Earth

Though I'm not vegan, I keep unintentionally eating vegan food here in Manchester - it's much more available/prominent than back in the US. I got lost looking for the restaurant after my phone died but finally found my friend at the top of the steps leading down to Earth.

Service is set up like a cafeteria, and for just £7 you can pick 4 items from the line (up to 2 "mains".) I think everything in the line and dessert counter is vegan - I was struggling to find dairy/egg items in the menu. I feel like it's more palatable for them to sell themselves as a vegetarian rather than vegan restaurant. I picked up a hearty bean chili atop quinoa, braised cabbage, and a beautiful mushroom pie, in addition to a lime/lemongrass bottled drink and coffee/walnut cake.

Portion sizes were huge and you feel very healthy eating the food - the bean chili could have used more seasoning, but the savory mushroom pie was divine! Creamy, savory, and textural, I was surprised at how well they veganized this classic. The cabbage was like tame sauerkraut, which cut the richness of the pie well. The cake was mildly sweet but had a wonderful bitter aftertaste, the scent of ground coffee lingering in my palate long after I finished the last bite. I had a taste of my friend's raw blueberry cheesecake and we had quite a bit of fun trying to guess what they made it out of. It was alright - I would've wanted to try the raw tiramisu, if they had it.

This place was intimate, romantic, and had great vibes and atmosphere. We thoroughly enjoyed our time here, and the food was top notch for vegans in the UK!

Day 2 of hipster style Hannah having to work in tea shops!

I picked this place as it was the first one that popped up with wifi available when I searched, and I'd heard good things in the past. It has a very canteen-y feel, and the staff really are wonderful, but the atmosphere of the place wasn't as friendly as I expected.
It certainly wasn't unfriendly, just a little "meh", but I expect this is lifted a little of you go in with a group of friends.

Good vegan and veggie choices, of course, and the juices are lovely, I tried a summer breeze juice and a banana and ginger shake, both really refreshing.

I also had a piece of the raw passion fruit cheesecake, which was a lovely texture, and probably one of the nicest veggie/vegan/raw sorts I have had.

Don't bother with the whole earth cans of you like string flavours though, I wouldn't refuse to drink them, but I wouldn't go out of my way to get them

TL;DR - Great vegetarian food, great prices, slightly chaotic service.

We'd avoided Earth for a while, worried it may be full of unwashed hippies wearing hemp, but our stereotypes were wide of the mark. This is a smart and delightful vegetarian cafe which is much bigger inside than you would imagine from the exterior.

You line up at the counter and place your order which is plated up for you there and then. They do a £6 platter where you can choose four items, up to two of which can be "mains" and the remainder are sides. I went with cajun bean stew and fennel and white bean pie as my mains, served up with steamed vegetables and roast potatoes. It really was a great big plateful which, topped with gravy, was great value for £6.

The food itself was great too - the pie was incredibly tasty (far more than I ever imagined from the name!), the stew was spicy and even this roast potato connoisseur was impressed with their roasties.

So why only 3/5? Well, despite the great food there were also plenty of rough edges. We tried to order our food together, but the counter staff seemed a bit disorganised and we ended up separated massively in the queue and had to pay separately - I only got through about 10 minutes after Mark. We also ordered drinks which took an age to come, and Mark was told his bowl of quinoa would be a few minutes but we doubt it would have come if we hadn't gone and reminded staff about it.

But don't let that put you off. The food is really, really good!

It's safe to say that Manchester has become meat mad the past couple of years, you might even say there's a carnivore craze, you also could add that.... actually I think you get the idea of what I'm trying to say! But the thing is that it's all so super tempting - and from when I used to have a steady diet of variable fresh homemade soup I'm now starting to think a burger or maybe a hotdog is a suitable daytime bite. So now it's all about fighting that urge and finding out where the antidote is to make sure I get up to the 5-7 portions of fruit and vege I supposedly need each day!

I've got to say that I've been walking past Earth for 7 years and never gone in. Which is kind of a bit strange as I've been going to the buddhist centre to meditate all that time too...and it really does feel like I've been missing out!

Upon entering the smell of this vegetarian, mostly organic, all homemade onsite cafe is fantastic. There's variety on offer such as curry's, chilli's ( I had the mung bean one and it was fantastic) and Italian tray options. The main set up is that you can get a main and 4 sides (including salads) for £6 which is pretty good value for the amount of food you get.

They also do snacky items like the £2.50 Jamaican patties, which seem very popular as a queue was forming for the next batch but that will be a different meal for a different day.

Overall the cafe is a great place for lunch, tea, catching up with friends and just generally brining balance back to your diet and life. I felt really good after this meal, felt like I'd really treated myself and it may just help me get on the road to a healthier lunch time diet - now that is good news!

