It's estimated that 400,000 people took part in Veganuary last year, cutting out all animal products - and turning vegan has never been easier.
The plant-based diet can be tricky for those who usually love foods like eggs, meat and cheese, but Manchester is a great place to live if you want to cut out meat.
As the birthplace of the Vegetarian Society, there are dozens of brilliant restaurants here who sell entire menus of vegan and vegetarian food.
Do you know a great vegan restaurant we've missed? Let us know in the comments below.
Four Side Pizza, Chorlton
Four Side was among the first to bring the ‘Detroit-style’ pizza to Manchester, and now deep pans are the new Neapolitan.
Where Four Side is different is that it’s all vegan, from the mozzarella to the ‘pepperoni’ and ‘nduja’, all being plant-based subs.
The square slices - so shaped because the workers in the Motor City’s car factories would use drip pans to bake their pies - are available from Electrik in Chorlton, and also via Deliveroo.
Electrik, 559 Wilbraham Rd, M21 0AE | instagram.com/foursideveganpizza
The Walled Gardens, Whalley Range
Chef Eddie Shepherd’s one-of-a-kind ‘underground’ restaurant serves just eight people per sitting, over an elaborate 12-course tasting menu from the kitchen of his own house in Whalley Range, using produce grown in the back garden.
His playful and inventive plant-based fine dining has seen The Walled Gardens named as one of the Observer Food Monthly’s best 20 restaurants in the country, as voted for by fellow chefs.
17 Alness Rd, Whalley Range, M16 8SP | veggiechef.co.uk
Wholesome Junkies, Manchester Arndale/Warrington Market
The Arndale food market is one of the best places to find a delicious bite to eat from an independent trader.
Wholesome Junkies takes all your familiar comfort food and turns it completely plant-based.
You can get your hands on vegan burgers, tater tots, hot dogs and buffalo hot wings (made with oyster mushrooms instead of chicken).
When we reviewed every stall in the market, these guys were a stand-out and they've since opened up in the Warrington Market food hall too.
Manchester Arndale Food Market, 49 High St, M4 3AH | wholesomejunkies.com | 07551 659112
Warrington Market, 2 Times Square, WA1 2NT
Bundobust, Piccadilly Gardens/Oxford Road
Established in Leeds in 2014, the Indian street food and craft beer bar has since branched out across the Pennines with a huge Manchester city centre site and another - complete with its own microbrewery - in an equally handsome location on Oxford Road.
Specialising in south Indian-style small plates - all 100% vegetarian and many vegan or gluten-free - the menu is all killer, no filler. Essential orders include the paneer tikka (£7.25), the tangy Bundo Chaat (£5.25), and the comforting chickpea and spinach curry chole saag (£7, served with puri).
Or there's also the option to order the entire menu - one of each dish, plus snacks, which feeds six and costs £100.
59 Piccadilly, M1 1RG / bundobust.com/manchester / 0161 359 6757
61-69 Oxford Street, M1 6EQ / 0161 511 8601
Vertigo, Royal Exchange, MediaCityUK, and First Street
Just six months after opening its first restaurant on Cross Street (just next door to the Royal Exchange Theatre), Vertigo went and opened a second, even bigger site.
And then, not long after that, opened a third one over at MediaCityUK.
Its plant-based menu of grab-and-go breakfast and lunches, as well as a dine-in menu of stews, curries, smoothie bowls and salads, has clearly been a recipe for success.
There's also a selection of low-intervention wines and beers from First Chop.
18 Cross Street, M2 7AE; Unit 9, 11 Jack Rosenthal St, M15 4RA; Unit 2, Bridge House, MediaCityUK, M50 2BH / vertigomcr.co.uk
Ruyi Vegetarian House, Chorlton
Formerly of the WIthington parish, vegetarian and vegan Chinese restaurant Ruyi is now set up on Manchester Road in Chorlton.
Lucky Chorlton, then, as the menu remains just as tempting, with veggie and vegan versions of classics like char sui and sui mai dumplings using mock meats to crowd-pleasing effect.
