#thefriendlytoast

Has anyone really ever had the desire to be surrounded by neon signage, a myriad of Chinese checkerboards, basketball hoops and doll heads as the smell of breakfast wafts through the air? Probably not, but if that’s what gets you going, then the Friendly Toast is right up your alley.

The self-proclaimed ‘eclectic diner’ (eclectic, indeed—the walls are Shrek green) has five locations in New England serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner all day. Their website boasts a creative dining experience, and while the eatery’s choice of decor is unique, the experience as a whole is pretty standard.

I like the Toast (I’ve never heard anyone ever call it “the Toast” but if we are being all creative and different then I’m gonna run with it), point blank because they have vegan options. That’s right, options, plural. Not just one, but several vegan meals, or meals that can be easily modified to become vegan. And every one that I’ve tried (see below) has been decent. They also have mimosa flights which, while unrelated to veganism, are delightful all the same.

I have had a few different meals at three different Toast locations (they have locations in Boston, MA; Cambridge, MA; Burlington, MA; Portsmouth, NH; and Burlington, VT) and I’ll rate them on a scale of 1-5 stars.

RATING SYSTEM

★★★★★ - Would order every time. Absolutely recommend.

★★★★☆ - Would order regularly. Highly recommend.

★★★☆☆ - Would order again. Would recommend.

★★☆☆☆ - Would order if I had no other option. Would not recommend.

★☆☆☆☆ - Would never order again. Never recommend. 

1. Vegan Breakfast Burrito - ★☆☆☆☆ - A flour tortilla filled with tofu, black beans, salsa, our avocado lime sauce, corn salsa & vegan cheese.

Full disclosure, this was the first thing I ever had at the Friendly Toast and I will never get it again. I don’t think that they actually know how to season tofu, because every tofu dish I’ve tried of theirs tastes like chili powder and nothing else.

2. So It Ve-Gan - ★★☆☆☆ - Tofu scramble with black beans, salsa verde, spinach, roasted red peppers, corn salsa & tortilla strips.

Retweet the above review, with some modification: The tofu is bland aside from the overdose of (what I assume is) chili or cayenne powder. And they could at least throw down some tumeric to make the tofu a scrambled egg-like yellow. I did like this dish more than the burrito, because I could mix everything around with the potatoes (which are also spicy) and drown it in ketchup. 

At some locations the chef will leave the spice off of the home fries, which I appreciated. TBH if they let you modify the dish by adding some avocado and a few more veggies without charging for each add-on, I’d consider getting this again. 

3. Return of the Mac Burger - ★★★☆☆ - Impossible burger, Mac-&-Cheese, lettuce, tomato. 

This is the best meal that I have had at the Toast. The original is not vegan, but if you order it veganized, they’ll make some swaps so that you get the Impossible burger, vegan mac-&-cheese, and a vegan bun! So hearty, I couldn’t finish it in one sitting. Comes with fries and pickles. They use daiya cheese for the mac-&-cheese, but I was told that they used to make their own vegan cheese. C’mon, Toast! Get back on that homemade cheese train, please!

4. Impossibly Bomb Wrap - ★★★☆☆ - A wrap filled with Impossible burger, vegan cheese, onions, roasted red peppers, mushrooms & avocado lime sauce.

This was good! My only complaint was that I ordered this as take-out and didn’t have any ketchup for the fries that came on the side. But this wrap is tasty and I appreciate that they didn’t just take everything from their Impossible Burger menu item and throw it in a wrap form.

5. Chocolate Chip Pancakes (vegan) - ★★★☆☆ - A vegan chocolate chip pancake.

Pretty standard, good old-fashioned, American pancakes. If you received a vegan one over one with milk and eggs, you wouldn’t know. The cakes are the size of your face and filling af.

I’m not sure if this is universal to all Friendly Toasts’ but every time I have attended one, the waiter has sat down at an adjacent table to take my party’s order at eye-level and every single time I am taken aback. Not that it really matters, but I feel like I go through this weird mini culture shock and I have to remind myself that it’s all just part of the groovy experience, man.

You will also leave every Toast visit with a postcard in hand. Full disclosure: it’s endearing the first time you get one with the check, but after your third, fourth, fifth visit nobody wants to take it, but you feel weird leaving it on the table because you’re not sure if there’s some rule prohibiting the waiter to take it back, and then you either bring it home to add to your personal collection or to toss it. It’s wasteful, and I’m curious if anyone has ever actually sent one.

Regardless, the next time that you want to grab some brunch, the Friendly Toast has plenty of viable options for vegans and non-vegans alike. The staff are knowledgeable and friendly, the atmosphere is fun and full of conversation pieces, the portions are great, and the food is satisfying.