Boston’s Latest Waterfront Restaurant Is Making Waves with Plant-Based ‘Seafood’
A father and son are behind Garden Patch by the Sea, a restaurant reinterpreting traditional New England cuisine for plant-based diners
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There’s a new restaurant making quite a splash along Boston’s waterfront. Garden Patch by the Sea, a ‘seafood-inspired’ eatery, opened up last month along Wollaston Beach and has already drawn hundreds of plant-based and omnivorous visitors for its creative vegan seafood alternatives —and exceptional views of Quincy Bay and the Boston skyline.
“I’ve had my eye on this place for a while. I mean, look at [the waterfront views],” Craig Somers, a co-owner of the restaurant, told the Boston Globe. “Vegan seafood is a fairly new category in plant-based food, and it just made sense to have it here at the beach.”
The restaurant’s indoor dining room can accommodate about thirty people – but the seat you’ll want is on the patio, making the most of the location and experience. Between the soft cawing of seagulls, the harborfront waves, and the ocean breeze, the seaside experience lends itself well to the ocean-inspired fare.
While the menu offers a variety of dishes, it’s the vegan seafood that draws most of the curios customers. Many of the items are made in-house with common ingredients including peas, chickpeas, lentils, soy, fava, and navy beans.
Standout dishes include everything from classic vegan fish and chips to more niche items like vegan battered shrimp, clam strips, and crab cakes – which, according to Somers, taste almost identical to the real thing. He owes that result to a process of trial and error, experimenting with ingredient combinations and cooking methods to get it just right.
“It’s about the flavor and texture and the way it’s cooked, and so much of our food tastes the same as its traditional counterparts,” Somers explained. “Based on the reaction we’ve had from customers at our other restaurant and from those who visited us today, they’re very satisfied.”
The father and son co-owners are themselves both plant-based eaters, and they aim to continue to innovate and provide customers with alternatives – both to eating animals and to mainstream, mass-produced vegan and vegetarian meat products – while also providing a seaside escape for diners.
“I love it when non-vegans try it and say ‘this is really good’ or ‘are you sure it’s made from plants?,’” shared co-founder Travis Somers. “It happens all the time, and now with our new location by the water, I think we’re going to get a whole new clientele base, including a younger market with people who are more inclined to order plant-based food.”
Garden Patch by the Sea might have only opened last month but it has already made serious waves in the Greater Boston area. The unique restaurant and patio has hundreds of five-star reviews rolling in and is set to continue to draw in more and more beachside diners as the summer months roll in and beach-goers seek out a plant-based option with ocean views (and ocean-friendly bites).
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