Great ambiance, great service! LOVED the mushroom avocado appetizer--the flavors exploded in my mouth! The tomato corn seasonal soup was awesome as well. The pasta dish was very flavorful. The only wrong notes of the meal were the bread and the pad Thai zucchini. The bread was heavy and the pad Thai had too much tahini so that it tasted a little chalky. It's not really a pad Thai since there are no noodles; it's shredded vegetables with tahini. I would definitely go back and try some of the other interesting options on the menu. read more

Yeah I guess this place is nice for vegetarians, but I've been here 4 times and every time it was mediocre. I tend to be a small eater and I have always finished my plate here and am hungry again shortly. Yet the price still matches other restaurants. Last time I got the beet "steak" with garlic mash potatoes. The slabs of beet were over cooked and covered in bitter black sesame seeds. I liked my pimento poppers I had for an appetizer though. I havent had a good cocktail here either, which is a big bummer during happy hour. It's not bad, but I would never pay for it. read more

I've recently been on a vegetarian kick but have been getting tired of salads, quinoa, etc. Leaf was the perfect antidote to the vegetarian doldrums. My GF and I started with the artichoke appetizer. Delicious. We then feasted on their homemade bread. Extra delicious. Two glasses of wine. Delicious. I had the raw/vegan manicotti which was made from thinly sliced squash playing the role of pasta, and a pine nut paste playing the role of cheese. My GF warned me that I might not like diving so deeply into the vegetarian world, but it was....delicious. She had a trio of enchiladas. Delicious. And then we finished with a peach cobbler desert. Of course: delicious. The staff was uber friendly, and the cost of the meal was quite reasonable. In fact, I started to give a rating of 4 stars, but after typing "delicious" so many times I had to change this to 5 stars. We look forward to going back!!! read more

We stumbled upon Leaf while looking for parking for another vegetarian restaurant on Pearl Street. I had heard about this place, too, so we decided to skip the original plan and go in. We were promptly greeted and seated by our waiter Devin, who was extremely warm and welcoming. He also made it clear that with the extensive menu, he could help alot if we had to choose among several items. For our appetizer we chose the celeriac gnocchi, made from sage butter, sweet potato cream, sautéed kale, candied pecans. It was so good, my husband and I polished it off in about a minute flat and could have probably licked the bowl clean. For our main course, I ordered the Jamaican Jerk Tempeh and my husband ordered the Reuben, which is also made with tempeh. My meal was nice and jerk-spicy and he praised the full flavor of his sandwich. Throughout our meal, Devin was very attentive, making sure we had plenty of water and he seemed pleased that we really enjoyed our food. I was still recovering from a moderate bout of acute mountain sickness, having just descended earlier that morning from the Rocky Mountains. Devin heard me talking about how much better I was feeling at the lower elevation and recommended that I continue to drink plenty of water and get some vitamin C or other antioxidants. But then, he brought out a large (and complimentary!) cup of rooibos tea, which he recommended would help with the congestion I was still experiencing. It was such a sweet gesture. We probably didn't need dessert especially after that sweet and delicious gnocchi, but we ended up going with the chocolate peanut butter tart. Generously proportioned and suitable for sharing, it was so effing good, I ended up eating most of it myself when my husband had to take a phone call. After spending several days in Rocky Mountain towns where people and service were disappointing, my faith was completely restored. Everything about our dining experience-the service, the food, the price-was great. We hope to return to Colorado again next summer and, when we do, a trip to Leaf will definitely be on our to-dine list. read more

I love the concept of this restaurant, but so far the food has been hit or miss for me. Many vegetarian restaurants try to make fake meat-like dishes with soy and other processed ingredients, but NOT this place. They make the vegetables sing in their dishes. The plating is beautiful and the dishes are creative and clean. Tip - You can request gluten free bread :) Hits: Spring Rolls, Salads, gnocchi, cocktails Misses: Artichokes 2 ways - very hard to eat and not that tasty read more

