With such a large (and growing) number of vegan restaurants in the Boston area, the challenge these days is to find time to patronize them all, which is a very nice complaint to have. Add to this the fact that we like to cook, and the result is that time goes by and we realize it's been awhile since we've visited our old favorites. Which is how we wound up with a ginormous quantity of takeout from Grasshopper last night, when my partner stopped to get ice cream at FoMu (also excellent and highly recommended) and decided to bring home dinner as well. And we were all happy he did, because it was really great. There are five people in our house (including three perpetually hungry young men), so we erred on the side of excess and ordered the sweet & sour sensation (basically the no name with tofu vs. gluten), seitan with ginger and scallions, sautéed kale with black mushrooms, chow foon noodles with veggies, and the grasshopper supreme (eggplant, asparagus, spinach, and mushrooms in chili-basil sauce); entrees also come with steamed brown rice. Everything was delicious, and the portions were huge - enough for dinner that night and the next - and the whole business came to under $60. On the whole, after a longish hiatus I can still recommend Grasshopper enthusiastically, and it definitely won't be as long between visits next time. read more

Depending what you get you might end up getting a plate with a whole lot of grease beneath your food . or all lubed up in it all oily and stuff . This place is ok its kinda like greasy Chinese food for healthy people . This might be a good place to take someone who eats a lot of greasy Food and wants to transition over to healthy food gradually . If this place used less oils and grease and what not and less fried stuff . it would be the greatest . Or maybe things are just getting way too healthy if there is such a thing. High Alkaline type of place ? I need a salad you like salads? fresh produce and raw and what not? I did not see it here YOU GUYS NEED A SALAD BAR . with fresh veggies . Ruin the Local Competition. what Happened . I love all you people you food people . Rock on with 20 billion socks on . read more

It's hard to find a good vegan restaurant and here at grasshopper you'll find good food at decent prices. I did find a fly in my tea, which I'm pretty sure was leftovers from the day before. read more

Absolutely amazing food! My boyfriend loved it and said that's the first time he's had vegan Chinese food that was as good as when he used to eat meat. It's definitely a hole in the wall kind of vibe and that is part of what makes it amazing. The service is on point and I absolutely love this place!!! read more

Great vegan food for a great price - the portions are large enough for a second meal to take home! The seaweed salad is quite big, but has other types of greens mixed in (think iceberg lettuce). They have a fairly priced weekend buffet on the 3rd Sunday of every month, which can at times be busy. Weeknights are rarely crowded. I also recommend stopping by FoMu next door for dessert (vegan ice-cream!) read more

Best place in the world, good people just need to open on time, it's never eleven on the dot...

I am in love no name. I am addicted. I wish there were 2 grasshoppers and one was less of a hip spot, because sometimes when I want to go pig out on buffet night I don't want that extremely large group of skinny vegans watching me stuff myself full of food. read more

The Grasshopper isn't particularly easy to get to if you're driving because it is at the intersection of four roads and of course it's in allston so parking is difficult too. On the other hand the food is good the portions are enormous and the pricing is decent (p-t-p ratio is very good). they make yummy soups and my favorite meal there is seitan with eggplant, black beans, and red peppers with a spicy brown sauce. YAY! read more

1st visit- ordered a veggie with buckwheat noodles dish. it was okay, but I sampled my friends' meals (no idea what they got) and wished I had ordered something else. It's not a pretty restaurant, and the service wasn't great, but my friends and I had a good time. 2nd visit- I got the No Name as takeout. It tastes like the best orange/general tso's chicken you've ever had, but vegan! So delicious, so unhealthy, and an enormous portion. It made my stomach hurt a bit after eating just 1/3 of it - probably all the gluten, though I'm not usually gluten sensitive. It's just literally made of...gluten. But yeah, it was so good that I still ate the rest the next day. Worth it. read more

