My 12 Favorite Vegan Restaurants in Boston—Local’s Guide

Boston is a pretty vegan-friendly city, and there are many options from all kinds of cuisines. Here are my absolute favorite spots across the city, sampled over several years. Stay till the end for a free map!

Best Vegan Restaurants in Boston

1. My Thai Vegan Cafe

Location: Chinatown
Type of food: Asian fusion, vegan only

My Thai has been one true love for 9 years now. During my very first visit to Boston, I stumbled upon this vegan spot in Chinatown, and gave it a try. The entryway to the restaurant almost put me off, as you have to go up this foul-smelling and worn-down staircase. But when I reached the top of the stairs, I found a perfectly-fine dining area full of plants, and offering a lovely view of the city.

Pronounced “me Thai,” My Thai is family-run vegan fusion restaurant. The owners are actually Vietnamese, and that’s why “my” in the name is pronunced “me.” This translates as “American Thai.”

You’ll find an extremely extensive menu, offering dishes from Pad Thai to curry to “fish.” Prices are also very reasonable. Unfortunately, as much as I rave about the food, the dishes are hit-or-miss. After lots of trial and error, I can recommend the following:

• Pad kee mao with veggie chicken: an absolute dream of wide rice noodles with green onions, fried eggplant, basil, and “chicken.” It is quite oily, but so good.
• Half pineapple: you get half a pineapple (what a surprise) carved out and filled with veggies and all kinds of veggie meat. This is a nice mix of sweet and savory (please scoop out the pineapple flesh and eat it though–it pains me when it’s just tossed after haha).
• Bird’s nest: a traditional Chinese dish, with veggies and vegan protein resting on a “nest” of fried taro. 
• Choo chee fisherman: the waiter told us before ordering that the dish “wasn’t very popular” haha, but I found the veggie fish quite tasty. 

The last three dishes are more “specialty” items, and do cost around $20, but they easily feed two people. I also used to love their bubble tea (the strawberry was so good!), but the tapioca pearls can be really hard sometimes. It’s up to you if you want to take that risk.

Also keep in mind that the waitstaff may not speak very much English, and that service can be slow. I still love this place, but please keep your expectations realistic. 

2. Grasshopper Restaurant

Location: Allston
Type of food: Asian fusion

Grasshopper almost unseated My Thai as my favorite vegan restaurant in Boston, but the truth is that the flavors aren’t really similar enough to be compared. Grasshopper is another Asian fusion restaurant, offering large portions and affordable prices. The lunch specials are an incredible deal.

I especially like the Sizzling Platter, full of various veggie “meats” and “seafood,” and the Lemongrass Seitan. I didn’t love the vermicelli as much, since it was plain, and came with sauce and veggies on the side.

3. Veggie Galaxy

Location: Cambridge
Type of food: American

Veggie Galaxy is a classic American diner that’s fully vegetarian (and everything can be made vegan). You can grab a booth or a stool at the bar, and sit down to enjoy classics like mac n’ cheese, chick’n alfredo (with cauliflower alredo sauce, or chik’n and waffles. 

There’s also a selection of 100% vegan desserts, including Boston cream pie, layer cake, and cheescake. 

4. Rhythm n’ Wraps

Location: Boston (near Boston University/Allston)
Type of food: American

Rhythm n’ Wraps is Black-owned vegan restaurant that’s full of comfort food like burgers, tacos, and fries. One of their signature items is the Big Shug burger, which comes with an Impossible meat patty AND grilled mac n’ cheese (basically loaded with goodness). I also like the Pull Up tacos, which are filled with BBQ pulled jackfruit, but aren’t as filling (tacos never are anyways).

I’ve usually gotten takeout from them, as the interior is more of a quick dining place, but it’s still a perfectly fine atmosphere to sit down and eat.

5. DIG

Location: multiple
Type of food: bowls

DIG is a vegan-friendly, build-your-own bowl place. Their vegan classic and cashew kale caesar are bursting with umami flavor, which is harder to find in plant-based food. That said, the food is not light by any means; it’s not your typical raw veggie bowl, as the veggies are roasted and drenched in salt, spices, and oil, and the cashew kale is doused in thick, creamy dressing.

