Clover — Restaurant in Cambridge

The coffee was decent, freshly dripped right into my cup (so it took a bit to get it, not a place to run in for coffee). It was flavorful, although a bit bitter. There weren't a lot of milk options.

The falafel (calling it a chickpea fritter is probably the most obnoxious thing I've seen this week) is very tasty. The pita could be better, fresher, so it tastes less stale and also soaks up the sauces more so the sandwich leaks less. But the falafel are made to order, scooped and fried while you wait. The fixings are very fresh. There are pickles and a few other picked things, Israeli salad, and a bunch of hummus. The falafel could have been more evenly distributed, and the whole thing mixed a bit more (e.g., you get big bites of just pickles to start, and, in European fashion, finish with all salad on the bottom). But overall a very tasty, refreshing sandwich.

The lavendar lemonade was nice and lavendarey, but the lemonade part of the equation was wanting. It could have been Countrytime for all I know (not a good thing). There was no pulp, no tartness, and not even an abundance of lemon flavor, and it had that uniformly cloudy, translucent look of mass-produced county fair lemonade, although thankfully it wasn't painfully sweet. I'd pass on it. The fresh soda syrups are a cool idea, but all they've had for days is beet--clearly no one wants to drink that, since it's just been sitting there unordered, so cut that from the lineup and bring back the peach.

The service is friendly....

Clover. Vegetarian, friendly, relatively cheap. Seems like a slam dunk 5 star, but read on to see my reservations (heh food pun).

Clover has so much to like. Starting with the folks taking the orders, they are friendly, encouraging and if you have a chance to chat with them they tend to be very interesting folks. The people who work here and their attitude is one of the things that keeps me coming back to clover time and time again.

The food is OK, but has some real standouts: Egg and Eggplant, Seasonal Sandwiches (for the most part) and a whole lot of the side dishes are pretty amazing. The problem I have is a lot of the normal sandwiches are just OK, and leave me not totally full... but not so hungry I want to buy a $3 side.

Finally the wait is a bit of a hassle. I know they move as fast as they can and its made on site so you have to be patient. But I'm an American damnit and I refuse. That's my GOD given right.

Clover also gets a bonus star for their blog, their CSAs and other fun things they do (like beer launches or movies on their truck, or cooking classes). I love the idea of this company, that they support veggie food and local farmers. I love that they use social media wisely. I like to put my dollar where my mouth is, and I support folks like this because they support ideals I support.

Good on you, Clover....

Hands-down the best vegetarian place in the area! If I could give 10 stars I would! As a longtime customer I can attest that Clover never fails to impress with their outstanding customer service. The Clover team always goes above and beyond to meet expectations and whenever there is an issue the management is quick to make things right. Their employees are kind, caring and professional. They are always willing to listen to customers and they have only been improving over time. Their meal boxes are out of this world. I recommend trying the Chickpea Fritter box or the Sweet Potato Sandwich box (available in the fall). Their sandwiches are amazing and their soups are unforgettable. I recommend trying the Roman Tomato Soup or the Heirloom Bean Chilli. Their Falafel Skewers is such a great snack and their fries are so good too! Don't forget to try their hummus, it's the best I have ever had! If you haven't tried Clover yet, you are missing out, trust me! They also have amazing coffee, refreshing drinks like lemonade and their orange juice is great too. They have a breakfast menu until 11am and a regular menu after that. This CloverHUB located in East Cambridge is a great convenient location with easy street parking on most days. Check it out, you won't regret it! Thank you Clover team, you are amazing and I wish you...