The best: Places to eat in Manchester this Veganuary

Offering heaving plant-based fry-ups, vegan waffles, bacon, cheese and syrup-topped American pancakes and a choice of vegetarian breakfasts, the Oldham Street linchpin covers all the bases with an all-day menu renowned for curing hangovers since 1978.

With almost five years of roaring and wholly predictable success under its belt, the Manchester branch of Dishoom, London’s favourite Indian for over a decade, offers an extensive vegan menu. While their breakfast choices include Akuri, naan sausage roll and date and banana porridge, you’ve got all day to try the pineapple tikka, gunpowder potatoes, vegetable samosas, okra fries or even a vegan raan with all the trimmings.

Beloved as ‘a dandyish den of indulgence in the heart of Manchester’s Northern Quarter’, Trof runs its lunch/brunch menu until 3pm with options including a customary vegan full English and wild mushrooms on toast, while their daily dinner menu includes onion bhajis, vegan double cheeseburgers, potato & spinach curry and vegan apple crumble.

Ezra & Gil serves enormous vegan breakfasts and pumpkin spiced porridge all day across both city centre branches, alongside a range of vegan poke bowls and pasta dishes from noon and a selection of small plates from 3pm, with vegan options including classic tomato bruschetta and a light but flavoursome sea salt focaccia.

With breakfast, brunch and lunch on until 4, Bold Street Coffee elevates standard fare like avocado on toast while offering irresistible vegan adaptations of their egg ‘buoys’, superfood porridge, chickpea and avocado butties and plant-based pancakes.

Inspired by the flexitarian Mediterranean food culture, Hampton & Vouis caters to strict vegans and minimal meat-eaters with equal enthusiasm and refinement. Sourcing ingredients from independent northern businesses, their brunch menu includes housemade beans, mezze feasts, smashed avocado sourdough and biscoff French toast, alongside a soup of the day and a selection of sandwiches.

Serving full vegan breakfasts, fajitas and plant-based soups alongside a ‘huge selection of carefully chosen booze’, Fuel Cafe is a cult favourite among South Mancunians for good reason.

Tucked beside the famous Old Wellington pub and less than a minute from Manchester Cathedral, the fully vegan Allotment Eatery menu features cauliflower wings, satay skewers, lentil jalfrezi, butternut squash lasagne and more. Visitors can enjoy a selection of individual plates or grab three courses for £27, while an enormous three-course Sunday roast is available for just £25.

Conceived and established in Dimeji and Saffron’s one-bedroom apartment in Salford Quays around four-and-a-half years ago, Vegan Shack’s non-meateoric rise has resulted in a wildly successful brick-and-mortar unit in Piccadilly Gardens – and another in Boxpark Croydon – which produces a colossal menu featuring Manchester’s best plant-based fast food, including burgers, loaded fries, chick’n wraps and a range of vegan shakes.

Billed as a ‘vibrant approach to fresh plant-based pasta’, Pastan’s second permanent restaurant is now open in Manchester, with a menu featuring elevated and adapted classic dishes including Umami Stroganoff, signature mac and cheese, pumpkin and sage tortellini and a vegan cacio e pepe, alongside an array of specials inspired by various idyllic foodie towns around Spain and Italy.

Promising ‘a Veganuary collab for the ages’, Edge Street chicken connoisseurs Yard & Coop join forces with London-based Temple of Seitan for several reworked plant-based dishes, including the Abrakebabra gyros and the classic Y&C fried chicken plate with a ToS ‘ultimate vegan replacement’ seitan option.

From okra fries and bhel puri to chole saag and vegan vada pav, Manchester’s Gujarati street food legends serve a sprawling menu packed with delicate yet obscenely delicious small plates, with a variety of combo packages available and an extensive beer menu on the side.

Pitched as Manchester’s own ‘social culinary adventure’, all-day street food hub Society offers a set of Veganuary specials, alongside a selection of year-round plant-based dishes, from vendors serving a colossal array of world cuisine, including vegan pizza from Noi Quattro, sushi from Manzoku, Indian small plates from Chaat Cart and Korean fried cauliflower from Yoki Social Table. Guests can also choose from a range of vegan cocktails, mocktails, beers and more with a carefully curated list of ‘plant-based pairings’ available.

Served year-round in their achingly regal Tea Room, The Midland Hotel’s Vegan Afternoon Tea offers a range of finely crafted sandwiches including roasted red pepper, plant-based feta and rocket on malt bread, cucumber with mint and chia seed mayo on tomato bread and more, alongside a selection of freshly baked vegan scones and a tantalising array of cakes from their in-house patisserie, from earl grey tea polenta cake with orange curd to Varhone dark chocolate mousse with salted caramel and vanilla.

Located inside the neon wonderland of Great Northern’s bowling and games bar, Lane7, the popular burger joint Fat Hippo have added an exclusive vegan option using Miami Foods’ Louisiana Chick’n® patty, the same used in the best-selling Notorious VFC burger. Named the Parm-ela Anderson in honour of the plant-fuelled Baywatch icon, the extravagant tower comprises multiple layers of crispy plant-based Southern fried chkn, creamy tomato vodka sauce, grilled vegan mozzarella and tangy garlic pesto mayo packed between a garlic buttered brioche bun, accompanied by a pile of fries seasoned with, yes, more garlic.

Throughout January, you can enjoy 10% off all vegan dishes in the Hyatt Regency’s opulent dining areas, with discounts available on a selection of irresistible dishes including a Mediterranean mezze platter, Thai red curry, tomato, orange and avocado salad and a choice of pizzas, as well as three sumptuous vegan cocktails.

Beginning as a series of beloved pop-ups around the city centre, cult favourites Wholesome Junkies has become a wildly popular vegan junk food joint on the edge of town, with their permanent home under the Red Bank arches usually packed with giddy herbivores. Vegan foodies can expect irresistible takes on world cuisine, including ‘duck’ bao buns, curly fries, stacked burgers and more.

Already an established local legend, Nell’s offers an exhaustive array of 22″ New York-style pizzas with a staggering variety of toppings and a dedicated vegan menu at the core of their range.

Options include the Marinara Plus, the mushroom, cashew cream and marinara sauce-topped Shroom With A View and the seasonal greens, roquito peppers and parmesan special, Very Verdant Vegan.

Open every Friday through Sunday, Pot Kettle Black’s dedicated bakehouse and coffee pop-up Half Dozen Other celebrates the milk-free month with a line-up of completely vegan January specials. Options include the Manchester Tart Danish, filled with banana and basil jam, vanilla crème pâtissière, raspberry compote, coconut and topped with raspberry crispies; the white chocolate Pistachio Croissant; dark Pain Au Chocolat; the XL Tahini Caramel Cookie; the vanilla and orange Cinnamon Bun; Spiced Pear & Chocolate Tart and an Apple Turnover.