No matter where you’re living, it can be difficult to dine out when you’ve made a pledge to eat more healthily.
Restaurant menu options taunt you with their calorie-rich goodness, and you’re constantly tempted just to break the diet for one day so you can enjoy whatever’s on offer. The good news is that you don’t need to do this, especially in Manchester; there are plenty of amazing healthy eating restaurant options available, whether you’re in the city centre or further out.
We’re about to get into the best healthy eating restaurants in our fair city, but before we do, remember that healthy eating isn’t just good for your body; it’s good for the environment, too. Going vegan – or, at the very least, cutting out a lot of meat from your diet – will have beneficial effects on the environment, because a lot of greenhouse gas emissions come from the meat industry. Take a look at this information delow.
Without further ado, let’s get into the healthiest restaurants you can visit in Manchester.
Remedy Kitchen – Royal Exchange Arcade
This chic little spot is situated within the Royal Exchange Arcade shopping centre, but don’t be fooled; it might be a touch out of the way, but its food deserves to be mainstream. From Thai curry to protein-rich pancakes, you’ll find everything that you could possibly need after a workout (or while you’re watching the carbs) at the Remedy Kitchen. A five-star TripAdvisor average speaks for itself; this is healthy food, but it’s also utterly delicious.
The Allotment Vegan Eatery – Lloyd Street
If you’re a vegan, you’ll know that vegan cuisine isn’t necessarily healthy by default; after all, there’s nothing stopping you slathering food in sweet chilli sauce, which is delicious and incredibly bad for you in large quantities. However, at The Allotment, you’ll only find healthy vegan dishes. That doesn’t mean they’re not delicious, though. We’d recommend the jackfruit tacos, which are bursting with flavour, but you can’t go wrong no matter what you order.
KBK (Kettlebell Kitchen) – Great Ancoats St
“Healthy” doesn’t have to mean “low-calorie”, and at Kettlebell Kitchen, the chefs know this. That’s why many of their meals are packed with nutrients and calories to help you recover after a workout. This isn’t the place to go if you’re not obsessed with your fitness; there’s a reason it’s called the Kettlebell Kitchen, after all. With meal prep and calorie-counted options available, as well as specific macronutrient-targeting meals, KBK is your one-stop Manchester spot for fitness nutrition.
Evelyn’s Cafe Bar – Smithfield Building, Tib Street
You’ll find plenty of Asian-inspired cuisine and menu options at Evelyn’s, which runs a brunch menu for busy diners and a dinner menu for the evening. This venue’s take on fish and chips infuses the classic British dish with Asian flavours, bringing a chilli tang to the chips and a ginger beer twist to the tempura sea bass. We’d also recommend the ribeye steak, which is tender and cooked to perfection whichever way you like it. Don’t worry, though; everything on this menu is pretty healthy, too!
Vertigo – multiple locations
Vertigo is a plant-based chain (its slogan describes it as a “plant-based eatery”) with multiple locations across Manchester, so whichever one you visit, you can’t go wrong. The jackfruit chilli is particularly stunning here; we previously believed that you simply couldn’t make a delicious chilli without meat, but Vertigo has convinced us otherwise. You’ll also find a range of smoothies and other drinks to accompany your meal, all of which use only plant-based ingredients.
The Green Lab – Dale Street
The Green Lab describes itself as a “health studio concept”. We’re not sure about that slightly pompous designation, but it does serve some mighty fine food. Its vegan spiced cauliflower wrap is delicious and has just 557 calories in it, which you won’t believe while you’re eating it. The smoothie bowls are also excellent; they’re packed with fruits and healthy ingredients, but they’re also sweet and delicious, making them perfect for helping you recover after a particularly grueling workout.
The Counter House – Blossom Street
Describing itself as a “vibrant neighbourhood eatery” (a description it’s difficult to disagree with if you’ve been), The Counter House isn’t just about healthy eating, but it does have plenty of options for you if you’re watching your intake. The roast salmon with miso potatoes is an excellent choice for diet-conscious individuals, while the scrambled tofu with toasted sourdough makes a surprisingly convincing substitute for the traditional eggs on toast.
Nam – Blossom Street
Another Blossom Street gem, Nam is, as you might expect, a healthy take on classic Vietnamese cuisine. The baked sea bass with turmeric and ginger broth is warming and comforting without being unhealthy, while the traditional Vietnamese goi salad can be eaten either with chicken or with mango (or both if you’re feeling adventurous!). There’s also a brunch menu if you’re walking past and need somewhere to satisfy a craving. Take it from us: Nam is the only place to go in Manchester if you love Vietnamese food.
There are plenty of other healthy eateries in Manchester, of course, but these are some of our favourites. As the world’s food consciousness increases, we’re only likely to see the number of healthy eating options skyrocket, so even if you don’t find somewhere you love among these restaurants – which we think is pretty unlikely – you’re bound to discover your new favourite haunt eventually.
