We visited Boulder while on vacation and came across leaf. I was a little skeptical at first because it seemed to lean more towards vegetarian than vegan. But most of the dishes they can convert. Definitely a more high end place as far as veggie restaurants go. But the prices were absolutely affordable. Hands down some of the best if not the best entrees my wife and I have ever had at a resturant. We visited three times it was so delicious. read more

I took my vegan friend here for brunch. I'm not vegan, however, I think this place is incredible. Very unique dishes and drinks. Everything is super fresh, very flavorful, and cooked to perfection. The service is also excellent. Highly recommend for brunch! And I'm sure dinner is just as good :) read more

[UPDATE] Since my first review of this restaurant, I have to remove 2 stars. I've been there 3 times since for lunch and dinner, and each time the service has been very slow, and food arrived just warm, so that halfway through eating it was getting cold. This is not a good thing to be consistent about. Likewise, "bland" seems to be a consistent range of flavoring for dishes that should be spicy/flavorful. Leaf could deserve 3 stars for the effort to be a classier place, but they need to get their act together about service and timing. [Old review] I've been to Leaf twice for lunch, so please consider this a lunch-only review. Dinner, brunch and happy hour may differ. Service at lunch is slower than ideal--each time, I found myself wanting my lunch to arrive long before it actually did. Service is friendly and prompt, so I suspect that the delay on food is in the kitchen itself. Lunch entrees are $8, $9 or $10, and the price includes (in the case of sandwiches) sweet potato fries, potato salad or a market salad (which is actually local). Appetizers are $6. For my first lunch, I had the Seitan Ruben with sweet potato fries -- it was really tasty and very filling. The toasted bread of the sandwich didn't get soggy from either the kraut or the seitan & sauce, even on the plate side. All textures worked well together, and flavors were balanced nicely between savory, sweet and sour. My only criticism is that I'd personally like a little more sauerkraut, but that's my particular taste. The sweet potato fries were fries, not chips nor chunks nor steak fries, but just the normal sized sort of french fries you'd get at any restaurant. They were the absolute epitome of sweet potato fries, so if you like that sort of thing that's enough reason to go to Leaf. My friend had the Artichoke Po Boy and one of the soups of the day (broccoli cheddar cheese soup) and proclaimed both excellent. I noticed that the soup looked to be richly textured, rather than just chunky or pureed, so I should have tried a spoonful when offered it, but I was too enamored of the ruben at the moment. I noticed someone nearby having what looked like a delightful plate of noodles, and everything that I saw come out of the kitchen looked very appetizing. The food is nicely presented and the portions I saw look to be large for my appetite level. I wasn't able to finish my lunch, nor was my friend, so we boxed up leftovers for later. We both got out of there for just under $10 each, which is more than I usually want to spend on lunch, but fine for occasional noshing. For the upscale atmosphere and presentation, $10 for lunch is a deal. On my second lunch, I had the Thai Mango Curry. It was nicely presented, cooked perfectly, and tasted good, but it's not a well-composed dish when it comes to the texture of its components and their pairing. For example, the chef's choice of broth with the rice noodles wasn't a good one--the threadlike noodles need a stickier, thicker or drier sauce, which is why you'll find them served as such at any Thai restaurant. The brothy sauce made it a bit slurpy and sloppy to eat as well as difficult to get a forkful of the slippery noodles. Also, the large chunks of bok choy, tofu and sweet potato look great plated with the noodles, but it's difficult to cut cooked bok choy into forkable pieces with a table knife. Along the same lines, the sauce lacked sufficient punch (why call it Thai if it's not spicy?) to counter the beige blandness of the tofu, although it was perfect with the sweet potato. From a contextual perspective, I'd say this is one of the better restaurants in Boulder, but not perfect for the critical palate of a foodie. I'll definitely go there again to try other menu offerings as well as their happy hour. read more

