Casual cafe offering healthy vegetarian food, smoothies and fresh juices for eat-in or takeaway. Order at the counter from a menu of warm bowls, salad bowls, and grilled wraps plus the day's soup and some small snacks. Egg or dairy may be removed or replaced - ask. Sells a small selection of health products to take home. One of several outlets, this one est. 2018. Confirmed open May 2020. Open Mon-Fri 7:30am-9:30pm, Sat-Sun 8:00am-10:00pm.
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888 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, 02215
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- Outdoor seating
- Accepts credit cards
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Last update on 06 May 2020 by jillthebaker
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18 Reviews
First Review by Tamy
klmwfpb
Points +136
Warm grain bowls! - Edit
I ordered the Buddha bowl. All of my favorite ingredients! It hit the spot after a long day traveling. I’m sure I’ll be back this week!
Read morePros: Delicious, Minimally processed, Fast
Guest
NIBsmf
Points +1102
Yummy and healthy - Edit
Delicious, healthy food. This is the only location I tried and was pretty busy on a Sunday afternoon.
Read morePros: All vegetarian & lots of vegan options , Clearly labeled , Healthy
Cons: Street parking
Guest
Tsparke
Points +82
Favourite place everrrrr - Edit
All of their options are delicious. Only downside is they do serve eggs and dairy😡make sure you look closely at the menu items! But whatever you get it will be amazing
Read morePros: Fresh food, Smoothies are amazing , Kind, attentive staff
Cons: Not all vegan
Guest
happydillard
Points +697
Amazing - Edit
The restaurant is really pretty and the food was great! I also loved the service, would recommend.
Read moreGuest
dappy5
Points +99
My favorite vegetarian place in Boston - Edit
I love Life Alive, especially the Elvis smoothie and Adventurer bowl. The only thing they don't do well is broth (the miso and udon dishes) -- I've experienced this firsthand and multiple of my friends agree.
Read moreGuest
moontunes
Points +177
Buddha & Elvis - Edit
Walking into the Brookline Life Alive (there are several around the Boston/Cambridge area) from a rain-swept Commonwealth ave, I soaked in the sunny vibe of the clean and brightly lit eatery. Wandering up to the gentleman at the counter, I asked if he could suggest a Whole Food Plant Based No Oil option for me. He recommended the Buddha Bowl (without the accompanying dressings), which I happily ordered, along with a modified Elvis Alive smoothie. He directed me to the well-marked waiting area, and I took a stool at the end of a long wooden bar that looks onto the food-prep area. Staff were quite friendly and folks in their twenties, thirties, and forties filled the dining area behind me. My warm Bowl not only arrived quickly, but was oil-free, fresh, filling, and delicious! A hot loam of hearty brown rice and quinoa slumbered below a colorful blanket of steamed kale and purple cabbage, accompanied by diced beets, shiitake mushrooms, hemp seeds, and a healthy hunk of avocado to top it off. The almond pieces provided a pleasant crunchiness, and even without the dressings, the dish had a unique flavor, enhanced by slices of jalapeño pepper and a pungent spice combination that I couldn’t identify. (The Elvis smoothie was ok, but I think I probably emasculated it by requesting the removal of several key coconut ingredients, and by the time I’d realized this, it was too late to “Return to Sender.”) I highly recommend Life Alive and definitely look forward to a return visit!
Read morePros: ambiance, food, service
Guest
elly_sh
Points +35
AMAZING!! - Edit
Oh my god if you haven't been here before you are missing out! The food is delicious and the lavender lemonade hit the spot. I especially appreciate that they note any potential dietary issues with every single dish. As someone who is a vegetarian with a tree nut allergy, this was something that helped me figure out what I wanted quickly without holding up the line.
Read morePros: Lots of vegan options, Tasty food, Clear dietary warnings
Cons: Expensive-ish
Guest
SaraNorlin
Points +3541
Spacious - Edit
Great menu as always plus tons of space at this location to meet friends. The outdoor dining is good here too
Read moreGuest
ErinJenkins
Points +39
This place is my go to vegan restaurant! Plenty of delicious vegan bowls. - Edit
So many vegan options - bowls, smoothies, etc. Good for a quick bite or sit down and enjoy. Have loved Life Alive since 2006-at their OG location in Lowell.
Read morePros: Tons of vegan options , Food is quick but delicious , Cute atmosphere to sit in and enjoy
Guest
suzycourage
Points +169
Perfectly calm VEGAN encompassing place - Edit
The place is very big but comfy. The staff uplifting, caring, and knowledgeable, the food delicious and abundant servings. I was happily surprised many customers are students at Boston College and Boston University. There weren't vegan restaurants / cafes when I was in college, and it was a major time- losing-hinderance trying to find vegan chow then.
Read moreNo excuse now, LIFE ALIVE has everything for all.
