Founded in London's Primrose Hill neighbourhood in 1966, Manna is the UK's oldest vegan restaurant in continuous operation and Europe's oldest veggie restaurant. The menus rotate to reflect UK seasons and various cuisines. Also has daily specials, a weekly Sunday roast, and organic cakes from its own bakery. Full liquor license with a large vegan and organic wine list. Bookings recommended by text, phone, or via the website. The restaurant is dog friendly. NOTE: Maybe closed June 2025 - please send updates to HappyCow. Open Wed-Thu 18:30-22:00, Fri-Sat 18:30-22:30, Sat-Sun 13:00-16:30, Sun 18:30-21:30. Closed Mon & Tue.
149 Reviews
First Review by Marsglobe
hack_man
Points +28167
A Sublime Pleasure - Edit
Set in idyllic Primrose Hill, it was a pleasure to finally come here after reading and fantasising so much about it. Let's get straight to the food. Starters were cashew nut and jalapeno cheese croquettes. Verdict, awesome. We had two main courses. An outrageously delicious and sublimely presented grilled vegetable and chipotle tofu kebab with black bean and green pepper taquitos served with salsa and a salad dressed with vegan sour cream. The other main course was a crazily tasty Lebanese mezze platter with hummus, falafel, peppers and various dips and sauces. To finish, the cheescake of the day to share was just outstanding. An exceptional choice in London worthy of a place in my Happy Cow top 10!!
Read morePros: food, relaxed staff, location
Guest
GiraffeGirl
Points +338
Delicious! - Edit
Lovely food! We had the nachos to share to start which were lovely, the cashew nut cheese intrigued me and was very nice. I had the chef's salad and my partner had the stuffed polenta & wild mushroom ragu - both of which were varied and delicious. For dessert we shared the peanut butter cheese cake with chocolate ice-cream which was also yum! It's quite an expensive place - mains are around £14 and desserts £8 but all the food was so fresh and beautifully prepared and presented. I would definitely go again.
Read morePros: tasty, good range of mains & dessert, very pleasant staff
Cons: could be a little noisy
Guest
StretcherClub
Points +66
One of the best Vegan eats in London - Edit
Great tasting food and big portion sizes. Fine dining experience which can seem expensive but is good value for money and a nice treat for a Vegan restaurant. Drinks were definitely overpriced. Bangers and mash and nachos starter were both standout.
Read morePros: friendly staff, nice atmosphere, delicious, well prepared food
Cons: Some items overpriced
Guest
JonJon
Points +20904
Amazing! - Edit
Manna Cuisine is definitely the best restaurant we've done in London. 100% vegan, it offers an excellent fine cuisine, associated with big portions. In absolute terms, it is relatively pricey, but considering their food quality and the place, it is very fair.
Read moreWe took an Indian thali which was great, a vegan bangers, a burger and hummus as a starter, and we were definitely too full to take a dessert (but they looks delicious on the other tables).
The place has a very nice atmosphere and the whole experience was great!
Pros: excellent food with big portions, fine cuisine, nice place and atmosphere
Cons: a little pricey, but fair for food quality
Guest
elrujo
Points +236
VEGAN CLASSY PLACE - Edit
if u r looking for a nice a bit on the classy side type of vegan restaurant then this is the one to go
Read moregood setting and has some great dishes to serve
Pros: great location
Cons: small portions and so pricy
Guest
thesoulution
Points +22
Manna! Don't You Wanna?!? - Edit
Amazing! That one word sums up the whole experience here. Such a fun & cute neighborhood it's in. The service was amazing. We ordered the jalapeño cashew cheese croquettes for a starter & mmm mmm mmm it was delish! The ranch that's served with it really steps the flavor up a notch. I was so excited before dining here when I seen their menu online & noticed they had bangers & mash VEGAN style. This is a very popular traditional English dish that's heavy on the sausage & casein infested products so when I seen they had a vegan rendition I was excited. It was delicious the "sausage" was my favorite part. I still think about that dish. My boyfriend ordered the mushroom Ragu & polenta & he said it was delicious. I was nibbling off of his plate & definitely agreed. Overall, we left here very satisfied.
