Wonderful to have a vegan option ...waitstaff extremely pleasant. Unfortunately the stir fry is excessively greasy. I had a lunch special with vegan chicken and sweet potato which was better but overall average. Our miso soup was very good and waitstaff took care with my daughter's Ingredient intolerances. read more

I loved this place. I used to live right down the street from here and enjoyed the food on many occasions. I like this place because it has almost all the food you see in Asian cuisine, but it is all vegan. The place is cool, but sometimes kind of busy. The lady that owns/runs the place memorizes your order instead of writing it down. I usually got the No Name and the appetizer sampler (I can't remember the name). The appetizers are very good. And finally the vegan cheese cake is always a must. read more

This place is AWESOME! food is great, fan of the vegi beef, The No Name (of course) and the curry chicken style :) The lady who works there is so sweet, I was parked illegally while waiting for my to go order so she offered to let me wait in the car and brought it out to me! great food great service! read more

So good. The barbecue 'pork' was amazing. I got lo mein which was also awesome. And I didn't think I liked sweet and sour, but I was wrong. I went with some other vegans and we all got an entree and appetizer and shared everything, which was a brilliant idea. I ate a ton and had leftover lo mein for breakfast the next morning! read more

Coming from the SF Bay area, this place seems to be in a boat closer to some of the vietnamese/pan-asian supreme master cultist joints, but minus the cultists and a little less on the vietnamese and more on the pan-asian tip. The portion were enormous, I think the leftovers will keep use busy for days (if they stay good that long) the service was super friendly and the prices were reasonable. Very good food; but I'm not going to give it five stars because it doesn't really compete with some of the upscale or super delicious vegan places I've eaten at. Still - very decent. read more

I wanted to like this place, I really did, i just can't get down w/ fake meat. In all fairness, this is more of a personal preference than a reflection of the restaurant. My bf doesn't eat meat very often so once and a while we'll come here...i enjoyed the hot and sour soup, the spring rolls and other various appetizers. I can't say that i enjoy anything that pretends to be meat. But like others have said, for those who are open to trying new things it's a decent compromise since my vegan and veggie friends usually accompany myself and other meat eating friends to our restos. read more

FIRST TIME I CAME HERE I ORDERED BEEF AND BROCCOLI AND I GOT BROCCOLI ALL RIGHT BUT THE BEEF WAS LIKE SOME KIND OF WIERD SPONGY MEAT OR SOMTHIN. WASNT BAD THOUGH. SECOND TIME I ORDERED CHICKEN FINGERS AND THEY WERE LIKE CHICKEN MCNUGGETS EXCEPT MORE LONG AND SKINNY AND DIDNT TASTE TOO MUCH LIKE CHICKEN, MORE LIKE RABBIT. TODAY I STOPPED IN AND HAD THE SPECIAL. THE MEAT WAS REALLY WELL MARBLED AND COOKED BLOODY RARE BUT THE BLOOD TASTED MORE OR LESS LIKE SWEET AND SOUR SO I DON'T KNOW WHATVER. I GIVE THESE GUYS 5 STARS JUST CAUSE THEIR WEIRD. read more

I love Grasshopper. If you think there are alot of things on the menu that aren't good for you.. you are probably correct, but there are a bunch of options that are!! I love the Nori Rolls. The Seaweed Salad is pretty good too. Just look a little harder. I didn't like the NoName (Crispy sweet "chicken") for years but now its better tasting.. Also, the "seafood" is better now too. If you are so concerned about how healthy the food is here.. then maybe its not the place for you. When I want yummy crispy goodness.. usually its not going to be good for me, but its delicious anyways. They also renovated a few years ago and the place is alot cleaner. The food for the buffet is alot more fresh than expected. PLUS!! Vegan cheesecake.. pain in the ass to make at home.. but worth it to order from Grasshopper!! read more

Wow. I am amazed Grasshopper has so many reviews, then again it is busy everytime I eat here. I'm in a similar situation to John F. I love meat, but Grasshopper still manages to satisfy my hunger. How do they do it? Ask a vegan, because I have no clue. read more

I love "no name"! If you go there, try order this item. You will be hook with this place!

