There’s a new vegan restaurant and juice haven now open in Fort Worth’s Near Southside: Called Boulevard of Greensit’s at 1515 W. Magnolia Ave., in a former poke shop, and is the sibling of a mom-and-pop that first debuted on Fort Worth’s west side.
Boulevard was founded by Marcus Brunt and Charlsye Lewis, who are passionate about health and nutrition as well as animals; they previously founded Metro Animals, a dog daycare, boarding and grooming chain, and also own Roots Coffee.
Boulevard of Greens makes cold-pressed juices, superfood smoothies and healthy plant-based meals.
“We’ve been vegan for a long time, and our love for animals manifested itself in the food industry,” says Lewis. “We wanted to help animals live better lives and also help people be healthy, so this represents a great way to match our passions.”
Their first location is in a low-profile center off I-30, and they became resourceful when it came to finding an audience.
“We’re tucked away next to a 24-hour fitness and people didn’t notice us, but we were still able to build a robust following on social media by getting the word out about what we do,” she says.
What they do: everything from bowls to soups to coffee and smoothies to amazing vegan desserts.
Their menu includes
- Pomona bowl: Quinoa, brown rice, farro, sweet potatoes with spicy red miso, portobello mushrooms, shallots, broccoli pesto, cucumber relish, arugula
- Delta Bowl: Brown rice, black-eyed peas, broccoli, carrots, cabbage, shredded kale, homemade poppy seed dressing
- Graceland Sandwich: Gluten-free bread with berry jelly, peanut butter, almond butter, banana
- Quinoa Tabbouleh: Quinoa, cucumber, parsley, mint, Himalayan pink, salt, lemon, olive oil, black pepper
They’ve just introduced three delicious new sides: Sweet Potatoes with Red Pepper Miso Dressing, Black-eyed Peas with Poppy Seed Dressing and Broccoli with Curry Dressing.
Pastries include muffins, croissants, cupcakes and brownies, but all miraculously free of sugar.
“Our chef Robin DeThample-DeFalco is also our pastry chef—she has a degree in baking from a culinary college, and comes from a culinary family,” says Lewis. (DeThample-DeFalco’s sister Rachel DeThample is the author of a famous plant-based cookbook in London, More Veg Less Meat.)
They replace sugar with alternative sweeteners such as applesauce, maple syrup and dates. – The result is that our pastries are not sickeningly sweet – you can really taste the ingredients, she says.
Lewis and Brunt met at TCU where they both graduated, then founded Metro Animals in 2005. They now have four locations plus two locations of Happy K9, a pet washing and grooming concept; and two Roots Coffee locations, on South Main and in North Richland Hills.
This coffee knowledge translates into a fantastic coffee program at Boulevard, with trends such as pours and lavender lattes. The selection of smoothies includes decadent and creative options such as the Sunset Boulevard with strawberry, pineapple, ginger, homemade cashew milk and agave.
The Boulevard of Greens is also part of the Blue Zones Project, a community well-being improvement initiative implemented by North Texas Healthy Communities and led by former Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price.
“Our entire menu is Blue Zone verified and certified low sugar,” says Lewis. “Everything we make is as whole and raw as possible, with high-quality superfood ingredients, not just the stereotypical ‘rabbit food’. Everything is ultra-healthy and you can relax knowing that everything has no sugar, animals or sodium. That means a lot to folk.”
