A Newton Centre data engineer has launched Farro, a website that helps diners find vegan dishes at Boston-area restaurants, with full access available for $15 a year.
Ryan Volpi, a data engineer, launched Farro in July as a side project inspired by his wife Julia, who has followed a vegan diet for 10 years, according to the Newton Beacon. The couple eats out once or twice a week. Volpi does not follow a vegan diet himself, but he wanted to eliminate what he called "pain points" in finding plant-based meals at restaurants.
"If there's nothing else, you order a side salad and fries," Volpi told the Beacon. "That's the worst possible outcome of eating out."
Farro's website reads restaurants' published menus dish by dish. It flags items as vegan, likely vegan, or needing confirmation from a server. A $15 membership unlocks the full interactive map, which lists more than 36,000 vegan dishes with prices as of October 2026.
Newton lacks a fully vegan restaurant, but Volpi told the Beacon that several local spots have strong plant-based menus. He said Shiva's Kitchen in Newton Highlands lists almost 20 vegan entrees, including dosas and vegan carrot cake. House of Tandoor in Newton Centre offers 18 Indian and Nepali vegan entrees. Olivia's Bistro in Nonantum serves vegan pizzas with plant-based mozzarella, a spot Volpi called "probably the best example of a place you would never guess has vegan options."
Pressed Café on Needham Street has a separate vegan menu with smoothies, tofu burritos and a vegan Reuben sandwich. The 11:11 Health Bar in Newton Centre offers smoothies and acai bowls. The Friendly Toast in Chestnut Hill rounds out the list with vegan and gluten-free pancakes.
About 3 percent of American adults are vegan, according to a 2026 Vegetarian Resource Group survey conducted by the Harris Poll. That survey measured dietary behavior rather than self-identification.
Volpi told the Beacon he sees the Boston site as a prototype for expansion to other cities and may eventually build a mobile app.