Definitely not the best Chinese option in Allston but it's fine. Came here with a vegetarian friend for lunch last weekend after not being here for at least 5 years. Either my taste has evolved or they've gone downhill. I enjoyed our appetizer of "chicken fingers" it was hot and fried and yummy but my actual meal sort of sucked. It was super bland and I ordered rice and it took them a good 15 minutes after our meals were served to get the rice even though we asked where it was four separate times. Despite constantly not giving us our rice, the server was very nice to us and taking care of the entire restaurant. The restaurant itself could use a good scrub down. Our glasses were dirty so we had to grab some from another table. They left piles of dirty dishes on empty tables instead of taking them back to the kitchen. Would I go back again? Eh maybe in 5 years when I forget how average it was in a neighborhood full of awesome Chinese restaurants.. read more

Grasshopper Restaurant - Veggie chicken fingers. Delicious fried goodness. - Chinese Near Me - Allston, Massachusetts

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Ordered some kale. They were totally willing to prepare a special order for me (steamed - they also volunteered to separate out the sauce), which I really appreciated! They also recommended that I wrap the kale around my friend's NoName seitan, which also tasted great! I also appreciated their large portion sizes, which are great for a vegan who goes for large-volume low-calorie foods. read more

Grasshopper Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Allston, Massachusetts

I've been here twice..I'm not vegan or vegetarian, but the food was really quite good. There are dishes with fake meat like fake chicken and whatnot, but there are also dishes with things that you obviously recognize, like..veggies. You know, those colorful pieces of meals that meat-lovers like me sometimes forget to eat. I'm a complete meat-eater, so if I can enjoy a vegan meal here, it's got to be good, right? read more

I really appreciate opening a menu and staring at a sea of entrees, all of which I can eat (I'm a vegetarian, and I don't often have the privilege.) But the food here was just not that good. Maybe we chose the wrong entrees. The vegetable tempura appetizer was very tasty. But we also ordered "seafood" in black bean basil sauce and "beef" seitan in coconut curry sauce. The "beef" was *almost* good, but not quite there for me. The sauce was kind of okay, but it didn't taste like curry at all. I really didn't care for the faux seafood dish. But I did appreciate that it was light (we didn't get the fried tofu, so I'm guessing that might be what everyone else on this board thinks was too heavy.) I'd be willing to give this place another chance, just because I like the idea of all veg restaurants. In the meantime, I'm itching to try out the vegan pizza place next door. read more

had to stand up for my old stomping grounds.. I am not a vegan.. I regularly enjoy a burger or juicy steak. The ex, however was a vegan and so this was (at the time about 10 years ago) one of very few places we could go out to eat. To this day, I am addicted to the #42 vegi chicken and vermicelli noodles. I think they make the BEST hot and sour soup I've ever had, and I love the tofu nori rolls. Never been ill, although i try to avoid their bathroom and the restaurant itself is a bit divey but still inexpensive and delicious. read more

To get 5 stars from me on a vegan place it's gotta be pretty good. They have these seitans that actually taste like and have the general consistency of beef or chicken. Normally you would think that was pathetic and desperate and weirs and probably doesn't taste good - but it does! There is a great variety of flavors to accompany as well. It's all delicious and very healthy. The staff is always very friendly and prompt too. Last week my girlfriend and I were ordering similar dishes and the waitress actually stopped me and talked me into ordering something more different instead. All the better to provide more variety for sharing. She was right! It was smarter to do that! Bring anyone whose stomach has any kind of open mind and they will leave happy. read more

Ok so, I was excited to try this place for a while. I'm not a vegetarian but for some reason I like to try different vegetarian foods. So, when my friends (one of whom is a vegetarian) came up from New Jersey to visit I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to give Grasshopper a try. We came in pretty late on a Friday night and the place was empty save one other group. I had heard (from Yelp) that the No Name was the thing to order here, so that's what I got! It was... ok.... tasted kind of like orange chicken but with a weird texture. And it was a LOT of "chicken"... and not much else. I'm guessing maybe we were supposed to do it family style and share a bunch of dishes? My friends werent that impressed with their dishes either- I tried a mushroom dumpling dish and it was pretty good, not great. I'd be willing to give Grasshopper another try... maybe try something else besides the No Name? Overall interesting... but not a place I'd recommend to others. BUT... our waitress was super nice, awesome and hilarious! read more

