Resurrection in Ramsbottom!

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Someone in the comments section on this blog recently alerted me to a 100% vegan restaurant and shop that opened in Ramsbottom last year. A few clicks later, I was scanning the enticing menu of Lolo’s Vegan and Raw Restaurant and Store.

Check it out below.

Situated just to the north of Manchester, Lolo’s is a one-stop-shop. Not only do they serve up delicious vegan food (including several raw options), there is also an on-site shop to pick up some cruelty-free groceries to take home so you can re-create the culinary delights.

I reached out to Laura – the owner of Lolo’s – for some more information:

Lolo’s is set up on a prominent corner in a bustling Lancashire town called Ramsbottom. This town is a meat and two veg kinda place, so a vegan restaurant here had to be big and it had to be stylish.

For me, nothing is more exciting than the glitz and glamour of 1920s prohibition New York. I wanted to use the vibe and imagery of this era in my restaurant, so gone is the idea of the vegan cliche and bamboo leaves (not that there’s anything wrong with that), but Lolo’s was created with a desire to make veganism appealing to the mainstream.

I became vegan after 20 years of vegetarianism. I was weaning my daughter and wanted to research the best diet for her. All I read was vegan, vegan, vegan. I turned vegan overnight, packed in my teaching job and voilà… LOLO’S, named after my daughter.

Head chef here at Lolo’s is David Wilson, formerly of Dandelion and Burdock in Sowerby Bridge. I’m incredibly lucky to have him as he has built up own legion of followers over many years of running a very successful restaurant. As far as vegan chefs go, he’s the best! He has two sous chefs under him, both local, both vegan and both learning to create dishes such as creole potato salad, club sandwiches, Caribbean stews and maple pecan pie.

My staff are vegan and local, my veg is organic and local, my energy is renewable and my shop is filled with vegan goodies for home, beauty, fridge, freezer and cupboard. Everything is organic, Fairtrade (wherever possible) and palm oil free.

We are licensed and are launching our 1920’s inspired cocktails this week including ‘The Manhattan’ and ‘Bees Knees’. Lunch times are informal with a New York deli sandwich menu feel and children are welcome, however evenings are more formal with tablecloths and crystal on the tables. We have jazz and blues playing all day and night.

It all sounds amazing and I can’t wait to get to Lolo’s to try all of the things. Here are some more photos provided by Laura which have me drooling.

FGV and I were devastated when Dandelion & Burdock in Sowerby Bridge closed in 2014 as it was probably our favourite restaurant in the UK. We’re delighted to hear that David is now the head chef at Lolo’s!

Be sure to follow Lolo’s on Twitter, like them on Facebook and visit their website.

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