From: mdresser@pbs.org (Melanie Dresser)
Newsgroups: rec.food.restaurants,rec.food.veg
Subject: Boston VEG Restaurants -- SUMMARY
Date: 22 Jul 92 10:25:36 EDT
Organization: PBS:Public Broadcasting Service, Alexandria, VA

Several weeks ago I requested recommendations for Vegetarian
Restaurants in Boston.  Here is the summary of all the 
responses I received.  Thanks to all who responded!!!

I hope to eat very well while attending MacWorld this
year.  :-)

*Highest and most recommendations came for Buddha's Delight.
 
********************
There are a lot of restaurants that have good vegetarian offerings, 
and a few that are all-veg.  One that I gets consistent rave reviews
is Buddha's Delight on Beach Street in Chinatown (near Washington).  
It specializes in temple cuisine, which is a very impressive traditional
Chinese vegetarian cuisine...quite a bit more than your usual "a few
stir-fried vegetables" sort of thing.  A friend of mine who's a 
vegetarian considered moving to Boston because of this restaurant
even though she hated both the job and the company that would have
brought her here.

There are also many, many Indian restaurants, particularly in the 
Central Square area of Cambridge (near where I work).  I don't know
of any that are all-veg, but all of them have good, extensive 
vegetarian selections.  My personal favorites are Shalimar and 
Oh Calcutta, both on Mass Ave in Cambridge (Central Square).

 Mary Malmros     | Cayman Systems Inc, 26 Landsdowne St, Cambridge, MA 02139
 mary@cayman.com  | Phone 617-494-1999  Fax 617-494-5167  AppleLink CAYMAN.TECH

*******************
Vegetarians suffer no lack of places to eat in the Boston area.
I only know of one all-veggie restaurant (and they keep weird
hours), but there is Indian food galore (Palak Paneer,
the eggplant stuff that I can't pronounce, much less spell,
and much more), Middle Eastern food (hummos, baba ganough,
falafel, &c), and veggie-friendly soup and salad places.

I have never found problems finding veggie food unless
I was taken to a steak or seafood place that put meat or
fish on *everything*.  (Disclaimer:  I am not strict veggie.

I am about 5-6 day/week veggie for health reasons and I
do indulge in the occasional burger.  But I have loads of
friends who are veggies.)

Reccommendations:
Indian:
        Kebab & Kurry (on Mass Ave. near Newberry St. in Boston)
        Bombay Club (in Harvard Sq., same owners as above,
        57 JFK St. in the Janus Galleria)
        India Quality (Kenmore Sq., on Commonwealth Ave., very
        near Fenway Park, Boston)

Middle Eastern:
        Small falafel and sandwich places all over the city.
        Great for lunch.  Stop by whichever one is near where
        you are staying/attending conferences.
        Personally, I frequent Nikki's, Campus Trolley, and Kenmore
        Cafe (the latter across the street from India Quality --
        see above) because of their proximity to BU.

Other:
        Stockpot (6 vegetarian soups every day.  Quiche.  All-you-
        can-eat salad for $4.50.  Great casual lunch in Harvard Sq.
        57 JFK St., Janus Galleria, downstairs.)
        Bread & Circus Deli counter or Boston Co-op deli counter.
        (Bread & Circus is a supermarket chain that sells lots
        of organic/veggie stuff.  Yummy deli counter.  Same goes
        for Boston Co-op.)
        Pintemento's (Check phone book for location -- I think it's
        in Cambridge.  I haven't been but I've heard great things
        from many friends.)
        Shilla (Japanese and Korean food in Harvard Sq.  Off JFK
        St. -- sorry don't know the exact address.  Very close to
        the Janus Galleria.  Lots of veggie selections, especially
        of Korean food.)
        Grendel's Den (Harvard Sq. landmark.  Next door to Shilla (above)
        on JFK St.  Lots of Middle Eastern food.  Veggie lasagne,
        soups, etc.  Great salad bar.  Bit pricy IMHO -- especially
        considering the small portion size.  But worth a stop.
        Yummy food, great atmosphere, and they beat a local church
        in court and won the right to sell alcohol.  :>)

Michelle Manes          |       "What should I be when I grow up?"
manes@bass.bu.edu       |       "Honest."
                        |       -Robert M. Pirsig
*******************
Here are the vegetarian restaurants in Boston that I know of:          

-The Country Life, 112 Broad St., Boston (downtown)             
 Vegan buffet, good food at reasonable prices, dinner for 2 is $13.00  
 and includes soup, salad, entree.  Cheaper options too.               
 Within walking distance from Quincy Market, Govt Center, and     
 Financial district.      
 T-stop: State      
 Phone 350-8625
 Lunch 11:30-3:00 Daily                    
 Dinner 5:00-8:00 Tues,Wed,Thurs,Sun
 Brunch 10:00-2:30 Sun     

-Buddha's Delight, 5 Beach St., Boston (Chinatown)
 T-stop: Chinatown                              
 Phone 451-2395
 Open Sun-Thu 11am-10pm, Fri&Sat 11am-11pm

-Open Sesame (Macrobiotic), 48 Boylston St.(Rt. 9), Brookline (next to Boston)

Many non-veg restaurants have veggie options, especially  
Italian, Chinese, and Mexican.      
 
