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, and is sometimes referred to as Urban Oasis. Open Mon-Tue 10:00am-9:00pm, Wed 3:00pm-8:00pm, Thu-Fri 11:00am-8:00pm, Sat-Sun 10:00am-9:00pm.
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765 Massachusetts Ave (at Central Square), Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, 02139
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Last update on 24 Nov 2018 by jolg
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Added by laurasremedies on 20 Mar 2011
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63 Reviews
First Review by m.sun
EthanXMoeller
Points +110
Great taste and options but service needs work - Edit
This place is a vegan’s dream simply put. Only gripe I have is that the wait staff seemed a little confused and delivered to the wrong tables several times but it was well worth the wait for them to figure it out. The rainbow harvest bowl was an amazing mix of goodness and one of the best vegan meals I have ever had!
Read morePros: Plethora of vegan options , Great taste, Cool decor
Cons: Crowded, Disorganized wait staff
Guest
BallroomVegan
Points +258
Love Love Love ❤️ - Edit
One of my go-to’s. Everything is excellent. Every time.
Read moreGuest
WickedVegan17
Points +62
Healthy choice - Edit
Great for health conscious delicious options
Read morePros: Very fresh ingredients, Kombucha on tap!, Nice staff
Guest
AnnieShutt
Points +166
Good food - Edit
As another review mentioned, the biggest downside is the menu isn’t labeled for vegan vs not vegan. Generally cool atmosphere tho, haven’t tried much of the menu but was satisfied with what I had
Read moreGuest
travelingmatilda
Points +13
FANTASTIC - Edit
This is my favorite vegan/vegetarian food in the area. Always delicious, fresh, full of vegetables, but still filling. Also, the smoothies are fantastic.
Read morePros: Delicious and fresh, Nice vibe in the shop, Always friendly
Guest
vamourao
Points +48
Fresh and nutritious! - Edit
If you're looking for light healthy vegan food, that is the place! Really nice atmosphere! The place looks magical!
Read morePros: A wonderful place right next to Cambridge City Hal
Cons: no cons
Guest
jonh
Points +160
tasty food - Edit
Food is great, but menu doesn't state whether items are vegan. I suspect most are, it's just frustrating to always have to check.
Read moreCons: menu doesn't say if items are vegan
Guest
Keld
Points +16
Great restaurant - eat and out - Edit
Over the last year, I have eaten at Life Alive on average one to two times a week. It is great.
Read morePros: Healthy vegan food, Cozy eating quarters , Quick service
Cons: Quality of bowls can vary with change of staff
Guest
SuperTed
Points +393
Packed on a Monday Evening! - Edit
If a restaurant is this crowded on a Monday evening, they must be doing something right. Well, it turns out they do many things right. We decided on salad, soup, and sundaes, and everything was scrumptious! The staff is helpful and friendly, the portions are good for the price, and there is an abundance of wonderful options. Give it a try… or two!
Read moreGuest
MarcT.
Points +62
Good Food! Rude Staff :( - Edit
Visiting from out of town, this restaurant looked very interesting so my partner and I decided to check it out. We ordered the miso udon soup, Elvis smoothie, juice, kombucha and truffles because why not try it all, right? The truffles were incredible! Matcha and cinnamon paired really well with the dark chocolate. The miso udon was very good as well, though the broccoli was somewhere on the mushy spectrum. Kombucha was good, along with the juice and smoothie - very standard and worthy of a 3.5-*4* on food alone.
Read moreThe service, unfortunately, was very sub par. My partner decided to get another kombucha and wanted to try the corn so she went up to order at the counter and the staff was having a conversation. They looked at her and continued to converse for another 3 full minutes before breaking to walk to the register, without so much as a hello, sorry or any acknowledgement. She told me about this when she sat down and I didn't understand - something must be missing I thought. Soon enough, the same person that ignored her came to our table to drop off the plate without any greeting, just dropped it and headed back immediately without acknowledgement again.
--I understand people shouldn't be expected to always be in the mood to work but I couldn't help but feel like it wasn't worth the effort to come here again after that. The food is good but I'm not interested in going somewhere unfriendly where I don't feel welcome.
Guest
MarkLS
Points +25
my favorite vegan spot in Boston area - Edit
I have been vegan for almost 6 years, and I have tried most vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants in the Boston area. This is my favorite one, and I have eaten there many dozens of times. The menu is mostly vegan (a few items have eggs). The food is fresh, healthy, and delicious, and for that reason I give Life Alive 5 stars. While this spot has its charms, it can also be a challenge to find seating when it gets busy. And it can get very busy at peak times. I recommend sitting downstairs as it's not as loud and crowded.
Read morePros: delicious food, organic, fresh, healthy, generous portions
Cons: awkward physical space, gets very loud and crowded at peak times, seating is a challenge at peak times
Guest
CBM
Points +126
Go-to Veg Hub - Edit
Loads of delicious, healthy options, friendly staff, and cool atmosphere. I would highly recommend this restaurant!