We have been here once and were impressed, so many menu choices - thats rare for a vegetarian. This place makes me wish there was a veg chinese place closer to home! all the food we had at Grasshopper was very good, portions were big and for what you get it wasnt really overly expensive, but it wasnt cheap - my general tso was very good, its one of the few things i have missed since becoming veg. I wanted to try the vegan pizzeria next door but we were too full! Allston is lucky to have these veg spots. read more

So the atmosphere sucks, and it looks really dingy inside ... folding tables, paper placemats, kind of yucky in spots. I don't particularly mind a bit of dirt, but the walls had actual grime on them, like the restaurant had been under water for sixty years. The kind of place that I wouldn't go to the bathroom in. The service was okay; no better or worse than your average Chinese joint. We weren't rushed out, but the waitress is a wee gruff. Whatever; when I want excellent French-style service and someone to push my chair in, I won't go to Grasshopper. :) The food was pretty glorious. I eat chicken. I love chicken. Sure, I feel bad when you cage them and they pluck out their own feathers so I'll try to get happy free-range chicken when I can ... but still, it's damn tasty, and I would miss it sorely. I could live without other meat options (especially pork and beef) but a life without chicken seems difficult. However, if the vegan treats at Grasshopper are any indication, it's totally doable. They make a pretty solid argument for forgoing our protein-based animal friends. So I might be the only person who isn't a fan of the No-Name. I don't like sweet 'n sour sauce anyhow (the color is bizarre, the texture is gloppy) and the No Name exemplified everything I dislike about sweet 'n sour. The stir-fried vegetables, especially the eggplant, are phenomenal. I'm surprised people complained about the freshness of their veggies; mine were fantastic. I liked my friend's "Happy Family" which had a couple different types of fake meat in there, plus a really tasty chili-something-something sauce. I would love to try the mock lobster, and I do want to try their vermicelli noodles. I'm a big, big fan of the vermicelli noodle. The spring rolls were average, natch, but the seaweed salad was lacking ... it was overdressed, and really, really soggy. I felt like I was slurping fatty sesame soup. The cheesecake was ... interesting. The texture was strange, but stranger still was the temperature. It was ... warmish? The taste was not that of cheesecake in the traditional sense, but it had a cheesecake bent to it. I was kind of glad for the strawberries, which broke up the pasty texture. Good, though. Glad I did it. I've been to better vegan restaurants (Govinda's in Philadelphia will always be my favorite) but for strictly-Asian fare, and in Boston, I'm a big fan. read more

This is where I had the best eggplant of my life. For nearly 25 years, I never knew eggplant could taste so good! I like trying new dishes, so it was difficult to choose between some of the more far-out sounding menu items like battered gluten chunks in sweet & sour sauce and the Grasshopper Supreme (especially given that I'm not the biggest fan of eggplant and asparagus), but the chili-basil sauce, along with the spinach and mushroom won me over. It arrived looking rather intimidating--the long eggplant was sliced lengthwise into these tentacley things. But I tried it and loved it and said, "Are they hiding extra fat in here? Do you think they soaked it in oil? Because this tastes soooo good!" After reading some of the other reviews, maybe it was loaded with oil . . . but the description said "steam eggplant". You can't steam something in oil, right? My husband's theory is that it was in the sauce, and I know from personal cooking experience that eggplant can act as an oil-sponge. I don't even care. It was good. Anyway, I love the food, and I think it's a great value. My $14 entree ended up being 4 meals for me, and my husband's $9 black pepper and garlic fake-beef thing was a comparably ridiculous amount of food. Too bad rice comes separately, and it's just a little bit, but I can understand that it's meant to be family-style dining, where three people can split an entree and order their own rice. Reasons why my husband took me here for dinner on Valentine's Day are that he knows I love to go out, love the city, love veggies, and love not waiting for a table. We'd only been to Grasshopper once before, but I guess he remembered all that time that the lady said they're slow on weekdays and busy on weekends. So there was no wait for a table, and our food came out pretty quickly, too. It would be very dangerous if I ever ended up living within walking distance of this place. read more