Some natural food chains in and near Boston are "Bread and Circus"
and "Nature Food Centers."  (both also sell non-vegetarian products) 

There is also a Boston Vegetarian Society, phone (617) 625-3790.
 
--
Jim Lacey 
my own opinions                                 
email:  att!cbnewsl!jlacey  or  jlacey@cbnewsl.cb.att.com
 
*******************
Buddha Delight, in Chinatown, just minutes from Downtown Crossing,
is supposed to be an excellent vegetarian restaurant.  Haven't been
there myself, but have read some good reviews.  You might also check
out the restaurant recs in the Style section of the Boston Phoenix -
you can buy the whole paper, or just pick up the Style section free 
in one of those news boxes.
Kristen
kfehlhab@nobska.er.usgs.gov

*******************
From:	IN%"tower@prep.ai.mit.edu" 15-JUL-1992 01:31:08.78
Subj:	RE: Vegetarian Restaurants in Boston

Here's an unorganized collection of e-mail.

enjoy!  -len

From wagner%cs%cs@cs.umn.edu Wed Jul 18 16:54:33 1990

Specific restaurants with mostly or all vegetarian food
-------------------------------------------------------
'Country Life Vegetarian Buffet' - 112 Broad Street, Boston (near Rowe's wharf)
    7th Day Adventist, vegan, all you can eat.

'Milk Street Cafe' - "100% veggie (also certified Kosher) restaurant in
    Cambridge (and I think also in Boston, but I've only been to the Cambridge
    one).  Cafeteria style, great food, good pastas and soups and healthy-ish
    stuff.  Not too expensive."

'The Five Seasons' - 66-1/4 Centre St. Jamaica Plain
    wide macrobiotic (serves fish, dairy on request)
  
'Open Sesame' - Bolyston in Brookline near Roxbury
    strict macrobiotic


General suggestions, arranged by topic
--------------------------------------
Pizza -"If you eat cheese, there are about 85 zillion small pizzerias, all over
    boston.  Quality is middling/good; most also sell "cheese subs" which I
    didn't like, but I have a veg. friend in Philadelphia who loves them.
    One particularly good pizzeria, by  rep., (I've never been and am vegan
    now) is Santarpio's...."

    "Bel Canto's - They have great pizza, with whole wheat crusts,
    and a good sellection of toppings, my favourite combination being
    broccoli, garlic gloves, and artichoke hearts."

Indian food - "there are about 6 indian restaraunts clustered near 
   Central Square in cambridge.  In my experience, the ones that look 
   fancier/nicer are, surprisingly, also better..."

   "There are a LOT of Indian restaurants in the area especially in Cambridge 
   and across the river in Boston. They are all on Mass. Ave. For the life of
   me I can't remember any of their names! Nevertheless, I have gone to most 
   all of them and can recommend any of them to you. Most are reasonably 
   priced are offer both veg and non-veg."

   also mentioned - Indian Delight, and  Oh (or maybe it Old) Calcutta.

Sushi - "we had an office party at a restaraunt called Tatsukishi, at 
   189 state street, Aquarium T stop.  I asked for and got a no fish
   platter and it was fantastic."

Chinese-
   Mary Chung's - good chinese food, reasonable vegetarian selection.

Middle Eastern food -  (ie hummus, taboulei, etc) 
   "there are really two great places which are very reasonably priced:
   Skewers - in a basement on the street behind Au Bon Pain in Harvard
	Square. Walk behind Au Bon Pain towards the river and its
	on the opposite side. 
   Taha's -  right on Mass. Ave. Start from Harvard square and go towards
	MIT right on Mass Ave.  It's on the right hand side not too
	far from the square."

Mexican - "there is a Mexican restaurant near Skewers (again I forgot the 
   name) that offers food that is not cooked in lard.  They make the effort 
   to advertise this as well in their menu.  The place is around the corner 
   from Skewers and is near BCD (Boston Compact Disc)...."

Misc. -
   "You might also try the Black Forest.  I just noted they had a lot of
   veggie entries and an taking agroup there tonight.  Prices are in the
   medium range.  My non-Vegan friends say their deserts are incredible."


General information:
--------------------
List - You can get the pamphlet:
      Vegetarian Dining in the Boston Area
       for $1.00 and a SASE (Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope) from:
	NEAVS
	New England Anti-Vivisection Society
	333 Washington St. - Suite 850
	Boston, MA 02108
	617-523-6020
      Membership is $10.00/year

*******************
From bu.edu!buita!tower Wed Jul 18 18:00:20 1990

|Middle Eastern food -  (ie hummus, taboulei, etc) 
|   "there are really two great places which are very reasonably priced:

|   Taha's -  right on Mass. Ave. Start from Harvard square and go towards
|	          MIT right on Mass Ave. Its on the right hand side not too
|		  far from the square."

