Vegan
Chinese
Delivery
Take-out
Asian
Catering
Previously located at 1 N Beacon. Moved to this address August 2024. Offers an extensive Asian vegan food menu which includes vegetables, noodles, tofu, and mock meat dishes. Has brown rice. Open Mon 11:00am-10:00pm, Wed-Thu 11:00am-10:00pm, Fri-Sat 11:00am-11:00pm, Sun 12:00pm-10:00pm.
103 Reviews
First Review by happyherbivore
renakatz
Points +64
Deliciously filling - Edit
Grasshopper is a reliable option for sizable portions of tasty Chinese food. The last time I visited, we ordered "chicken" chow foon noodles and coconut curry with tofu. Each dish had a good balance of veggies and tofu/fake meats.
Read moreThey have a variety of soups and their eggplant tofu special is extremely yummy. Definitely worth a visit!
Pros: Generous portions, Tasty food with lots of veggies, Good value
Cons: Best for family style, not for single person
Guest
sam654321
Points +2920
Not bad - Edit
Ive been here many times.
Read moreThey have a buffet tor like 10 bucks every 3rd Sunday.
They food is pretty good but they told me they use MSG.
Gotta try the no-name chick-un with sesame!!
Guest
amwhite91
Points +522
Welcoming - Edit
I went for the first time a few weeks ago, and I am sure to return. There are so many delicious and affordable options here. I was originally going to go to Whole Heart Provisions next door to study, but they were too crowded, so I came here. After my meal, the waitstaff was very accommodating with allowing me to stay and study for several hours after while I occasionally ordered snacks. They kept the tea flowing, too.
Read morePros: large portion sizes, friendly staff
Cons: a little greasy
Guest
Slasha
Points +60
A staple restaurant - Edit
We have been coming here for over 5 years. Hot and sour soup is the best one I've ever had. I tend to compare any other restaurant's one to this one. The No Name is the most popular dish among my friends. I don't tend to eat fried stuff but I've tried it a couple times off their plate and it's always been good. The mock meats are good but the tofu dishes use a soft tofu and are never quite satisfying, especially not the coconut tofu.
Read moreAll entrees are giant and they have a buffet one Sunday every month that's worth a trip at least once.
Pros: Big servings, lots of options, Extremely quick, Reliable staple
Cons: not many healthy options
Guest
roguesby
Points +232
So good - Edit
I love Grasshopper, particularly the 3rd Sunday buffet. Everything is really reasonably priced and there are just so many delicious options. I never have anything I don't like.
Read morePros: Reasonably priced, So many amazing options, Buffet 3rd Sunday of the month!
Guest
socalRob
Points +231
Enormous menu for an enmormous appetite - Edit
Come hungry: with the low prices, the large selection and big portions, you'll get your fill here.
Read moreThe food is good and varied and the restaurant has a nice ambience.
Guest
veggie_htx
Points +2082
Delicious! - Edit
This was absolutely delicious, I am so glad my sisters ordered lots of stuff to share! The spring rolls were accompanied by a nice dipping sauce, the barbicue pork was deliciously crispy, the fried rice and tofu were perfectly seasoned and bursting with flavor. Vegans will absolutely love Grasshopper!
Read morePros: Good value, Excellent food
Guest
amberalexander
Points +62
Average/good asian food - Edit
•good food! big servings for lower prices
Read more•nice staff, seemed slightly impatient
•some fried foods are quite dense and too oily, watch out!
•many options
•mock meats were good/ok quality, some were just plain tofu (like the chicken fingers)
WHAT I ORDERED:
-Chicken fingers (appetizer): basically fried tofu served with sweet and sour sauce, dense but good.... Looked nothing like chicken fingers. (View picture)
-The kale and mushroom delight: lots of kale, good flavor, fake beef had a weird twang/ tasted rotten
-Vermicelli noodles topped with grilled chicken: GREAT!!! Thin rice noodles with veg and good fake chicken
-House vermicelli noodles: AMAZING!! Thin rice noodles with veg, fried tofu skins, great spring rolls, and pork (was okay, slightly rubbery but good) served with rice paper and hot water to make rolls, i didnt use them.
-GREAT CHEESECAKE!! Topped with blueberry sauce, mmmmm good!
-Pineapple apple carrot celery juice, was good but had pulp... Wasn't strained. More like a thin smoothie
Guest
MelHeinrich
Points +132
Worth the trip - Edit
Abit of a trek from where I was staying in town but definitely worth it! The staff were incredibly friendly and gave up great suggestions for our first time there. Their imitation meats even satisfied my picky omnivore mother! Would definitely love to come back
Read morePros: friendly staff and restaurant vibe , big menu , complimentary tea
Cons: rice a little on the stodgy side, but fine otherwi
Guest
maggin
Points +16
words cant even describe... - Edit
HOW AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS THE TOFU CHICKEN FINGERS AND BARBECUED VEGGIE PORK ARE!!