I am obsessed with this place!! The staff is so incredibly nice and the food is amazing. I've brought my non-vegan friends here and they all agree. The dishes are a little pricey but worth every penny. And every 3rd Sunday of the month they have an all day buffet (except between 3-5). It's $10.70 and there are so many different delicious options. The food is refilled often so everything is hot and fresh. If you're driving parking can be a pain (as it is everywhere in Allston), but Cambridge St. has public street parking so start your search there. Can't recommend this place enough. read more

I find myself drawn to this place when I have a craving for kale, but then I remember the absurd amount of oil they use for cooking, and that usually sends me scrambling for the grocery store instead. read more

Upon arriving, we were greeted by a really friendly employee and quickly seated. We ordered the vegetable fried dumplings, a chicken and veggie dish and stir fried chow foon with squid. One of our main dishes took longer than the other to come out; I would've given this place 5 stars if it weren't for that! The food is very light and fresh and our bill came to $24! I'll definitely come again. read more

"iiiiiTWO SOUP!!!!!!"funniest thing to ever come out of a waiters mouth. when my friend ordered two soup courses. but anyway, it may be a vegan restaurant but i love it and i and a very big meat eater. my friends and i would (when i was in the boston area) go a monthy basis if not more many and of them were meat eaters also. the hot and sour soup is the best i have ever had by far. the spring rolls are also quite delicious. for entrees i would suggest either the #68 or #69. i think one is beef with black bean sauce the other is beef with black pepper. just stay away from the muffin. read more

Grasshopper is a good vegan restaurant but it doesn't get 5 stars, because it really isn't superb or incredibly delicious, as these are two qualities that go to 5 star restaurants. The service was good, but I don't believe the servers completely understood what I was saying, .... enough said, I also don't dig the decor or overall shabbiness of the place. good, but not good enough. read more

Ok so I've walked by a few times and always looked with curiosity at the restaurant. I eventually went with a friend. The decor is not fancy but the waitress who took our order for the night was really nice and willing to give suggestions. I ended up getting steamed chow foon noodles. I wasn't at all sure what I going to get. However I was very pleasantly surprised. It was delicious and the bean cake that accompanied it was great! I must say I was a little disappointed by the size of my dish. Considering all the whooping portions that most of the dishes were, this dish was on the smaller side. My friend got the sweet potato curry which was spot on! I highly recommend it. I made a point when eating there to stay away from the fake meats. If I'm going to eat vegan then I'm going to do it with veggies and real proteins. read more

Another Beantown gem. 4 of us feasted like queens [and kings] here and paid very little for the pleasure. The food is delicious, but it's the drinks that really stand out for me. Cucumber-lime-apple juice? Yes please. Between the 4 of us we tried the appetizer platter, lemongrass hotpot, vermicelli roll ups, sweet and sour tofu, and the kale and gluten special. I'm not a huge fan of imitation meats so I mainly stuck to the tofu dishes, but my meat-eating friends assured me that the seitan dishes were winners too. Definitely bookmark this place if you're a veggie Bostonian! read more

Delicious! Went with a group of 5 and I was the only vegan. Even all my non vegan friends said they would go back there. Food was prepared well, accommodating to gluten free and fresh ingredients. The only negative was that there is clearly a language barrier there but besides that the food was delicious, service was great and they give you a lot of fresh veggies in each order read more

If you are thinking about going to asshopper do yourself a favor and just go to Buddhas (Delight). On the positive side this place is cheap...that's about it. I used to come here a lot and have fond memories of this place, but it doesn't hold up well over time. For one thing their menu hasn't changed in the last 8 years(exept they got vegan cheesecake a few years back). read more

This is some greasy fried food. And you won't feel that good after. But it feels good while you're eating it. The bean cake appetizer was more dissapointing than it used to be. The sweet & sour sensation is the best thing I've had so far, I think its a lot better than the no name which makes me feel like I'm going to die after I eat it. I also tried a spicy vegetable stir fry with buckwheat noodles but it was just tooo thickly greasy it was hard to eat. I was really surprised by the quality of food at this place. It looks like any old asian takeout from the outside but they have some pretty impressive food. Even being a vegan, this was the first time i tried mock meat in a restaurant. The beef was really like the real thing! Chicken was decent too. I still prefer tofu, though. I had the kale and mushroom delight and the portion was huge with a tasty and light sauce. I'll definately be trying to go there again sometime soon. read more

Love this place. The best thing to get is the "sweet and sour no name."

