By Chloe Is Bringing its Whimsical Vegan Fare to Boston This Summer

By Chloe quinoa taco salad and pesto meatball sub with air-baked French fries. / Photo by Mikey Pozarik

By Chloe has only been in business since July, but the fast-casual and entirely Instagrammable concept is a proven winner. The plant-based menu is courtesy of chef and cookbook author Chloe Coscarelli, who was the first-ever vegan chef to win Food Network’s Cupcake Wars. Day 1 began with a line out the door, recalls cofounder Samantha Wasser, and it’s been nonstop since.

By the time its first anniversary rolls around, by Chloe will likely have four more restaurants around the country, including one in Boston. By Chloe is opening at 101 Seaport Blvd. this summer, Boston Restaurant Talk first reported.

“We’re just trying to create healthy options that are interesting and exciting, and feel indulgent,” Wasser says. “We wanted to create something people aren’t intimidated by … to introduce people to cuisine they’re not familiar with [vegan], without scaring them off.”

By Chloe is known for menu items like its guac burger, a black bean and sweet potato patty with corn salsa, guacamole, and crispy tortillas; quinoa taco salad; a pesto meatball sub with portobello and veggie balls, cashew and almond cheeses, and peppers; and sweets, like matcha blueberry muffins, “Chlostess” cupcakes, and dairy-free ice creams in flavors like kale cookies and cream and coffee chia chip. It serves cold-pressed juices, smoothies, seasonal lemonades, tea, and coffee, too.

The restaurant has also built a huge following with its meticulously color-coordinated, somewhat avant-garde Instagram presence. “Our branding and packaging is playful, whimsical, a little kitschy,” explains Wasser, creative director of ESquared Hospitality. “It’s been well-received. That’s how we’re able to get a loyal following so fast.”

By Chloe in New York City’s West Village. / Photo by Mikey Pozarik

In addition to the first Boston location, by Chloe is working on two additional New York City restaurants, as well as a Sweets by Chloe bakery next door to their flagship; and it has partnered with 365 by Whole Foods and is opening its first in-store restaurant in Los Angeles. The company hopes all of them will open this summer, Wasser says.

“We were thinking about what city should we go into next, and we kept hearing Boston over and over again,” Wasser says. The team was approached by the developer of the new PricewaterhouseCoopers building, and the Seaport District appealed.

“It’s basically a city within a city,” Wasser says. “We’re getting in during one phase of it, and there’s still so much more to come over there.”

The restaurant will have additional seating on an outdoor patio, and inside, 48 seats around a communal table and banquettes. “We definitely want to keep some of our core design elements similar to our flagship,” Wasser says. “It will have some special elements, maybe a pop of color or something like that, but we definitely want you to feel like you’re in a by Chloe whether you’re in New York, Boston, or L.A.” 

The core menu will be the same, too, though Boston can expect some to-be-determined signature dishes, as well as seasonal market specials.

By Chloe will have additional seating on an outdoor patio. The Seaport location is likely just the first in Boston, the Globe reported. By Chloe is targeting areas near college campuses for future expansion here.

By Chloe, opening at 101 Seaport Blvd., Boston, summer 2016, bychefchloe.com.