This branch of Taha's has closed.  The space is now occupied by Troyka
(sp?) a charming Russian cafe with several veggie selections.

The original Taha's is still going strong on Prospect Street in
Cambridge.  It's a few blocks west of the Central Square subway stop
on the Red Line.

Also try the Middle East restaurant on Mass Ave, a few blocks south of
the Central Square subway stop.  They have a great vegetarian Kibble.

enjoy -len 

*******************
From alms@cambridge.apple.com Fri Jul 20 14:05:35 1990

   |   Taha's -  right on Mass. Ave. Start from Harvard square and go towards
   |	          MIT right on Mass Ave. Its on the right hand side not too
   |		  far from the square."

   This branch of Taha's has closed.  The space is now occupied by Troyka
   (sp?) a charming Russian cafe with several veggie selections.

Troyka is also one of the least expensive places to eat in Cambridge.

Another good place for a quick snack is "Stuff Its" in a little
shopping center called the garage.  I know, the name is horrible.
But they have very good veggie rollup sandwiches, with ingredients
like tofu, wheatmeat, and avacodo.

   -andrew
--
*******************
From: phillips@goldilocks.lcs.mit.edu (Mike Phillips)

Check out Buddha's Delight at 5 Beach st (the main street in 
Boston's Chinatown - the restaurant is near the end away from
the main gate).  It's a vegetarian Vietnamese place.

Things that are good:

  Two-noodle soup (it's big so get it to share or as an entire meal)
  un-fried Vietnamese spring rolls
  BBQ gluten with lemon grass and rice
  all sorts of strange drinks (well, some are good anyway!)
  probably all sorts of things I haven't tried

Things that aren't so good:

  Gluten fingers (too greasy)
  mock duck 
  maybe some things I haven't tried

Mike (phillips@goldilocks.lcs.mit.edu)

*******************
From: kjp@HQ.Ileaf.COM (Katherine Parks x4684)

Here are a few restaurants that I really like.  While they're not in
Boston proper, they are easily accessible by T (train).

These restaurants are not strictly vegetarian, but they do have many
vegetarian options on their menus.

Cambridge, Mass.

	Grendel's  (Harvard Square T stop, Red Line)
	89 Winthrop St. (near the green/park on JFK Street) 491-1050
	Try the salad bar: homemade taboule, extensive fruit salads,
	pasta salads,...! And afterwards you can go across the
	street to Catch a Rising Star if you're into comedy clubs.

	India Pavilion (Central Square T stop, Red Line) **
	17 Western Ave (intersects Mass Ave at the T stop)
	547-7463	
	When you exit the T station, go up Mass Ave towards the
	the major intersection.  At the intersection,cross the street
	and turn left and walk for 1 block. If you pass the Police 
	Station, you've gone too far.

** Central Square has many Indian Restaurants, all within close proximity
   of each other.  If you try any of the others, I'd like to warn you
   about one.  The Viceroy.  The service is extreeeeeemly sloooooow, but
   the food is pretty good.  While in Central Square, you might want
   to walk up to Toscanin's for ice cream after dinner (go back to
   Mass Ave, turn right.  Walk until you get the V intersection (1/4 mile). 
   Take the left fork.  Toscanini's is about a block in. The ice cream is
   made on the premises.

	Christopher's (Porter Square T stop, Red Line)
	1920 Mass Ave.  876-9180
	Sunday Brunch with live Jazz; live music Thurs-Sun
	Mexican and pasta dishes.  Good selection of California wines
	and beers on tap.  The pasta special is usually vegetarian.
	When you exit the T station, cross Mass Ave. and turn right.
	The restaurant is about 2 doors up from the intersection.
	If you pass the Averof (Greek restaurant), you've gone too far.

Somerville, Mass.

	Johnny D's (Davis Square T stop, Red Line) in Somerville, MA.
	This is a music club, and the owners are vegetarian.  The menu
	has some vegan options, but most veg dishes contain some form of
	dairy.  The menu is NOT strictly vegetarian, though. 
	I don't know if you can get dinner while a show is going on,
	or if you have to have tickets to the show to eat there first.
	The music tends to be blues, cajun, and folk.
-- 
Kathy Parks	Interleaf, Prospect Place, 9 Hillside Ave, Waltham, MA 02154 
UUCP {decvax,pyramid,sequent}sun!sunne!ileaf!kjp  /or/  ...mit-eddie!ileaf!kjp
ARPA: kjp@ileaf.com   "We're not in Cambridge anymore..."  617-290-4990 x4684. 
*************************************************************

Thanks again to all who responded!!!!
-- 
**************************************************************
          Melanie L. Dresser	  mdresser@pbs.org    
**************************************************************
"In this world, you must be oh so smart, or oh so pleasant.
Well, for years I was smart; I recommend pleasant.  You may
quote me."  Elwood P. Dowd
**************************************************************