Read morePros: Tasty, Friendly staff, Cool Atmosphere
Guest
daroff
Points +1613
excellent vegetarian choices - Edit
Great menu with wraps, bowls, smoothies, and more. We had warrior salad bowls and were very pleased - fresh and tasty.
Read moreThere was ample room to sit in the basement level - in a cafe-type informal setting.
While we had no trouble at all ordering vegan, we wish they would take the next step to go entirely plant-based.
Pros: delicious , fair pricing , many options
Cons: not 100% vegan :(
Guest
nafanc
Points +1615
Good bowls, not relaxing atmosphere - Edit
We got the Green Goddess and The Fool. The Fool was a noodle bowl with shitakes and tofu that was pretty good. The Green Goddess was exceptional. Really great flavors.
Read moreThe atmosphere is pretty crunchy/hippie/etc. Having been vegan for a while, I've enjoyed my share of places with hippie vibes, but something about this place felt a bit off to me. I found the aesthetics to be a bit busy and in-your-face (like if Portlandia envisioned a yoga studio?). That, plus the long queue, large crowd, and cramped quarters led to a less-than-relaxing atmosphere - this was all the more notable given its stark contrast with the "urban oasis" and "soulful, therapeutic" experience they pride themselves on.
That said, I know that aesthetics are a matter of personal preference, so you should see for yourself. Personally, I wasn't feeling the vibe, but the food was really good.
Pros: Good bowls
Cons: Busy, long lines, Not relaxing atmosphere
Guest
bilby
Points +292
macro & more - Edit
Full on hippy menu of macrobiotic organic salads that can also be wrapped. Predictably busy at lunchtime. In-house eating areas include a grungy dungeon complete with purple ceiling. Maaaan.
Read moreGuest
RyanSt
Points +208
Awesome location, space and food - Edit
Life Alive has a great atmosphere. Everyone is friendly and it's so comfortable to hang out and eat and talk. The food is all fresh and flavorful. My only negative is that the portion sizes are a little on the small side. Most people I go there with have no complaints about the sizes though, I just eat a ton of food. Love this place and will keep going back.
Read moreGuest
Jōjia_Momo
Points +506
Missing Cambridge - Edit
This review is hard to write because I am on the opposite side of the country to this amazing place. You basically build your own vegan beautiful creation and watch the amazing people behind the counter make it. Huge portions and delicious juice as well.
Read morePros: Huge portions, Customization , Delicious
Guest
rakesh_yadav
Points +81
Creative and nice - Edit
Many interesting sounding and tasty dishes. Very nice "hipster" place and lively environment.
Read moreGuest
Fit_Fathers
Points +307
Urban Oasis - Edit
I hooked up with health food activist Hanna in Cambridge while enjoying pure vegan grub at Life Alive with fellow Fit Father Kyle Ay. Thanks to Jeff Cutler for the recommendation we were able to enjoy the purity of their smoothies, wraps, salads and bowls with the uttermost satisfaction. Featuring an upstairs and downstairs this happening veggie spot is the place to be for the urban elite. I went with the Green Goddess consisting of Kale, onions, avocado, onions, tofu.
Read morePros: clean foods
Cons: none
Guest
taryn.miw
Points +38
Vegan/Vegetarian Heaven! - Edit
A few weeks ago in Boston, my mom and I were walking around the Harvard Campus and Harvard Square, and we decided to go to Life Alive since we had been dying to try it for a very long time.
Read moreIt was about 1:30-2:00 PM when we arrived, so the wait was not long at all; we ordered at the counter right after finding a place to sit.
I asked for The Explorer salad in a wrap, my mom got The Goddess bowl with brown rice and both tofu and sprouted legumes. We each also ordered a Jive Alive juice.
I love that they offer two sizes for the bowls, so you can choose depending on how hungry you are.
The staff were friendly and quick to list off the ingredients of their food, and were fine when I asked for a few substitutions.
It was about 5-10 minutes until we received our juice in these adorable glass mason jars with a straw. Another 5-10 minutes passed before we got our food- my wrap came first (probably because it was not a warm/cooked meal), then the bowl a few minutes later.
I don't know what their secret is, but that hummus was absolutely amazing! There was not too much or too little, and the entire thing was just so tasty.
I had a few bites of The Goddess bowl as well, which did not disappoint in the least. It was nice and warm (like the menu suggests), and wasn't allowed to get cold before it was served to us.
The next night I looked up a copy-cat recipe for the Nama Shoyu sauce and made a version of The Goddess haha!
The Jive Alive juice was a perfect addition to our meal. It felt cleansing, refreshing, and energizing. I could tell the veggies & greens that had been used were truly fresh and crisp.
I also really like how the produce that is used is right up front behind the counter.
Overall, I rate this place 5 stars easily, and would eat here practically every week if I lived closer!
Pros: Food!!, Friendly and helpful staff, Perfect portion sizes
Cons: May be hard to find a place to sit
Guest
ScoGold
Points +13
Best Veg*n Food Ever! - Edit
I am lucky I live just a mile away from this gem. For the first three years I lived here I just walked last it because it just looked wayyy too hippy for me. After so many of my non-veg friends recommended Life Alive, I knew I had to try it.
