This is your guide to where to find the best vegan food during Manchester Punk Festival from the Thursday to the Saturday and some suggestions for hangover food on the Sunday. Some of these places are best checked out Thursday or Friday day time as they aren't really within walking distance of the festival, while others are super close to the festival. There will be a map at the end of this blog post.
Breakfast & daytime eateries away from the festival
These options are best for Thursday or Friday daytime or before the festival starts on Saturday. You can walk most of these, but doing so while the festival is on will mean you'll miss out on another band or two.
1. V Rev Vegan Diner, Northern Quarter
Let's face it, this one is already on your list. Moved to a bigger location since last year's festival, although still in the Northern Quarter now on Edge Street. The menu is also much bigger. It's basically a vegan American-style burger & hotdog diner. Plenty of homemade 'beef' or 'chicken' burgers and hotdogs, loaded fries, milkshakes, alcohol, and even an inhouse bakery baking delicous cakes and doughnuts. It can get busy towards the evening to the point where you could be waiting perhaps 20 minutes for a table so bare that in mind.
Open 11am-11pm (last food orders 9pm) all week. http://vrevmcr.co.uk
Travel to the festival: V Rev is approx a 20 minute walk from Sound Control or about 15 minutes via tram (to St Peter's Square) or bus from Piccadilly Gardens (any Magic Bus or the majority of Stagecoach buses - ask for Oxford Road Station).
2. Bundobust, Piccadilly Gardens
Manchester branch opened less than 6 months ago, Bundobust serves Indian street food with plenty of vegan options. Lots of small plates of food, with plenty of combo offers perfect for sharing. Lunch express from 12pm-4pm is 2 combo for £7.
Open 12pm-11pm all week. http://www.bundobust.com/Manchester/
Travel to festival: Bundobust is a 15 minute walk to Sound Control or 6-8 minutes via bus from Piccadilly Gardens (any Magic Bus or most Stagecoach buses - ask for Oxford Road Station).
3. Earth Cafe, Northern Quarter
A long standing staple of the Manchester vegan scene, Earth Cafe offers more healthy but still delicious options. lots of salads and bakes and the famous Earth Burger. Great smoothies and homemade cakes as well, including raw cheesecakes. It's situated just below Manchester Buddist Centre on Turner Street.
Open 10am - 4pm Thursday & Friday, 10am-5pm Saturday, closed Sunday. http://www.earthcafe.co
Travel to the festival: Earth is approx an 18 minute walk from Sound Control or about 13 minutes via bus from Piccadilly Gardens (any Magic Bus or the majority of Stagecoach buses - ask for Oxford Road Station).
4. Nexus Art Cafe, Northern Quarter
I'll be honest here, I would not usually recommend this place for food, but I do visit Nexus occasionally for a drink. It's a really cool art space which is home to the Salford Zine Library. They serve a vegan salad, jacket potatoes and a vegan sandwich.
Nexus are giving MPF wristband holders 15% off! Open 11am-6pm Thursday-Saturday and 12pm-5pm on Sunday. http://nexusartcafe.com
Travel to the festival: Nexus is approx a 16 minute walk to Sound Control or 10 minutes via bus from Piccadilly Gardens (any Magic Bus or most Stagecoach buses - ask for Oxford Road Station).
5. Odd Bar, Northern Quarter
Breakfast recommendation: Odd Bar serves an excellent vegan breakfast on weekdays until 4pm. They also serve a vegan burger, a vegan curry, a vegan fat bread dish and all the usual sides like sweet potato wedges. Between 12pm and 4pm on Thursdays there's 50% off most of their food as well.
Open from 12pm all week. http://www.oddbar.co.uk
Travel to the festival: Odd Bar is approx a 20 minute walk from Sound Control or about 15 minutes via tram (to St Peter's Square) or bus from Piccadilly Gardens (any Magic Bus or the majority of Stagecoach buses - ask for Oxford Road Station).
