It’s not too difficult to dine well as a vegetarian or vegan in Greater Boston. The number of great strictly vegan restaurants in and around the city is growing, and plenty of restaurants that aren’t meat-free also offer substantial meatless options, satisfying any appetite.
From a Newbury Street ramen shop to a restaurant slinging dosas in the Seaport and Harvard Square, here are 14 of the best Boston-area restaurants for vegetarian and vegan meals.
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Taco Party, which began as a food truck, is located in Somerville’s Ball Square. The vegan restaurant specializes in tacos, as the name suggests, like chorizo seitan and lentils al pastor, and rounds things out with a few sides including nachos, bean dip, and tortas.
Vegan Egyptian restaurant Koshari Mama is a graduate of Somerville’s Bow Market, now open in its own space just a little bit outside of Union Square. The restaurant features its namesake dish, koshari, which layers rice, lentils, pasta, and chickpeas with deep-fried onions and a variety of sauces, like the spicy tomato and garlic sauce shatta. You’ll also find treats like mushroom shawarma, a spinach and split pea stew, and moussaka, plus beer and wine.
This sit-down spot in Watertown offers lunch, dinner, and brunch dishes from around the world, including paella, Jamaican jerk tempeh, and nutty lasagna. Many vegetarian dishes can be ordered vegan or gluten-free. You can also choose from a long list of vegan smoothies, juices, or organic wines.
The team behind Mamaleh’s Delicatessen — which dishes out tasty Reubens and more from several spots around Boston — recently opened up this petite 25-seat events space and testing kitchen in Kendall Square. Besides hosting pop-ups and events, the spot serves vegan breakfast and lunch Thursdays to Sundays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Drop in for your fill of carrot lox bagel sandwiches, vegan corned beef sandwiches, and plant-based Jewish favorites like chopped liver.
Terramia Ristorante isn’t a meat-free restaurant, but it offers a robust selection of vegan pasta dishes in true North End style. This isn’t just pasta dolloped with tomato sauce; you can find vegan ravioli, meat-free meatballs, and a vegan parmesan substitute that guests swear by. Top the meal off with vegan gelato for dessert.
A classic diner sans meat, Veggie Galaxy has a full breakfast menu with the likes of pancakes slathered in caramelized banana butter, plus soups and salads, veggie burgers, and assorted entrees, including a variety of hearty sandwiches like a BLT with tempeh bacon. But save room for pies, frappes, cheesecake, and other all-vegan desserts.
After closing for a bit, this beloved vegan and vegetarian restaurant is open in its new location within the 88 Market Food Court. The menu is thankfully unchanged, with all the fan-favorites, including bowls of tofu in spicy coconut curry, a wealth of noodle dishes, and warming soups. The meals feature seitan, tofu, and tons of vegetables, and the Grasshopper Supreme — chili basil sauce slathered on steamed eggplant — is a must-try.
Tucked into a second floor space in Chinatown, My Thai Vegan Cafe serves up an extensive menu of vegan-friendly Thai favorites. Enjoy pad Thai, fried rice, and savory curries with your choice of veggie shrimp, chicken, and beef alternatives, plus tofu. Many dishes are camera-ready, like the “Bird’s Nest,” a nest woven with fried taro root and overflowing with colorful veggies and vegan proteins in a spicy green curry sauce.
Gigantic dosas are the move at this casual, counter-service spot in the Seaport and Harvard Square. There’s a wide variety of veggie options — spicy potatoes, green chiles, and Lays potato chips, to name a few — and each dosa comes custom-stuffed with however many fillings you want.
Vegan Japanese restaurant Red White features several styles of ramen, such as the Yuzu Sesame with vegan meat and tofu, corn, onion, and arugula. Aside from ramen, you’ll find a rice bowl with black rice and avocado and a few sides, including spicy mac and beets.
Stoked Pizza — which now has Brookline and Cambridge locations — isn’t meatless, but it does offer a full vegan menu with appetizers and a range of pizza options, some without cheese and some with a vegan mozzarella alternative. Be sure to check out the fun tropical cocktail list, too.
Along with a terrific selection of breads, this restaurant and juice bar in South Boson whips up vegan meals that are much more than simple salads. For brunch, a special treat is the vegan prosciutto scramble, with seitan prosciutto and plant-based eggs. Wash it down with the signature mint cold brew iced latte. For lunch and dinner, global flavors reign, from the bowl with shawarma-spiced seitan, to the tacos with pastor seitan and grilled pineapple.
Blue Nile, a handsome Ethiopian restaurant in JP, offers plenty of vegetarian and vegan options, many of which you can sample all at once via a combo plate, which includes split yellow peas and plenty of tangy injera bread. Also worth a visit: Blue Nile’s sibling, Ethiopian Cafe, just a few doors down at 377 Centre Street.