This is where you go to trick your carnivore friends. In college, a strict vegetarian, I set out on a quest to eat at all the vegetarian restaurants in the Boston area. I think we managed to hit them all, but Grasshopper is the one we kept coming back to, the one we brought our friends to. The fake meat here is solidly convincing and solidly tasty. Not all vegetarians want to eat steamed vegetables and Grasshopper caters to them, while being completely vegan. Grasshopper is great, a kind of generic Chinese food, sometimes offering a buffet if the Boston vegetarian society is hosting their monthly meeting. Even if it's not a buffet, it's a great deal, giving you more than enough food for lunch the next day at an unreasonably low price. While I don't understand how any local vegetarians live without Grasshopper, I highly recommend the meat eaters consider giving it a try. If you close your eyes, you might even be able to convince yourself that the beef is beef and the seafood came fresh from the fish tank. read more

It sounds weird. 100% vegan Chinese food? Fake chicken, beef, pork, yes, even lobster? But it's true. And so good! (Well, most of it. I've not tried any of the fake seafood 'cuz I'm a little afraid.) The No Name is probably their best dish, and the Sweet and Sour Sensation is a close second. You know how when you order battered chicken you secretly look for the pieces with extra batter? Imagine a whole plate of just that. It's delicious. The chicken fingers are also pretty good, but a bit too tofu-y for me. And I like tofu. Prices are ridiculously cheap and portions are huge. If you've never been, try them on Sunday for their buffet. It's got all the best dishes and is only $10. read more

For a sit down place this was only okay, but as a vegan if I was local I would come here all the time for take-out. Everyone enjoyed their meal, but I was hoping for something that was really going to knock my pants off. It was only so-so....but again...if it was take-out chinese I would have been super excited about it. I got the No-Name and I found it to be overly sweet and a little overcooked. But I enjoyed my friends dishes that I tried. Next time I will not go with the "yelp standard" and try something new! Service was good, food came out fast. Atmosphere is kind of strange with a large, open, white room with pictures of chinese food on the wall (lol) Not very many people there on a Saturday night. (another hint) Would return again, but for takeout. :) read more

Flavorful and aromatic food! I recommend the vegetarian wonton which contains tofu and vegetables wrapped in wonton skin. I also recommend the pan stir fried Chinese eggplant with tofu, scallion and fresh bamboo shoots. When the eggplant is served with steamed jasmine rice, the dish is perfect. read more

Grasshopper Restaurant - Chinese eggplant with scallions and bamboo shoots! - Chinese Near Me - Allston, Massachusetts

Visited Grasshopper for their monthly buffet (every 3rd Sunday of the month) and was left speechless. As a self proclaimed carnivore I was skeptical about liking this place but wanted to give it a try after reading so many wonderful reviews. They offer a selection of what I believe are some of their most popular dishes including their No Name dish. For most of the meal I could not believe it was vegan. The meal was filling offered variety and was only 10 dollars for all you can eat, an absolute bargain. The atmosphere is casual with no frills. Grasshopper has completely change my view on vegetarian/vegan food and will be coming back next month for their next buffet. read more

Grasshopper Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Allston, Massachusetts

My boyfriend and I have been trying to eat less meat so we tried this Restaurant our and wow!! It was delish. This is some of the best food I've had in Allston. 10/10 would recommend. The sweet and sour tofu was amazing. read more

