True Bistro

Vegan restaurant · Somerville

True Bistro

Vegan restaurant · Somerville

2

1153 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02144

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True Bistro by null
True Bistro by null
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Highlights

This sleek, candlelit vegan haven wows with innovative dishes, making it a beloved brunch spot and romantic dining destination—until its recent closure.  

Featured in Eater
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1153 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02144 Get directions

truebistroboston.com
@truebistro

$30–50 · Menu

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1153 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02144 Get directions

+1 617 627 9000
truebistroboston.com
@truebistro
𝕏
@TrueBistro

$30–50 · Menu

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Last updated

Mar 4, 2025

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@eater

"True Bistro, a pioneering, award-winning vegan restaurant known for treating vegetables with a level of care and reverence comparable to beef in a high-end steakhouse, is shutting down after service on August 27. The restaurant announced the closure on Instagram, citing “skyrocketing” costs of labor and ingredient price increases as the reasons for the shutdown. “We just can’t see any way forward at this point,” the Instagram message reads. The news was a shock to the restaurant’s fervent fanbase. Many people mourned the abrupt loss in the comments section on the post, struggling to square the news with the fact that the restaurant had just won a prestigious Best of Boston award for best vegan restaurant in the city earlier this summer. “What!?” one commenter wrote. “You got rated best vegan restaurant! Please reconsider — we love you so much.” According to co-owner Linda Harrison, the restaurant had reached a financial breaking point. From the restaurant’s inception in 2010 through 2019, True Bistro had increased its sales every single year. “We were on a good trajectory,” Harrison says. “There was no reason to think that we wouldn’t just be going forward the way that we had been the last 10 years.” Then, the pandemic hit. The ensuing dining room shutdowns were crippling for every restaurant in the city, but True Bistro didn’t make money off of takeout and delivery, either. “The food doesn’t travel well,” Harrison says. As dining rooms opened back up, neither sales nor operational costs went back to pre-pandemic levels. The jaw-dropping increases in the cost of food and rising staff wages became extremely difficult to afford, and, simultaneously, True Bistro’s sales were down because not as many customers were visiting the restaurant. “I have no idea if other non-vegan upscale restaurants in Boston are struggling too,” Harrison says. “But it seems like people are just not looking for that type of [fine-dining] experience anymore.” When True Bistro had gone through rough financial patches before, Harrison, an architect, had funneled her own money into the restaurant to keep it afloat. But she retired in May from her architecture career, she says, and it became too risky to keep funneling her savings into the restaurant. The other option would have been to raise menu prices; but, in order to just break even, Harrison says that the restaurant would have had to raise menu prices across the board by 25 percent. On the current menu, a watermelon with smoked feta salad would have gone from $14 to $17.50; the fire-roasted pepper ravioli with corn would have gone from $25 to $31.25. Harrison worried that a price increase of that magnitude would alienate much of their loyal customer base, so ownership decided instead to close the restaurant. Harrison and her husband, co-owner Michael Harrison, first launched True Bistro in 2010 to fill a gap in the city’s dining scene. The couple wondered why every other major city in the country seemingly had at least one fine-dining vegan destination, while Boston didn’t. For 13 years, under the guidance of chef and partner Stuart Reiter, the white-tablecloth restaurant served upscale dishes like crispy oyster mushrooms in guajillo chile sauce with a horseradish-dill aioli, and a popular Thai red curry with rice cakes. While other well-liked, vegan-friendly restaurants existed like Veggie Galaxy in Cambridge and Red Lentil in Watertown, True Bistro carved a different path as Boston’s fancy vegan destination, akin to famed vegetarian and vegan tasting menu spot Dirt Candy in New York City. Boston’s dining community is already feeling the loss of the restaurant. In the wake of the closure announcement, True Bistro was so inundated with reservation requests that it has since stopped taking new reservations while it works through existing table bookings. “I think we had a good run,” Harrison says." - Erika Adams

Boston’s Groundbreaking Vegan Restaurant True Bistro Is Shutting Down - Eater Boston
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@eater

"Somerville’s upscale vegan dining destination closed 'until further notice' after brunch service on September 6." - Rachel Leah Blumenthal

A Running List of Boston Restaurants That Are Temporarily Closed in 2020 - Eater Boston
View Postcard for True Bistro

Anna Szatkowski

Google
Non vegan here! Tried this restaurant since I'm currently not eating dairy. We had the waffle with 'buttermilk' tofu, Spanish omelet, and side of Mac and 'cheese.' Waffle was the standout, I would eat it again. Areas for improvement include 1) additional syrup (substitute) on the waffle, but could not get servers' attention, 2) home fries were not appropriately crispy, 3) frying the tofu in smaller pieces so there were more crispy bits. I would not eat the mac and cheese or the omelet again. As a vegan restaurant, I'd give True Bistro 4/5 stars. I prefer Koshari Mama and Veggie Galaxy in this area for vegan food. In comparison to any restaurant, I'd give True Bistro 3/5 stars.

Navang Shetty

Google
Excellent vegan restaurant in Boston but not extraordinary or out this world. An option if you are looking to eat out and really craving a diverse menu but in my opinion not worth the cost. The ambience and service was great and really nice vegan date night experience.

Derek Mathieson

Google
Really good plant-based fine dining restaurant! We went here for my birthday and we weren't disappointment. All the items are completely plant-based so you don't have to ask questions to see if any dishes have diary in it. The menu was limited but the variety within the dishes made up for it. The vegan desserts were delicious especially the cheesecake with the chai spices. It was just the right amount of sweet with a spicy kick at the end.

Maria Sagrera Vallès

Google
This place is excellent! All vegan. Every dish we had was incredible. Really cute and romantic place, our waiter and the rest of the staff were really welcoming and friendly. The price is perfect for the quality you get! The pumpkin cheescake was mindblowing. It's one of our new favorite places! We highly recommend it, specially for dates or if you're looking for really delicious food in a lovely atmosphere :)

Matt H

Google
We got a take out order here for breakfast and got the biscuits / gravy and the Benedict. The Benedict was fantastic and would be worth getting again. The biscuits and gravy were a bit bland. Will report back after eating from their dinner menu!

Peter Salem

Google
Absolutely delightful. Went for brunch, got Benedict and side of seitan sausage. So fresh, so light, but deeply satisfying. Every bite was a joy, definitely will be back, and to see the dinner fare Update (2/16/19): second visit, came back for a nice dinner, and our dishes were incredible. The Vegan Shepard’s Pie was so hearty, with a deep red wine reduction. The Mushroom Risotto with Acorn Squash was complex with both savory vegetable notes with bright sweet pops with the maple nuts, and the small plates of the Seared Broccoli and Corn crusted Mushrooms were incredibly concentrated plates of deliciousness.

Caroline Owen

Google
First time... Loved it!l Presentation, flavors & textures were divine! Service was very attentive. Wine was excellent too. We had a perfectly dressed salad, corn crusted mushrooms (horseradish aioli was out of this world), dates filled w cashew cheese & wrapped with smoked tofu, sweet potato ravioli (amazing cream sauce) & Bolognese. Dessert was chocolate for life ♥️

Ninon Jamet

Google
Amazing place ! Fine cuisine vegan, I never had something that subtle and full of flavour. The staff is helpful and very kind. If you’re vegan and nearby it’s a must !! 👏🌱💚