I had lunch at LEAF today. Clever name, by the way, mirrored by a piece of art in the restaurant. Great atmosphere (many leaves) great menu, great wine list (need to try those bio dynamic wines), great service despite there initially only being one wait staff for all tables. Great presentation of the food, great taste. My only criticism: I wouldn't pick rice as a carb for the rice filled pepper, maybe double rice equals double happiness? I had to put my finger into the water glass to find out how that magic ring in the middle of the glass was done. read more

I came here by myself for an early dinner. I found the staff to be very friendly but felt a little ignored. I ended up waiting quite a long time between courses and the place wasn't that busy. The restaurant space is very nice but also very echoey and loud. The food I had was very light and easy on the stomach, as in, not greasy! I had the raw pad thai salad, which was delicious and my favorite dish. I had a flat bread pizza with cashew ricotta replacing the cheese. I found the pizza to be okay it needed more of the sauce, not really worth how much I paid. The cashew ricotta was the best part of the pizza. I took home a slice of the vegan chocolate peanut butter tart, but it was nothing special. It was a very large slice and it's flavor was very one note and bland. Also, the cutlery is really annoying, their knives are particularly awful. If I end up moving to Boulder I may try them again. read more

The food here is always good but its the deserts that keep you coming back--they also have great beer and wine which pairs well with dinner. Service is decent and I love that Leaf is committed to sustainability. Its great for dinner parties, small groups, and dates :) read more

Before dining at leaf for the first time last year, I have never been to a restaurant that provided such an incredible vegetarian experience. I am an avid meat eater, and I loved every bite of my meal. I returned this past week for happy hour and ordered many small plates and drinks. The martinis were very well made and refreshing. The food was vegetarian fare done well. It was not trying to copy or replace meat in a particular meal, but rather highlighted each ingredient in the best way possible. People often forget that as much care must be put into cooking and creating vegetarian meals as meats, fish, etc. But the chef and cooks at leaf knocked it out of the park. Highlights include: cauliflower tacos, harissa tofu, and if they have a special flatbread at the time order it!!! read more

excellent vegetarian food! After a long hike my husband and I stumbled across this restaurant and are so happy we did! I highly recommend- fresh and unique. read more

My girlfriend and I were in town visiting and were lucky enough to stumble on this great restaurant for lunch. We are both newly plant based eaters and this restaurant did not disappoint. In fact the food was so good that after we hiked the flat irons we had to come back for dinner. Highly recommend for both lunch and dinner read more

The food is really tasty, but it's always small portions. I don't mind the cost, but for the money I don't want to leave hungry. I'm a skinny guy too. read more

I've enjoyed every eating experience I've had at this restaurant. To me, the food is balanced in flavors and delicious. It's clearly created with care and talent :) read more

High quality vegetarian food. Great ingredients. Non-soy options. Very pleased with my food. Would return.

I've been here twice for lunch in the past two months or so and really enjoyed it, so much that I might have to take another trip to Boulder just to go again! My first visit turned me on to my new favorite drink, mint lemonade! I got the BBQ Seitan plate and it was definitely more than I could eat. The balls of BBQ Seitan were not exactly what I expected them to look like. They reminded me of some sort of asian dish like orange chicken or sesame chicken. It was pretty darn tasty though, accompanied by garlic mashed potatoes, collared greens, corn bread and red pepper-corn slaw. The corn bread was a little dry and could have been better if it was warmed up and smothered in butter, but this meal was heavy enough as it was (especially when you consider I was also stealing my friend's sweet potato fries). The next time I went, I went for something lighter and got the Roasted Poblano Sandwich and a chilled beet soup. The sandwich was pretty good. Although the bread was a little too charred on the inside, the asadero cheese and the avocado tasted great combined with the poblano. The chilled beet soup was good, and probably very healthy, but nothing too exciting. I think overall, I was happier with the first meal. I had a bite of the falafel and it was really tasty. They also have vegetarian Bi Bim Bop, which I only recently learned about. This version is teriyaki tofu, marinated cucumber and bean sprouts, jasmine rice, kimchee, soft cooked egg, and spinach. I'd also like to try the Jamaican Jerk Tempeh, it sounds delicious! It may have been a touch pricey ($11 for the BBQ Seitan plate and $9 for the sandwich) but I think you probably get what you pay for since they use seasonal organic ingredients. Happy hour may be the way to go! read more

