The food scene in Manchester is insane! In my opinion – far superior to restaurants in London in terms of quality of food, aesthetically pleasing interiors, warm service and purse-friendly too. With that in mind, I thought it’d be helpful to put together a list of 5 vegan friendly restaurants in Ancoats.
My sister used to live in this hipster part of Manchester city centre, next to the Northern Quarter, and it appears to be a foodie haven. So I was armed with a list of restaurant recommendations from her, and as we have similar food tastes, none of them disappointed!
In case you’re new around here, I’m a vegetarian, and mildly lactose intolerant – but I have a carnivore husband, so this isn’t a list of just vegan or vegetarian restaurants only.
Grab a napkin and get ready to drool..
VIET SHACK
63-65 Great Ancoats Street, Ancoats, Manchester M4 5AB
As much as I love SE Asian cuisine, Vietnamese is one that I rarely have for some reason. My sister and I went out for dinner, and as always, ordered a selection of dishes to share.
The charred Asian broccoli with peanut butter sauce was delicious, as were the Buddha Fries. These were topped with crispy tofu, aromatic cauliflower, grilled mushrooms, crispy fried onions, chillies, sriracha, tamarind sauce and roasted red pepper sauce!
I particularly loved the vegan salad – Crispy fried tofu, grilled mushrooms, fresh greens, apple and mango slaw, topped with roasted red pepper sauce and a sesame lemon soy dressing.
We also ordered a noodle dish; bun thit nuong. Freshly steamed rice vermicelli noodles, topped with 7-spice crispy cauliflower. Layered with fresh greens, pickled veg, Asian herbs, crushed peanuts and chilli lime sauce. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the tangy dressing on this, but would definitely reorder the other three dishes if I were to go back!
EZRA & GIL
20 Hilton Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester M1 1FR
Really, really great coffee!
Ok, so this coffee shop isn’t technically in Ancoats, but it’s less than a 5 minute walk away, in the Northern Quarter so I couldn’t not include this. This hipster spot is perfect for all day brunch, coffee and somewhere to sit and work. I’ve currently been here for 4 hours and counting; demolished this avocado and chilli poke bowl, iced mocha with oat milk and even made a couple of friends! Why are people in Manchester are just so friendly!?
MACKIE MAYOR
1 Eagle Street, Manchester M4 5BU
This is a cosmopolitan food hall in a beautiful Grade II listed former market building, on the edge of Manchester’s famous Northern Quarter.
It’s the perfect spot for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner and/or drinks! Along with a handful of food vendors, there’s a coffee shop and wine bar within the hall – so in fact you could spend a whole day there without stepping out from under the amazing glass roof!
Possibly not home to the most vegan friendly restaurants in Ancoats but there were two food vendors I tried and loved! I hear the pizza place is meant to be delicious too; so there are definitely vegan options available!
PICO’S TACOS
I went for the sweet potato, feta and roasted corn taco (can be made vegan sans cheese, obviously), and they had a vegan avocado and mushroom offering too. Jass ordered the tempura fish and chipotle taco, which he loved!
My taco blew me away. The saltiness of the feta, combined with the smooth sweet potato and crunch of the roasted corn kernals was like an incredible explosion in my mouth! I could have very easily eaten 3 of these, but I wanted to try bits from other food vendors too..
BAOHOUSE
These Taiwanese bao bun comes as a meal with three sides; asian potato salad, chilli and garlic slaw and broccoli with peanut satay. There are two veggie options, and I ordered the sichuan tofu bao with a side order of daikon kimchi.
The tofu was beautifully crisp on the outside and silky smooth on the inside, however the sichuan flavour wasn’t for me. The daikon kimchi was a bit bland and potatoes in the salad, undercooked.
It’s a shame it comes as a meal, as I’d have loved to try just one bao and then gone back for more tacos, but I was far too full at this point! Sob.
CANTO
Cutting Room Square, Blossom Street, Ancoats, Manchester M4 5DH
Tapas isn’t a cuisine you’ll often find on this blog, as it usually isn’t very exciting for vegetarians and vegans. However, I was keen to try this mediterranean tapas restaurant as my sister rates it pretty highly and there aren’t any tapas places near me in London.
The night we went, there was a deal on certain dishes; 3 for £15 so we ordered 6 in total. Jass went for the cod pil pil, peri peri chicken and pork skewers – he loved the meat, but wasn’t keen on the fish.
I ordered the patatas bravas (surprise surprise!) – although I have to say this was my least favourite dish. The potatoes were clearly reheated, overcooked and far too big for tapas. The aioli was delicious though!
The green beans with sugared almonds, garlic & paprika were my favourite. Followed by the aubergine, red pepper & tomato flatbread with caramelised onions. Yum!
Can you resist pastel de natas? We couldn’t!
Though these aren’t vegan, we finished our meal with these custard tarts paired with the world’s tiniest scoop of ice cream! I went for salted caramel, while Jass had the toasted barley ice cream – unusual, but delicious!
ANCOATS GENERAL STORE
57 Great Ancoats Street, corner of Blossom Street, Manchester M4 5AB
Certainly not your average convenience store, but one you’ll probably want to check out while in Ancoats.
This is a place where you can shop for all the tofu, browse a range of kombucha, post your parcels, take your pick of every craft beer imaginable, play a board game while waiting for your oat milk flat white and grab a vintage shirt on your way out. Ancoats General Store truly is hipster heaven!
They have a diverse range of offerings from unusual food and drinks, local produce including bread, coffee and eggs, a vintage clothing rail and a Post Office. Fancy some gluten free pasta? You’ll find 5 different varieties. Need some tofu? Choose from 10 types; firm, silken, hazelnut, almond, wild garlic infused etc. They also host a weekly food pop up which promises an ever changing menu of street food every Thursday.
Probably not somewhere you’d want to do your weekly shop as I’m sure their branded groceries are sold at huge premiums. However, it’s a really quirky shop to browse, pick up a gift, grab a coffee or have a cocktail while listening to some cool music!
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