You'll find veggie Peking ribs (£7.50), crispy Szechuan mushrooms (£11.50) and spicy Ma Po tofu (£12).
101 Manchester Road, M21 9JA | ruyivegetarian.co.uk | 0161 445 7457
V Rev, Northern Quarter
At first glance, V Rev's menu looks much like every other diner's - there's buttermilk chicken, bacon-topped burgers, macaroni cheese, hot dogs and mozzarella sticks.
But on closer inspection you'll realise that every item on this menu is fully vegan, swapping out chicken for seitan and fish for tofu.
You'll also find plant-based milkshakes, sundaes and cakes.
It won itself a cult following on Oldham Street before moving to a bigger spot on Edge Street.
20-26 Edge Street, M4 1HN / vrevmcr.co.uk / 0161 806 0928
Lily's Vegetarian Indian Restaurant, Ashton-under-Lyne
Lily's enjoyed so much success as a cafe tacked onto the side of a cash and carry that they crossed the street and opened a brand-new restaurant, and have since branched out further with a deli in Chorlton.
We loved it before, but it's really stepped up its game after a serious upgrade.
Lily's popular sizzlers and grills are also back alongside a range of vegetable or paneer curries, daals, tandoori breads, rice dishes, sweets and desserts.
75-83 Oldham Road, Ashton-under-Lyne OL6 7AN / 0161 339 4774
Biff's
More on the vegan junk food tip from growing chain Biff's, which opened its Manchester outpost in 2021, in a unit on Oxford Road.
The Jackfruit is used liberally, from a starring role in the oozing Big Jack burger, to the jackfruit 'wingz', which come with a somewhat divisive 'bone', made of sugar cane.
Their burgers are eye-poppingly stacked (see above), and their loaded fries - in varieties including 'bang bang' (cinnamon, miso, sweet chilli), 'buff' (buffalo hot sauce) and 'truffle shuffle' (truffle mayo, bacon jam) are beyond reproach.
144 Oxford Rd, M13 9GP, via Deliveroo
Purezza
After opening its first restaurants in Brighton and then Camden, cult vegan pizza heroes Purezza went west to Bristol, and last summer, north to Manchester, opening up a fourth restaurant on High Street in the Northern Quarter.
Precisely what you'd expect from a Neapolitan pizza - just without the meat and dairy - the bases are 48-hour proved wholegrain sourdough, while toppings feature vegan mozzarella, black truffles, friarielli (Italian broccoli) and faux-pulled porchetta.
There are also vegan takes on lasagna and a 'cheesesteak calzone', with setian salami.
77 High St, M4 1FS / Purezza Manchester
Ice Shack, Withington
You would think that cream would be a pretty key ingredient in ice cream, but you'd be wrong.
Ice Shack is the north's first fully vegan dessert parlour, and here you'll find ice cream flavours like apple pie, chocolate peanut butter and mint choc chip, plus sorbets, truffles, cakes, pastries, chocolate and milkshakes.
As well as being plant-based, they're environmentally conscious too - you can get a decent discount on your next purchase if you bring back your takeaway boxes and cups.
160-164 Wellington Road, Withington, M20 3FU / iceshack.co.uk
Bánh Vì
Set up at Altrincham Market - with pop-ups also happening at spots like the Bungalow at Kampus - Bánh Vì's banh mi, the iconic Vietnamese sandwich, is a stunning piece of work.
Despite the classic version being loaded up with meat - from pork belly to pate - you'll not miss it here for a moment, laden as it is with vegan meat alternatives and sharp, shredded pickles.
Chef Harry Yarwood's pho is also something to behold, perfectly balanced salty, sour broths, as are the crispy mushroom 'wings' and summer rolls.
Altrincham Market, Greenwood St, WA14 1SA / @banh.vi
Black Leaf
Found beneath the Alvarium cafe in the heart of the Northern Quarter, chef Grace Stubbs produces inventive small vegan tapas plates at Black Leaf.
