EARTH CAFÉ

"Earth Cafe is situated in the basement of a renovated redbrick warehouse in Manchester city centre. It's owned and run by Manchester Buddhist Centre - the ground floor and floors above house their meditation halls, yoga/pilates studios, meeting rooms and a nice bookshop. Although it's in the city centre, it's not all that easy to find unless you know Manchester's Northern Quarter - the area is now a mixture of run-down dilapidated old buildings and vibrant small 'alternative' businesses. Best to Google for a map if you're new to the area! The cafe is down some rather scary wrought iron stairs - I'm not sure how disabled access works because although there is a lift in the building, when you're standing outside you're faced with a choice of steps up to the ground floor or steps down to the basement cafe. Inside, it's counter service with a juice bar, a selection of salads and hot dishes which you can order in various combinations, plus vegan cakes and fair trade drinks. Everything is vegan, apart from the fact that you can get dairy milk in tea and coffee. So, to be fair, it's not 100% vegan, but it's as close as you can get in Manchester at the moment. Carry your tray through to the back and you'll find a cosy (and sometimes quite noisy) seating area with simple wooden furniture, plants and big Buddhas. There are magazines to borrow (The Vegan, Ethical Consumer, yoga mags) and you'll find lots of interesting stuff on noticeboards about Buddhist centre open days and the therapies on offer at Bodywise, an alternative therapy centre located at the top of the building. This is canteen food, so expect a couple of variations on stews (often curries), a soup, plentiful hot seasonal veg, something along the lines of a nut burger or vegan sausage roll, baked potatoes and rice to choose from. It's a popular place, so arrive early for the best pickings. The good news is that there's a fast turnover of food, with fresh hot things coming through all the time from the kitchen, so none of the dishes has a chance to get sludgy and past its best! This place attracts Buddhist-friendly types of all ages, people who stop by for a coffee or a juice and people who use the cafe for small meetings. Don't be intimidated by the Buddhist connection, nobody will try to convert you or make you feel out of place. The minimal decor can mean it gets a bit noisy at times, but outside peak times it can be almost empty. I'm pretty sure you can take the food away if you want to - useful for local office workers but if you're just visiting Manchester, you're a fair distance from any attractive open spaces in which to picnic! It's not open on Mondays."

"Wow an amazing atmosphere, very calming, a great selection of soups, exquisite smoothies (Sunset one of my fave's) and a frequently alternating tasty menu. Polite and pleasant service. Congratulations to the chefs. A haven for vegans, vegetarians and tourists in the middle of the bustling city center. This restaurant is part of Manchester's Buddhist Center."