Bathrooms. You can learn a lot about a restaurant by just striding into the bathroom. Take the graffiti for example: it's written backward on one wall so that when you stand at the sink and look at the mirror you can read the not-so-clean sentence in the not-so-clean men's room. There's no soap at the sink. There was, however, tucked in the corner on the floor a Costco-size Soft Soap jug that you had to bend down, uncap, pour, then replace. My wife was traumatized by the lady's room, saying it was "nasty". The paper towel dispenser was -- no joke -- the toilet bowl brush handle. While there was a small Valentine heart on the wall, a larger, diagrammed, anatomically correct heart was scrawled right next to it. Despite all that, the food was decent. Huge, huge portions for a good price. The tip, soup, tea, and 2 entrees cost us $27 --- and we had leftovers. The veggie wonton was good though the broth seemed plain. If you like ginger, you'd enjoy the sauteed watercress; or maybe that's sauteed ginger topped with watercress. The spicy buckwheat noodle dishes are a little soppy and greasy but the veggies are fresh and crisp. Overall it's an OK restaurant, even a good restaurant if you can ignore the bathrooms. Would anyone like some leftovers? read more

Grasshopper has certainly gone downhill over the years, and now they have good days and bad days. Their monthly (?) Sunday buffet is good and cheap ($10). They also do periodic special events hosted by the Boston Vegetarian Society that are worth the trip. The food is good, but not terribly flavorful. Portions are very large; I can very rarely finish my food, and I eat a lot. The entrees come out almost immediately after the soup/appetizers, but that's pretty common in Chinese restaurants. The waitress I usually get seems to dislike pen and paper, which is somewhat impressive with large groups, but she did forget my friend's entree more than once when it was busy. I don't usually make a special trip to go Grasshopper (especially since I live in Southie), but if I'm hungry and in the area, it does the job quite nicely. One thing I don't get: they have a fish tank! in a vegan restaurant! Minus 1 star for that. Transportation is decent... 64 from Central, 66 from Harvard/Brookline, 57 from Kenmore/Watertown all right in front, or walk to the B line. There are bike racks right in front and more across the street by the school. read more

What a let down. I was visiting Boston and decided to meet up with my vegetarian friend. We are always on the lookout for great vegetarian food. Grasshopper wasn't it. Although the place has a nice feeling to it and the service was friendly and very fast, the food was ehhh. It was bland and the texture was weird. We got a mock beef and chicken dish to share, and although the portions were big, they just weren't that good. The "chicken" fingers were not that at all. They were more like corn dogs. Slim pieces of tofu that were deep fried in cornbread eight times over. Maybe we just got the wrong dishes. I always applaud veggie places, but I wasn't impressed. If you want really great vegan Chinese food try Veggie Heaven in New Jersey or Buddha Bodai in New York. Maybe these places can open a location up in Boston and teach Grasshopper a thing or two. read more

I go here for the No Name and not much else. Everything Boy and I have tried is straight. All portions are huge, so that's nice. Nothing disgusting, nothing really spectacular. The menu looks large but I feel like a lot of the dishes are similar. The No Name, however, is wonderful. It's like orange chicken, without the chicken. It may not be good for you, but it is hot, crispy deliciousness that really satisfies a cheap Chinese food craving. If you have leftovers, they are just as good reheated in a pan on the stove (microwaves make everything gross). Grasshopper is kind of out of the way for us, and I legit only go for the No Name. So three stars for that one dish and the friendly Vietnamese lady who always serves us. She always tells us which dishes are actually good because we're Vietnamese. Haha. read more

Delight soup so good with tofu and mushrooms. Not too salty not too sweet very soothing. Liquor Store next door for byob soothing, too read more

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The only reason this review is four stars instead of five is due to the fact that the service can be a little iffy. I am absolutely crazy about Grasshopper's food though! As a vegetarian, fully vegetarian/vegan restaurants that involve greasy comfort foods are few and far between. Luckily I discovered Grasshopper! I was pretty wary about coming here at first, as I used to not eat too many meat substitutes that masquerade as meats, but after so many friends and acquaintances raved about it I decided to give it a try - and oh my god, I'm so glad I did! Their Veggie Chicken Fingers are deep-fried fragments of heaven, especially if you pair em with some peanut sauce. I could honestly just eat those all night, but then I'd have no room for the "no-name", which, despite sounding ridiculously sketchy, is also ridiculously delicious. read more

