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With food to satisfy everyone, it is no wonder that Clover is a go-to spot for students in the Boston area.
It is a bright Friday afternoon and I’ve just stepped foot into Clover Food Lab. The restaurant is packed with a mix of tourists and sleep-deprived students all craving something fresh and flavorful before they dash off to their next task — be it a meander around Cambridge or a scurry to stats class.
If you’re indecisive like me, you will appreciate that Clover lets you try dishes before committing to your order. They typically have two different samples out at a time. It is an effective model: draw customers in with a sample and get them hooked on healthy, plant-based food.
That was the mission for founder Ayr Muir, an MIT grad who started Clover in a food truck in 2008. His goal was to get people to eat less meat, as the meat industry is one of the leading contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Today, Clover has 13 restaurants around the Boston area, and its menu changes based on what’s in season on farms across New England.
After gobbling down a compostable cup of crispy tofu, herbal mayo, crunchy zucchini, pearls of corn, and a sweet Mirin-style sauce, I was ready to try more. It was hot outside and I wanted something light, so I opted for the zucchini platter over the zucchini pitta. I felt compelled to try Clover's famous falafel and silky hummus, so I paired my order with a side of the classic Middle Eastern dish.
Despite the line stretching from the center of the shop to the door, my food was ready in no more than five minutes. This felt aligned with Clover’s ethos of functionality, curated by their use of compostable packaging, no-frills industrial interior design, and very manageable price point. Clover is careful not to leave anyone out, and their menu features plant-based meat alternatives that taste like the real thing. With food to satisfy everyone, it is no wonder that Clover is a go-to spot for students in the Boston area.
Back to my meal. Once my platter arrived, the first thing I noticed was how colorful it was. The locally-grown carrots were bursting with sunshine. They were crisp and dressed in vinegar marinade, made better by the accompanying chickpea salad. The al dente chickpeas were emulsified in a tomato-herb sauce, complemented by tender chunks of eggplant. I found the crunch of the carrot, the melt-in-your-mouth eggplant, and buttery chickpeas extremely satisfying. Not to mention well-balanced, with a combination of fiber, healthy fats, protein, and micronutrients — exactly what I need as a student who has to get through a busy day of work.
The silky humus was the smoothest I had ever tried — so good I would happily eat it by the spoonful.
I have yet to share what made me order this dish in the first place. I do not know what godly nectar they put in the sauce for the tofu, but I could drink a bottle of it. The tofu was cooked and seasoned in a way that was a far cry from the rubbery, bland lumps that vegetarians are used to. It was crispy on the outside and bathed in a sweet sauce that reminded me of a soy sauce mixed with creamy shiso mayo sauce. Sounds indulgent, doesn’t it? However, I left this meal feeling light. In short, the zucchini platter was a 10 out of 10.
As for the side, the silky humus was the smoothest I had ever tried — so good I would happily eat it by the spoonful. (Which I sort of did!) The generous portion of falafel skewers were freshly fried and evenly spiced. They were crispy on the outside, but a bit tough and dry on the inside. If the falafel had not been accompanied by the luscious lake of hummus, it would have been too dry for me. Overall, I would give the side a 7 out of 10, with three points taken away because I felt the falafel were a little bit tough and salty. (Personal preference, I prefer bigger falafel.)
Final thoughts:
Clover’s somewhat clinical interior design (it is a “food lab” after all) and runs the risk of being another flavorless salad place. That being said, it is anything but. The food is delicious and the dishes have been well-thought out to balance tastes, textures, nutrition, and seasonal produce. I thought about my Clover order more times than I care to admit in the days after devouring it!
