My mom and I recently got back from a 4-night trip to the northeast. Here’s a short recap and a summary of where to eat vegan in Boston, and in Rhode Island!
It was our annual girls’ vacay to an art festival – this time to the Wickford Art Festival in Wickford, RI. At this point in our art festival trips, we mostly pick where to go based on the cities and parts of the countries we haven’t made it to yet; the art festival definitely comes 2nd or 3rd in our planning. Back in 2012, we went to Western Massachusetts to Paradise City, which was an absolutely incredible trip. This time, we wanted to hit Boston and see the ocean in Rhode Island.
Boston was fun and lively. We stayed at the Marriott Copley Place which was in the perfect location in Back Bay: walkable, attached to 2 shopping centers, and near plenty of good restaurants and bookstores. It’s also where we rented our car before heading onto Rhode Island (at the Westin next door), which made it really convenient. Here’s where you can eat vegan in Boston, and a short list of our favorites.
Where to Eat Vegan in Boston
Tatte – There are a few locations to choose from and they have an assortment of delicious grain bowls and salads on their menu. Bonus is their patio space and really cute dining rooms as well. This is the perfect light meal to enjoy while watching the young professionals of Boston stroll by. We were able to walk here from our hotel and then stopped in the Boston Public Library on our way back, which was simply the coolest library I have ever been in. You have to go!! More to come below.
Pressed – This adorable ground-floor cafe in the Prudential Center is where we walked to every morning to start our day. It’s inside the mall that was attached to our hotel so the location is super convenient, but it also had street-facing windows which we both simply loved: it was so fun to watch everyone hustle on by, with their umbrellas, raincoats, and an assortment of the cutest tennies I’ve ever seen. They had a lot of vegan options to choose from, but I went with my favorite standby: peanut butter with sliced bananas on toast. Yum!
Trident Booksellers – A really cute bookstore that also has an upper-floor cafe with an incredible assortment of teas and vegan options. I chose the tofu and spinach bowl which was perfectly tasty and warming on a chilly, rainy summer day. We loved the bookstore, too: my favorite places on earth are buildings that carry books. We easily walked here from our hotel: the location truly cannot be beat. This is a gem and if you love books, do not miss it!
The Buttery – This coffee shop/cafe was in the cute South End area that we enjoyed walking around in (it’s also easy to walk to from the hotel). It’s a great place to hop in for a coffee, tea, and a small assortment of vegan scones and muffins. Like usual, we enjoyed a window spot and happily watched diners, readers, and workers hang out and walk by.
Flour – We went here for dinner and I would suggest going for lunch instead as the portions are pretty large and it’s so good I wanted to eat it all. It would have been much better for lunch! They have a tofu vegan sandwich that I am still dreaming of: the perfect bite with sriracha and pickled onions. Oh my gosh, simply divine.
Runner Up – We didn’t end up going to Life Alive but I need to include it anyway because every time we walked by their locations, the food looked SO good. If I ever make it back to Boston, I’ll be including this on my list.
What else is there to do? Boston is filled with history as you know; but our favorite shopping was at Trident (above), Beacon Hill Books, and simply walking in and out of the shops in both of these areas. The Boston Public Library I think was the most awe-inspiring part for me. The architecture of that building and the energy as well: all the students studying in the main hall, and people enjoying their to-go food and drinks in the courtyard. The Library was magical and it was so cool to see such a beautiful old building truly alive.
Now, on to Rhode Island
Providence was really, really cute. We enjoyed a look-out over the city in a lovely park, lunch at Plant City (go here!), and the various shopping streets, especially Frog and Toad. It was a very vibrant, student-run city and just had a cool energy. I highly recommend spending a few hours or an overnight if you’re adding Rhode Island on to your Boston trip.
After Providence, we stopped in Tiverton for a few hours, which is a small, scenic, artsy town with a few galleries and a few cafes. It was on the way to our next stop and good to walk around for a bit, but I don’t know if I’d go out of my way to stop here in the future.
We ended up staying in Newport, RI, for the art fest, which was incredibly scenic and incredibly touristy. The downtown was cute, with a few vegan options at various cafes (Root and Sprout and Lentil just out of town), and a bookstore, and tons of other shops if you’re interested, but the massive amounts of people just turned us away.
The town of Wickford was really, really, cute though, and this is where the art festival was held. I recommend stopping here for a few hours to stroll and enjoy some quaint streets without a ton of tourists.
Aside from that, we visited 2 lighthouses in Rhode Island (Point Judith and Beavertail) which were both super cool – especially Beavertail. The ocean was beautiful and we had a great time. On our way back to Boston to fly back home, we stopped at Grafik Coffee which had great light brekky selections and delicious matchas along with a lovely patio. It was the perfect way to end our trip!
So that’s my quick recap with where to eat vegan in Boston and in Rhode Island. I hope you try one of these places out on a future visit.
With love,
Jen