The best vegan eateries in Manchester that are open right now include Purezza for pizza, Soots for pasta, Wholesome Junkies for burgers, Bundobust for Indian street food, Little Aladdin for cheap curries, Eighth Day for a plant-based cafe lunch, Lotus Plant Based Kitchen for Asian food and Ice Shack for dessert. Several well-known names, including V-Rev, Earth Café and The Allotment, have closed, so check the list below before you go. Details were last checked on 15 October 2026.
Quick Guide: Which Vegan Eatery Should You Pick?
| Eatery | Area | Fully vegan? | Best for | Open |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Purezza | Northern Quarter | Yes | Pizza and a group night out | Daily, lunch to late |
| Soots | Northern Quarter | Yes | Date night, handmade pasta | Wed to Sun |
| Wholesome Junkies | Northern Quarter / NOMA | Yes | Burgers and comfort food | Wed to Sun (Hinterland) |
| Bundobust | Piccadilly | No (vegetarian, many vegan dishes) | Sharing plates and craft beer | Daily |
| Little Aladdin | Northern Quarter | Yes | Cheap, filling lunch | Mon to Sat |
| Eighth Day | Oxford Road | Plant-based cafe | Daytime lunch near the universities | Cafe Mon to Sat, 11am to 3pm |
| Lotus Plant Based Kitchen | Withington | Yes | Pan-Asian dinner | Evenings, closed Tue and Wed |
| Ice Shack | Withington | Yes | Ice cream and cake | Wed to Sun |
Vegan Eateries in Manchester That Have Closed
Plenty of older guides still send people to places that no longer exist. These are the ones to cross off your list.
| Eatery | What happened |
|---|---|
| V-Rev Vegan Diner | Closed for good on 25 September 2022 after about ten years, citing the cost of recovering from lockdown. |
| Earth Café | The Buddhist Centre basement cafe announced in September 2020 that it would not reopen. |
| The Allotment | Closed in July 2026. The Cathedral Gates site is due to become an Irish pub called The Sheridan Fiddle. |
| Herbivorous | Closed all its sites in 2025, including the Withington restaurant. |
| Vegan Shack | Announced it would close in December 2025. |
| Wholesome Junkies (Mirabel Street) | That site closed in 2024. The business carried on elsewhere, see below. |
The Vegan Society has said it knows of no evidence that vegan restaurants close more often than other restaurants. It also points out that mainstream restaurants now offer more vegan dishes, so the closures are more noticeable. Rising costs hit every independent kitchen.
8 Vegan Eateries in Manchester Open Now
1. Purezza
Purezza is a fully vegan pizzeria at 75-77 High Street, which opened in the Northern Quarter in 2021. It makes sourdough pizzas with its own plant-based mozzarella, and the company has won awards at the World Pizza Championships. Order the cheesy dough balls to start. It is also a good choice if you are comparing other pizza places in Manchester and want a fully vegan menu for everyone at the table.
Address: 75-77 High St, M4 1FS. Hours: around noon until 10pm (11pm Friday and Saturday). Website: purezza.co.uk
2. Soots
Soots is a small, fully vegan restaurant on Tib Street, run by Ellie Proudfoot and Ruth Duarte. It began with pasta sold at Altrincham Market. The menu is built for sharing: small plates such as arancini first, then handmade pasta. It suits a date night or a catch-up with a friend, and gluten-free pasta is available on request.
Address: 108 Tib St, M4 1LR. Hours: Wednesday and Thursday evenings, Friday to Sunday from noon, closed Monday and Tuesday. Website: sootsmcr.com
3. Wholesome Junkies
Wholesome Junkies is fully vegan comfort food from Chelsea Campbell, who took the business onto BBC Two’s Million Pound Menu in 2018. Think stacked burgers, mac ‘n’ cheese, loaded tater tots and Biscoff cheesecake. After its Mirabel Street restaurant closed in 2024, it moved into Hinterland, an alcohol-free bar in the basement at 16-20 Turner Street. It is also listed at New Century Kitchen in NOMA (34 Hanover Street), so check its Instagram or website for where it is serving that day.