6. Teatime Collective Cafe, Hulme
Teatime Collective is my favourite vegan eatery in all of Manchester. You need to go there on the Thursday or Friday during the day. Or else you'll be missing out big time. Breakfast recommendation: Teatime Collective do all day breakfasts in various varieties including an awesome potato hash and amazing American-style pancakes bacon and maple syrup. Otherwise they do lots of sandwiches, burgers, salads, sides and lots of specials. They also make their own vegan ice creams and cakes! Well worth visiting for just the cakes and ice cream alone. Note: Teatime Collective will be having a stall on the Saturday outside Thirsty Scholar which I will be including later in this blog post.
Open 11am-4pm Thursday-Saturday (last food orders 3:30pm). http://www.teatimecollective.co.uk/
Travel to the festival: Teatime Collective is approx a 16 minute walk from Sound Control or about 15 minutes via bus (I recommend getting the 86 to Hulme and then it's a short walk through Hulme Park to St Wilfrids Enterprise Centre where the cafe is located).
Quick cheap takeaway food
These are a few options for if you just want to grab something to eat as quickly as possible so you can get to the festival, or you just want to save some money.
7. Go Falafel, Piccadilly Gardens or Deansgate or Rusholme
Fully vegan falafel wrap and salad bar. Fairly cheap and super quick. Really awesome salad boxes. Very good smoothies and juices as well. There are 3 locations in Manchester, 2 of which are located in the City Centre and another open until 2am in the Curry Mile.
Open 10am-10pm http://gofalafel.co.uk/
Travel to the festival:
- Piccadilly Gardens branch: This is approx a 14 minute walk to Sound Control or 9 minutes via bus from Piccadilly Gardens (any Magic Bus or most Stagecoach buses - ask for Oxford Road Station).
- Deansgate branch: This is approx a 15 minute walk to Sound Control or 15 minutes on the free Metroshuffle bus number 2 which is every 10 minutes.
- Rusholme branch: Approx 13 minutes on a bus. Any bus between Piccadilly and Didsbury.
The Spar branches in the city centre all sell Forest Food pasties, rolls and wraps. Lots of these are vegan, and they're made in Manchester. They're usually found on one of the lower shelves below pies and next to sandwiches. There's several Spar stores dotted around the city centre, but 2 in particular are super close to the festival - the Oxford Road and Princess Street branches. Oxford Road is closer to Sound Control, Zombie Shack, Font, Gorilla and Underdog. Princess Street is closer to Retro Bar. Zoo is about equal distance to both so I'd suggest Princess Street because it's the quieter store with fewer queues.
Open 24 hours (even on Sundays).
Travel to the festival: Walk no more than about 6 minutes, and just 1 minute from Sound Control.
9a. The 8th Day Supermarket, Oxford Road
The 8th Day is a vegetarian worker's coop. The supermarket upstairs is probably the second largest vegetarian and vegan section in any shop in Greater Manchester, if not beyond. You can get all sorts of vegan cheeses and meats and groceries, but they also have a rocking deli with lots of vegan treats such as the Forest Foods pasties, vegan pies, cakes, etc. They also have an extensive range of vegan chocolates, sweets and crisps (Ten Acre Cheese and Onion crisps are to die for).
Open 9am-7pm Thursday 9am-5:30pm Friday and 9:30am-5:30pm Saturday. Closed Sunday. http://8thday.coop/
Travel to the festival: 8th Day is just approx a 5 minute walk away from Sound Control straight down Oxford Road (mind the roadworks).
Breakfasts and daytime eateries near the festival
These are your best options for the Saturday when you want a rest in between bands you're interested in and sit down with something to eat. You can also visit these places Thursday and Friday, with some open on Sunday as well.
