about us

Welcome to manna, Europe’s finest and oldest gourmet vegetarian restaurant. Join our friends, old and new and from far and wide, as manna celebrates its 43rd anniversary! We’ve had the privilege of owning manna since 1995 and over the years our cuisine has developed under the stewardship of a distinguished array of international chefs. Before acquiring manna we were regular customers, even eating here during the turbulent 1960’s, a time of great change in London and around the world.  A new sensibility swept the lands then; consciousness and self-awareness were explored and we questioned everything, including the effects of our actions upon others and ourselves. Our eating habits came under scrutiny like never before. While London continued its longstanding tradition of welcoming immigrants—with their exotic cuisine—from around the world, we investigated so many foods, philosophies and disciplines and discovered new delights and new paths to health. And through this, although common to many cultures throughout the millennia, vegetarianism soon became the logical choice of an increasing number of people in contemporary society. A new vegetarian movement was born and in London manna led the way.

Forty years on, health is now a prime directive in society. No longer are there any doubts that proper health maintenance is achievable in no small part through our eating habits. Few people today are unaware of the socio-ecological consequences of a toxic modern world. Responsibly produced alternatives to a world of mass production increasingly become mainstream and those of us who, with a loud voice, led that movement demanded natural nourishment from our foods. Now life without dairy products is attracting the same attention that simple vegetarianism once did, vegans the new vegetarians…

One unfortunate myth, perhaps, is that healthy eating lacks connoisseur taste and gourmet presentation. We know better. We’ve been eating ethnic gourmet vegetarian and vegan food for decades. When the opportunity arose to acquire manna, a prime motive was to provide fine dining in the international tradition but with meatless recipes and vegan alternatives rarely available in restaurants, anywhere. We travel the world compiling our recipes before bringing them lovingly to you. We use only the highest quality, ecologically and socially responsible ingredients — fair trade products when available and organic and local products whenever fresh and viable – and, of course, all our food is GM free. Peruse and sample our wine list and drinks menu also. All of our wines are organic and vegan and all items must meet our highest standards before offering them to you. We carefully select and proudly offer only the finest varieties available.

manna makes every effort to provide you with the finest healthy nourishment in a friendly, clean, harmonious and relaxing environment. All meals are individually prepared fresh every day, including our homemade organic breads. Your satisfaction is of paramount importance to us.

manna is also very proud to offer a full catering service for every kind of event, large or small. We would very much enjoy bringing the manna experience directly to you. We offer the same quality of cuisine and service as at the restaurant and have designed a special menu based on years of successful catering for a large and sophisticated international clientele, including many celebrities. We maintain some flexibility in our catering service and will do our best to help you design your perfect affair.