Address: Hinterland, 16-20 Turner St, M4 1DZ. Hours: Wednesday to Sunday, about noon to 9pm. Website: wholesomejunkies.co.uk
4. Bundobust
Bundobust is not fully vegan, but everything on the menu is vegetarian and vegan dishes are clearly marked. It serves Indian street food in small plates, with craft beer, in a basement at 61 Piccadilly. Try the okra fries and the vegan combo for two. A second site with a brewery is on Oxford Street. If you like Indian food generally, our guide to curry houses in Manchester has more ideas.
Address: 61 Piccadilly, M1 2AG. Phone: 0161 359 6757. Hours: daily from noon, closing time varies by day. Website: bundobust.com
5. Little Aladdin
Little Aladdin is a small cafe at 72 High Street that went fully vegan around 2023. It is the cheapest option here. The “rice and three” plate, where you pick three curries over rice, was about £7 to £8 in a recent guide. It also serves vegan kebabs, wraps and samosa chaat. There is little decor, but portions are big.
Address: 72 High St, M4 1ES. Phone: 0161 834 9499. Hours: Monday to Saturday, roughly 11:30am to 9pm, closed Sunday.
6. Eighth Day
Eighth Day has been on Oxford Road since 1970 as a workers’ co-operative. Upstairs is a vegetarian and vegan shop. In the basement, the plant-based cafe serves a changing menu of pies, pasta, tagines, salads and cakes. It is handy for lunch near the universities. For more daytime options, see our list of cafes and coffee shops in Manchester.
Address: 111 Oxford Rd, M1 7DU. Phone: 0161 273 4878. Hours: cafe Monday to Saturday, 11am to 3pm. Website: 8thday.coop
7. Lotus Plant Based Kitchen
Lotus in Withington started as a vegetarian restaurant in 2014 and reopened in late 2024 under new owners as a fully vegan Pan-Asian kitchen, with the same chefs. The menu includes popcorn tofu, seitan kebabs, dim sum and bao buns. It opens in the evening only.
Address: 536 Wilmslow Rd, Withington, M20 4BY. Hours: evenings, closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Website: lotusplantbasedkitchen.com
8. Ice Shack
Ice Shack is a fully vegan dessert parlour on Wilmslow Road, selling ice cream, cakes, waffles, doughnuts and shakes. Salted caramel ice cream and Oreo cake are listed as favourites. It is a short walk from Lotus, so the two pair well for a Withington evening.
Address: 414 Wilmslow Rd, Withington, M20 3BW. Hours: Wednesday to Saturday noon to 9pm, Sunday noon to 6pm, closed Monday and Tuesday.
Where to Eat Vegan in Manchester by Area
- Northern Quarter: Purezza, Soots, Little Aladdin and Wholesome Junkies are all within a few minutes’ walk of each other. It is the easiest area for a food crawl.
- Piccadilly: Bundobust is right beside Piccadilly Gardens, handy before a train.
- Oxford Road: Eighth Day is the pick for a daytime meal.
- Withington: Lotus and Ice Shack sit close together on Wilmslow Road, a bus ride south of the centre.
For brunch rather than dinner, our guide to brunch restaurants in Manchester is worth a look. If you are eating with children, see family-friendly restaurants in Manchester.
Why Manchester Is a Strong City for Vegan Food
A study by the train operator LNER, published in January 2024, ranked Manchester the second most vegan-friendly city in the UK with a score of 64.9 out of 100, behind only Brighton. It scored cities using Google search data, vegan restaurants listed on HappyCow and vegan takeaways on Deliveroo.
| Per 100,000 residents | Manchester | Brighton |
|---|---|---|
| Vegan restaurants | 5.6 | 7.9 |
| Vegan takeaways | 5.6 | 8.3 |
Demand comes from a growing customer base. A 2025 Vegan Society survey found that about 3% of adults in Great Britain, roughly two million people, identify as vegan or plant-based. About a third of those say vegan, so around 1% of adults overall. The figure is higher in London, the North East and the South West (4%) and lower in Scotland, Wales and the East Midlands (2%).