I've been coming to Grasshopper for 12 years and in that time it has stood up as my favorite vegetarian restaurant in Boston. The prices are super reasonable and the menu has a huge variety of options--there is still a ton of stuff I've yet to try. Service is always quick and portions are generous. My favorite is the once a month BUFFET. I go every time and always look forward to the next one. If you've never eaten at Grasshopper before I suggest trying the buffet first as it has a good mix of items. read more

I am an omnivore, however, this is definitely one of the best vegan restaurants I have been to in Boston (of the very few that do exist). Upon entering, if you're lucky, you'll be greeted by the waitress whose smile is always from ear to ear and can give you very good recommendations. The atmosphere is definitely of the hole-in-the-wall garden variety, but it's certainly cosy. The food is undeniably good: they know how to cook a mean saitan. I'd recommend the saitan done in the chicken style in any dish you decide on. Additionally, the avocado shake is delicious. And the portions make the price point a deal. 5 stars! read more

How to keep a vegan happy: Grasshopper! Unlimited options! Super huge portions! Very very good value! Very good service! We got Spicy Black Peppers (Peeepers!) and Garlic Beef-Style Seitan (very savory and delicious but this was NOT spicy), the "No Name," and Curry Coconut Veggie dish with TVP, Peapods, Cabbage, Mushrooms, and Carrots (a bit sauce heavy and not super flavorful, but satisfying nonetheless). To win my 5th star, I'd like to have a menu that includes more vegetables and veers away from the heavy sauces and frying. I would consider this dinner bit of a guilty pleasure or a splurge, not a healthy meal. For dessert, go next door for a vegan pizza! read more

Vegetarian restaurants can be hard to find, but I am always pleasantly surprised with Grasshopper. It's a relaxed atmosphere and they have a lot of creative and delicious entrees. But I recommend choosing items from their "best-sellers" list. Particularly the No Name, which is kind of like the vegetarian version of General Tsos chicken. My one complaint is that some items on the menu really could be better if they weren't vegan. The tempura for example is one - the batter just tastes a bit weird. Or maybe they could have a vegan section of the menu and allow people to choose which version they would prefer (vegetarian or vegan). Other than that, I have been very happy with Grasshopper. read more

The last time I had dinner with my vegan friend, I accidentally met her at an anti-vegan place in NYC. Whoops. This time I decided to do my homework, and we went to Grasshopper. The food was very good (more on that in a bit) but there is no liquor license, and the ambience leaves something to be desired. Standard banquet chairs, green paint, feels a little old. On to the food. The waitress talked us into an appetizer sampler, and it was a good call. We tried a little bit of everything and all of it was good. My man got the sweet and sour "chicken" which I kept stealing off of his plate. So good. My tofu curry was delicious, and I finished it, which is no small feat. Our friend had the eggplant surprise, which I liked too, and had asparagus and seitan in it. Overall a good experience, and I will probably go back and order some other things, for takeout, so I can enjoy them at home with a beer or two. read more

I don't think there's a vegan out there who doesn't appreciate an all vegan restaurant. Having said that, I also think vegans appreciate (perhaps even more than some non-vegetarians) presentation and other details. Let's start with the good, or even great. The appetizers that we tried were excellent. We chose the House Special Assorted appetizers. Not for anyone who doesn't like fried food, but extremely well-prepared. The next dish we tried was entitled "The No Name." This is basically fried strips of gluten in a a run-of-the-mill sweet and sour sauce. There were not very many veggies, but to it's credit, the dish was quite tasty, as long as you like this type of sauce. Next we tried the The Grasshopper Supreme. I won't mince words here: this was awful. It was bland, difficult to eat (all of the steamed veggies were not bite-size and in huge chunks) and presented in a hodgepodge, un-appetizing platter. In a word, it was sloppy. Finally, we tried the Sizzling Platter. This was OK, but again, not that tasty, and frankly, pretty bland. I'm going to go out on a limb here: I think some people who really like the restaurant and give it five stars haven't tried truly exquisite vegan asian cuisine. If you've never had vegan asian food before, this will blow you away. If you've been vegan for over twenty years like I have, this is only so-so. On a positive note, the portion sizes are huge. The service is also good, but I made the mistake of asking the waitresses opinion (she may have even been the owner) and I should have trusted my instinct and ordered for the table. I actually hope the restaurant reads these reviews, and works a little harder on presentation and taste. It would take much to really improve the dishes and make this a knock-out restaurant. Anyway, perhaps we just ordered a couple dishes that weren't that impressive (or as impressive as they seem on the menu and via their titles), but suffice it to say, we won't be back when we're back in the Boston area. read more