Something has happened to Leaf. We went a month ago and found it mildly disappointing. Tonight there were things that were almost inedible. We noticed that people at the table next to us complained to the server about the food. Service was icy, perhaps because of the food issues the restaurant seems to be facing. The kale salad was so over salted (and I like salt) that I could practically not eat it, yet it was better than the paella I had as a main course. There was something wrong with the seasoning, and it was unevenly distributed. The brussel sprouts in it were almost uncooked, and next to the rice, that just didn't work. There seemed to be only brussel sprouts and rice. The carrot cake was fine, even good. The peanut butter cheesecake was heavy and mealy and unappealing. It is a big loss to our town as we used to really look forward to coming to Leaf. As I look at the reviews, some eexcellent, some like mine pretty bad, I have to wonder if there is something going on that we don't understand - different chefs? It is odd. It was sad to have to write this bad review but it was our second bad experience. read more

I really looked forward to Leaf because of all the great reviews on here, but tonight was bad. Hopefully it was just because it was takeout, but food should still be just as good when taken home. He had BBQ Seitan and I had Bibimbap. My mistake on ordering Korean at this restaurant, but a rice craving came over me. The egg was overcooked, not soft and runny, the rice didn't taste completely correct and all the side vegetables were way too salty. The vegetables were all salt, no subtle sweetness with real Korean. I didn't even finish half the dish because I felt a sodium overdose coming on. The BBQ Seitan looked good, again, huge portions, but he said it wasn't that great either. We both thought it was overpriced. Hopefully this was just a bad night. read more

The first meal I had from Leaf was the DELICIOUS mushroom burger- served with gouda on a fresh ciabatta roll~ A great first impression, but unfortunately I haven't had great experiences since. Horrible service- last time we were served warm (literally, warm) water in dirty glasses, and waited close to 40 mins for our meal, and another 20 for the bill after we were done. The food could be so much better- especially considering the same owner operates Dushanbe Teahouse and Aji (both worth checking out). Step it up, Leaf...gotta represent for the veggie crowd. read more

Typical overpriced Boulder fare with small portions. The waiter brought a wrong app and then asked me if should go on my bill (as opposed to my friends who could stay longer) which I thought was rude. Dont go if you're hungry. Don't go if you have a lunch hour (we sat down at 12:30 and didn't get our food until 1:30). On second thought, just don't go read more

So disappointed with this restaurant! I expected more according to other costumers reviews! Food was ok but I couldn't find anything special. In my opinion, it was pricey and too much formal. read more

All the food we tried was pretty good. The avocado tartare with crimini tapanade was delicious, and pleasantly different from the guacamole dish I expected. The fried cauliflower tacos was a stand out as well. Great buffalo and blue cheese flavor and spiciness without being too bready or overly fried, which can often be the case with buffalo cauliflower. I usually only comment in the food but the service was infuriatingly slow too the point where it detracted from enjoying the meal. There were long waits in between courses despite the restaurant not being half full. We came in for a quick bite, after a hike and before late dinner reservations. Ended up spending two hours there. Not sure whether this was fault of the kitchen or front of house but I would not recommend this place for a quick bite. A regular meal with ample free time, yes. read more

I took a visiting vegan friend and thought Leaf would be the best vegetarian food in Boulder. I think anywhere else with a vegetarian entree' would have been better. The starter size "raw" beet ravioli were great. My guest enjoyed the tofu dish. I got the beet steak, which was OK, but they substituted the asparagus for brussel sprouts without asking me if I like them- I can eat them, but I don't enjoy them and would have preferred the asparagus. I would NOT have ordered the beet steak if they told me there would not be any asparagus. They take liberties with the menu without discussing changes. My husband got the spaghetti squash pad thai, which he said was awful (I tasted it and agree). It came with burned broccoli- actually black- and we asked for it to be replaced. They brought out more broccoli that wasn't black, but tasted like burned sesame oil. The beer menu was quite limited. We wouldn't go back, even if our vegan friend visited again. read more

Really awesome happy hour menu and deals - we enjoyed several small vegan dishes, iced tea and a porter they had available. All delicious! Not only was the food amazing in taste but beautiful in presentation. The decor is simple and the people who work there wonderful! read more

Underwhelming. Expensive for what it was. Didn't care for the flavors. Ordered the zucchini pad thai and the mushroom wellington. The carrots and potatoes were gritty and gave us the impression that they weren't washed properly. read more

