I love when my family visit me up in Boston. Seeing them is priceless, but let’s get real – after a month of dining hall food, going to the (right) restaurants is a heavenly experience.
That said, however, Boston’s specialty foods – lobster rolls, baked beans, and cream pies – aren’t friendly for the dairy-free, gluten-free, or any other crowd. Have no fear, as Boston’s culinary prowess is expanding. So below are restaurants that I love and look forward to visiting for the next four years.
SOMERVILLE
MANOA POKE SHOP, Hawaiian cuisine
Manoa brings Hawaii to Boston. The Manoa Poke Shop is filled with regular locals and the workers are warm and community-minded: they make you forget you’re in cold Boston! I got their “Salmon Shoe Poke” which has tamari, sesame seeds, and pickled onions. Each bowl comes with white rice, kale salad with pickled carrots and slaw kimchee cucumbers, and Hawai’ian macaroni salad (which I opted out of). You also get your choice of two proteins. There are two vegan options. While their poke bowls may be pricey ($15), they are generously sized and the salmon used is top-grade. The salmon glides into your mouth – and for the sushi aficionados out there, think toro-like texture.
CAMBRIDGE
VEGGIE GALAXY, vegetarian and vegan
For the vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free folk, navigating the breakfast restaurant scene can be difficult. Finding a diner is even more challenging. Luckily for Bostonians, Veggie Galaxy is the divine solution. From their waffle with sweet coconut whipped cream to chickpea avocado salad, Veggie Galaxy is the queen of breakfast. Their fluffy french toast paired with banana butter and maple syrup is simply dreamy. But don’t even think of leaving until you try one of their desserts: weekend donuts, TAZA chocolate cake, and carrot cake are my favorites. Yes, I did eat all of these for breakfast.
Don’t have a sweet tooth? Their chickpea “tuna” stuffed avocado with cherry tomatoes and lemon-dressed mesclun salad is amazing ($10.95).
P.S. My reaction is pure joy.
HONEYCOMB CREAMERY, ice cream (dairy-free options too!)
Honeycomb Creamery is a small batch ice cream shop that uses locally sourced ingredients and is made from scratch from beginning to end (including their own vanilla extract and waffle cones!). They’re known for their unconventional flavor combinations like “Sweet Corn & Blackberry Jam” and “Peach Basil”. I got their dark chocolate sorbet and horchata. Their vegan ice creams are made with coconut cream, cocoa butter, either homemade cashew or brown rice milk, organic cane sugar, and salt.
FENWAY
SPROUT MEDITERRANEAN INSPIRED SALADS, Mediterranean
Sprout takes a mediterranean twist on Sweetgreen. Sprout is family-owned and shares its space with their gyro shop, and you can often catch Northeastern students dropping in for a healthy meal. My favorite salad is their Muay Thai, which has chopped kale, roasted broccoli, corn, scallion, peanuts, lime squeeze, tofu, and Thai cashew dressing ($10.50). The owner told us he picks the ingredients fresh that morning.
WATERTOWN
RED LENTIL VEGETARIAN & VEGAN RESTAURANT, vegetarian and vegan
I like to think of Red Lentil as Veggie Galaxy’s slightly-healthier, non-diner-going cousin who lives in Watertown. I ordered their gluten-free vegan pancakes ($9.99) made with sweet potatoes and dates, served with fruit compote and maple blueberry sauce. They were fluffy and perfectly sweetened, and the maple blueberry sauce flavored it even more. My mom ordered the “Guilt-free Omelet” ($10.99), which was a vegan omelet made with chickpea flour, asparagus, spiced potato mash, avocado, caramelized onions, and jalapeño-cilantro aioli. It was delicious. And as on par with my recent breakfast trend when dining with my parents, I got carrot cake here 🙂 I haven’t tried this restaurant for lunch or dinner, but I will next time and update this accordingly.
MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
FOMU, plant-based ice cream
Fomu is so good, that I sometimes question whether my dairy-loving dad is driving up to Boston for me or for the ice cream. Seriously, “When do you want to go to Fomu?” is one of the first questions he asks me! It’s also so good that it may have been why I chose to go to school in the Boston area. My unlikely, but favorite flavor, is their blueberry gluten-free shortbread, which tastes identical to cheesecake to me. It’s impossible to go wrong with their options, but their George Howell Cold Brew has Haagen-Daas level creaminess and taste, and their Chocolate Pudding is super fudgy.
LIFE ALIVE ORGANIC CAFE, organic and healthy
Coming to Life Alive has been on my To Do list ever since I moved to Boston. After going to the TV show Friends pop-up exhibit, I jumped on the chance to go to Life Alive. In truth, I would have ordered everything on their menu, but alas, I chose two meals. With the cold weather, I grabbed their Blonde Miso, which was chic pea ginger miso broth, broccoli, shiitake, egg, and gluten-free noodles, along with other toppings. It was spicy and satisfying. For the next day, I ordered the Swami, which is a bowl of carrots, broccoli, kale, almonds, and brown rice with sweet curry miso sauce. Yummmmm 🙂 On a separate occasion, I got their Living Caesar salad which was tarty and refreshing.