Lulu Green is closing the original South Boston cafe that launched its plant-based empire, with the doors at 246 W. Broadway shutting for good this Saturday, October 17. The family-run, female-owned restaurant announced the closure in a Facebook post on Wednesday, capping a seven-year run that turned the small storefront into one of the city's most decorated vegan destinations.
The cafe opened its original location in 2019 and quickly built a loyal following for its blend of brunch, lunch, dinner, coffee and cocktails, according to MassLive. Lulu Green was co-founded by sisters Mary Lattouf and Nada Lattouf, who built the menu around their Lebanese heritage and a childhood diet of fresh, plant-based Middle Eastern dishes, according to Caught in Southie. Mary Lattouf previously worked as Healthy Eating Program Director and Juice Bar Operations Leader at Whole Foods Market, and holds a certificate in plant-based nutrition from Cornell University, per the restaurant's own team page.
In the Facebook announcement, Lulu Green called the decision to close the South Boston storefront a very tough one, and thanked the neighborhood for its continued support throughout the cafe's run, per MassLive's reporting. The company said it now plans to focus on growing its newly opened Kendall Square location in Cambridge, adding that it looks forward to seeing customers across the river.
From a Failed Salad Shop to a Three-Time Award Winner
The West Broadway storefront wasn't always a vegan hotspot. Before Lulu Green moved in during January 2020, the space had been home to Shredded, a salad and grain bowl eatery that closed in late 2018 after operating for under a year, according to Boston Restaurant Talk. Lulu Green turned the location into something far stickier, earning Boston Magazine's “Best Vegan Restaurant” title three years running, in 2024, 2025 and 2026, per MassLive.
Executive Chef Brian Corbley has led kitchen operations across the brand's dining concepts alongside the Lattouf sisters, crafting a menu that blends Middle Eastern comfort food with American plant-based classics, the restaurant notes. Signature dishes that built the South Boston cafe's reputation include the Hot Honey Glazed Crispy Chick'n Sandwich, tacos al pastor, a warm quinoa bowl, a roasted broccoli and sweet potato Caesar salad, and the OG açaí bowl, per MassLive's rundown of the menu.
A Dairy Standoff Preceded the Cambridge Pivot
This year brought turbulence before it brought expansion. In April, Lulu Green pulled its two stalls out of Time Out Market in Boston's Fenway neighborhood after eight months there, refusing a request from new market management to serve cow's milk at its coffee counter — a standoff Hoodline previously covered in detail, with market managers reportedly requiring dairy offerings to maintain coffee vendor exclusivity, as VegNews reported at the time. The episode underscored just how firmly the Lattouf sisters have held to a 100 percent vegan mission, even when it meant walking away from a high-traffic food hall.
Weeks later, in late May, the brand opened its second location at 675 W. Kendall Street in Kendall Square, according to Boston Restaurant News and Events. The Cambridge site features outdoor patio seating overlooking a reflection pond, the same outlet notes, and was designed with interior designer Andy Viera to seat 24 guests indoors and 22 more on the patio using eco-friendly materials, with high ceilings, banquette seating and a color scheme of bold blues and purples.
New Menu Items Signal the Brand's Next Chapter
The Kendall Square flagship isn't just a bigger version of the South Boston original. It introduced exclusive items unavailable at the old cafe, including hand-cut fries, a Double Smash Burger, and functional smoothies blended with reishi and lion's mane, while keeping core favorites like the Hot Honey Glazed Crispy Chick'n Sandwich on the menu at both locations, per Boston Restaurant News and Events' coverage of the opening.
With the South Boston chapter closing, Lulu Green is effectively consolidating its family-run operation under one Cambridge roof after a year that saw it defend its vegan identity against a major food hall and then double down on a larger, purpose-built space. For the neighborhood that watched a failed salad shop turn into a three-time award winner, Saturday marks the end of an era — even as the Lattouf sisters frame it as the start of a bigger one across the river.
