The meat-free vegetarian and vegan restaurants thriving in Hong Kong amid changing lifestyles
- With Mana celebrating selling its millionth flatbread, founder Bobsy Gaia says young people are driving the vegetarian market
- Pure Veggie House said it would be expanding to Taiwan this year, while Hemingway’s reports record profits since going purely vegan last year
Vegetarian cafe Mana! Fast Slow Food celebrated selling its millionth flatbread this month, a barometer of the increasing appeal of meatless dining in Hong Kong.
Mana is among a rapidly growing number of vegetarian restaurants in the city of which there were close to 250 in 2017, according to figures from Bloomberg. Opening in 2012 with a branch in Central, it has since expanded to Sheung Wan and has a third location due to open in Wan Chai later this year.
Mana’s flats are baked and sprinkled with herbs before being stuffed with either salad greens or vegetables plus a choice of tofu, tempeh, falafel or cheese. They are particularly popular fuel among office workers in Central; in 2017 they were named Deliveroo’s most-ordered item in Hong Kong, and made the food delivery service’s list of its 50 most popular dishes in the world last year.
According to Bobsy Gaia, the Lebanese founder of Mana, 500 flats are now sold every day, a figure that has been “growing exponentially” over the chain’s seven years in business. “We’re getting busier, the footfall is increasing and we’re confident we’re in a good position … 2019 is predicted to be big for veganism, but 2020 is going to be even bigger,” he said at an event to commemorate the millionth flat sold.
While Gaia chalks up the flats’ success to their price – at under HK$100, they are relatively reasonable compared to other lunch options in Hong Kong’s main business district – he says meat-free dining is growing in tandem with greater awareness around sustainability in the city, especially among the younger crowd.