I would highly recommend DIG if you’re looking for a quick, hearty meal at a reasonable price.

6. Yoma Boston

Location: Allston
Type of food: Burmese

Yoma is a vegan-friendly Burmese restaurant with traditional dishes like tea leaf salad, samosas, chickpea tofu, and garlic noodles. I really liked their spice mountain dish, which is a lentil stew with mini samosas on top.

I’ve only ever had takeout here, but the restaurant is in a bustling part of Allston (Union Square), and the interior is cozy and homey.

7. Taco Party

Location: Somerville (Ball Square)
Type of food: tacos

Taco Party is a cool all-vegan joint with a retro interior. The tacos have fillings including from tofu, seitan, and chorizo. There are also nachos, salads, and tortas.

You can sit at the bar and grab a drink with your meal, or chow down at a table. I would also recommend the chocolate chip cookies for dessert, as they’re perfectly chewy!

8. Life Alive

Location: multiple (Cambridge, BU, Back Bay, Davis Square)
Type of food: Fusion (American and Asian-inspired dishes; also known for smoothies & smoothie bowls)

Life Alive offers a variety of healthy vegetarian eats (there are many vegan options). The cafe is probably best known for its smoothies and smoothie bowls, and for its aesthetic setting. The Boston University and Back Bay locations are an Instagrammer’s dream, featuring plants, wicker lamps, and cozy seating. 

The food is decently priced, but isn’t always the most filling. I’ve tried both their ramen and rice bowls, and was hungry shortly after. The smoothies are delicious, though they’re pricey. I still like Life Alive, but I usually go only if I plan to spend some time there to work (the BU location often has people studying and working). 

9. REDWHITE Boneless Ramen

Location: Back Bay
Type of food: Japanese

Located on the very posh Newbury street, REDWHITE is a fully vegan Japanese restaurant offering ramen and a rice bowl option (these photos are from when they used to have a build your own bowl option).

The ramen is good, but it is very salty, so I would only recommend it if you’re not sensitive to that.

Seating is casual and very limited, so be ready to wait a bit or get takeout during busy times. You can take that takeout and enjoy it along the banks of the Charles River, which is just a few blocks away. 

10. Beatnic

Location: Back Bay
Type of food: American, vegan only

Beatnic is a vegan fast-food chain with many locations across the US, Canada, and UK. You’ll find burgers, wraps, salads, and delicious air-baked fries (get the sweet potato ones with chipotle mayo!). There are also many vegan sweets and refreshing specialty lemonades. 

I highly recommend getting the burger combo, as you’ll get a burger, fries, and drink. I also liked the Crispy Chicky salad, but I’d avoid the BLT, as it wasn’t very filling, and the “bacon” tasted a kind of burnt.

Even better, the interior of Beatnic is always insta-worthy, featuring quirky wallpaper and hanging chairs. 

11. Zhu Vegan Kitchen

Location: Arlington
Type of food: Asian

Zhu Vegan Kitchen offers an extensive menu of veganized Asian dishes, including Kung Pao Eggplant and General Tso’s Soy Protein. The main dishes have been decent, but nothing too notable, in my opinion. The soy skewers, however, are really good. They’re crisp on the outside, meaty on the inside, and have a well-balanced sweet and salty flavor.

12. FoMu

Location: multiple (Fenway, South End, Faneuil Hall)
Type of food: ice cream

FoMu is the place in Boston for vegan ice cream. The flavors include classics such as strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla (my favorite combo), and also more unique seasonal fare, like Blueberry Shortbread. You can also indulge in ice cream cookies and sundaes.

The ice cream is made with a coconut base, so keep in mind that some flavors may taste very coconutty. If that bothers you, I would recommend avoiding the “plainer” flavors like vanilla, and going for a fruit flavor like strawberry.

The ice cream can also be pretty expensive, so if you’re going with a friend, consider splitting a larger single order than getting two separate orders 🙂

Learn more about the best Boston vegan ice cream spots. 

Map of these Vegan Restaurants in Boston

Here’s a map of these awesome vegan restaurants, color-coded by multiple locations of the same restaurant.

Let me know if there are any other places I should try, and happy eating!

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