I came in and was greeted right away by my server, conner. I ordered cauliflower tacos with avocado and a Mediterranean salad. The food was prompt and delicious. I definatly recommend the tacos with avocado, its a game changer. Great place to get tour vegetarian on. read more

Drove 30 miles and met a girlfriend and they decided to close early. They dont update their website so call first if you are thinking of going. With so many vegetarian options in Boulder probably will be closed soon with such terrible management. read more

I liked this place. I had the Philadelphia cheese steak. The seitan was very tasty. I had the sweet potato fries and they were very tasty; actually just extremely yummy. It was a simple quick vegetarian lunch. The service was good. read more

Yes, the gnocchi appetizer is good. But I'd have to give the Jamaican Jerk Tempeh plate a thumbs down. The tempeh, piled atop a cylinder of "forbidden rice" was good...but I couldn't detect any jerk spices. Very bland. Worse, there were no vegetables on the plate, aside from one plantain chip and three kale leaves. Surely the restaurant is aware that a good dinner is more than a pile of protein and starch. Yes, I could have ordered a salad, but for $16 I think a vegetarian restaurant could afford to serve a more healthful meal. read more

My boyfriend and I tried this out when he was eating a "raw only" diet. I have to say, they had so many great menu options for the picky and non-traditional eater. I mean, how many restaurants have several "raw" menu items? It was a fantastic experience. The waitress was very attentive and the food was superb. The menu was very creative and all done very well. My boyfriend had the raw enchiladas which he was very pleased with, and I had the beet pierogis. They were excellent! My mouth is watering now just thinking about them as I write this review! We will definitely be going back soon. read more

The restaurant was very mediocre, service was terrible. Food was overpriced, it seems like they call the restaurant vegetarian and then increased the price. The food was too salty, my boyfriend got the orange cauliflower, it was too soggy. I had the udon, too salty. The food took forever to come. read more

Service was great. Food was not. The place is pretty enough, with nice touches like interesting flatware and water features, and the service was perfect. The food was creative, with beautiful presentation, but the flavors weren't great. One dish was way too spicy, with nothing to cool it off, the other was not very interesting. The soup was supposed to be gumbo but instead was more like a few veggies and beans floating in water. The dessert was okay (the berries were great!) but again, the flavors weren't great. I want to love this place... Maybe we were just there on an off night? read more

Nice Sweet Pea Gnocchi yet not much else was impressive. The salad was small (and I ordered the big size) and nothing worth remembering... Make sure you are not going with the intention of having a full meal... Meh... read more

The buffalo cauliflower tacos are a must. The gnocchi was also a win. Our main dishes were the enchiladas and cabbage. Both were good but did not touch the tacos and gnocchi. Cons...very small drink menu and slower than average service. Bottom line...I would come back and try their other main dishes. All look awesome! read more

Just had dinner here tonight and I have to say while we really liked Leaf the two other times we went there, tonight was not a good experience. I made a reservation a few days back and told the staff it was my wife's birthday and I asked if they could do something, they stated " sure, we will do something". Well they forgot and they had a second chance too, my wife mentioned it was her birthday and the disinterested waitress did nothing. Ya know I don't know what else to say, the maitre de was useless and didn't help her at all, I watched one couple just walk out shaking their heads after not being served. The service was really slow and as I said the waitress acted like we just weren't very important to her, apparently two apps, two drinks, two main courses and dessert wasn't enough. I don't like to complain, but it was frustrating, my dinner was also undercooked twice but I let that go. If I were the owners I would keep better watch on this place, a lot of money will be lost with this kind of service. read more

We go to Leaf at least every other time we are in Boulder, and we have never had anything less than an excellent experience. The staff is great, the restaurant is lovely, and the food is so good. The seitan skewers, the artichoke po boy, and the tofu noodle dish are my favorites. Oh! And the vegan carrot cake is the best thing ever. read more

Horrible service! Amazing food though. I feel torn because this place could easily be 5 stars! We went on date night and the lady server ignored us several times, didn't think to give us silverware or napkins, and they never brought bread and oil...all the other tables got it. My husband ordered a second beer and they never brought it!! We ended up leaving after a whole hour of no one paying any attention to us, frustrated and disappointed. Not sure why they did not take care of us properly. read more