Read moreFor your first time visiting, just order any of the items. They all sound really weird and you may not know the ingredients but try something out. The Adventurer is my go to dish if you like garlic but The Swami is often what I order because it fills you up well and has a beautiful curry taste. You can add any mix-in at a modest price to tailor any meal to your liking. The free homemade hot sauce is an amazing and will help transform your meals (be careful as it can sneak up on you).
For smoothies I highly recommend the Carrot Cake Alive or Coconut Alive which are packed with nutrients and flavors. If peanut butter is your thing, try out the Elvis Alive. If you're lucky, while waiting in line you may be able to sample one if they have extra that doesn't fit into someone's glass.
The line does get very long, especially during peak hours (lunch or dinner) so you might have to wait around 30minutes before getting your food when the line is out the door.
In summary, if you're visiting from out of town, you must try this. If you live in Cambridge/Boston, don't go because you will only make my wait longer =-P
Pros: Healthy, Unique, Filling
Cons: Long Lines, Slow Staff, Grungy
Guest
mmmscott
Points +71
awesome - Edit
went twice to this place for their juices. would love to work there or just hang out. lots of options!
Read moreGuest
veganamanda
Points +251
Love Life Alive! - Edit
The Cambridge location has a bit of a different feel from the Lowell location. It's much busier and frequented by a younger crowd. The seating is a bit tight, I'm pretty thin and could barely get between the tables to sit down.
Read moreThe food is amazing, The Swami is my favorite. I also enjoy the smoothies. All my omnivore friends were "surprised" and enjoyed their meals.
The one bummer is that I noticed they put number pad locks on the bathrooms. I'm not sure if they had trouble with non-customers using the restroom, but it just gave off a "go away" vibe from such a friendly restaurant. I didn't like having to find someone to give me the code.
Pros: Food, Smoothies, Energy
Cons: lock on bathroom door - really?, tight seating/crowded
Guest
MrMoonshine
Points +20
Amazing place - Edit
Visited this place a few times on a recent trip to Boston. It's one of those places I wish I have in my town. To be able to get delicious, healthy, organic, vegan food at a reasonable price is heaven for me.
Read moreMy only gripe would be the code for the toilets. On one visit I was sat near them and observed many people having issues and needing to ask for the code. This place is supposed to all be about the love. Is it really a problem if a passer-by needs to go the toilet and uses yours? I mean I know, generally speaking, this is a major problem that we need to be cracking down on (and hard!), but maybe in this one oasis of hippie love an exception could be made.
Pros: Delicious, healthy food, Wonderful decor and vibe, Large portions
Cons: Code for toilets (where's the love?)
Guest
kobi
Points +24
Delicious quality meals! - Edit
I wanted to check out the cambridge location after being at the lowell one. The food was delicious again ( we got the adventurer on a wrap, the swami on a wrap, the explorer salad, and the Lust Alive smoothie). The adventurer was my favorite, and the swami was my friend's favorite. No one cared much for the salad, and the smoothie was diluted too much in rice milk and very un-flavorful. Overall, the lowell location definitely does it better, but I do like that they have the menu posted on the wall at this location.
Read morePros: Good vibe, Menu Posted
Cons: Crowded
Guest
Alliz
Points +51
Put Your Dollar Here - Edit
5 stars for variety and raw menu
Read more5 stars for value for money
5 stars for customer service
Since moving to Boston, Life Alive has become my choice place to eat. All food is cooked lightly, or prepared completely raw. This care ensures each dish maintains a nutritional benefit while still being a invigoratingly tasty chow.
Unlike most vegan restaurants, they source and use only organic ingredients. For me, this is an essential step in living the ecological consciousness vegans and rawists support.
Customers clear their plates and order food at the counter forcing the customer to be involved in their "economy" care sooner or later.
Put your dollar here.
Updated from previous review on Friday December 27, 2013
Pros: Excellent food, variety, Raw and nutritional benefit, Complete vegan/raw advocacy
Cons: Cash only
Guest
veggivet
Points +175
Lives up to its name, and more! - Edit
I stumbled upon this vegan oasis in Cambridge and am so grateful I found it. As soon as you walk in the front door, you can sense a wonderful vibe. All the workers look like they really enjoy their job, and it shows in the food and the service. I had an Alchemist Salad with a Coconut Alive smoothie, and all I can say is this was one of the best vegan lunches I've had in a long time. The smoothie was so good, I ordered another one for dessert. Desserts are the only thing lacking here, but you will almost certainly be satisfied after any of the salads, wraps, or bowls. 99% vegan, with the vast majority of that being raw. All in all, I think it is the best place for healthy, vegan food in the Boston area.
Read morePros: Quality and presentation of food., Friendly, efficient service., Reasonable prices for organic raw vegan.
Cons: No desserts., Parking can be difficult.
Guest
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