This review will be backwards compared to how I usually do them. Usually I research a place, studying the menu and then go there, writing a review afterwards. Last week I was in Harvard Square, Cambridge with the kids, we were at the Museum of Natural History and spent longer there than I thought I would so we couldn’t to the place that I had researched beforehand and was pushed for time. I did a quick search of vegan places and found a place within walking distance.
I had not heard of Veggie Grill before I went there, not that surprising since they are a chain primarily located on the West Coast and just opened up a location in Harvard Square, Cambridge in October 2019 which is the only location in the Boston area. The menu is completely vegan and I would describe it as a veganized menu of a traditional fast food restaurant. There are burgers, ‘chicken’ sandwiches, burritos and tacos and a kids menu with ‘chicken’ wings and mac and cheese. I repeat everything is vegan, including the sauces (eg. ranch), cheese and toppings. I hadn’t seen the menu beforehand and was surprised at the variety – at most restaurants you have a couple of vegan or vegetarian options but here there is a full menu of all the favorites. Since it was my first time here I decided to order a bunch of different items to try them out.
First thing I noticed was that I could have pre-ordered on an app – will definitely do that next time. Ordering through an app ahead of time is ideal if you have kids since you have a limited window before they get bored. The restaurant is super clean and the staff are very friendly. The kids meals all came with a main, side and dessert – we ordered a chikin’ wings, 2x mac and cheese with sides of fries, cauli-mashed potatoes and gravy and carrots and cookies for dessert. I also ordered the crispy cauliflower and tempura green beans and a Nashville hot chikin’ sandwich. The kids demolished their lunches and the sides. The gravy on the cauli-mashed potatoes was delicious – would love to know the recipe. They also loved the crispy cauliflower and tempura beans. My oldest son kept calling the cauliflower, chicken. The Nashville hot chikin’ sandwich was also very good, chikin’ was like a pressed chicken texture, sauce not too hot and the ranch sauce was a good addition. I kept thinking throughout is all this definitely vegan? I even asked one of the workers to confirm which they emphatically did. It was quite the effort to make everything vegan. I left quite impressed and happy with myself that we all had a vegan lunch that everyone enjoyed, wishing there were more locations in the Boston area closer to where I lived.
The Evolution of a Selective Flexitarian 