This a true Chinese food experience, just like the old (pre-Vegan) days. Hot tea with every meal in a metal container. Completely animal-free versions of any traditionally Chinese food dish that you've known and loved. I had given up on being able to enjoy this type of food again after experiencing the inevitable and frustrating "What's in the sauce?" conversation at other restaurants. If you're Vegan too, you know the answer, say it with me: "It's brown sauce". Anyway, go nuts, order the veggie-Beef and Broccoli, veggie-Chicken Lo Mein, Tofu Fried Rice, or anything else your heart desires. It's been a little while since I was there, but I know I ordered some kind of noodle dish that included the veggie-Shrimp. It had a really nice springy texture, and was delicious. My favorite? The veggie-Chicken Fingers. Now that's going back, way back, old-school, China Gold style. This is by no means health food, but it's great to enjoy every once it a while. They are generous with the veggies, and cook them perfectly (crispy greens), but the food is still heavy. Also, I've only ever been there for lunch, and the place is always empty, with only a couple of stragglers wandering in. Don't let that throw you off. It's good stuff. read more

Was excited to try the NoName based on all the rave reviews but I really did not enjoy it. I don't eat vegan so that could by partly why, but this was really not my thing! read more

I live in western mass and was in Boston for work and so was excited to have some vegan options. I've been craving Chinese all day and Grasshopper did not disappoint. I had the tofu lo Mein and the appetizer assortment. I ordered delivery through Uber eats so I very much appreciated that the lo Mein sauce was on the side. It was the perfect amount. Everything was absolutely delicious! Vegetables were fresh. I wish I had grasshopper closer to me. If so, it would be my go-to. read more

I finally got to try the Grasshopper yesterday and I highly recommend it! I suggest you go the third Sunday of the month for their famous buffet where you can sample many of their dishes for only $10! The food is really good and tasty, and my favorites were the noname and the crispy spring rolls, but there were many other dishes, plus salad and fruit! The place was crowded but they kept bringing steamy hot dishes, and I observed many people taking away left-overs, something never seen before at a buffet! The decor is funky, and they have long tables to save space, so it means you might be sitting next to some other patrons, which is fine because this establishment seems to be frequented by hip cool young people. I've recently become vegetarian and this was a wonderful experience. I only gave it four stars because of the decor. The food deserves five! read more

My favorite restaurant of ALL TIME. Been going here since I was 16. Try the No Name (on the specials list), number 44, hot and sour soup and the 'chicken' fingers. I love the other things too but always get these because they are my favorites. Cheap lunch weekday specials where you can get a plate for like 6 bucks. Third Sunday of the month buffets OMG yum. read more

Great Lo Mein! But I was confused by/disappointed with the chicken tenders. They were basically sticks of tofu wrapped in thick fry dough batter. I've certainly had better! BUT our waiter was very friendly, and I've heard the buffet is where it's at. I'll have to check that out! read more

I've tried this place 3 times already I each time was great. I have yet to feel disappointed. I tried their no name special and their buffet (every 3rd sunday of the month). Their buffet is amazing and delicious. It was only $10.00 when I went and I was more than satisfied with that. Their no name is really good and the portion was HUGE. So you get quite the bang for your buck. They are also very good at accommodating to your needs/requests. If you want them to omit something or ask for sauce on the side then they will do it. I've been to some places that will put something "on the side" but still drizzle it on the plate. The restaurant isnt anything too fancy, its still semi casual and comfortable. Super vegan friendly. read more

I'm going to start this by saying that I'm not a vegan, or even a vegetarian, but the food here was amazing. My sister who is visiting is mostly vegan so I wanted to take her someplace where she wouldn't have to pick and choose and wonder what is really in that sauce (like she usually does!) I figured I would let her choose a few dishes and eat a little of what she wanted. To my great surprise when I looked at the menu I saw quite a few things that looked really good!! I helped choose the dishes then really liked what we got! The Vietnamese pizza, light appetizer sampler, and Tufu/ginger/scallion stir-fry were all amazing, and we got out of there for all of those for less than $30 with LOTS of leftovers. Add to that the staff was great and constantly refilled our waters. We left feeling great but not too full. I will definitely be back there! read more

This place will haunt you in your dreams it's do good. It's worth a special trip.