Read morePros: Delicious food, Attentive Service, Fun Location
Guest
Ajolote
Points +1765
are you a foodie in London? come to Manna, quickly! - Edit
I made a reservation for one person at Manna for a Wednesday evening and was promptly seated at a great little table with great courtesy. The restaurant is small and cozy and it feels like you are seating at someone's dining room. The friendly waiter immediately offered me water and proceeded to read me the chef's specials. I chose a tart and main courses that were in the specials menu . OMG, what a great decision! The tart was flaky and I felt that I was eating a tuna pie without the fishy flavor. Then, came a tower of potatoes, a wild rice patty and a rucola and broccoli salad on top. All on a bed of a bell pepper sauce and flanked by a corn ratatouille. Heavenly tasty! The dessert list was wide and encouraging, so I ordered sticky toffee pudding and a capuccino. Everything was as delicious as it was beautiful. They offer a 5-course dinner for £40, which is a steal for London.
Read morePros: service, presentation, all vegan
Cons: small menu
Guest
millavinilla
Points +237
In Love - Edit
Loved, loved my meal here. Such a great menu and it's so wonderful that it's all vegan. Staff was really friendly. Really enjoyed the special which was a beetroot risotto. Also thoroughly enjoyed the icecream cookie cake and that they serve almond milk with the coffee. Already planning our next visit!
Read morePros: All vegan!, Extensive menu, Friendly service/accepts bookings
Cons: None
Guest
gen6
Points +95
Amazing! - Edit
Visited manna as a special treat, and it was very special! I loved each course, each as fresh and well-flavoured as the last. Looking forward to visiting again, well worth the money
Read moreGuest
KatieBatty
Points +1512
Sublime - Edit
This food is as good as New York's finest vegan restaurants. My partner ordered four starters instead of a main - garlic greens, hummus and bread, crispy tofu and mash with gravy - these were all amazing. I had the bangers and mash with greens which was incredible - the sausages tasted very gourmet. It was topped with onion rings which were great. We had fresh mocktails which were delicious. So good!
Read moreFor dessert my partner had peanut butter custard topped with chocolate and caramel sauce which was divine. I had the semi-freddo which was the the BEST DESSERT ever! It was ice cream mixed with chocolate chips and cookies - so, so, so good.
Expensive but worth it! Great service.
Pros: Amazing food, All vegan
Guest
MelissaMouse
Points +50
You Must Go! - Edit
The food here was fantastic I cannot recommend it enough.
Read moreI went alone last time I was in London. I felt relaxed and found the staff genuinely helpful and friendly when asked for advice.
The price of food is fairly high for my budget but I went as a special treat as there a few vegan or vegetarian restaurants where I live. It is NOT expensive as the food was worth every penny.
What a treat to go somewhere and not to have to dissect the menu or skip dessert. I had 3 courses (bread to start) and a hot cinnamon drink and the bill was just over £40.
Highly recommended.
Pros: Everything
Guest
Steffi Giraffe
Points +79
Blown away - Edit
I was literally amazed the first time I visited Manna. Everything was perfect. Everything was delicious and it seemed incredible that it was vegan. I had a white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake that was faultless. The same thing happened the next time I visited, though the last time was a bit of a let down after the previous two visits (only in the dessert area - the only chocolatey option was a not very chocolatey brownie with a strange consistency).
Read moreI think this restaurant leads the way for vegan cuisine. I am disappointed not to be able to go more often but I cannot justify going because of the price. It is the most expensive vegetarian/vegan restaurant and despite its top quality food I don't know if it should be quite that pricey.
It truly is something special though.
Pros: Incredible, innovative vegan food, Nice location, Menu is updated regularly
Cons: Very expensive
Guest
ELyzab
Points +85
Lovely - Edit
My friend booked a table of thirteen for my baby shower.