This neighborhood Jamaican spot in Codman Square offers a vegan menu for plant-based eaters to dig into fried plantains, rice and beans, vegan mac-and-cheese, and meat alternatives in spicy jerk seasoning.
Taco Party, which began as a food truck, is located in Somerville’s Ball Square. The vegan restaurant specializes in tacos, as the name suggests, like chorizo seitan and lentils al pastor, and rounds things out with a few sides including nachos, bean dip, and tortas.
Vegan Egyptian restaurant Koshari Mama is a graduate of Somerville’s Bow Market, now open in its own space just a little bit outside of Union Square. The restaurant features its namesake dish, koshari, which layers rice, lentils, pasta, and chickpeas with deep-fried onions and a variety of sauces, like the spicy tomato and garlic sauce shatta. You’ll also find treats like mushroom shawarma, a spinach and split pea stew, and moussaka, plus beer and wine.
This sit-down spot in Watertown offers lunch, dinner, and brunch dishes from around the world, including paella, Jamaican jerk tempeh, and nutty lasagna. Many vegetarian dishes can be ordered vegan or gluten-free. You can also choose from a long list of vegan smoothies, juices, or organic wines.
The team behind Mamaleh’s Delicatessen — which dishes out tasty Reubens and more from several spots around Boston — recently opened up this petite 25-seat events space and testing kitchen in Kendall Square. Besides hosting pop-ups and events, the spot serves vegan breakfast and lunch Thursdays to Sundays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Drop in for your fill of carrot lox bagel sandwiches, vegan corned beef sandwiches, and plant-based Jewish favorites like chopped liver.
Terramia Ristorante isn’t a meat-free restaurant, but it offers a robust selection of vegan pasta dishes in true North End style. This isn’t just pasta dolloped with tomato sauce; you can find vegan ravioli, meat-free meatballs, and a vegan parmesan substitute that guests swear by. Top the meal off with vegan gelato for dessert.
A classic diner sans meat, Veggie Galaxy has a full breakfast menu with the likes of pancakes slathered in caramelized banana butter, plus soups and salads, veggie burgers, and assorted entrees, including a variety of hearty sandwiches like a BLT with tempeh bacon. But save room for pies, frappes, cheesecake, and other all-vegan desserts.
After closing for a bit, this beloved vegan and vegetarian restaurant is open in its new location within the 88 Market Food Court. The menu is thankfully unchanged, with all the fan-favorites, including bowls of tofu in spicy coconut curry, a wealth of noodle dishes, and warming soups. The meals feature seitan, tofu, and tons of vegetables, and the Grasshopper Supreme — chili basil sauce slathered on steamed eggplant — is a must-try.
Tucked into a second floor space in Chinatown, My Thai Vegan Cafe serves up an extensive menu of vegan-friendly Thai favorites. Enjoy pad Thai, fried rice, and savory curries with your choice of veggie shrimp, chicken, and beef alternatives, plus tofu. Many dishes are camera-ready, like the “Bird’s Nest,” a nest woven with fried taro root and overflowing with colorful veggies and vegan proteins in a spicy green curry sauce.
Gigantic dosas are the move at this casual, counter-service spot in the Seaport and Harvard Square. There’s a wide variety of veggie options — spicy potatoes, green chiles, and Lays potato chips, to name a few — and each dosa comes custom-stuffed with however many fillings you want.
Vegan Japanese restaurant Red White features several styles of ramen, such as the Yuzu Sesame with vegan meat and tofu, corn, onion, and arugula. Aside from ramen, you’ll find a rice bowl with black rice and avocado and a few sides, including spicy mac and beets.
Stoked Pizza — which now has Brookline and Cambridge locations — isn’t meatless, but it does offer a full vegan menu with appetizers and a range of pizza options, some without cheese and some with a vegan mozzarella alternative. Be sure to check out the fun tropical cocktail list, too.
Along with a terrific selection of breads, this restaurant and juice bar in South Boson whips up vegan meals that are much more than simple salads. For brunch, a special treat is the vegan prosciutto scramble, with seitan prosciutto and plant-based eggs. Wash it down with the signature mint cold brew iced latte. For lunch and dinner, global flavors reign, from the bowl with shawarma-spiced seitan, to the tacos with pastor seitan and grilled pineapple.
Blue Nile, a handsome Ethiopian restaurant in JP, offers plenty of vegetarian and vegan options, many of which you can sample all at once via a combo plate, which includes split yellow peas and plenty of tangy injera bread. Also worth a visit: Blue Nile’s sibling, Ethiopian Cafe, just a few doors down at 377 Centre Street.
This neighborhood Jamaican spot in Codman Square offers a vegan menu for plant-based eaters to dig into fried plantains, rice and beans, vegan mac-and-cheese, and meat alternatives in spicy jerk seasoning.