Grasshopper is one of those places that proves presentation isn't everything. Slippery and odd looking cuisine at times, but consistently delicious. The "black peeper beef" is stellar, and we always order the no name as well as the pork appetizer. Quirky and addictive, Grasshopper is typically blessed with an eclectic smattering of patrons, from asian families to black-clad skinny jeans wearing hipsters and everything in between. The only reason 4 stars and not 5 is that their actual vegetables are kind of wan and wimpy. I forgot my leftovers at the back of the fridge for a week. Should I eat them? Yes, yes I think I should. read more

The food did not look great, and did not taste great. The atmosphere did not make up for the bland food-- overall less than mediocre.

I can't really decide what I think about this place. It's pretty awesome to have a vegan Chinese place, but the meals I've had are really lacking. I think the issue is a lack of vegetables and spices. They seem to rely on the faux meat and simple sauces. Don't get me wrong, I love the faux meat, and that's part of the appeal of the place. But I can't eat a plate of tofu or seitan and feel satisfied. The other reviewers are right, the portions are amazing, you definitely can bring home some great leftovers. I will probably keep going back when I get in the mood for Chinese, but I'd really like to see more peppers, broccoli, bamboo, water chestnuts, etc. in the meals. read more

This place is vegetarian/vegan HEAVEN! One of my favs in the Allston area. Everything that I've had so far has been delicious. My absolute favorite is what I call the pretty-much-make-your-own-veggie-spring-roll, which was something I'd never done before, but it's so much fun! I think it's actually called "House Vermicelli Noodles with Roasted Veggie-Pork, Pork-Chop, Spring-roll, Rice Cake and Salad" if that helps. Oh and I definitely recommend the all-you-can-eat buffets they hold every 3rd Sunday. It's completely worth trying so much of their extensively large menu in one go. And it's one of the few buffets, where vegetarians can actually eat everything. Also, sometimes you may find a Groupon that you can use at anytime, plus their portions are large. The reason for the 4 stars instead of 5 is that their service is not always great, but it's usually decent and the food comes out pretty quickly. Also, though vegan, it may not be the healthiest, as there is a lot of fried/oily stuff. But overall, they have such a great variety of food that it is definitely a place that you should revisit even if you don't like it the first time, and make sure to try something new every time you go. read more

They give you tea for free! Amazing rice noodles and portions for what you pay for!! I'll definitely be back again and for their Sunday buffet! I recommend to vegans and not vegan :) read more

Grasshopper Restaurant - So yummy! Rice noodles, vegetables and veggie meat! Vegan heaven. - Chinese Near Me - Allston, Massachusetts

To begin, the menu descriptions did not match the plate. For example, the chicken fingers were tofu filled doughnuts (extremely sweet). Furthermore, every dish was greasy and overly fried. Vermicelli noodles (2 in our order) were not sufficiently sauced which led to lack of any flavor for the dishes. One had to go fishing for tofu in a dish; I would much prefer smaller portions of more worthwhile ingredients and flavor. And to top it off - as mentioned by other yelp reviewers - the food led to significant Gastrointestinal distress. I frequently visit vegetarian and vegan restaurants up and down the east coast and was sorely disappointed by my visit to this establishment. read more

Its a decent option and I'm glad there are more all vegan restaurants opening, the only places I really go to if I want to eat out. I've eaten here a few times now and the food is consistently OK. The service is quick too and the staff is polite and helpful. Last time, my food had a little piece of plastic inside it (not dangerous or anything) but plastic all the same. On bringing it to the notice of the staff, they were apologetic and did not charge me for the dish. That apart, if I had options I wouldn't come here but.. if not... I'd happily drop in.. it isnt too bad. read more