Read morePros: great food, nice people, no rush
Cons: pricey
Guest
lachat
Points +294
Delicious vegan food & friendly staff - Edit
Great delicious vegan food, including amazing desserts! It is expensive but its worth it! The staff was very friendly, making us feel welcome & comfortable.
Read morePros: Delicious food, Great desserts, Friendly staff
Cons: Annoying 'elevator-style' music
Guest
AlessandroPalmesi
Points +355
Wonderful Vegan Restaurant! - Edit
We had 1 shared starter, 1 shared main course, two sides and two fantastic deserts: Vegan cheescake with coconut and passion fruit, raw cake with cahews and choccolat . Not a cheap restaurant, but very good value considering the quality (26 pound each, for us).
Read moreAlso available a wide selection of organic and vegan wine.
Delicious food, very well presented. Good portion size.
Very friendly service.
All the menù is vegan.
Excellent place for romantic dinners.
Pros: Food Quality , Service , Food Presentation
Cons: Prices
Guest
MuK-UK
Points +262
Great meal. - Edit
I had not been to Manna in years before yesterday, and was pleasantly surprised. The food was excellent, with generous portions, and we were able to have a very relaxed meal over several hours. The staff were pleasant and gluten free options were clearly marked on the menu. However it remains as expensive as ever. I will certainly be trying to go back sooner this time.
Read morePros: Good food., Good portions., Pleasant atmosphere.
Cons: Expensive.
Guest
lady_linzi
Points +79
Nice but I don't think I'd go back. - Edit
Went on a Saturday night with a couple of friends, one an omnivore and one a pescatarian. It was really busy which is a good sign, no spare tables anywhere. The food we had was good, probably my favourite dish of the evening was the nachos we had to start (I miss going out and having nachos!) They use a cashew cheese sauce on them along with all of the usual fixings and they were really really good. However, I do have to warn you that the (average sized) plate of nachos was a whopping £12. The main courses we had were good although there wasn't much on the menu that really inspired me to be honest. I had their Thanksgiving tempeh roast and it was delicious, my friend had the bangers and mash which was really tasty. For dessert I had their supposedly famous Irish cream cheesecake which I think is made from soy, and I have to say that I found it quite bland. The chocolate and nut ice cream that came with it however was amazing. My friend had the sticky toffee pudding and that was a winner, wish I'd had that! The main negative for the evening (I expected it to be expensive so I was prepared for that) was the service. It was polite but fairly indifferent and we were left alone for long periods of time with no one paying any attention to us. It took quite a while to get a dessert menu and even to get the bill and while we were waiting we saw the staff hanging around at the bar just chatting to each other. So while it was nice, it wasn't exceptional or great value, although I was especially happy that my omnivore friend really liked her vegan food!
Read morePros: Lively atmosphere, Vegan desserts!, Nice neighbourhood
Cons: Fairly terrible service, Pretty damn pricy, Not a very varied menu
Guest
Chris W
Points +501
Some of the best vegan food in London - Edit
Over the past couple of years we have found that Manna is one of the best, if not the best, restaurants for vegan (and vegetarian)food in London. The service is friendly, and the restaurant has a really good ambience. Most importantly the food is great. It is always beautifully presented and there is always an interesting additional daily option.
Read morePros: Great vegan food, Good atmosphere, Friendly service
Guest
sandberry
Points +53
Inconsistent - Edit
What's up with Manna these days? Once Manna was excellent, truly excellent, not quite world class but pretty good, certainly the best in London. Then it started getting worse so I wrote a bad review on here and then removed it after a good experience and now been back again and not so sure I wasn't right the first time.
Read moreSo our recent experience with Manna
Menu- really is getting more boring each time for main courses, starters they are more adventurous with and we'll get to desserts later. One special a day does not do it.
Staff: friendly enough but seem to have less autonomy than they used to.