Definitely a fan but not perfect...I love that leaf shows how vegetarian, vegan and even raw can be creative, flavorful and filling. I also appreciate that the wait staff was very knowledgeable about the menu and various food allergies (gluten, soy, etc.) Salads looked phenomenal and I hear are very good. Same with the soup of the day - corn chowder. Both my mother-in-law and husband really enjoyed it! It had gluten in it so I steered clear. We were there on a chilly day so I got the "raw" ravioli and sweet potato fries. Quite possibly the best sweet potato fries I've ever had. The raw ravioli was just so-so. I have done better in my own kitchen..hence, also contributing to the 4 star rating. Also had a bite of the poblano sandwich insides. Out of this world on the seasoning! So again, really awesome - I'm a fan but not as good as it gets. I would have preferred to see more non dairy alternatives such as almond or rice milk to substitute in the chai banana smoothie and coffees..soy is evil, IMHO. But I will be back as our server said she is pushing for this too. Great atmosphere and friendly staff! read more

We were skeptical at first. The bread and olive oil were just alright. To be fair, it's hard not to have high expectations when previous reviewers have called dishes "a revelation" or said they "almost cried" at the gnocchi. As it turns out, the gnocchi WAS out of this world, and the Jamaican jerk tempeh was pretty great as well. We enjoyed the housemade ginger beer and the strawberry mint lemonade, which was muddled like a mojito. What put us over the edge to five stars, though, was a dessert special they had involving a caramel chocolate sundae with bourbon cherries and some square, beignet-like crumbles. Wow. read more

A solid 3.5 stars. Very inventive dishes and delicious combinations. I tried it for lunch. Some of the greens in the side salad were a little bit wilted, but I'd hope that wouldn't be true for a main dish. My mushroom bahn mi had great flavors, but the bread loaf was a little thick and wouldn't compress down to fit in my mouth! Haha, what a conundrum. The collard enchilada that I saw looked awesome though. Will have to try that next time. I expect the experience would have been less underwhelming for dinner, and still have high hopes. read more

Friendly staff. I only had the pad Thai that was changed to using spaghetti squash. Still yummy. Berry mint lemonade was too sweet for me.

The huevos rancheros were served with a SOFT basic tortilla instead of house fried corn chips or fried corn tortilla which meant that you have a soggy unappetizing mess under your eggs/rice. It was gross. I love huevos rancheros and the chips are normally the best part!!!! read more

Cool atmosphere, great food, good wine. It was a nice dining experience in downtown Boulder. We were on vacation and just happened upon this restaurant. Given that Colorado is so veg friendly, we were not surprised at the quality of the food. If we're ever in the area again, we will definitely find our way back to Leaf. read more

Decent for vegetarian/vegan food, although I feel as though there's better out there. I got the Jamaican dish. The presentation was gorgeous. It was a cute restaurant, although I felt like they thought they were "higher end" when I'm not sure they really are. read more

Leaf Vegetarian Restaurant - The Jamaican dish. - Vegetarian Near Me - Boulder, Colorado

So I'm bringing my boyfriend's family here and let's just say that his father was the opposite of a vegetarian. He was almost offended that I took him to this place and asked if we could go get a burger after we were done at this restaurant. Needless to say, it was a mess of a situation, but I ordered the father the Jackfruit Enchilada and a kale salad. He took one bite of the enchilada and his eyes widened. "There's no meat in this? This is so good!" He was converted. He could not stop talking about the enchiladas and the salad and had everyone at the table try them. This man who started off flabbergasted that there was a restaurant that did not serve meat, ended up eating strictly vegetarian food for the rest of their trip to Boulder. I mean, if that's not a good review, I don't know what is. read more

Do not dole out 5 stars but this unique spot deserves it. Innovative, creative, and delicious. My wife had a beet steak and I had spagetti pad thai. This is definitely a destination from Morrison but what a better place to enjoy and unusual entree, appetizer, and dessert. read more

