Organic Garden Cafe

Beverly Organic Garden Cafe is a vegan's paradise. Not only is everything on the menu plant-based, it is also organic and cooked using low or no heat to preserve nutrients. This small local cafe has won numerous awards over the years including The Best of Boston by Boston Magazine and Bon's Best of the Northshore awards, both in 2013.

The menu is impressive with a wide range of offerings. You will find so many tempting choices, including: delicious appetizers (guacamole or almond cheese served with dehydrated crackers), various fresh soups (corn chowder, black bean) and salads, vegetable wraps, salads, and healthy bowls featuring a variety of powerhouse vegetables and seeds. The chevre plate, featuring live almond cheese served with a side of dehydrated flax crackers and vegetables was a great start to the meal. The 2 standouts on the menu are the Nut Butter Squash Ravioli and Deep Dish pizza. The deep dish pizza doesn't look like traditional deep dish, however, after taking just one bite you will be glad you ordered. The pizza is a delicious, filling lunch, served with an organic spring mix salad. The nut butter ravioli, while pricey at $18, is absolutely worth the cost. Your plate of beautiful beet shell raviolis filled with butternut squash and topped with a creamy cashew Alfredo sauce is to die for (I don't know how they got the sauce to taste like a creamy Parmesan sauce but they succeeded!).

Organic Garden Cafe is one of the first vegan restaurants in the state I've seen which has included waiter service. This gives you the feeling of dining out at a restaurant opposed to a quick cafe. Service was excellent, with the waitress knowledgeable about ingredients. The waitress was conveniently able to explain tastes of odd sounding ingredients to newcomers to the plant based diet.

Although the dining area was small and very crowded (after the meal I can see why!), it was nicely decorated with local artwork, water fountains, and pleasing colors.

Beverly Organic Garden Cafe is sure to satisfy the taste buds of vegans, vegetarians, and even carnivores. The food is fresh, fulfilling, and nutritious. You will leave feeling satisfied with the healthy, energizing choice you just made.