Broken Grounds Cafe

What better way to celebrate my fifth vegetarian anniversary, than at an amazing, new local vegan spot?

And when I say amazing, I mean amazing.

In visiting this three-month-old Newton cafe, Broken Grounds Cafe is full of vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and organic food and drinks, I quickly fell in love with everything about it. The cute, home-y feel as soon as you walk in the door. The AWESOME artwork featuring Gushers and Kool-Aid Bursts (yes, Gushers are totally vegan!). The smell of freshly brewed coffee. And a friendly smile from co-owner Amelia Childs, who, as a vegan herself for 12 years, is the brainchild behind most of the offerings and is doing most of the cooking/serving herself.

Oh-and the menu. A menu that, literally, made me feel like I was back on the west coast.

Though I love local spots like Red Lentil, Walnut Grille and Stacy’s, I’ve been waiting for something new and exciting to hit he Boston suburbs. And Broken Grounds is totally it.

A lengthy list of unique, super fresh smoothies and juices grace their menu, which was the first thing to catch my eye. There really aren’t any juice bars outside of the Cambridge/Boston borders and I am so thrilled that there’s a conveniently located spot that offers such delicious offerings such as their Green Machine, Happy Hopper, and Sweet Lemon. Their most popular choice so far is Summer Love, which must have most customers longing for warmer temps as the winter settles in! On the smoothie side, the Energy Bee and Mango Berry are sweet options, though the Kale Crush seems to be the front-runner among regulars.

I opted for a Green Machine (perfectly green, with just the right amount of sweetness) and a Litty Acai bowl. I’m almost ashamed to admit, that though I’ve made many smoothie bowls at home, this last trip to San Diego was the first time I’ve actually had an Acai bowl. And I have to admit, BG’s was even better than the Cali version. Full of frozen Acai, bananas, granola, cacao nibs, peanut butter and soy milk, it was like having dessert for breakfast. A really, really, really healthy dessert.

And I haven’t even got to their main dishes! From Tofurkey wraps, bagels with tofu cream cheese, to grain/quinoa/veggie bowls and hearty salads, they’ve got you covered from every angle. They do offer regular muffins, pastries and non-vegan wraps and egg sandwiches, as well. Extra bonus points because they’ll soon be adding Follow Your Heart’s vegan egg to their menu, which I have yet to see ANYWHERE.

Aside from the amazing food and drinks, I just have to say that Amelia is truly an inspiration. At just 26-years-old she has more knowledge about healthy living and vegan cooking than most people I’ve ever met. She is absolutely a kindred spirit in that her passion for animal activism, is reveled only by her love for spreading the word about a plant-based lifestyle. A former vegan cooking teacher herself, I honestly felt like she really, truly GOT ME, in a way that most people don’t. Her kind demeanor is clearly a selling point to the dozens of regulars who are already stopping by BG for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And for a newly opened, vegetarian juice bar, I think an already lengthy crowd of devoted fans is a testament to an overall shift in how people think about eating, as well as how delicious everything at the cafe is. I stopped by late afternoon on a Friday, and was blown away by the steady stream of patrons. From guys who are on a New Year’s diet, with no clue about what wheatgrass is (oh yeah, they have it fresh!) and looking to be fed solely by BG, to commuters looking for a cup of coffee, to dads picking up dinner for their families. People from all types of backgrounds were stopping by and gobbling up everything at  BG. And I was ecstatic to see the owner of the now extinct, Allston-based vegan pizza spot, Peace O’ Pie, stopping in for treats! #starstruck

With extremely reasonable prices, really fresh items AND a compost program, Broken Grounds is truly everything I could ever hope for in a vegan cafe. And considering it’s only a two minute drive from where I nanny, you can rest assured I’ll be there at least once a week. Stop by and check them out yourself and tell them The Vegan Pact sent you!