Wagamama
Profile
$$ - average
Japanese
Japanese-influenced cuisine with a few decent vegan options (be careful to modify to rice noodles and leave out egg)
According to their website, wagamama is a japanese name that means “willful, naughty child.” The menu includes a selection of vegetarian dishes, though it does not specify which are vegan. However, their website does:
vegans can have:
104 – edamame
106 – grilled asparagus
109 – raw salad
110 – miso soup and pickles
38 – yasai itame
61 – yasai natsubi salad
can have with modifications (specified):
84 – mini ramen vegetarian (on rice noodles)
27 – saien soba (on rice noodles)
41– yasai yaki soba (on rice noodles, no egg)
51 – yasai chilli men (on rice noodles)
78 – yasai cha han (no egg)
The simple, stylish design by the architectural design firm Gensler creates a modern environment. Similar in layout to the Faneuil Hall restaurant, the Harvard Square location was built by Shawmut Ddesign and Construction and features wall finishes in walnut to enhance the restaurant’s contemporary look. In keeping with wagamama’s international concept, the 4,250 square-foot Harvard Square restaurant features an open kitchen and communal-style seating for 130 indoors.
Uses wireless technology to record customers’ orders at their table and instantly transmit them to the kitchen, where all selections are cooked to order. Dishes are served immediately as they are prepared, thus arriving at the table at different times throughout the meal.
MBTA: Accessible by 66 bus. Just W. of Harvard Square red line T stop. Also, parking available at Harvard Square Parking Garage ($2 off with purchase - ask your server)
- Large Group-Friendly
Added by ananimalfriendlylife.com on Oct 14 07 (updated Oct 14 07)
I like the feel of this place, overall (open kitchen, community-style seating), but the menu could have been clearer about what was vegan, which it is on the web. As it is, you have to look for a V (which indicates vegetarian), then read ingredients for eggs or dairy). Even then, our server ran back to the kitchen to check on the dishes we were thinking of ordering.
Still, I quite liked the tofu in both the Yasai Chili Men and the Moyashi Soba. The Soba was a little on the subtle side, but a nice, warm treat on a cool day. Messy, though. The Chili Men was spicier than expected (I don't think I looked closely enough at the menu), but a good blend of veggies, protein and noodles.
Didn't love the service there, though it suffered more from inexperience and lack of genuine concern for the clientele than any specific problem. I knocked a point off atmosphere because you can smell animal flesh on the grill when you sit too close to the kitchen.
Be sure to take the vegan-friendly list with you to the restaurant so that you don't end up with unvegan noodles!