Best Health Food Café
Overall: B+
Service: 4.5/5 Whether you pop in for a wheat grass shot or sit down to enjoy a glass of organic white wine and salad wrap, you will be warmly welcomed by the café’s laid-back, friendly staff. If you can avoid Live Alive’s busiest hours (in my opinion, weekdays from 11:00a.m.-1:00p.m and weekends anytime after 6:30p.m.), you will probably wait less than ten minutes for your your food. The convenience behind the ‘pay before you eat’ method and the ability to customize your made-to-order meal makes the wait during those busy hours worth it.
Food: 4.5/5 This place is a health nut’s dream. Not only is it vegetarian friendly, but it is also gluten-free friendly, vegan friendly, raw foods friendly, low-carb friendly, and macrobiotic diet friendly. The only thing it isn’t? Meat and dairy friendly (with the exception of whey protein and organic raw cheddar cheese from Cedar Grove). If you like simple, nutritious meals made with fresh ingredients, you should try this café. It’s easy to swap or add ingredients, and the staff make excellent suggestions. Keep in mind that prices may vary with changes. Laura recommends a concoction she calls “The Simply Crushed,” which consists of green tea, bee pollen, and ice. Live Alive offers organic tea and wine, vegan soups, all-natural fruit smoothies, fresh squeezed juices, gluten-free cookies, warm meals, and cold salads. The warm meals and cold salads come in three sizes, including a “demi” size aka “taster plate” (smallest portion, one serving), “handy wrap” (warm meal or salad wrapped inside a whole-wheat tortilla), and a “filling bowl” (largest portion, two servings). Kid-friendly options include the cheesy quesadilla, ants on a log, peanut butter and jelly tortilla wrap, and dried fruit granola with milk.
Atmosphere: 4/5 Although this place is quite literally an urban oasis, it echoes ‘cliché health food restaurant’ in that is geared toward free spirits and plant-lovers. You enter into a funky, yet modest interior and hear the soft humming of blenders, smell fresh produce, and notice the bright, bold accents. Upstairs offers café-style seating, tables, and booths. Downstairs has secluded bench areas, 6-top tables, as well as a children’s play area that is fully equipped with books and toys. Check for the passcode at the register to acquire an internet connection.
Price: 4.5/5 Live Alive uses quality ingredients to construct creative meals tailored to each customer’s nutritional needs. The only way to get this quality of product for less money would be to go to the farmer’s market, pick up the ingredients, and make the meal yourself. Not everyone has the time, nor patience to make fresh, homemade meals daily. This is where Life Alive comes in. Founder and CEO Heidi Feinstein recognizes the importance of locally sourced, seasonal ingredients that carry health benefits, which is why fresh, local produce is delivered to the café daily. Frankly, you get what you pay for.
Accessibility: 4/5 Live Alive is located on the corner of Massachusetts Ave and Inman Street. There is metered parking scattered along both streets. Pleasant Street off of Massachusetts Ave has a few blocks of metered parking on the left-hand side. The café is 0.1 miles (about a three-minute walk) northwest of the the Central Square T stop, which services the red line.
Recommendations:
-12 oz. Superhero Alive Fresh Pressed Juice {carrot, apple, ginger, spirulina, cayenne, garlic, apple cider vinegar, honey}
-16 oz. Elvis Alive Smoothie {peanut butter, cocoa, banana, coconut milk ice cream, ice. *Other additions may include: chai, avocado, kale, cinnamon, dates, rice milk, flax, hempseed, maca} *On August 28th, Live Alive’s smoothie menu changed; consequently the Elvis Alive Smoothie is no longer available.
-The Lover Warm Plate {shiitake mushrooms, steamed greens, shredded carrots and beets, broccoli, brown rice, ginger Nama Shoyu sauce. *Other additions may include: sweet potato (seasonal), sunflower seeds, tamari almonds, dried pineapple, red lentil hummus, sesame stix}
-The Hot and Healthy Bachelor Grilled Tortilla Wrap {melted cheddar, hardboiled egg, broccoli, warmed greens, Braggs, nutritional yeast, whole-wheat tortilla. *Other additions may include: avocado, pressed garlic, corn, tofu}
-The Seeker Cold Salad {spring mescaline greens, garlic-lemon hummus, granny apple slices, cashews, cucumber, shredded carrots, sunflower sprouts, ginger Nama Shoyu sauce. *Other additions may include: avocado (seasonal), sun-dried tomatoes, quinoa, cranberries}
-12 or 16 oz. Warm Vegan Corn Chowder
-12 or 16 oz. Dandi Blend Coffee Substitute {a detoxifying drink made from chicory and other roots}
765 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02139
617.354.5433
