Vegan in Newburyport

Last week was unseasonably warm in New England. It was in the 80’s for most of the week, and then Mother Nature hits us with rainy weather in the 30’s for this week. She just doesn’t quit.

Since it was so beautiful and I have two days off during the week, I had to do something. Having never been to Newburyport, I decided to visit. A cute seaside town with adorable local shops and even an organic, gluten-free, vegan cafe!

After strolling about, stopping in whatever store caught my fancy (including one called Best of British. The entire country might as well been in there because everything British is the best!), I found Revitalive Cafe. It was small, with no seating in the downstairs. There was an upstairs, but I didn’t venture up to find seating, since there was seating outside and I wanted to enjoy the sun.

Having looked at the menu the night before, I decided to order the Un-Tuna Wrap, which came with a side of their homemade kale chips. I have been wanting to try some “tuna” since the beginning of this vegan journey and I figured having it at a restaurant was a safe bet. It’s described on the menu as seed-based and mixed with romaine lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, and onions. I found that the pickles overpowered the rest of the flavors in the tuna, but I like pickles, so I didn’t mind. The gluten-free  coconut flax wrap had an interesting texture and flavor. It was my first taste of gluten-free bread and I’m not sure that I liked it. It was slightly sweet (from the coconut flavoring, I assume) and it kind of just fell apart in my mouth immediately. It’s something I would have to get used to, but I’m willing to give it another try. I was very excited to try the kale chips, since I’ve seen tons of different recipes. I found these to be too salty and cheesy. If I ever make them, I’ll definitely use more garlic flavors over cheesy flavors.

Revitalive had a great menu with a ton of choices. They had a whole section of quinoa bowls, which I really wanted to try, but opted out since I’ve been eating a lot of quinoa lately. They also had a ton of very appetizing treats. There were even shelves with bags of their homemade kale chips and raw granola, raw crackers, and more. Overall, the food was not bad – it was just flavors that are still new to me. I would definitely love to go back to try something else, maybe a fresh-made smoothie, fresh-pressed juice, or quinoa bowl.