Food: Starters- portions have got smaller and smaller, had satay and was markedly worse than ever before, soggy,little flavour
Main course. DH had the special and was excellent, old Manna standard definitely, good food. I had Chef's salad, it is not as good as it used to be, small portions of the tasty stuff and too many leaves but still good enough
Dessert: we got unlucky here. Now why go to Manna and not to somewhere like Amico Bio which serves great simple fresh food? It is because Manna is one of the few places which does decent vegan desserts. Having had a fab experience of their Knickerbocker Glory in the past, we opted for the Banana Split. Bad choice! three scoops of Swedish glace (we can buy that in the shops, why homemade ice cream for everything else but not the Banana split), a halved banana, a teaspoon literally of sauce and squirty cream. Now I'm sorry but that is way below standard. So we complained.
Apologies and you can have it off the bill, okay, we were pleased with that, we hadn't intended for them to take it off the bill, just wanted to let them know that perhaps they could reconsider how they made their banana splits
two minutes later "no we can't take it off the bill"
well fine but why tell us you can.
£100 bill as usual and left feeling disappointed.
This is our Manna problem at the moment,you leave disappointed, don't go back for a while and eat in other places and then get tempted back by the great sounding menu and fond memories of the past, you go back hopeful and leave disappointed. It is a vicious circle. The question is can we break it. Is it possible to have a great experience at Manna now or will we eventually realize that our hope is misplaced, that the best we will get will be okay.
I am giving them four cows because comparing to other veg places they are still above average but will they continue their downward slide or improve?
Pros: some great food, friendly staff
Cons: inconsistent, menu dull, on a downward slide
Guest
Rosa and Joe
Points +595
awful! - Edit
can't believe how many good reviews this place has, it's terrible. Very expensive, but serves bland, mediocre food. We don't mind splashing out for a treat, we went for our anniversary, but it's cheeky charging so much for this food...
Read moreThe menu was a vegan version of 'Abigail's Party', trying to be posh and impressive but the cheese croquettes reminded us of Findus Crispy Pancakes! Also tried tasteless jerk tofu, nothing else was memorable enough to have stuck in the mind!
Admittedly the cheesecake was good. It's great that anyone opens a vegan restaurant aspiring to gourmet food, but this is gourmet prices without gourmet quality
Guest
anarchistanimal
Points +563
Excellent - Edit
The menu was extensive and totally vegan. Nice atmosphere - classy but relaxed with friendly workers. We had the polenta feast, a thali, the cashew cheese croquets, and spaghetti and veat balls. For dessert we had a banana split and a nut cheese cake. Everything was awesome.
Read morePros: Fully vegan, Extensive menu, Friendly workers
Guest
drubot
Points +61
Best Vegan food in London!!! - Edit
On my last night in London, I really broke the bank at Manna, but it was absolutely worth it! (For the record, you can eat there without breaking the bank, I just chose not to, electing instead for drinks, an appetizer, main course, and dessert!) I had conversations with all of the staff there that evening, including the proprietor and his wife; I've never dined by myself and felt less alone!! I highly recommend the bangers and mash (how can you not, when you're in London?) and the banana split is divine. They even provided me with some free snacks to take with me for my train the following day! Manna is a fantastic restaurant. You won't be disappointed. (Check the website for directions; they're spot on, even for someone as prone to getting lost as myself.)
Read morePros: Fantastic food, Friendly staff, Nice ambiance and neighbourhood
Guest
necropalice
Points +131
Classy and Delicious - Edit
My omni boyfriend surprised me by booking us a table at Manna for our one year anniversary. It was the perfect choice: the food was amazing, the interior elegant and classy, and there was a pleasant atmosphere. We basically gorged ourselves on raw maki rolls to start, followed by vegan enchiladas for my boyfriend and a chef's salad for me. I worried I was rolling with a boring choice, but I couldn't resist the sexy siren's call of caperberries, caramelised onions, potato salad, artichoke, greens and all sorts of other exciting ingredients piled onto one plate. After dinner, we shared a Mexican hot chocolate cake with tequila sorbet and berries. It was vegan. It was amazing. It was so good, I sometimes still think of it wistfully and am considering getting its image tattooed on my chest. We lingered over our Freedom beers and moonwalked out of there with full bellies. Basically, Manna's delicious food made my boyfriend look like hot [censored], so everyone was a winner.
