Tired of meat? Making a change? Give these veggie-friendly places a go.
There are over three million vegetarians living in the UK today. As awareness for the cause increases - and more room is made for veggies in supermarkets and restaurants across the country - that number is likely to rise significantly.
While we are experiencing something of a culture shift towards green eating, however, that doesn’t necessarily make it easy for vegetarians and vegans to find places really worth eating at.
Luckily, Liverpool has got it covered.
So here are seven of the healthiest, cheapest and most interesting veggie cafes and restaurants the city has to offer.
Healthiest: White Wolf
4 Cook St, Liverpool L2 9QU
White Wolf Yoga and Kitchen is a Nordic-inspired health and wellbeing space in the city centre. Their kitchen offers soups, cake, juices, shakes and coffee (as well as a short list of alcoholic drinks, in case your detox needs a kick), all made from a range of health-inspired ingredients. These include hemp seed, agave, organic cacao and CBD - a Cannabis-based oil with its own range of health benefits. Their yoga studio next door also provides a full programme of yoga, meditation and relaxation classes.
Recommended dish: CBD-infused cake with vanilla vegan ice cream (£4.50)
Best on a Budget: Egg
16-18 Newington, Liverpool L1 4ED
The Egg Café is situated inside the loft of an old Victorian warehouse, and acts not only as a café, but also as an art gallery, poetry and open-mic venue that’s particularly popular with students and local artists. The food is clean, healthy and cheap – expect all sorts of classic veggie dishes such as quiches, jacket potatoes, stuffed aubergines, pasta and even vegetarian roast dinners. Vegan options are also available – look out for their vegan mac and cheese with slaw and salad. Your wallet will thank you.
Recommended dish: Fresh hummus served with salad and pita (£4.75)
Best Café: Greendays
13A Little Parkfield Rd, Liverpool L17 8US
Not to be confused with a certain mid-00's pop-punk band, Greendays is a stalwart Lark Lane institution and a favourite amongst locals and visitors alike. The food is fresh, homemade and reasonably priced, all served in a delightfully intimate and bright second-floor space overlooking Lark Lane itself. The menu offers a range of breakfast options in the morning, as well as a number of toasties, sarnies, drinks and desserts throughout the day. Their mains menu isn't extensive, but it's affordable as hell and, to be honest, you're probably not going to find a better environment to enjoy it in.
Recommended dish: Chimichanga, made with mashed potatoes, fried onions, peppers, sour cream and harissa - with salad on the side (£6)
Best Breakfast: The Old Hardware Shop
8 Woolton St, Liverpool L25 5JA
Woolton's Old Hardware Shop is a family-owned café featuring an entirely vegan and vegetarian menu. Although their menu is as quality as it is extensive (expect to find everything from pizzas to burgers to meatball subs to hotdogs to platters and more), it's in the morning that the Old Hardware Shop really shines. The café offers five breakfast options, including a traditional full English, a falafel breakfast and a breakfast toastie. Gluten-free and soya-free options are also available.
Recommended dish: breakfast toastie - cheese, black pudding, sausage, bacon, beans and tomato (£4.95)
Best World Food: Sanskruti
Bixteth St, Liverpool L3 9LP
Sanskruti is a restaurant which seeks to explore the many culinary aspects of the Indian sub-continent from an entirely vegan and vegetarian perspective. At first glance, their menu is practically indistinguishable from some of Liverpool's finest Indian and Asian restaurants, but closer inspection will reveal a staggering degree of innovation in the way they fit their ingredients and recipes to the taste of veggie patrons. Familiar, yet exciting: that’s the meaning of Sanskruti.
Recommended dish: Malai Kofta - slow-cooked spinach and potato balls simmered in a cashew nut, onion and tomato gravy (£7.65)
Best Comfort Food: Down the Hatch
62 Duke Street, Liverpool L1 5AA
Vegetarian food isn't exactly the first thing most people think of when after some comforting, satisfying junk - and why would they? Nobody comes in from a night out and rustles together a quinoa salad. Well, here's where Down the Hatch comes in useful - their USP is dirty great food with a veggie twist. Expect to find anything from battered garlic mushrooms and bean burgers to chilli nachos and tofu steaks across their menu. And the best thing is, what with the whole vegetarian thing, it’s all healthy too. Kinda.
Recommended dish: Mac's Big Break - stuffing and mixed bean patty, vegan mac and cheese, crispy shallots, salad and Sriracha, served on a pretzel bun with skinny fries (£9.50)
Best Full-Vegan: The Caledonia
22 Caledonia St, Liverpool L7 7DX
Even in Liverpool, finding a menu that's entirely vegan can sometimes be a daunting task. The last place you'd expect to find one, though, is at the back of a pub. The Caledonia is a community pub just on the edge of the Georgian Quarter which offers a menu made up entirely of vegan food. The options aren't scarcer for that fact, though - they've got a range of burgers, hot dogs, fries, chicken wings, sides and even breakfasts available throughout the day. And not a cow nor a chicken nor a single other animal will be harmed in the making of your meal. Can’t complain, can you?
Recommended dish: BBQ pulled jackfruit dog with pickles, mayo, fries and slaw (£8)