9b. The 8th Day Cafe, Oxford Road
So this is the basement beneath the 8th Day supermarket. It's quite similar to Earth Cafe, really decent wholesome foods. Good mix of salads and roasts and curries, etc. They have a rotating menu so it's never the same mains 2 days in a row. Awesome selection of cakes as well. Breakfast recommendation: one of my favourite places to get vegan breakfasts in Manchester. Salt & pepper seared slices of organic tofu, 2 x vegan sausages, mushrooms, tomatoes, baked beans & granary toast with vegan spread. They also have other options if you want a smaller breakfast. Breakfast is served 9am-11am Thursday & Friday and 10am-12pm on Saturday.
Open 9am-7pm Thursday & Friday 10am-5pm Saturday. Closed Sunday. http://8thday.coop/
Travel to venue: 8th Day is approx a 5 minute walk away from Sound Control straight down Oxford Road (mind the roadworks)
10. Mod's Vegan Cafe @ Thirsty Scholar, Oxford Road
The last couple of years the festival have used Thirsty Scholar as the acoustic stage, but with the festival getting bigger it's now as Underdog. This means Mod's Vegan Cafe at the Thirsty Scholar is going to be much easier to access. It's pretty decent and cheap vegan pub grub. Breakfast recommendation: They do a vegan breakfast here which is pretty good, although I can find zero information of what times they serve it until as they don't post their menus online.
Open 12pm-7pm Thursday 12pm-3pm Friday 12pm-5pm. Closed Saturday and Sunday.
Travel from the festival: Thirsty Scholar is literaly underneath Zombie Shack and opposite Sound Control, under the rail bridge.
11. Teatime Collective stall @ Thirsty Scholar's beer garden, Oxford Road
So on the Saturday Teatime Collective have a stall under the rail bridge in the beer garden for Thirsty Scholar. Expect all the best vegan junk foods served throughout the day.
Open 12pm-10pm (unless they sell out sooner). http://www.teatimecollective.co.uk
Travel from the festival: Thirsty Scholar is literaly underneath Zombie Shack and opposite Sound Control, under the rail bridge.
12. Font Bar
Font bar is where the films are being shown and where you can find stalls and distros as part of the festival. It's just 2 or 3 doors down from Sound Control. The vegetarian food options here can be veganised and hopefully they will be able to do this for you. They serve burgers, wraps, a burritto and breakfasts.
Font Bar is offering 25% off all food for all MPF wristband holders Thursday-Saturday. Open 11am-1am all weekend. https://thefontbar.wordpress.com/manchester/
13. Changos Burrito Bar, Oxford Street
While we have a couple of Barburritos and other burrito eateries that are good, Changos is the best in Manchester. I highly recommend a large vegetable burrito with guacamole and BBQ sauce, with an unlimited refill drink for £1.65.
Open 11:45am-9pm Thursday-Saturday. Closed Sundays. http://www.changos.co.uk/
Directions to the festival: Changos is a 4 minute walk down Oxford Street/Road to Sound Control and a 2 minute walk to Gorilla
Sunday hangover food
There's a few places that are doing awesome vegan hangover food on Sunday that are well worth visiting before you go home. Some of these places are als
14. The Vegan Hangover, The Deaf Institute, Oxford Road
OK so this isn't technically Oxford Road but just off it, around the corner from 8th Day. Every Sunday The Deaf Institute do a Vegan Hangover with a large vegan menu. Think along the lines of V Rev type food, and easily as good as V Rev. Smaller but still extensive vegan options available throughout the rest of the week.
Open 3pm-10pm Sunday. 4pm-10pm Thursday-Saturday. http://www.thedeafinstitute.co.uk
15. Grub's MPF17 Sunday Hangover Session @ Alphabet Brewing Company
Alphabet Brewing Company is this awesome small local brewery which hosts gigs and food fairs in it's brewery. Once a month they do an entirely vegan food fair and it's great. They're putting on a small one on Sunday for MPF. The brewery is approx a 6 minute walk from Piccadilly train station, sort of the opposite side to Star & Garter.
Open 12pm-10pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/664190570420058/?ti=as
MAPS
All the maps are numbers according to the 15 recommendations in this blog.
Hope you enjoy my top recommendations for vegan food during MPF!