On a recent trip to Denver, I had to make a stop here based on some reviews I have seen for best vegetarian places in the USA. I am a life long vegetarian and my Serbian husband eats all types of meat and pleasantly agreed to come along. I had made reservations and was very annoyed when the couple in front of us who had NO reservations were given the last outside table on a gorgeous day and we were relegated to the inside. Whats the point of a reservation requesting to sit outside if someone can just stroll in and get a great seat on a Friday night?? We ordered: Vegan Spinach soup: my husband's favorite! Pimento Cheese poppers: DELICIOUS with an amazing chutney Curried gnocchi which was ok but on top of a terrible sweet pea yogurt Sushi salad: AMAZING flavors! The vegan bread was also excellent and overall it was a nice experience but do think expensive for vegetarian food. I will go back if in town read more

Vegetarian? Who cares. At this small restaurant you will enjoy your food and atmosphere. The food is excellent ! The beet ravioli are to die for as is the vegetarian Wellington, tempura avocado, coconut curry soup and even the stuffed dates.( I HATE dates) Advice to the ladies. Watch the bathroom door, you open it and then it shuts very fast and may tag you in the rear. read more

Having been born and raised in Philadelphia, my personal health and safety may be at risk in saying that I toughly enjoyed the Leaf's approach the Philly Cheese Steak! I finally was able to get to Leaf Vegetarian Restaurant in Boulder! Well worth the wait but sooner would have been better! If one must have a late lunch, Leaf is a perfect place to do so! Arriving just before 3:00 pm on a Sunday afternoon, I was happy to learn that happy hour was just moments away. . . the Tempura Avocado was the first small plate and it was delicious. The mango salsa that filled the Avocado was good but the black rice cake that it sat on was and excellent pairing. It was the second small plate that won me over! The Raw Beet Ravioli with carrot walnut pâté, cashew cheese and fig balsamic purée was...well...THE BOMB! With only tree on the plate, I wanted to order more. Food is only part of the dining experience at Leaf. The staff worked flawlessly together as the tables started to fill and were welcoming, attentive and friendly. Having been born and raised in Philadelphia, my personal health and safety may be at risk in saying that I toughly enjoyed the Leaf's approach the Philly Cheese Steak! Being a carnivore I was surprised by the Philly Seitan. The delicious pairing of "wheat meat", red bell pepper, mushrooms, onion, provolone, between two hunks of bolillo was large enough to split and very tasty! Though I do not make it to Boulder often, I do hope to make it back for the $24 3 Course Prix Fixe menu someday soon! read more

Yum! Loved the oyster mushroom "calamari" and the moo shu wraps with plum sauce. So much food I couldn't finish it all. I wish I had more stomachs so I could have tried more food. My bf tried the mushroom stroganoff and the sweet potato gnocchi. Delicious. Friendly servers as well. read more

The French Toast was spectacular! Music playing was 90's alternative rock and so not appropriate. Other than that it was great.

I once saw Vegan Ultra marathoner Scott Jurek here. If you don't know who he is pick up his book "Eat and Run"...good recipe and inspiring story (even if you aren't a runner). Great service and great food. Plus they have a nice Happy Hour menu. Great memories of this place. A lot of the food here is sourced from a local organic farm and it is the same owner as Dushanbe Teahouse in Boulder (right next to the Farmer's Market). read more

