Starting life in a remodelled horsebox, vegan street food favourite Herbivorous has revealed it is now launching its first bricks and mortar site in Withington.
Founders Robyn Marsh and Damian Myles first fell in love with vegan cuisine during an epic, coast to coast road trip across the States, and returned home to England inspired to share what they’d found.
Their first stint at a food festival saw them sell out within two hours after working through the night to prepare dishes, which led to the purchase of an old horsebox which they proceeded to tour up and down the country.
The horsebox that Herbivorous toured up and down the country / Image: Herbivorous
Today, the brand has a well-established site at Hatch on Oxford road – and they’ve also just revealed plans to open a second in Withington.
Due to launch in September, it will serve up all of its popular vegan comfort food classics, such as their Big Kahuna Burger, as well as running a delivery service to those nearby.
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A large kitchen has got the team excited about testing new dishes for their menu and restarting their popular vegan cooking masterclasses – teaching new skills in making staples like seitan, vegan mayos and plant-based ‘bloody’ burgers.
A pot of vegan soft serve from Herbivorous / Image: Herbivorous
And that’s not all. The vegan foodies behind the brand are working with local distilleries, brewers and wine merchants to curate an entirely vegan drinks menu – something that’s actually a lot harder to achieve than it sounds.
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After all, many people don’t realise that a lot of alcohol is filtered using fish guts (yes, really – they call the subtance ‘isinglass’, confusingly).
They’ll also be stocking products from other local vegan producers like Manchester independents Drizzle City Bakes and Drinks of Tradition to showcase the very best plant-based food and drink in the region.
The Philly Cheesesteak sandwich at Herbivorous / Image: Herbivorous
The new Herbivorous restaurant will be open weekday evenings and all day from Friday to Sunday from its new home on Wilmslow Road and plans to launch a new brunch menu at the site, available on Saturdays and Sundays only.
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“We’re so excited to be opening our first bricks and mortar restaurant in this vibrant part of south Manchester,” said Robyn Marsh, founder of Herbivorous.
“The Withington restaurant will be the next evolution of Herbivorous, bringing together everything that has influenced us over the last four years, and the time we’ve spent building the brand.
A solid spread of guilt-free food, pictured at herbivorous / Image: Herbivorous
“Working with other local independents is something we are really looking forward to as there are so many wonderful and talented brands locally who we would love to collaborate with.
“Our team are so passionate about crafting our house-made products, dishes and meat alternatives, we can’t wait to open our doors in this fantastic neighbourhood and share our food with everyone”
For more updates on Herbivorous, follow them on their socials here.
Feature image – Herbivorous
Eats
Family behind Salvi’s launch new concept, weeks after iconic restaurant closure
Daisy Jackson
Just weeks after the closure of its iconic, 16-year-old Italian restaurant in the Corn Exchange, the family behind Salvi’s have revealed a brand-new concept.
And this time, the reins are being handed over to the next generation.
Salvi’s founder Maurizio Cecco has helped to shape Amò, but it’s all the brainchild of his daughter, Sienna.
Sienna will run the business out of a unit up on Deansgate Mews, serving fresh pasta dishes, pizza sandwiches, tubs of tiramisu, and two-for-£10 spritzes.
The deli aspect of the original Salvi’s has been carried over to Amò too – you’ll find shelves almost to the ceiling filled with Italian pasta, wine, olive oils, pistachio spreads, and more.
Sienna has grown up in restaurants, with her parents launching Salvi’s when she was just two years old.
She said she wants the space to be a livelier, fresher version of the Italian restaurant that has been so loved by Mancs for so many years.
Sienna outside AmòFresh pasta dishesInside Amò by Salvi’sTheir viral frozen crema di caffeLemon granitaInside Amò by Salvi’sTiramisu pots
Amò, which is Neapolitan slang for ‘my love’, will have loads of fresh Italian dishes, including arancini, gnocchi, and hearty pasta plates.
At lunchtimes, guests can order from a £10 lunch menu, with dishes changing daily depending on the best produce the kitchen can get – it could be a pizza sandwich with proscuitto and tomato, a spicy pasta, or a gnocchi bake, always served with your choice of soft drink.
With its position on Deansgate Mews, Amò basks in the sunshine at lunchtimes.
And while it’s definitely a different concept to the original Salvi’s, Amò looks set to carry the family’s Italian food legacy into its next generation.
Award-winning Didsbury bakery La Chouquette reveals incredible new site
Daisy Jackson
La Chouquette is one of Greater Manchester’s top bakeries – an award-winner, with queues down the street every weekend for its authentic French pastries and loaves.
And now they’re ready for a new chapter, revealing a major expansion today.
Owners Catrina and Flo have painstakingly expanded the bakery into the unit next door, creating what feels like a true French bakery.
And in the midst of this huge renovation project, they’ve welcomed a tiny new baby boy – quite the summer for the couple.
Catrina and Flo launched La Chouquette in lockdown, and in a time where people could only get their hospitality fix from takeaways, immediately became one of the most popular spots in the region.
Their success has been so great, you’ll still consistently find queues down the street every weekend, for their top sellers like their authentic almond croissants.
Then in October 2024, they grew the business and launched Piqniq, a new deli in Didsbury village, serving freshly-baked baguette sandwiches, breakfast butties, toasties, tiramisu pots and their legendary pastries.
The new-look La Chouquette features beautiful details like mosaic floors, rich blue walls, wooden shelves, and brass light fixtures.
La Chouquette’s best-selling almond croissantsInside the stunning new La Chouquette in DidbsuryNew savoury bakesThe chausson aux pommesThe counter stuffed with artisan French bakesChocolate chip cookies and cinnamon buns
The huge new counter displays more pastries and breads than ever before, like a hearty chausson aux pommes filled with apples that will be perfect for autumn, plus seasonal treats like a rhubarb creme brulee pastry, and homemade quiche.
Speaking at the grand relaunch today, Catrina said: “The layout has changed, it looks so much more chic, it looks like a traditional French bakery. We’re really excited about it.”
As for what’s on the counter, Flo reassured fans that their beloved almond and pistachio croissants remain, but with some new savoury editions, like a truffle croque monsieur made with croissant dough.
La Choquette has reopened today, and will be open seven days a week from 7am until 5pm.
Georgina Pellant -
16th July 2021 
