The Best Vegetarian Sandwiches in Boston
With juicy burgers, fresh seafood, artisan charcuterie, and more popping up on seemingly every corner, finding a satisfying, vegetarian-friendly meal can feel like more of a scavenger hunt in Boston. But that’s starting to change: By Chloe arrives soon in the Seaport, and there are a few standout vegetarian restaurants shifting the status quo. When you’re craving a satisfying sandwich sans meat, turn to these local restaurants offering stellar vegetarian options.
The Bridgewater at Clover. / Photo by Brett Mickael
The Bridgewater at Clover Food Lab
This sandwich is named after the hometown of general manager Bryan Davis, who based the recipe on the jalapeño poppers he loved at a now-defunct tavern there. To emulate the snack, the sandwich includes jalapeño cream cheese, Sriracha honey-glazed mushrooms, red onions, and kale.
$10, Clover, 160 Federal St., Boston, and other locations, cloverfoodlab.com.
Massaman Curry Sandwich at Cuong’s Vegan
The all-vegan storefront opened in Chinatown early last year, serving up affordable and tasty grub. The Massaman curry sandwich, which riffs on the Thai classic with stir-fried veggie-beef, string beans, red peppers, and more, is no exception to that health-conscious stance.
$4.50, Cuong’s Vegan, 5 Beach St., Chinatown, 617-422-5898, cuongsvegan.com.
Eggplant Spuckie at Cutty’s
Brookline is the area’s hub for kosher food, but now you can add vegetarian meals to that list. Look no further than the Eggplant Spuckie at Cutty’s, loaded with mozzarella and an olive-carrot salad.
$5.65 and $9.95, Cutty’s, 284 Washington St., Brookline, 617-505-1844, cuttyfoods.com.
The lentil mushroom burger at Deep Ellum. / Photo provided
Lentil Mushroom Burger at Deep Ellum
When you think about grabbing food at Allston’s veritable beer bar, duck confit and heaps of poutine might come to mind. To counter that, owner Max Toste and company recently added a lentil mushroom burger to the menu, topped with pickled red onion, Swiss cheese, and green chili aioli. The gluten-free sandwich is now a year-round offering at the bar, and can be made vegan upon request.
Deep Ellum, 477 Cambridge St., Allston, 617-787-2337, deepellum-boston.com.
The sweet potato sandwich at Flour. / Photo by Kristin Teig
Sweet Potato Sandwich at Flour Bakery
It’s hard to ignore what Joanne Chang has done with Flour over the past decade-plus. So it probably won’t surprise you that the James Beard Award-winning baker serves some of the best vegetarian eats in town. Chief among them is the sweet potato sandwich, with walnut pesto, mustard greens, apples, and blue cheese on whole wheat sourdough.
$9, Flour Bakery, 1595 Washington St., South End, 617-267-4300, and other locations, flourbakery.com.
Veggie Torta at Mike & Patty’s
With sweet potatoes, black beans, jicama slaw, and more hearty flavors wrapped in a sesame-sprinkled Iggy’s torta roll, this is a flavorful veggie-friendly take on one of the city’s best breakfast sandwiches.
$10, Mike & Patty’s, 2 Church St., Boston, 617-423-3447, mikeandpattys.com.
The Alden at Parish Cafe
The Back Bay haunt is known for serving sandwiches thought up by local chefs, such as the Benny from Ken Oringer (Little Donkey, Uni) and the Mexican Meatball by Brian Poe (Tip Tap Room). Last month, chef Michael Scelfo was tapped to craft his own menu item. His vegetarian sandwich, aptly named after his veggie-forward, knockout Harvard Square restaurant, features pickled cherry peppers, charred broccoli, pecorino spread, fried chickpeas, and basil.
Parish Cafe, 361 Boylston St., Boston, 617-247-4777, 93 Massachusetts Ave., South End, 617-391-0501, parishcafe.com.
The Harper at Pavement Coffeehouse
Tomatoes, lemon dill cream cheese, cucumbers, and sprouts compose the newest sandwich offering from this local chain.
$5, Pavement Coffee, 1096 Boylston St., Boston, 617-236-1500, and other locations, pavementcoffeehouse.com.
The Allston at Roxy’s Grilled Cheese
Roxy’s has been making moves this year, including the debut of Roxy’s Central and A4cade, and a new storefront in Lynnfield. But to find this vegetarian gem of a sandwich, you have to trek to one of the restaurant’s original brick-and-mortar spots in Allston. The namesake sandwich comes loaded with fig jam, arugula, caramelized onions, and herbed goat cheese.
$6.50, Roxy’s Grilled Cheese, 485 Cambridge St., Allston, 617-202-5864, roxysgrilledcheese.com.
The Despena at Saloniki Greek. / Photo by Ken Rivard
The Despena at Saloniki Greek
A combination of zucchini-feta fritters, garlic yogurt, and herb salad make this pita wrap an easy sell. And with the restaurant’s newest outpost in Cambridge, it’s also an easy get.
$8, Saloniki Greek, 4 Kilmarnock St., Fenway/Kenmore, 617-266-0001, 181 Massachusetts Ave. #2, Cambridge, 617-714-5152, salonikigreek.com.
The Kendall Square at Veggie Galaxy. / Photo provided
The Kendall Square at Veggie Galaxy
The Cambridge diner has plenty of options catered toward vegans and vegetarians. But in the burger department, the Kendall Square rules the pack, flaunting onion rings, garlic mayo, arugula, and a layer of roasted red pepper purée on a chipotle black bean patty.
$10.95, Veggie Galaxy, 450 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-497-1513, veggiegalaxy.com.
Mexican Black Bean Burger at Wheelhouse
Served with street corn fixings and a mound of pickled red onions, this vegetarian-friendly burger offers the ultimate alternative to eating meat. And, one of the tastiest.
Wheelhouse, 63 Broad St., Boston, 617-422-0082, wheelhouseboston.com.
Beet Pastrami Reuben at Whole Heart Provisions
Stop by the Allston eatery during Sunday brunch for this vegetarian take on the Reuben. The dish includes kimchi, Thousand Island dressing, and pastrami-spiced beets, all smashed between rye bread from Iggy’s.
$7.50, Whole Heart Provisions, 487 Cambridge St., Allston, 617-202-5041, wholeheartprovisions.com.
