At a glance:
450 Mass. Ave, Cambridge, MA
Price: $$
Stars (out of 5): 4
So there I was pretty hungry, roaming around MIT searching for a quick bite when I spotted the bright green canopy of Veggie Galaxy. And just 2 days before this, my floormates were talking about how incredible Veggie Galaxy was so I had to give this a shot. Vegetarian diner? Leggo.
The diner is super trendy and hipster with an open kitchen/grilling station and outerspace-inspired decor.
Let’s see, their menu has a very wide selection to satisfy a hardcore vegetarian’s palate. But they are famous for their seitan (wheat gluten, a good source of protein), breakfast options, dinner plates, and since I went on a Monday, they had a seitan “meat”ball sub special. They also serve a variety of vegan desserts and vegan frappes. There is a rotating cake display next to the checkout counter.
After careful deliberation, I decided to go with a good old veggie burger for carry out. You can choose between two types of veggie patties, either chipotle black bean or mushroom chickpea. I got a Kendall Square with a black bean patty. The Kendall Square is piled with 2 huge beer-battered onion rings, arugula, roasted red pepper paste, and a garlic mayo spread on the bun. I requested sprouts as an extra topping, because garlic mayo and sprouts = match made in heaven. At least in my head.
After the cook yelled “order up” pretty loudly, I received my warm burger that smelled absolutely wonderfully like roasted red pepper and garlic. Let’s deconstruct this burger! First of all, where were the sprouts I specifically requested? No clue… -__- Whatever, I get it, but still kind of annoying. By this time I was already across the street eating in a park so moot point. Despite this minor mishap, the burger was glorious. The bun was crispy and buttery on the outside, soft on the inside and lightly grilled for warmth. The onion rings were perfectly battered and you know how BBQ sauce works well with beer-battered onion rings? Well, this roasted red pepper puree was like the typical BBQ sauce on onion rings, but a ton better and bolder. The puree seasoning was spot on and even had a little kick to it at the end. The chipotle black bean patty was well-seasoned, hearty, and earthy. I could taste the distinct bits of celery and black beans. Arugula was not even noticeable against everything else, oh well… And finally, the garlic mayo, though a bit oily, worked so well in bringing everything together, especially since veggie burgers tend to run dry without the grease and fat in a meat patty.
The burger came with 2 sides: a side salad and a garden slaw. Let me just say the “salad” was, I kid you not, 10 distinct tiny leaves of mesclun with a light olive oil vinaigrette dressing/non-dressing because it was hardly noticeable. That was a bummer because I wanted a little more substantial amount of greens after such a satisfying burger. The garden slaw was also a super teeny portion lumped into a corner of the box, but it was a tasty, again I kid you not, 2 or 3 bites. Creamy but not overpowering, and I appreciated the bits of scallions added in to perk the flavor. Next time, I hope the portion of sides can be better!
TLDR: hands down best veggie burger I’ve ever put into my mouth (and I eat ALOT of veggie burgers). Very happy with what Veggie Galaxy delivered. For people who think vegetarians’ food options are limited comparatively, Veggie Galaxy’s creativity and skills will prove you wrong.
Eat on!
(Eats) By the Esplanade 