This is probably one of my favorite vegan places in Boston. It's great for take out or for their Sunday buffets. Eating in the restaurant is always a bit quiet and awkward so wouldn't recommend it. The No-Name is by far my favorite dish. It's basically vegan sesame chicken, my parents are omnivores and loved it! A note about the Sweet and Sour Tofu - it's basically the same as the No Name but a different texture. Tried most of the Grasshopper Specialities and have not been disappointed. If you are an adventurous omnivore - go. If you are a vegetarian or vegan looking for a good Chinese food fix - go. read more

Absolutely love this place! Aside from being 100% vegan, it is also delicious . The service is great as well! The fact that they make substitute proteins is an amazing touch. Their boba tea is great, too! Definitely one of my favorite chinese restaurants by far! read more

I've eaten at this restaurant at least once a week every week since my last review. I've noticed a positive change in the service and the food is equally delicious. A few dishes I've tried that I recommend: The No Name The Happy Family Spicy Curry Vermicelli Noodles (#52) Lo Mein Coconut Curry Chicken Fingers, Wontons, and Dumplings I also love that their water is filtered. She usually watches our table because I drink so much of it. :) read more

Back in 1996, I would have been super stoked on this place. But it's 17 years later and I'm not . The food is very reminiscent of "old-school" vegan fare. Super heavy on mock meat dishes. Not very creative or particularly healthy in my opinion. I got the hot n sour soup which was very good but had way too much fake pork type stuff in it. Other than that, it was delicious. I also got the shrimp lo-mien which was ok. I don't know why I ever order vegan seafood though. I guess I do so in hopes that it won't be the rubbery, squeaky, weird soy stuff that every place has but it always is. Got burned again. The portions are insanely large though so it is a good value for your money. The decor of the restaurant leaves much to be desired and also appears to be stuck in the mid-90's. There is plenty of room though so a large group would be accommodated well here. The service was good too. Friendly and efficient. One amusing that did happen on my visit here with friends though was that while we were eating, a picture fell off the wall next to us and landed in our food. One of the staff saw what happened and rushed over to take care of it. As he was rushing though, he knocked a glass off a table and shattered it all over the floor. Hahaha! We thought it was pretty funny and weren't put off that much by it. If fake meat type stuff is your thing, you'll probably be in to this place. If you're looking for more up to date, healthier vegan fare, skip this place and go to one of the many other vegan eateries in town. read more

The food isnt bad at all just thought there would be more vegan meat substitutes than tofu based things and some things lacked a bit of flavor, but overall a good experience. The look of the restaurant can use a bit of work feels more like "that old diner near your house" than a restaurant. read more

Grasshopper Restaurant - Spicy steak filet though it was not spicy at all but the sauce was amazing also great prices!!! - Chinese Near Me - Allston, Massachusetts

I was visiting a fellow vegetarian in the Boston area an decided to try Grasshopper. It was fantastic -- we had the no name since it seemed to be very popular and it didn't disappoint. We also had the vegetarian wonton soup, which I have been craving since giving up meat, as well as the house assorted appetizers and the grasshopper supreme. Would recommend all of them, the grasshopper supreme and no name especially were great complements to get a balance of veggies and fake meat. Portions are also huge, there were three of us and we took home about a third of our food. The servers are also very nice and the place is spacious! read more