Saludes to "JARED", who ran the place with his eyes and took care to make things perfect for customers. I got the Mexican Hot Chocolate with Charcoal (vegan) and a bowl of nourishing mixture of vegan fare, so generous I took some home to enjoy over 2 more days.
Thank you, HappyCow.net for listing a great vegan place !
Pros: Totally ALL
Guest
KarlWesneski
Points +118
High Vibe✨ - Edit
They would’ve gotten 5 stars from me if it weren’t for the cow breast milk options they have (go fully anti-absurdity, will yah!) #Veganuary
Read morePros: Beautiful interior
Cons: A few menu items aren’t fully vegan
Guest
Prajna
Points +5861
You can’t go wrong - Edit
Life alive will always have something fresh and delicious. Most of their menu is vegan.
Read moreTheir smoothies are also very good/
Guest
Trippy.Witch
Points +44
Favorite place! - Edit
Love all the Life Alive locations!
Read moreI’d do five stars if they were fully vegan or at least marked the dishes that had egg and dairy for easy ordering.
Their grain bowls are amazing and if you’re lucky enough to go when the truffles are in stock they’re worth picking up.
Pros: Mostly vegan or able to customize to be vegan , Servers always seem to be friendly , Wonderful environment to get work done or hang
Cons: Non vegan items not clearly labeled, Some servers don’t know the vegan/veg difference
Guest
JamieWilliams
Points +1144
Modern clean and delicious - Edit
This setting is much hipper than the other life alive settings in Cambridge and Salem. It is large, clean and with good light. Frequented by students some of which use as a work space with computers which can be annoying during busy hours.
Read moreThe food is great and we opt for bowls each time with delicious sauces which I think is the secret ingredient. Good mix of rice/grains with mixed veg. Healthy food. The bowls are priced good at just under $10 excluding tax. They also do juices and smoothies but a bit expensive.
Pros: Healthy, Good price for food
Cons: Laptop crew using tables, Expensive smoothies
Guest
770veg
Points +3606
Love the vibes and the food - Edit
The boho and natural vibes are abounding in this space. There are so many cute nooks to enjoy with a friend or by yourself. The menu is wholesome and varied. I had the sesame tofu ramen which wasn’t on the menu yet on the servers word of mouth and it was awesome! The fresh prepared drinks were fresh and chilly. The mushroom soup was wholesome and delicious. Love the blue room with the whole in the wall and the couches.
Read morePros: Many vegan options, Good recommendations by staff , Cool space
Guest
JJones315
Points +2169
Promising... - Edit
This was my first trip to this local mini-chain restaurant. The interior is bright and inviting with an amazing diversity of seating (stools along a counter, soft seats, standard table and chairs, outdoor seating). I ordered the special of the day: jackfruit tacos with mango salsa. The quality of the food was very good. It was not overly salty or oily either. On the other hand, the jackfruit was served totally unseasoned (blah) and the corn tortillas were served on a plate (cold and dry). Plain jackfruit has a subtle but unpleasant flavor and so needs some flavor added, and tortillas must be served warm in an appropriate container to be palatable for tocos. Upshot: the dish was creative, made with quality ingredients, and well presented; however, it lacked excellent flavor and refinement. They are on the right track!
Read morePros: Lots of vegan options, Great location, Indoor and outdoor seating
Cons: Offers CBD laced foods
Guest
Alevene
Points +65
Reasonable priced, healthy, and delicious - Edit
I CRAVE this food. Thank goodness they opened this location. I have nothing bad to say about Life Alive. The food is delicious, colorful, healthy, and very reasonably priced for what it is and where it is. I love their organic smoothies and warm, comforting grain bowls. My favorite is the rainbow.
Read morePros: All-vegetarian, Healthy, Delicious
Cons: Hard to sit amid sorority girls on their laptops
Guest
Tamy
Points +3368
Tasty food, cozy place - Edit
Stopped here for a hearty and warming lunch on a chilly Fall afternoon. Their menu features a variety of grain bowls and salads that can be served as such or in a wrap, broths, soups, smoothies, juices, açaí bowls, and some add on snack sides like street corn and whipped sweet potato. All of their meals feature an interesting and healthy combination of ingredients. I ordered their mushroom udon broth while my boyfriend ordered the peanut sutra. His bowl was generously sized and very well seasoned, while my broth was also of a good size but severely lacking in flavor. It was like eating vegetables in colored water, not too pleasant.
Read moreThe place itself is very cozy and nicely furnished. The service is ok and their options plentiful--though I do wish they offered more/better desserts. I would return, but not to order a broth again. Their bowls seem to be what they're good at. Would recommend, though again, I suggest sticking to the bowls.
Pros: large menu , fast, healthy
Cons: certain dishes lack flavor, no good dessert options
Guest
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