Ambiance was nice, the cocktails were disappointing, food was mostly excellent, dessert was okay, service was nice and cheery albeit slow. Overall a great experience, just some things that need to be worked on. To begin, I'm by no means an expert on Vegetarian food. I'm a person that understands the ethical dilemma of animal product consumption, and am expanding my view. However I'm a pretty widely experience "foodie" (cringe) for lack of a better word, so see this as almost a vegetarian food outsider's perspective on this kind of restaurant. With the disclaimer out of the way... Beautiful interior with only one weird design choice. The strange fans on the ceiling blow unequal air movement in certain directions. Also less efficient. Just a weird decision by the owners to go for these strange "desktop fans attached to ceiling fan mounts that don't move". Raised ceilings are overdone and create a lot of noise in the restaurant that can usually be unpleasant, but they did the smart thing and still used ceiling tiles (which have acoustic dampening capabilities) to reduce this effect. Other owners take note, this is the way to do it. The open raised ceiling with girders is always too loud and looks and becomes dirty too easily, so it was refreshing to see a bistro-style raised ceiling not go the early 2000's trendy route, and do something different. Seating is comfy, dining room had good spacing and an interesting layout. Bathrooms were clean. Service-wise I felt like the timing of when the server checked in on us, the timing of food being delivered, was slightly slower than desirable. Nothing major. Overall very kind and compassionate servers, helpful, efficient, etc... Nothing major to complain about, just maybe a tad slow. I think more restaurants in the United States need to slow down anyways, so maybe this is just my own initial response due to a pre-existing bias in place. Food was great, but not perfect or highly executed, lacks a few minor things. Avocado Tartare was sort of bland, needed either more seasoning or more spice to the Pico de Gallo. Sweet Potato Gnocchi was excellent. I would probably add a touch more garlic to the pesto, again a bit under-seasoned overall. Creole Polenta was perfect! Serve it with a spoon though. Especially since we said we were sharing, it was bizarre not to get a spoon, but when we asked we got one, so no harm no foul, just a pointer. For dessert we shared a small slice of the Vanilla Cheesecake. This was kinda... meh. Nothing too amazing, didn't taste bad or anything, but doesn't stand out. I like the creative idea, but most "sub protein" style products in vegetarian food don't impress me that much. I'd rather them find a way to showcase vegetables and fruits as a dessert. I probably should have ordered the carrot cake in retrospect. We had a Boulder Passport so we ordered two Summer Daze cocktails. Both were incredibly inconsistent compared to each other. Hearing the shaking technique at the bar I could tell drinks were undershaken with not full ice. The Collins glass I received was very wide, not the traditional thin and tall. Ice wasn't from the bottom to the top, there was an ice deadzone at the bottom. The drinks both had inconsistent color and distribution of ingredients throughout. They required us to squeeze the orange wedge in them to be pleasant to drink. My wife's same drink was over dilluted (meaning not enough ice used in shaking) and under-representing the ingredients that weren't whiskey. Mine was almost entirely juice with almost no taste of whiskey. Every cocktail on the menu is practically soda water, juices, tiny bit of bitters, and a spirit. It's not a very creative or varied menu in execution of styles. I think a vegetarian restaurant actually has a ton of potential in the cocktail space. My advice to the owners or the bar manager is to read "Cocktail Science in General" Parts 1 and 2 by Dave Arnold with regards to proper ice control, Liquid Intelligence with regards to ratios, and Bar Book by Jeffrey Morgenthaler for technique improvement... and adjust the bar program. Then you all should take a tour of Frasca, Emmerson, and Blackbelly's cocktail programs to get an idea of what high-end cocktail execution is for similar pricing to yours. Like many restaurants, the cocktails seem to be an afterthought, and they shouldn't be. Either way, minor areas that could be improved, but overall a very pleasant and satisfying experience and we will be back! read more

I just want to get out of the way that I am not a vegetarian, but I have been in the past. Ahem. Lunch here with M's family, and it was nice. Chai was good, and two for the price of one. I got the roasted Poblano sandwich, and it was good but oh so spicy. The sweet potato fries are great, crunchy, and have just the right amount of salt. I don't know who puts ketchup on their spfries, but hey, more power to you. I like mine with a bleu cheese dressing or honey mustard. The bleu cheese dressing was ok. Very tangy. A little more than I would want to pay. Everyone else seemed to like their lunch. The Vegan French Toast looked REALLY good, however, I think it was one of maybe 3 vegan things on the menu. All in all, we really enjoyed ourselves in the sunny, airy, and well put together environment. read more

Super good and super fast for lunch! I stopped in and needed a fast lunch. But also not fast like crap food fast. I decided to try this place and ordered the crab cake sandwich with a side salad. The sandwich itself was totally vegan and it had similar consistency to a crab cake. The sauce went well and the baguette was crunchy on the outside and soft in the inside. The side salad was simple but really good with a vinaigrette, pickled onion and sunflower seeds. The food came out really fast and the service was great. Not all the food here is vegan. And for a $10 lunch, it was a great deal! read more

The best vegetarian restaurant in Boulder. Tons of vegan and gluten free options. Inventive and colorful dishes. Delicious! Great vibe also.

