented. The staff are friendly and very enthusiastic about their food.
If you can’t get a table, they also deliver right across Manchester.
What I love most about them is that their business started life in an old horse box, repurposed for festivals and events. If you ask me, this is a far better use than lugging poor old horses up and down the B-roads of Britain.
With ingenuity like that, it’s hardly surprising they’re becoming Lancashire’s newest success story.
V-Rev Vegan Diner
Bollin House, 20-26 Edge St, Manchester M4 1HN
Full disclosure – we didn’t eat here, as it was closed whenever we were ready for food. However, its Instagram posts made it too interesting not to include. The people of Manchester clearly love this place, so I’d advise at least one of us visits it soon!
Their menu is simple – a vegan kebab shop in essence – but done stylishly.
We’d love to hear from you if you’ve eaten here.
Wholesome Junkies
Unit 4 Mirabel St, Manchester M3 1PJ
Again, we didn’t get time to visit this one – but the burgers look unbelievable!
Plus they’re open fairly late.
This Charming Naan (The Deaf Institute)
The Deaf Institute, 135 Grosvenor St, Manchester M1 7HE
Not accessible
The Deaf Institute used to showcase interesting live music, and serve amazing grub from its own kitchen. Which was exactly why we headed there as soon as we got to Manchester.
But we were thoroughly disappointed to learn the kitchen was closed permanently during lockdown. Instead the place was sporting some weird vintage clothing pop-up thang on the ground floor, which in our view had rendered the place a bit naff.
However, they do have a deal with This Charming Naan. Their menu fuses tons of Smiths song titles and the names of delicious curries that would give even Chris Packham a run for his money. (The Keema is Dead anyone? Girlfriend in a Korma?)
Scan the QR code on your table at the Deaf Institute, place your order and pay, and the ‘Naan team will deliver to the venue.
They’re also still doing live music.
Frost Burgers
48 Portland St, Manchester M1 4QU
Eight different burger combinations, several sides, a good selection of craft beers and delicious puds, Frost Burger is the venue for vegan fast food.
Tucked down some snazzy steps it’s quirky and colourful inside – and the food is made to match.
The burgers aren’t cheap at around £7- £9 each – but they’re tasty and portion sizes are ample. You could easily share a single portion of fries and be satisfied. But I reckon, if you’re going to splash out, why not go nuts and really indulge?
Purezza
75-77 High St, Manchester M4 1FS
Vegan. Pizza. Vegan pizza. Veganpizzaaaaaahhh!
I probably don’t need to say any more, but let’s just say there’s a choice of three pizza bases – before we even get to the fun part!
The toppings are imaginative, tasty and all their pizzas are made fresh to order. And as my photo will attest, they’re super-tasty: I almost tucked into mine before I remembered to photograph it – so there’s that.
The ambiance is absolutely lovely, and there was a great mix of diners when we visited. We found it a great place to people watch from too, as all of life seems to pass by the windows!
We tried the Tellin’ Porkies and Meatball Marinara pizzas with hemp base, and were stuffed chock-full. Which was a real shame as the puds looked absolutely awesome.
Definitely definitely promise me you’ll go here.
North Star Piccadilly
North Star Piccadilly, 77 Dale St, Manchester M1 2HG
Not vegan – but my, oh my the vegan waffle with pulled banana skin! Oh my!
You have to go and you have to try this.
Bill’s at Spinningfields
3 Hardman Square, Spinningfields, Manchester M3 3EB
Ok so Bill’s are everywhere – but the Manchester venue is so pretty it cannot be missed from my list.
With an outdoor space that’s custom made for watching the world go by, and a busy-chic interior, it’s the perfect setting for a date night.
The staff here were so good – they simply could not do enough for our massive group.
And they got everything spot on.
There were plenty of vegan options on the menu, including a Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagne, and Hippy Bowl (pictured). I hoovered up the Hippy Bowl in milliseconds – it was absolutely delicious and still looked pretty several forkfuls in! It was too hot by far to drink anything but lemonade and fizz – but we all indulged in a variety of well served drinks and were…ahem…thoroughly happy at the end of it all!
And hand on heart theirs was the best decaf coffee I drank throughout the whole trip.
Downside? The toilets are a bit of a schlep up some steep stairs – so not accessible – and not hugely well signposted, which led to some embarrassment. Plus side? Those same loos are completely unisex, self-contained cubicles with mirror, basin and hand towels!
The decor in here caught everyone’s eye too – a really genuinely pretty place to sit and dine with tons to look at and talk about. We really enjoyed our visit and will come again.
The Ivy, Spinningfields
The Pavilion, Byrom St, Manchester M3 3HG
Just across the square from Bill’s is The Ivy. Of course we didn’t dine there – seats are like gold dust, and frankly I’ve seen the clientele in the London Ivy and well… they’re not my people.
But The Ivy does have a dedicated vegetarian and vegan menu – and everything on it looks impressive.
If you want to watch people posing for Instagram, or indeed pose yourself, then visit one of the three separate dining rooms here – Brasserie, Asia and Roof Garden. But honestly I’ve only included it in my blog for one single reason that has nothing to do with its insides!
And that is that at one side of the venue we found its scrumptious little veg garden. It was beautifully curated, and jam packed with produce like something out of a Beatrix Potter book – cute as a button! We loved the whole ethos behind it and some of the veg was already looking pretty sexy too!
So make sure you stop by and have a nosey…on your way to Bill’s!
So – is Manchester vegan friendly?
I visited Manchester for a long weekend and honestly it wasn’t anywhere near long enough.
Not only did I not get chance to sample everything off the menus of the venues we visited, but there were hundreds more places to try out that I never even got to – THIS TIME!
So I’ll definitely be going back – and I’ll take plenty of carrier bags with me so I can bring home the leftovers!