I'm sad that I ordered something bad at the only vegan restaurant I was able to go to during my short visit to the Denver/Boulder area. I got the vegan french toast because I wanted something I couldn't get later in the day, but unfortunately it wasn't as tasty as I wanted it to be. My uncle who came here a few months before me also disliked the dish he ordered, so this restaurant seems like a hit or miss depending on what you order and the time of day because he recommended the buffalo cauliflower tacos that his friend had, which was good, but it wasn't available during brunch. I would like to come here again to try something else, but I'd try other vegan restaurants in the area first. read more

We loved this place. We didn't have a reservation on a Friday night but there was a place at the bar. We had two appetizers, the cauliflower tacos that everyone raves about, and the roasted corn gnocchi. The tacos were excellent if a little on the spicy side. Next time, we'll ask if they can be toned down just a bit. My husband liked the gnocchi which he thought was very flavorful. I'm not really a fan of gnocchi. We split a main: stuffed cabbage. The crispy onions were great as were the mushrooms on the side, but the stuffed cabbage was only okay, not wonderful. He had a Colette Great Divide Farmhouse Ale for $5, which was delicious. The decor is attractive: modern but not cold. We'll be back. read more

Leaf is the best! Recently moved to Colorado and have been exploring the food scene. Leaf is absolutely delicious, fairly priced, and has a great ambiance. We were helped by Maggie who was so so wonderful. Not only was she attentive, informative and kind, she also kept us smiling and feeling totally relaxed our entire meal. Thanks to Maggie & the whole Leaf crew! We will be back (often). :) read more

Food was fresh, delicious, and well presented. We went for lunch and sat outside on the patio. I ordered the Jamaican jerk tempeh and my friend ordered the pad thai. They were delicious and the peanut butter cheesecake a must. One star off for slow service and it wasn't even busy. read more

nothing to really write home about... had the avocado Tartare and the mushroom pate. avocado tartare was basically avocado with some pico de gallo on top, unimpressive; as was serving it with endive leaves (????? bitter.) the mushroom pate was fine, didn't like the crackers they were served with. overpriced for nothing too groundbreaking. read more

I'm not a vegetarian. The only reason I went to Leaf was I lost a bet with my wife. On the first visit I ordered the flatbread pizza. Pretty safe option I thought. And it was very good. So was the Pad Thai salad. My wife ordered the veggie Wellington. I was laughing until I tasted it. Incredible! We've since returned many times. The service is friendly and the food really is amazing. This from a guy who would prefer to eat BBQ 7 days a week. Leave room for the Carrot Cake. That in itself is worth the trip. read more

With lots of hype around its preeminent position as "the Boulder vegetarian restaurant", I had very high expectations. One dinner into it, Leaf delivered on a wonderful meal. The waitstaff made the menu and chef accessible and were happy to walk through the dinner. The meal itself -- General Tso's Seitan -- was fantastic effectively simulating the texture and exceeding the flavor of most comparable dishes. The atmosphere was rather cold and small and would have benefited from a larger crowd on the night we dined there. read more

I've been coming to leaf for years and the experience has taken a huge turn for the worst since they moved locations. Every time I have gone to the new location the service has been AWFUL. The server said nothing to us every time she approached us, just looked at us and waited for us to talk. When we ordered a beer, I watched the server pour the beer out of the tap and sit and analyze it for several minutes as it was clearly very thick and cloudy and had particles of something floating in it. She still proceed to bring it over to us and act like nothing was wrong which kind of baffled me. The buffalo cauliflower tacos were good as always but the brussel sprouts were raw (we couldn't chew through them they were so hard) and flavorless. Sad to see such a good restaurant continuously have such bad servers and for the food to have not been very good. read more

Hit or miss for vegans. Leaf served me one of the best dishes I've ever eaten. A few years ago, they had a chocolate mole dish. I could not shut up about it and was in disbelief when the mole was off the menu. But I've also had many unmemorable eats there. One thing I dislike about Leaf is that the number and quality of dedicated vegan dishes is highly variable. What started as a nice vegan option for happy hour is now, sorry to say, often pathetic in the dairy-free department. There are plenty of places to get vegetarian happy hour bites in Boulder, so it would be nice to have somewhere with reliable vegan options. It is especially disappointing when they make substitutions to make your dish vegan that completely change the dish (and that they didn't tell you about!). The menu does change, thought, so it's worth checking to see what is vegan before you go. The good news is that you can depend on them for decent vegan cakes. All in all, go there and you may just get something scrumptious and vegan. Or not, but it will still be a decent meal that you know is vegetarian. read more

