When you think of Brookline, you don’t usually think of vegan and vegetarian food. However, new kid on the block Pure Cold Press has totally changed our minds for the better.
Owner Haim Cohen opened up the spot six months ago after seeing a need for a restaurant in Coolidge Corner that was passionate about all things local. With help from the big guns (Haim’s dad owns Rami’s, the kosher and Middle Eastern gem just next store), Pure Cold Press set up shop with cold press juices, sandwiches, salads, smoothies and much more.
Photo by Victoria Pierce
I stopped by for lunch on a near zero degree Boston day, and was so glad I made the trek out of my warm apartment. Even though this girl loves a good burger or steak taco, I’m no stranger to the world of vegetarian cuisine, so I was super excited when Haim invited me to come on over to try some of his favorites.
Photo by Victoria Pierce
I basically told Haim to load up my salad with anything he wanted, and to be heavy-handed on the veggies. With kale, arugula, pickled onions, bell peppers, tempeh, tofu, quinoa and a hard-boiled egg on top, complete with cilantro lime vinaigrette, I definitely wasn’t going to go hungry.
Photo by Victoria Pierce
Pure Cold Press has a large selection of, you guessed it, fresh cold pressed juices for you to choose from. As a big fan of beets, “Beet It” was my obvious pick. These juices, made of as much local produce as they can get their hands on (cold weather can make that a bit tricky this time of year), combine both veggies and fruits to be as wholesome and refreshing as possible.
Photo by Victoria Pierce
This was honestly one of my favorite salads in the Boston area to date. Everything was fresh and completely filling. The juice was the right blend of beets and fruits, and was the perfect sidekick to my lunch. While I ate (and bragged about my lunch on Instagram… duh), customer after customer came in through the doors to get their fair share of fresh local vegan goodness for lunch.
And the best part was, Haim knew everyone’s name and favorite go-to order. The Veggie joint has even has Boston-area musicians come in and play every so often, and houses neighborhood artist’s work on the walls. If that’s not local, I don’t know what is.
Needless to say, you need to venue off campus, and into Coolidge Corner for pure food done right.