Read morePros: high quality ingredients, ridiculously good deserts, beautiful interior
Cons: it isn't in my house, too expensive to be a regular haunt
Guest
Tara HD
Points +974
Good but not excellent - Edit
I've been to several vegan/vegetarian gourmet retaurants already, so my expectations were high. The food at manna was good and the dessert (banoffee trifle) absolutely fantastic but altogether I would have expected a little more (creativity and excellence) for the prices.
Read morePros: banoffee trifle
Cons: pricey
Guest
estefinparis
Points +881
Very good, a bit expensive - Edit
Manna is located in a small road, a few minutes' walk from the Chalk Farm tube station (be sure to check their website for instructions and not google maps!). The atmosphere is immediately warm and welcoming, and the staff very friendly. We were not very hungry when we got to Manna, but the menu was so full of attractive options that is was difficult to chose. We opted for a mezze platter consisting of 3 starters (among which the jerk tofu was the clear highlight) as well as the nachos, which were ok, although the guacamole, salsa and cheese were a bit bland for our taste. Every Sunday they serve a different "roast", and the one we had, consisting of a great variety of vegetables, was very good. For dessert we enjoyed both a banoffee trifle and the strawberry cheesecake, which as the menu states, you shouldn't miss. All in all a very good meal, just make sure to check the prices first if you're on a budget.
Read moreGuest
shirley1
Points +340
The best meal ever - Edit
I have traveled alot and always eat in vegie restuarants and I think this was the best meal I have ever had.
Read moreI started with the natchos (to share) as I have never had them before. the tortillas were crisp and it had black beans and guacamole and a cream made of cashew nuts...it was amazing
My husband had the ravioli which had a mushroom walnut pate and a fennel cream sauce....also delicious.
For my main dish I had bangers and mash....it was all organic and the bangers were made from fennel and pumkin seed and was crispy ,the mash was made from parsnip and carrots with a red wine leak and thyme jus...YUMMY....
My husband had the enchalada which was also very yum-o
I then had to have desert ...which I never ever eat...It was the baked stuffed apple in a puff pastry wrap.!!!
The staff were very knowledgeable and the owner Robin was a delight ,
When I am in London again I will absolutly eat there.
I live in Canada
Pros: great food, great staff, very satisfying
Guest
sfio
Points +4015
Nice to have many of vegan choices - Edit
After I hadn't been for a couple of years, my partner and I booked a table this Valentine's Day 2011. Manna offered a special 7 course menu, which at £50 and including an aperitif and a glass of wine was reasonable.
Read moreI was pleasantly surprised when I realized all food was vegan - including the desserts, which was a choice between raspberry tofu cheesecake and dark chocolate pot with whipped cream.
The waiter was very friendly and attentive in a non-obtrusive way. He was also knowledgeable about the wine choices and when he realized that we struggled to finish the 7th course (petite fours), got the course wrapped us for us take away (something that is not necessarily that common in the UK).
I really enjoyed the canapes and mushroom shooters, the sweet potato soup. I absolutely adored the desserts, especially the tofu cheesecake. While the polenta cakes were nice, I'm not sure that the edamame beans went particularly well. The fried courgette flower however was very nice.
The restaurant is just off the Primrose Hill high street. Closest tube station is Chalk Farm, from which it's a 5-10 min walk to the restaurant. Just around the corner is the famous Primrose Hill from which the views over London are stunning, particularly on a clear day. Walking up before or after a Manna meals also relieves one to some extent of the dessert guilt.
Pros: Fresh ingredients, Wide vegan choice, Vegan wines and spirits available
Guest
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