Vegan, Plant-Based or Vegetarian: Know the Difference
Menu labels are not interchangeable. Vegan means no animal products at all, including dairy, eggs and honey. Plant-based is often used the same way, but some places use it loosely for dishes that are mostly plants. Vegetarian allows dairy and eggs. If you are vegan, ask about hidden ingredients such as butter in pastry or egg glaze on bread, because a vegetarian kitchen may not think to mention them. This is why Bundobust is in the list with a note: everything is vegetarian, but only the dishes marked vegan are vegan.
Allergies and Cross-Contamination
In a fully vegan restaurant there is no risk of meat or dairy cross-contamination, which is one reason people with milk allergies seek them out. Restaurants must tell you if any of the 14 major allergens are in a dish, but that is not a guarantee of separate preparation, so ask directly if strict separation matters. Gluten-free pasta, pizza bases and bakes are offered at several places above. Our guide to gluten-free restaurants covers more.
Getting Enough Protein and B12 When Eating Out
Check that a meal includes a real protein source such as tofu, tempeh, seitan, lentils, chickpeas or beans, rather than just vegetables and carbohydrates. Dedicated vegan restaurants usually handle this well. If you eat vegan regularly, vitamin B12 needs to come from fortified foods or a supplement, as NHS guidance advises.
Booking, Timing and Budget Tips
- Book for Friday and Saturday evenings. Popular places such as Purezza and Bundobust are busiest then. Weekday lunchtimes are the easiest time to walk in.
- Check days before you travel. Soots, Lotus and Ice Shack close on some weekdays, and Wholesome Junkies opens Wednesday to Sunday.
- Eat cheaply. Little Aladdin and the Eighth Day cafe are the best value. Sharing small plates at Bundobust also lets a group try more for less.
- Mixed groups. A fully vegan restaurant with a broad menu is usually easier than a mixed one with one or two vegan dishes, because everyone can choose freely.
- Drinks. Hinterland, where Wholesome Junkies trades, serves no alcohol. For other nights out, see cocktail lounges in Manchester and wine and cheese spots.
Cook It at Home Too
If you want to recreate what you eat out, our fifteen quick vegan dinners are a good starting point, along with our smoky tempeh recipe and tofu lettuce wraps.
Read Also: Top 4 Korean BBQ Restaurants in Manchester for a Flavorful Dining Experience
Conclusion
Manchester is one of the best UK cities for vegan food, but the list changes quickly. For pizza go to Purezza, for pasta to Soots, for burgers to Wholesome Junkies, for sharing plates to Bundobust and for a cheap lunch to Little Aladdin or Eighth Day. Always check opening days first, and treat older guides with care, as V-Rev, Earth Café and The Allotment are all gone.
FAQs About Vegan Eateries in Manchester
What is the best vegan restaurant in Manchester?
It depends on what you want. Purezza is the best known for pizza, Soots for a more refined meal, and Wholesome Junkies for burgers. The Allotment, once the city’s top fine-dining vegan restaurant, closed in July 2026.
Is The Allotment in Manchester still open?
No. The restaurant closed in July 2026, and its Cathedral Gates site is due to become an Irish pub called The Sheridan Fiddle.
Is V-Rev still open?
No. V-Rev Vegan Diner closed permanently on 25 September 2022.
Where can I find 100% vegan food in the Northern Quarter?
Purezza, Soots, Little Aladdin and Wholesome Junkies (at Hinterland) are all fully vegan and within walking distance of each other.
Is Bundobust fully vegan?
No. Everything is vegetarian, and many dishes are vegan and clearly marked on the menu. Ask staff to confirm if you are strict.
Where can I eat vegan cheaply in Manchester?
Little Aladdin’s three-curry plate was about £7 to £8 in a recent guide, and the Eighth Day cafe serves daytime meals at moderate prices.
Is Manchester good for vegans?
Yes. LNER ranked it the second most vegan-friendly UK city in 2024, behind Brighton.