Oh, Earth just gets more comforting every time I pop in. They've always got some fresh, wholesome, hearty special available, and it's become routine that this is the place I visit when I want to pile my plate with hot deliciousness. This time round they had sweet potato pie, which was kind of like a cottage pie with a crispy top but all kinds of veggies on board too, and had a slight Thai flavour to it. Just all kinds of yummy. There was also a three-bean chilli, always a favourite of mine, and sides of roasties and plantain. Plantain! I so rarely get to eat plantain. These were crisp, fluffy in the middle and done in long strips as opposed to the usual banana-esque slices we're used to seeing.

My mum opted for an Earth burger with a salad plate, and that had a bit of everything on it - homemade coleslaw, beetroot salad, houmous, all sorts of stuff. We shared our dishes and Earth kindly gave us side plates so we could chop and change. They let us have a giant jug of water for our table, and we had such a lovely cosy time it took us ages to leave. Next time I'm this side of town, I plan to dine at Earth and spend the best part of the day in the Buddhist Centre above where, yelpers have kindly told me, for a donation you can hang out as long as you like and use the kettle. Best stuff my backpack full of Twinings then, looks like I'll be there for the long haul! Need to get me some reading done...

I felt an urge for something healthy and not too heavy and remembered I was meaning to try Earth.

Having read the reviews I knew I could have some kind of combo of mains and sides but it was a bit confusing - kind of strange they don't write it on a board anywhere! I think it's right that you can get two "mains" and two sides and a side includes one of the salad options.

I got the very tasty mung bean curry and stuffed peppers along with some couscous and curry. I opted for a courgette salad for some greens although later wished I gotten the spicy carrot & almond one as that the courgette version didn't have much flavour. Healthy though!

The smoothie I got was nice too, they make them with ice so not the greatest cold day option - lots of tea and soup to choose from though.

Only thing I was surprised by was the staff who seemed pretty unfriendly and reluctant to explain the system to people in front of me who weren't sure what they could order - then kind of made out they were being stupid.

With El Food One away researching Moroccan food I was left flying solo for this visit, where and why did I choose where I chose? These are questions I have been asking myself a few times a day since that fateful day, and my friends please keep reading but do not expect an answer to them all.

My selection was Earth Cafe. Maybe in a bid to be healthy, I decide to check out their menu of 'everything that makes food tasty removed'. Its Veggie, Vegan, Gluten, Sugar and E number free. I am pretty certain a part of my soul was removed too.

My first impressions as I walked down the narrow stairway to the entrance, was to make a few quick calls and say my goodbyes, as I wasn't certain I was getting out alive. There is an air of a cellar or European brothel (from what people tell me) and this theme continues as I walk down to seal my fate.

Immediately feeling uncomfortable I spot Hemp and Soy products behind the counter and I don't mean the good type of Hemp. I don't know any of the right words, clearly out of my depth I call upon my "You're Louis Theroux" coping mechanism and head to the juice bar station. Passing on my way a confusing choice of weird and wonderful (bad choice of words) selections. I know what juice is, not the whole process but I know how juice should look, so I'm good.

I arrive at the juice bar, thinking its fruit and veg chucked in a blender, that should be easy. I gaze up at the choices on the wall and ask for the first one I understand the ingredients of, 'Transcendental'. The juice man asks a few questions, I nod, because quite frankly I don't know all the lingo that the swampy-dreadlocked clientele do, so just go with it. I stand and wait, after 5 minutes I'm told to seat myself and he will bring it over. Its juice, I could have grabbed the ingredients and wazzed them up myself by now.

I see myself to the free corner which resembles a dark corner of a basement, frantically texting El Food one over in the 'Rocco so someone knows my last whereabouts. I quietly play with my phone and don't make eye contact with anyone, deep down I have conceded the fact I may never escape Juiceff Fruitzil's grasp.

After a 17 minute blending exercise my glass of pulp arrives, I diligently gulp it down. Taking note of how chewy it is and wondering how long you need to razz it in a blender to prevent this.

I'm really excited about this place....you can never go wrong with cheap, healthy and wholesome vegetarian food. I had an okra and vegetable stew with rice and peas for £4. It was way too much and I had to have it for lunch the next day (I was not complaining).

It's a great place if you want no-fuss, hearty vegetarian food. They also do a huge range of smoothies which I'm very excited to try.

This lovely little vegetarian cafe is in the basement of the Buddhist Centre and serves up tasty food and freshly juiced fruit and vegetables at reasonable prices. We were only in for a light snack so I had the tasty wholemeal pastry sausage roll (vegan I think) for a mere £1.50 and a cup of coffee. One of our group had a vibrant looking freshly made drink made from among other things celery and beetroot. It was excellent apparently. I wish I'd had a taste! We got there as it opened first thing but I'd definitely like to return and try their Carribean lunches. Recommended!