Eating meat-free hasn’t always been easy, but in Boston, it’s a piece of (vegan) cake.
Our local food scene is as vibrant as ever, so it’s no surprise there are a slew of local chefs serving up fresh vegan and vegetarian bites across town. From the best veggie burger in the US to scrumptious vegan tacos, here are 25 restaurants serving up meat-free fare in Boston.
🍊 The brunch bunch
Mike & Patty’s, Various locations | This grab-and-go breakfast spot is cooking up savory breakfast sandwiches from five locations across Boston. Try this: The Vegan One, featuring “Just egg,” vegan smoked gouda, and blue oyster mushroom hash with maple-sriracha syrup.
LuLu Green, 246 W. Broadway | This South Boston eatery has an all-day breakfast menu featuring acai bowls, avocado toast, juices, coffee, and tea drinks.
Donut Villa Diner, Various locations | This diner in Malden and Cambridge offers a vegan menu with options like the Vegan Breakfast Wrap, vegan waffles, and a black bean burger.
🍔 For the vegan carnivore
Veggie Galaxy, 450 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge | Visit this award-winning eatery for one of the best veggie burgers in the country, according to Yelp.
Oasis Vegan Veggie Parlor, 340 Washington St. | This Dorchester vegan restaurant offers comfort food staples like Ethiopian stews, curry chickpea wraps, and mac and cheese pie.
Taco Party, 711 Broadway, Somerville | Looking for vegan Mexican eats? This colorful spot in Somerville dishes out loaded nachos, plus tacos with creative fillings like jackfruit and chorizo.
🌙 Late-night bites
Roxy’s Grilled Cheese, Various locations | This grilled cheese eatery has vegan options, including a “Rookie Melt” with vegan cheese and tomato, and the “Buffalo ToFu Melt” made with vegan cheddar cheese, buffalo tofu, lettuce, tomato, and ranch.
FoMu Ice Cream, Various locations | All ice creams, snacks, and cakes are handmade from plant-based ingredients. Try this: a pint of grasshopper ice cream, which features a mint chocolate flavor.
Find this dish at Koshari Mama, a family-owned Egyptian restaurant in Somerville.
Photo by @vegan_kween
🍕 Casual eating
Stoked Pizza, Various locations | Try a little bit of everything at this Brookline and Cambridge pizzeria with vegan options like meatballs and marinara, chili cheese fries, and salads.
Koshari Mama, 585 Somerville Ave., Somerville | Egyptian eats are on the menu at this vegan eatery with street food dishes. Try this: the Koshari bowls made with chickpeas and deep-fried onion-topped layers of lentils, rice, and pasta.
Madras Dosa Company, Various locations | Fill your plate with a dosa of Indian-inspired eats. A dosa is a thin lentil crepe that you can fill with anything you want, including vegetarian fillings like spicy potatoes, mixed veggies, and cashew nuts.
Blue Nile, 389 Centre St. | This JP restaurant is known for Ethiopian dishes with plenty of vegetarian and vegan options. Sample as many as you like on a combo plate, which includes vegetarian sides and a salad.
🍸 Date night
True Bistro, 1153 Broadway, Somerville | Make reservations to enjoy this high end vegan restaurant with offerings like Roasted Pepper Ravioli with corn and Thai Red Curry with rice cake.
Forage, 5 Craigie Cir., Cambridge | Visit this farm-to-table bistro for fresh vegetarian small plates like roasted beets, nettle gratin, and broiled asparagus.
Next time you visit PlantPub, order these cauliflower wings.
Photo by @bostonherbivore
🌱 100% vegetarian/vegan eats
PlantPub, 675 W. Kendall St., Cambridge | This fast-casual pub fare eatery is known for plant-based pizzas, cauliflower wings, and soft serve ice cream.
Live Alive, Various locations | For almost 20 years, this cafe has been serving organic, vegetarian eats including menu items like salads, grain bowls, soups, and juices.
Rhythm N’ Wraps, 1096 Commonwealth Ave. | This Allston-Brighton restaurant serves wraps (naturally), plus vegan tacos with fillings like jackfruit, tofu, and refried beans for $4 each. Bonus: there are also burgers, sandwiches, and salads on menu.
Grasshopper, 1 N Beacon St. | This pan-Asian eatery in Allston has a wide selection of items, from veggie dumplings to curry soup.
My Thai Vegan Cafe, 3 Beach St. | Visit this Chinatown staple for a vegan meal that doesn’t skip any flavor or options. Try this: the avocado medley with yellow curry.
Clover Food Lab, Various locations | This Massachusetts-based restaurant serves up a seasonal menu based on what’s fresh in New England. Vegan options include the chickpea fritter, hummus, and French fries with rosemary.
Reader recommendations
Veggie Crust, Various locations | Reader Kristine A. recommends ordering the pizza at this vegetarian restaurant with locations in Somerville, Brookline, Lowell, and Norwood.
Across the Border, 378 Centre St. | Rose R. recommended this Tex-Mex style eatery with vegan options in Jamaica Plain.
Shanti, Various locations | Kristine A. recommends this Indian restaurant with locations in Cambridge, Dorchester, and Roslindale.
Veggie Grill, 57 John F. Kennedy St., Cambridge | Dana C. recommends this Harvard Square spot with burgers, wraps, and bowls.
Red Lentil, 600 Mt. Auburn St., Watertown | Kristine A. sent us this Watertown option that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
🍽️ Chef it up at home
Check out our favorite tips and tricks for serving veggie-focused fare from your own kitchen:
- To make zucchini, carrot, or beet noodles, try a veggie spiralizer that magically turns vegetables into noodles.
- Tired of wasting money on spices you use once? Broth Bomb combines all the spices you need for a flavorful meal.
- Harness the power of fresh and high-quality spices from James Beard Award-winning chef Meherwan Irani.
- A tofu press draws out water and can help tofu firm and crisp up once you cook it — the one linked here is dishwasher safe + works in twenty minutes.
- If your least favorite part about veggie prep is chopping, this all-in-one vegetable chopper can minimize prep time.
- Use a sprouting jar kit to grow microgreens and sprouted beans at home.
- If you’re making fresh bread, this Sourhouse starter jar was designed to be the easiest-to-clean sourdough starter jar in the world.
- For the ultimate veggie food prep, this glass storage container set keeps lunches and leftovers organized.
- Need some good recipes? Browse cookbooks “Inspiralized: Turn Vegetables into Healthy, Creative, Satisfying Meals” for veggie spiral recipes, “The Blue Zones Kitchen: 100 Recipes to Live to 100” for plant-based ideas, or “The Complete Plant-Based Cookbook” from America’s Test Kitchen
What did we miss? If you know a restaurant that’s not on the list, guide us in the right direction + fill out this survey.
