I’m not in the habit of writing about places that I haven’t visited yet unless they seem extremely worthy of attention to the point that I can’t wait to go there. The Greater Boston Buddhist Cultural Center is one of those places. During my extensive research, I was hard-pressed to find any negative opinions. It appears that the GBBCC is one of those rare hidden gems that hasn’t yet been discovered (and ruined) by a major newspaper reviewer. So what makes it so special?
According to reviews from Yelp, the center is a sanctuary for Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike. Entering through a the temple/library and veering right, you will come to a calm, welcoming tea house that serves a limited selection of tasty, inexpensive and healthy vegetarian food. The lunch special is only $7 and comes with a soup, a serving of brown rice, two vegetable dishes and two tofu dishes. The food is extremely fresh as the menu changes daily. While some reviewers feel the soup is just okay, most agree that the vegetable and tofu dishes are delicious and worth making a trip for. And of course, it wouldn’t be a teahouse without tea. They serve an extensive list of high quality tea in a pot enough for two people. The ginger tea is most raved about, so if you’re a fan of ginger, definitely check it out.
via Maynard C. on Yelp
So why haven’t I been there yet? Well it’s not for lack of trying. The teahouse has been closed since Christmas and will only reopen in March. You can bet your bottom dollar that I’ll be heading there as soon as it reopens – so check back for an update.
Side note: it turns out most Buddhist temples serve food to the public on the 1st and the 15th of every month. The food is usually free, as it is cooked by the monks and by volunteers, though a small donation is usually requested. If you’re interested in this type of cuisine, you may want to check out the Buddhist temple closest to you.
Greater Boston Buddhist Cultural Center
950 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-547-6670
Currently based out of Boston, Jesal is a blogger, freelance writer, yoga enthusiast and lifelong vegetarian who spent four years eating her way through New York City and various other cities around the globe. After answering hundreds of emails and phone calls answering the question, "Where's a cool place I can take my vegetarian friend out to eat" she started Veggiewala to efficiently share her knowledge of the vegetarian food scene with curious carnivores, flexitarians and other vegetarians.