Read moreif only i lived closer, Thankfully i still manage to get take out from here at least once a month
Pros: Delicious, Friendly staff, did i mention delicious?
Cons: distance
Guest
nafanc
Points +1615
Asian veggie - Edit
Grasshopper's menu is extensive and has dozens of dishes with a wide array of mock meats. The sheer variety is pretty overwhelming. I've tried a lot of the menu items, many of which were excellent and others of which were just okay. For first-timers, I would recommend asking the server for suggestions - they'll probably direct you to the mock beef with broccoli, which is really good in spite of the simplicity of concept. The portions here are huge (family-sized), so plan accordingly. If you order one dish per person, you will invariably end up with lots of leftovers - which actually isn't a bad thing.
Read moreAlso, they have a buffet on the third Sunday of every month. It's less than $11 for all-you-can eat, which is a fantastic value. That's also a great way to sample a little (or a lot) of many different dishes that they offer.
Pros: Huge portions, Asian favorites, Buffet
Guest
Siup
Points +3213
Good food! - Edit
I had dinner here. It's good! They have a great menu, and food is delicious. The mock lobster is something to try. The fried noodles nest is so good. Nice owners.
Read morePros: yummy food, price , nice owners
Guest
XOLOKITCHEN
Points +201
Vegans Unite! - Edit
Went here with my sons. We loved the wonton soup. I wasn't crazy about the apps we ordered but I might not have ordered well this time around. That said, the staff was extremely nice and our food came out hot and didn't take too much time. As a vegan business owner, I value the commitment and dedication that it takes to keep a vegan restaurant going. Thanks Grasshopper for pioneering this wonderful food and for staying in the game.
Read moreGuest
baruchadam
Points +406
Reasonable - Edit
Just okay. Don't drive too far for this spot.
Read moreGuest
Jackhappyliving
Points +20
Good! - Edit
Tasty food, a lot options!
Read morePros: Friendly staff, fresh vegetables
Guest
Phizzi
Points +92
Good Food, good price, community supporter - Edit
Grasshopper has consistently good food and decent service. Sure, the restaurant doesn't sparkle (people mistake wear and tear of a small family run restaurant for dirt sometimes, but I've never seen something that made me question the actual cleanliness here) and the to-go containers are, well, pretty bad, but the food is consistently very good, affordable, and available, with a large selection of 100% vegan items.
Read moreBetter, they are long time supporters of the Boston Vegetarian Society and let the group meet there every month for free.
Pros: Great food, Selection, Price
Cons: Aesthetics, To-go containers, small delivery area
Guest
A.Z.P.
Points +623
Simply Delicious & Worth a visit! - Edit
Everything we tried here has its own unique flavor and was very good.
Read moreThe Hot & Sour had great content including veggie Pork and Tofu. It was delicious, living up to its "hot" & "Sour" names.
My Favorite dish was "the Kale & Gluten Supreme". Just excellent and I would recommend it to everyone. It was filled with three different types of faux meat as well as huge portions of perfectly cooked kale in a savory black bean sauce. The mains also come with rice.
We've also tried the "Kale and Mushroom Supreme", which had a really well executed ginger sauce, but for some reason doesn't have shitakes. The "Sesame Beef", was filled with sweet and delicious vege beef medallions and well cooked broccoli. The "Lo Mein with Tofu" is done well and isn't oily. I think the only thing I've had there which was disappointing was the "Spicy curry Vermicelli", as the noodles weren't Al Dente, the curry wasn't particularly spicy, and the Sweet potatoes seemed an odd fit for the rest of the dish.
All in all, this place is a real winner. I've never had anything bad here. The portions are huge. The service is polite and lightyears above Boston's "My Thai Vegan". The last time I went to Grasshopper was the last great snowstorm of 2015 and they were the only store on the block open. This place is open even in blizzards and the food is consistently excellent.
In terms of flavors or textures, nothing blew my mind at Grasshopper. It also isn't fancy and unfortunately it's out of the way from Central Boston. That being said if you've got a hankering for a delicious Asian Meal and you're in Beantown, than Grasshopper's your ticket, and its worth the extra 20-30 minutes of transportation, because it is easily the best Asian fare in town.
Pros: Great Portions, Excellent flavors & Content, Affordable Prices
Cons: Out of the way by Public transportation
Guest
juliebug
Points +109
Great Prices and great Variety! - Edit
Amazing blueberry vegan cheesecake.
Read morePros: Vegan Cheesecake!, Very affordable!, great drink list!
Cons: not many GF options
Guest
robpaterson
Points +154
OK Food, A Few Criticisms, Suggestions - Edit
I don't think there's a vegan out there who doesn't appreciate an all vegan restaurant. Having said that, I also think vegans appreciate (perhaps even more than non-vegetarians) presentation and other details.