Highlights include roast Jerusalem artichokes with tahini and almond, chickpea meatballs with rosemary polenta, and braised turnips with a clementine chutney, chard and dukkah oil, all coming in between £8 and £10.
8 Dorsey Street, M4 1LU / 07947556275 / Alvarium.co.uk
The Allotment, City Centre
The Allotment was named the number one vegetarian restaurant in the UK by The Times, and then won the award for best restaurant at the CityLife Awards in 2018.
That was in their original home near Stockport Market, but they've since upped sticks and made the move to the city centre, snapping up the former Buca di Pizza site on Lloyd Street.
Though former head chef Matthew Nutter has jumped ship, the menu still boasts his signature flair, with small plates like its cauliflower 'wings', served with sriracha, and large plates like the miso and maple hasselback squash.
18-22 Lloyd Street, M2 5BE / allotmentvegan.co.uk / 0161 478 1331
Greens, Didsbury
Having opened its doors in 1990, TV chef Simon Rimmer's West Didsbury outpost is among the city's most established vegetarian restaurants, and could convert even the most die-hard carnivore.
There are also plenty of vegan options, including his now classic deep fried oyster mushrooms with pancakes and plum sauce (£7.25 for a starter, or £13 as a main) and the truffled mushroom wellington with mash, gravy and maple roasted carrots (£14.50).
Gluten-free diners are well catered for too.
41-43 Lapwing Lane, West Didsbury, M20 2NT / greensdidsbury.co.uk / 0161 434 4259
The Garden, Hale
Though not entirely vegetarian, you won't find much meat on the menu at The Garden in Hale, where ingredients such as acai and avocado are king.
The pretty, colourful brunch dishes and fresh smoothies and coffees draw in a post-yoga crowd, hungry for dishes such as rainbow lasagnes and buckwheat pancakes.
154 Ashley Road, Hale, WA15 9SA / thegardenhale.co.uk / 0161 941 6702
Zad's, Chorlton
Going vegan needn't mean missing out on your Friday night pizza fix.
Vegan takeaway Zad's has all your favourite fast food staples covered, minus the meat and dairy.
Alongside pizzas topped with veggies, vegan cheese and meat substitutes, there are also burgers built around soya patties and hot dogs made from seitan.
What's more, if you order the Pig Save pizza (tomato sauce, cheese, smoky maple strips, hot dog, pepperoni and smoked seitan, £8.49/£11.99), 50p will be donated to local animal save groups and vegan charities.
354 Barlow Moor Road, Chorlton, M21 8AZ | zads.co.uk | 0161 860 0060
Sanskruti, Fallowfield
This Fallowfield curry house is another great option for anyone looking for vegetarian and vegan Indian food. Constantly in or around TripAdvisor's top ten restaurants for Manchester, this South Manchester restaurant has become something of an institution.
95 Mauldeth Rd, Manchester M14 6SR / sanskrutirestaurant.co.uk/manchester / 0161 224 4700
The Eighth Day, Oxford Road
A bona fide Manchester institution, the Eighth Day co-op originally opened in 1970, as a 'craft exchange and alternative centre'.
It began evolving into a wholefoods store and clothes shop in the 80s, moving to 111 Oxford Road, and becoming a staple in student life, gradually expanding into the units either side of it. After a brief spell in temporary accommodation while the original site was rebuilt in the early 2000s, it returned and is more popular than ever.
The vegetarian cafe makes food each day including raw and vegan options, and you can head downstairs for a no-frills canteen-style restaurant. It also sells nutritional supplements, cruelty-free cosmetics and eco-friendly cleaning products.
111 Oxford Road, Manchester, M1 7DU / 8thday.coop / 0161 273 1850
Thirsty Scholar
During the day the pub and live music venue is home to Mod's Vegan Cafe, serving up meat-free all-day breakfasts, brunches and pub classics. The portions are massive.
New Wakefield Street, Manchester M1 5NP / 0161 236 6071
Know any more great veggie or vegan restaurants? Leave a comment below or Tweet us @CityLifeManc to let us know.
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