Veggie Cheap Eat:Cafe Algiers

Looking to escape with a cup of coffee and a good book, Café Algiers is the perfect place. It is a sit down restaurant located on Brattle Street in Harvard Square and serves Middle Eastern food in a charming relaxed setting. The eclectic ambiance, with yellow and red walls, high ceilings and ethnic wall hangings is why patrons can’t get enough of this place. The restaurant is not upscale and even though the tables are wobbly and close together it ironically adds to the character of the restaurant. It is one of the few restaurants in the Boston area where you can spend hours relaxing with a cup of coffee or have an intimate conversation with someone, without the staff disturbing you. There is also a nice outdoor patio, perfect for the warm months.




Café Algiers has a few different healthy vegetarian/vegan offerings for $10 and under. I had the soup of the day, a vegetarian lentil soup ($4.95) and the Tabbouli salad ($9.95). The lentil soup is thick and simple, a great source of protein for us vegetarians, but it lacked salt and maybe was a bit too bland for my liking. The Tabbouli salad also needed a bit of salt and lemon juice to give it more flavor.



They offer a wide selection of hot beverages including a mint coffee and tea which are both very popular. I ended the evening with a hot chocolate which was delicious but I was disappointed that they only made it with whole milk. The only con is that the service is slow and I had to wait a while after being seated to place an order.

Café Algiers is a great place to relax and unwind with its cozy and charming ambiance. The food is good, not excellent, but it is healthy and inexpensive and they offer a unique selection of coffees and desserts.

Blue Room

Restaurant week runs from August 10th-15th and August 17th to August 22nd. There are over 150 restaurants that participate in restaurant week and a three course dinner is $33.08 and a three course lunch is $20.08. I have tried restaurant week in the past and I have generally had to call the restaurant in advance and ask them to prepare a vegetarian dish. This time I browsed through all the menus, most of them did not have a vegetarian offering but I took a look at Blue Room's menu and they had one vegetarian entree ( that did not consist of pasta) so I decided to check it out.

The ambiance of Blue Room is cozy,rustic and has a nice outdoor patio that is great in the summer time. We tried to get a spot outside but there was a bit of a wait and we were trying to catch a movie. Instead we were seated at a secluded table for two which is good alternative depending on what you're looking for out of the experience. Service was great overall , friendly and prompt. Our server even worked with us to rush our food so we could make it on time for the movie.

The food at Blue Room from a vegetarian's perspective was okay but I will have to say my friend who is a carnivore really enjoyed his meal. For an appetizer I ordered the Chilled Watermelon & English Cucumber Soup. The soup was sweet and refreshing due to the watermelon base with fresh cucumbers in it. For an entree I ordered the Roasted Bay End Farm Eggplant with cous cous, yogurt and chickpeas. The dish was healthy and light but I had to ask my server for more yogurt because it was too dry. For dessert I had the Espresso Profiteroles with Chocolate Sauce. It tasted like an eclair with espresso ice cream in the middle. It was average, nothing to blog home about.

Overall I thought the food at Blue Room was okay and with so many restaurants to try I am not sure if I would be back for dinner but I have heard great things about their brunch. From a nonvegetarian perspective, my fiance seemed to enjoy his meal.

Baraka Cafe

Baraka Cafe, 80 Pearl St, Cambridge MA 02139
Cuisine: Tunsian/North African
Vegetarian Options: Vegetarian Friendly
Price: $10-$20

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Total Carrots:

It was a Saturday night and I was in the mood for something ethnic and tasty. I heard about Baraka Cafe and decided to check out this place for some good eats with a friend. This restaurant is located off the beaten path on Pearl St. and because of its location we almost did not make it to the restaurant. Baraka Café is cozy, with only about 10 tables, and we ended up having to wait thirty minutes for one.

When dining at Baraka Café, you will feel like a guest in their kitchen. The ambiance is very charming with Tunisian wall hangings, purple table covers and an antique looking armoire. Our dishes were served in wooden and clay bowls, a really nice touch. The floor was warped, which at first I thought was bothersome, but it actually adds character to the restaurant.

The food here is amazing and do not leave without trying the lemonade. To my surprise, it is as great as everyone had mentioned and the rose petals and spices in it add a unique flavor. For an appetizer, we shared the J’binet with Berber Karmous, a plate of different Mediterranean cheeses, such as Egyptian feta, Labna, & Bulgarian cheese served with caramelized figs and crackers. In addition to the appetizer, I ordered their vegetarian lentil soup which was tasty. For dinner, I had the Melkha , an eggplant dish made with feta, olives, scallions, parsley and couscous which was absolutely delicious. Overall service was good and our waitress was was friendly and spent time explaining the menu to us. The cons of this restaurant are that they only take cash, no reservations are accepted, and the tables are quite close together, but I will surely be back for the amazing food and the charming ambiance.

Oleana

Oleana, 134 Hampshire St, Cambridge MA
http://www.oleanarestaurant.com/

Cuisine: Mediterranean
Vegetarian Options: Vegetarian Selective

Price: $26-42


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Total Carrots :

This is definitely a vegetarian occasion place, a little pricey, but a great place for that special occasion or a date. In my opinion, one of the best restaurants in the city and has great vegetarian Mediterranean food options. The vegetarian tasting menu is $42 but is a real treat with five different appetizers and a dessert. I took my parents here and we each got the vegetarian tasting menu and they truly felt pampered. The tasting menu is continuously changing and they bring out unique and flavorful dishes that will keep you wanting for more. The second time I went to the restaurant I asked for a vegetarian entrée which they were able to make for me. It was a bit cheaper around $26 but equally amazing. It was a cous cous dish that was made with a puree. This dish also keeps changing and is available upon request. Other vegetarian friends I know just order a few of their appetizers and love it. I have been here only in the cold months but they do have one of best outdoor seating in the city.Oleana is a small cozy place with a Mediterranean rustic feel, and it serves the most tasteful dishes that you can’t get anywhere else. The only drawback is you have to make reservations in advance as the place is cozy and the chairs are not too comfortable. But trust me once you try the food you won’t be complaining, definitely one of the best meals I have ever had.