Manchester
Upcoming Manc food hall House of Social confirms final kitchen ahead of opening
Danny Jones
House of Social, another new food hall in Manchester city centre, has confirmed the latest and last edition ahead of its launch this summer.
The soon-to-open student block and its upcoming culinary offerings will be here before you know, and now, just over a month out from the grand unveiling, the fifth and final foodie resident has been revealed.
We’ll give you a hint: it’s pizza… very pretty-looking pizza.
Courtesy of Dough Religion (DR), a new Manc pizza restaurant, they’ll soon be slinging out stonebaked pies that already have a strong reputation and a very cool backstory in the local area.
Co-conceived by Chef Chris Edwards, who first began his venture during quarantine from the cult lockdown project dubbed ‘The Waltzing Matilda‘ – a floating pizza place serving slices from a cute little canal boat – and Matt Butcher, who created Dough Religion, the brand and idea have grown much bigger.
Teaming up with House of Social’s Jake Atkinson, who is heading up food and drink at the building,
Waltzing Matilda can be found cruising around Greater Manchester, Macclesfield, the Peak Forest Canal, other parts of Cheshire and out into the North West, but now that established, wood-fired spirit Chris set up with his dad, Paul, is being translated into a proper brick-and-mortar venue here in the city centre.
Dough Religion will serve up giant 18-inch pizzas, whole or by the slice, alongside a full lineup of house-made subs, bagels, and a rotating lineup of desserts and bakes.
Those eating at House of Social (HoS) can expect burrata-topped slices, vodka sauce pizza and fried-chicken Caesar hoagies; New York-inspired bakes, showstopping cheesecakes, standout ingredients from the UK and imported from Italy, as well as plenty more.
Its arrival comes after a Mexican and LA street food spot was named as the fourth tenant at HoS.
The House of Social food lineup is looking stacked.
Speaking on the announcement, Edwards said: “This dough’s been years in the making – tested, tweaked, and obsessively perfected. The pizza is a hybrid of Neapolitan softness and New York chew and crisp; we’re focusing on long fermentation and the best flour available to really maximise the dough.
“The boat was magic, but it had its limits. With Dough Religion, we’ve got the space, the kit, and the crew to go all in. This isn’t going to be your traditional pizza place– it’s bold, loud, and built to share.”
With Dough Religion completing things on the kitchen front, House of Social’s hospitality lineup promises plenty of variety and quality. Roll on August, we say.
The team are hoping for it to become a go-to destination for diners throughout Manchester and beyond, with the food hall craze not showing any signs of slowing down. Case and point:
Catterall vs Eubank at AO Arena: will confidence or cocksureness pay off?
Danny Jones
The official press conference between Jack Catterall and Harlem Eubank got a touch heated in Manchester today, and not necessarily for the reasons you’d think.
Although there was certainly a bit of covert bite between the local lad and Eubank (nephew of Chris Eubank Sr.) most of bickering came as a result of an exchange between the latter and promoter and boxing manager, Sam Jones.
Who knows how much of the needle between entourages is genuine and what is simply for show, but there was plenty of jokes made about minced words, stuttering, wearing shades in doors and dodging on multiple levels. Catterall himself remained quiet and calm throughout.
Harlem’s backers firmly believe there is a lot more “skill” in his corner than can be said of his Chorley-born counterpart ahead of this weekend.
Nevertheless, the Manchester regular may have stayed largely modest throughout – as has always been his way – but he still had plenty of confidence and his own team reiterated that there he’ll prove “very difficult to beat.”
He even went on argue that he is “levels above him”, rubbishing any talk of a potential knockout risk.
On the other hand, they did admit that he “can’t afford an 8 or 10-rounder” at this point in his career and a need him to put in a performance.
Meanwhile, Harlem could not have been cocksure of himself and was happy to play into the Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn’s hands in terms of the stereotypical ‘arrogant’ back-yourself kind of boxer vs the quiet, understated, underdog.
Insisting that he wants to “become a world champion” and even squeezing in a dig at fellow Brit, Conor Benn – who will be facing his cousin Eubank Jr. in a rematch this September – labelling the 28-year-old an “alleged drug cheat”.
There was even more excitement over in the ‘Small Talk’ studio set up inside the AO Arena, as recently retired MMA fighter, ‘Meatball’ Molly McCann, had an announcement of her own.
The Catterall vs Eubank press conference had another big bonus up its sleeve.
Over in the ‘Small Talk’ studio over to the side, confirmation from Eddie Hearn that Molly McCann, was announced as the latest Matchroom signing.
It was said that she expects to undertake her first seven or eight fights within the space of year, telling media that “this was always the plan” and despite “lots of offers” from different promotions, “There’s no other place [she’d] rather be.”
Hearn went on to state that he can see her competing for a title “within months”, adding: “I truly believe she’ll be a world champion.”