Vegan Dining in Somerville, MA at The Pulse Café & True Bistro

I became a vegan in Boston in 2003, but at the time there were limited options. There was Buddha's Delight (now called My Thai), a delicious Asian vegan restaurant that has a mind blowing selection of faux meats that was unbelievable to me as a new vegan. There was/is also Grasshopper, another yummy Asian place right outside of Boston in Allston. Allston is also home to one of the only vegan pizza joints in the whole country - once called TJ Scallywaggles (seriously) and is now called Peace O Pie. After I moved away a raw vegan restaurant opened in the North End called Grezzo, but they recently closed. Over the years all sorts of vegan options started springing up in and around Boston, so it's always a pleasure to visit.

When I landed at Logan Airport a few days ago I was ready to experience a new vegan restaurant, and I was happily overwhelmed with choices. Something told me I should check out one of two places in Somerville, a cozy residential neighborhood across the river from Boston and next to Cambridge (home of Harvard University). Turns out that was an excellent decision.

Late night vegan meal in Boston: Spike's Junkyard Dogs

Though I always look forward to visiting, one of the reasons I don't miss living in Boston is that everything closes so early. After 8pm it's hard to find anything to eat, unless you're at a bar, and vegan bar food is scarce. So when my sister and I found ourselves hungry in Bean Town after midnight, we headed over to Allston in search of a vegetarian meal (Allston is home to a lot of college students and therefore a lot of restaurants are open after midnight). Mary and I were thrilled to see that Spike's Junkyard Dogs was open at 12:30am, because I had read about their yummy vegan offerings.

The Bristol Lounge at the Four Seasons, Boston

My family goes to The Bristol Lounge at The Four Seasons, Boston every Christmas Eve, and in 2009 they were prepared with some vegan options.

I enjoyed:

• humus
• tomato soup
• risotto with vegetables
• a delicious cocktail

Taste: 8/10

Unique menu & flavors: no, but it was tasty

Organic: not sure

Local: not sure

Healthy: yes (very simple, well prepared)

Customer service: fantastic

Atmosphere: upscale, well decorated, nice lighting

Location: across from Boston Common

Parking: valet, but we park on the street

Price: expensive

Portion Sizes: small/medium

Grasshopper, Allston, MA: review

Grasshopper is an entirely vegan Asian restaurant in Allston, MA, which is right outside of Boston. It has a great reputation but I haven't been there since I was in college. My sister and I made it our first stop on my trip home for the holidays.

We enjoyed:

• Sweet & Sour soup ~ creamy, flavorful
• "Chicken" fingers ~ sweet, didn't taste like chicken, but were good
• The No Name ~ delicious but very unhealthy (fried)
• Curry Coconut Vermicelli Noodle with "Beef" ~ really good

Taste: 7/10

Unique menu & flavors: not really (typical vegan Asian)

Organic: don't think so

Healthy: no (lots of oil, sugar, and fried foods)

Customer service: good

Atmosphere: average; it's a big place

Location: outside of Boston, but accessible via public transit with a bit of a walk

Parking: don't think they have any, and street parking is hard to find

Price: cheap

Portion Sizes: large (you'll probably have leftovers)

Favorite dish: toss up between No Name and Vermicelli

1 North Beacon Street, Allston, MA‎

(617) 254-8883‎

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Grezzo, Boston: review

I've been meaning to go to Grezzo for a while, and finally planned to go with my family this past December. They were equally excited about it, so we made a nice outing/date. And it was the perfect place for that.

Grezzo is nestled in the North End of Boston, which is a strange place to find a raw vegan restaurant. But it fits right in, as they offer some unique italian dishes like gnocchi.

The food was spectacular, the atmosphere was beautiful, and the wait staff was incredibly attentive and intelligent. I even got to check out the kitchen and speak to the chef.

The Otherside Cafe, Boston: review

The Otherside Cafe

TeaLuxe, Boston

TeaLuxe