Good food; not so good service. We've eaten here 4x this year, mostly for breakfast. Even when we are the only people in the restaurant we get poor service. Our dinner here was a disaster. Dinner arrived an hour after we ordered, the waitress brought more bread while we waited, but didn't realize she'd taken our plates so we dipped into the olive oil on what had become our trash plate. She didn't come to the table again for 30 minutes. She never refilled water or asked if we wanted more drinks. This, we've learned, is typical for any meal--the not being offered refills and the waitress clearly not grasping the service part of service. Still, if you want a nice atmosphere and vegetarian food, where else are you going to go? read more

Leaf is by far one of the best vegan/veg places in Colorado. I love the happy hour: you can order every dish on the menu plus cocktails and still walk away with a bill less than $50. read more

A very unique and fun collection of vegetarian food. This has plenty of 'normalish' foods which will make it easy for non veggie friends to still find something they can enjoy. read more

Oh.my.goodness! Where do I start?! I would give Leaf 10 stars, if I could. This restaurant shows meat eaters that being vegetarian doesn't have to be boring. I love the atmosphere. It's clean and modern. My friends and I hiked at El Dorado and were ready for a hearty lunch. We were walking around as I was looking at my Yelp app. I had read about Leaf before when my husband and I were in Boulder. I figured this was a perfect chance to try out a place I've been wanting to go to. I suggested it and both friends thought it sounded good. We got a table back in the corner, so we had full view of the entire restaurant. Now came the hardest part: deciding what to eat. We all like to share food so we can try different dishes. The appetizers didn't jump out at us, but the Falafel Pita sounded like a great dish to share. Why not order a sandwich with the sweet potato fries so we can all try it? This was, by far, the best dish we ordered! I don't even know how to describe it. Well-seasoned. Creamy hummus. Crisp veggies. Warm, soft pita. The sweet potato fries are probably the best sweet potato fries I have ever eaten. For our main dishes, here's what we ordered: Vegan alfredo - loaded with veggies. Creamy sauce. It wasn't quite alfredo, but was a great alternative. I'm sure it was much healthier than regular alfredo sauce. This was a friend's dish, but I totally would order this for myself, if I'm in the mood for pasta. Mushroom Burger - my other friend ordered this. I wish I had ordered it though. I was expecting a giant portabello mushroom cap, but it was actually ground up and formed into a patty. I just loved it. Blackened Tofu & Veggie Sandwich - this was the dish I ordered. I like tofu. It takes the flavor of whatever you put on it. It was actually pretty spicy (duh - blackened). I should have known when I bit into it that there would be a kick. I enjoyed it. Lots of crisp, fresh veggies. Whole wheat bread. I tried the soup of the day (can't remember what it was for the life of me). It was just ok though. I may have been getting full too. I left half of the cup. My friends stayed with us for an entire week, so as a thank you gift, they bought us a $30 gift card so my husband and I can go back! What a pleasant surprise! Can't want to take my hubby there to experience the incredible vegetarian cuisine. And we might try one (or two) of their delectable-looking desserts. I would be in big trouble if Leaf were closer to home. Good thing I live an hour away. I would totally eat here at least once a week. read more

This place deserves every star it gets. The food is excellent, especially considering the price. The presentation is great too. The drink selection tends toward enlightening and the wait staff is friendly and very knowledgable. I think most if not all entrées can be modified to suit your dietary needs, though they might make recommendations because some alterations will completely change a dish. The atmosphere is quite nice too. read more

I just returned from a party catered by Leaf - YUM. Coconut Curry, Polenta. The food was delicious and I wish I they operated in my kitchen at home. I'd have NO problem going vegan in no time! read more

This restaurant is sooooo good! It's a cute little place and the mushroom burger is probably the best sandwich I've ever had. Mmmmm......