Funky alternative restaurants like Grasshopper in Allston and Veggie Galaxy in Central Square were serving plant-based meats long before Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat found their way onto supermarket shelves. But for those looking to jump into this niche market, entry isn’t easy. The owners of True Bistro, the vegetarian restaurant in Teele Square, closed their well-regarded eatery after the pandemic, citing the struggle to stay profitable despite strong demand. The last time I was at Saus, a vegetarian eatery in Bow Market, and tried to order their hearty Somerville Dip (meatless short rib au jus), I was told it was temporarily out of stock because the plant-based meat substitute supplier, Tender Food, was having supply and business issues. More recently, Clover made news when it shuttered, and then promptly re-opened, under new ownership. The market for plant-based meat has grown in recent years, propelled by people who see the products as a healthier option or a way to lessen the environmental toll of meat production.
So folks in Kendall Square should rejoice in the recent opening of Lulu Green, which moved into the storefront that was formerly PlantPub — a similar concept that specialized in meatless fried chicken and vegetarian pizzas. The new vegetarian eatery leans toward Mexican (tacos, burritos) and Korean (sweet chili sauces) dishes, with strong Lebanese and Middle Eastern accents. It’s a clean, open space with an ample, shaded outdoor patio offering a picturesque view of Henri A. Termeer Square, home to the Kendall Square Farmers Market and Skate @ Canal District Kendall.
The menu is diverse with standard and not-so-standard salads and bowls (quinoa, sweet potato and broccoli, Mediterranean and Vietnamese noodles with crispy chicken), lemony lentil soup, and a mezze trio. Lulu Green serves acai bowls and meatless burgers every which way — including a double smash burger. But my eyes and appetite locked onto the “Chef Signatures” menu, namely the Korean barbecue-glazed mushroom short rib burrito. If that sounds like a mouthful, it is, and a delightfully delicious one. The marinated shrooms were surprisingly meaty, and the sweet-and-spicy barbecue sauce played well with the rice. Kimchi and pickled onions added some pucker.
The eatery’s flagship staple is the maple hot wings, seitan wings glazed with maple hot. The maple hot barbecue sauce is thick and tangy — but not really hot. The plate came with lightly pickled carrot and celery sticks and a side of Lulu ranch for dipping. I stumbled upon a happy surprise on the appetizer lineup: Korean beef lettuce wraps. The gochujang-glazed seitan was pleasingly chewy, with a carpaccio-like texture, and the glaze, like the Korean short rib, was perfectly tangy and more sweet than spicy. This plate also came with mild kimchi, shredded carrots, and chopped peanuts. The wraps reminded me of the loc lak wraps (Cambodian-style, beef stir fry) that Elephant Walk served in its Porter Square days.
The other popular item that seemed to fly across the counter was the tacos al pastor — seitan, grilled pineapple, sumac onions, and avocado with cilantro crema. Three come in an order, arranged upright on a metal taco rack for eating with minimal mess. I didn’t try them because — incited by the Day’s 2024 article about Mooji’s plant-based rib-eye — I have been wildly curious about the taste of plant-based steak — and lo and behold, the “Chef Signatures” section boasted steak frites. The “meat,” sourced from Chunk Foods, a supplier that’s been in the plant-based meat biz since 2020, arrived looking too well-formed and symmetrical, reminding me of the Swanson Salisbury steaks I had as a child. But once I cut into the slab, crowned with a glorious, green mound of zhoug, a Middle Eastern spicy cilantro sauce, the crosscut looked genuinely like meat. Not that it really mattered, because what’s ultimately important is how it tastes and feels in your mouth — and to that end, the moo-less meat was clean, lean and satisfyingly juicy, without any grain or grizzle. The zhoug was a perfect addition too, a bite of spice and peppery greenness — think of it as a subtle pesto with a zing. The accompanying truffle fries that filled out the plate were plump and fluffy, but it was the perfectly formed triangle of meatless meat that made the meal.
Lulu has a weekend brunch menu that features a taco, a seitan asada with scrambled plant eggs, guacamole, and hot sauce. There’s also an omelette du jour, a “meatball” shakshuka, and gluten-free pancakes. Lulu’s is looking to add beer and wine soon, and they already have an impressive slate of smoothies — the mango sunrise is an addictive, fruity slurp — and artisanal spritzers.
Open midmorning to early evening, Lulu’s is an excellent fast-fine addition to the Kendall Square culinary landscape, and one that fills a dietary niche not well-covered in the area. It’s a tasty, socially conscious alternative that delivers for both traditional vegetarians (who never needed meatless meat, because they were already meatless) and carnivores seeking to move on from meat without losing something juicy and meaty to bite into.
Lulu Green
675 W Kendall St.
Kendall Square
$$ (out of $$$$)
Have a favorite dish or dine out spot that we’ve not covered and think we should? email Tom at tmeek@cambridgeday,com.
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