Read moreLet's start with the good, or even great. The appetizers—at least the ones we tried, the House Special Assorted Appetizers—were excellent. If you aren't a fan of fried food, you won't like these, but if you are, you'll be in heaven.
The next dish we tried was entitled "The No Name," basically fried strips of gluten in a a run-of-the-mill sweet and sour sauce. There were not very many veggies (perhaps four pieces of broccoli), but to it's credit, the dish was quite tasty, as long as you like this type of sauce.
Next we tried the The Grasshopper Supreme. I won't mince words here: this was pretty awful. It was bland, difficult to eat (all of the steamed veggies were not bite-size and in huge chunks) and presented in a hodgepodge, un-appetizing platter. In a word, it was sloppy.
Finally, we tried the Sizzling Platter. This was OK, but again, not that tasty, and frankly, pretty bland.
I'm going to go out on a limb: I think some people who really like the restaurant and give it five stars haven't tried truly exquisite vegan asian cuisine. If you've never had vegan asian food before, this will blow you away. If you've been vegan for over twenty years like I have, this is only so-so.
On a positive note, it's not dirty as some people say, just more like a typical asian restaurant. There service is also good, but I made the mistake of asking the waitress her opinion (she may have even been the owner) and I should have trusted my instinct and ordered for the table instead.
I actually hope the restaurant reads these reviews, and works a little harder on presentation and taste. It would take much to really improve the dishes and make this a knock-out restaurant.
Anyway, perhaps we just ordered a couple dishes that weren't that impressive (or as impressive as they seem on the menu and via their titles), but suffice it to say, we won't return when we're back in the Boston area.
Updated from previous review on Friday November 28, 2014
Pros: Great and quick service, Lots of variety, Large portion sizes
Cons: Sloppy presentation, Bland taste (some dishes)
Guest
Blam
Points +38
Vegan Nest of Yummy - Edit
I was really impressed by the wide diversity of all vegan food and truly delicious combinations. The "bird's" nest made with julienned taro root filled with squid- and shrimp-like pressed root veggies and beef-like seitan in a delicious non-oyster sauce was really phenomenal. The hot and sour soup and chicken-ish with veggie dumplings were remarkable, too, as was the ubiquitous hot tea. The atmosphere and service are appropriate for an affordable, quick-service American-Chinese restaurant. Come for the food, but don't expect fine dining here. The vast, delicious menu are what makes this place attractive.
Read morePros: variety of food, expansive menu, low prices
Cons: no music played in restaurant, restrooms could use some attention
Guest
veganlass
Points +16
The ultimate choice - Edit
If I could give more than 5 stars for this incredible restaurant I would!!What more can you ask for, a totally vegan restaurant with an enormous choice of appetizers and entrees etc. A very friendly staff who is very helpful and the service from the kitchen is super-fast!! Not to mention that I have NEVER had a meal that didn't taste incredible!!! The only somewhat down-side is the lack of sufficient parking, but it is so worth the couple of minutes inconvenience. Needless to say, this is my whole family's favorite restaurant BY FAR and recommend it highly !!!!!
Read morePros: all the food!
Cons: parking
Guest
frozencemetery
Points +28
Probably my favorite restaurant - Edit
Don't try to eat all of it; plan to bring some back with you. Their menu is huge, and all of it is vegan, and all of it is delicious. Highly highly recommend.
Read morePros: vast selection, huge portions, friendly staff
Guest
drng
Points +28
loved it! - Edit
Very friendly staff, extremely authentic Asian food, great selection. Will definitely go back!!!!!!
Read morePros: VEGAN!!, selection, friendliness
Guest
Alliz
Points +51
All Vegan Menu! - Edit
5 stars for food
Read more5 stars for variety and taste of food
3 stars for customer service, as they are seemingly pushy for you to leave once you've finished your food
A great place to share large dishes of food. Definitely choose contrasting flavors to balance your flavor dimensions. Too much of one dish could get intense!
Pros: Delicious food, regardless of choice, Huge choice, Value for $ in food quality
Cons: That stupid fish tank!, Pushy customer service to make you leave
Guest
Babette
Points +2107
Good Asian Food - Edit
I had the no name, which is excellent, but you have to share it because it is huge and you can quickly get sick of the intense flavors. I recommend ordering it along with other dishes with a group of people.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on Tuesday December 24, 2013
Pros: Large menu, Affordable, Free tea
Cons: Far from downtown Boston, Tough choice bec. of two nearby shops
Guest
futurefossils
Points +349
Delicious - Edit
I really enjoyed the food at the Grasshopper. I have gone twice and both times I was impressed by the food that they had their. Also, I was happy to see animal rights literature at the front of the restaurant. However, one thing that was off putting was the fish that were kept in an aquarium....a small, gross one at that.
Read morePros: Good food
Cons: not that clean, poor fish :(
Guest
tru_gemini
Points +16
Good food but.... - Edit
The food is good but cleanliness is real issue.
Read moreGuest
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