I am sure everything that needs to be said has already been said! Awesome down to earth vegetarian place that does not try to trick your palate into thinking you are eating 'chicken', 'beef' or 'chorizo' using TVP. Came here for brunch and we had the Tofu Scramble (special of the day) that came with a slice of toast; great robust flavors that paired with the toast well. We also tried the egg's benny with a muffin and some caramelized onions as well as baked potatoes on the side. Again, excellent flavor profile! Unfortunately one of the eggs was not perfectly poached. This place has been given a stamp of approval by an avid carnivore: the husband! read more

Holy gnocchi, Vegan-man! There's an undeniable filling power that comes from eating fresh produce and minimally processed foods. I was looking up highly rated Boulder restaurants featuring happy hour, noticed Leaf and started browsing their menu. Immediately, my friend burst out with his suggestion "Leaf!". Yep, got it, going. I managed to find free parking in the Boulder jungle (go me!). Leaf was quiet before 5pm which meant prompt service. Leaf has a superb happy hour selection ranging from drinks (draft beers, well drinks, cocktails and martinis, $3.5-6) and food (small plates, sandwiches, and salads, mostly $4.5 except for sandwiches). My favorite dish was the gnocchi which my friend ordered. It was a generous serving filled with strawberry red gnocchi. Those delicious tasting things looked like strawberries and seemed well paired with walnuts and orange slices. I did start with the mizuna asian salad. Fresh bitter greens, snap peas, seaweed, all things green, seemed like a good way to start off my meal. I also enjoyed their crostini with macadamia nut "cheese" and figs. It was creative, colorful, well presented, and tasty. Finally, I finished with the pimento cheese poppers with jalapeno peach jelly. It was a great mix of soft, crunchy, and spicy. Leaf thoroughly filled me as I toured most their small plates. Overall, I'd rate the gnocchi as the best buy. Plus goes out to great surreptitious service. They were there when I needed them and near invisible when not. read more

Came here for a few drinks and have eaten here before. Very pleased with the service, speed, and food quality. But I have to say, the Caipirinhas are what I have to race about. If you're looking for a place that does good Caipirinhas this should be one of your primary stops. Either the Ypioca or Leblon is an equally good drink. Eu faço caipirinhas em casa e este é o primeiro lugar que encontrei aqui em Boulder que sabe fazer quase perfeitamente. read more

Falafel wrap was *heavenly*. Perfect bread, perfect combination of tahini, hummus, veggies and falafel. Great vibe. I will say, the waitress was the mildly condescending interrupty type. We were having a business meeting, and apparently her time was so important that on no occasion could she wait for a break in the conversation to ask how our food was, inquire about dessert, etc (and she managed to find at least 10 different things to inquire about during our visit). But with the food so good, I was inclined to find it humorous rather than obnoxious. read more

5 stars for the food. I mean... wow. This food is absolutely delicious and very healthy. I had the avocado tempura, the quinoa pilaf, and the raw mango tart. Everything was presented extremely well, and and prepared with the fine attention to detail you would expect at a Michelin star restaurant. Give this restaurant a Michelin star! The textures, temperatures, and flavors blended together very nicely. My friend got a raw vegan dish: raw falafel with cucumber, tomato, and tahini. My my, it was perfect! There was a great selection of teas here, and I got myself the rooibos. There were some problems with the service. They forgot one of our orders, and I think there was some cilantro in my dish (I told them to hold the cilantro). But this place is so special that I can't hold it against them. read more

Absolutely wonderful food! I went for happy hour and the prices were great and the flavors were spectacular! It wasn't super busy since it is off the busy part of Pearl, but it made the experience nice. My only complaint was that the service was not wonderful. It seemed to be a night where they were training a ton of new servers. Everyone was pleasant, just not super quick. Overall I loved the food and I will be going back very soon. read more