A popular Boston-based restaurant chain, b.good, opened on Feb. 7 in downtown Wellesley, replacing the burrito chain Boloco. While b.good has fresh products, tasty food and is of close proximity to the College, it may not be worth it for students to go there often, as menu items are expensive and portions are small.
Upon entering b.good, customers can look to the left to see exactly where the ingredients in their meals are coming from geographically. The display shows where along the East coast b.good has obtained their fresh and unique ingredients. Customers are also presented with the menu, which features an array of sandwiches, kale bowls, salads, shakes, smoothies and more.
B.good brands itself as a “health-minded take on fast food,” and one of the most noteworthy aspects of the restaurant is their abundance of healthy options. For instance, their smoothies are especially wholesome because they are infused with fresh fruit, ginger and other ingredients that provide almost enough sustenance to substitute for a meal.
The Deep C smoothie, for example, contains pineapple, orange, kiwi, spinach, coconut milk, ginger and honey. Especially in a place where fruits are not always in season, these options are highly refreshing and a great way to add to a tasty meal.
The Adopted Luke sandwich, which costs $7.49, has an interesting taste and is composed of a unique combination of flavors. The sandwich contains mushrooms, caramelized onions, smoked Gouda, barbecue sauce and a meat of the customer’s choosing. Gouda is not a commonplace ingredient in most restaurants, so that adds a new flavor to the sandwich. The ingredients tasted extremely fresh, but the flavor was not as rich as it could have been. Perhaps more spices or a different sauce could have made it better.
On the contrary, the Acai Berry smoothie, which was made of acai, blueberries, pineapple, banana, almond milk, chia and lemon was filled to the brim with unique flavors. Not too thick, it can serve as a wonderful addition to any meal.
However, one of the downsides of eating out at b.good is that the bill can get expensive. At b.good, to customize an order or add on a topping, customers have to pay about $1.50 per topping, making it very costly to stray from the few options that are given on the menu. The choices are intriguing and include different options such as Gouda cheese, but if one wants to alter the preset menu items at all, it can get extremely expensive.
The location and ambience of b.good are advantageous for Wellesley students, however. Seeing as it is one of the closest commercial restaurants within a one mile radius of Wellesley, it is very convenient to get there, and it is not too far from many of Wellesley students’ frequented spots, such as Hot Yoga and Pilates studios or Starbucks.
Another reason to only go to b.good every once in a while is the size of the portions. While the salads can be pretty large, they are usually not that filling. The sandwiches and burgers, on the other hand, are tiny.
The wait time for customers is also relatively short, another advantage of going to b.good. Even at peak lunch hour, the maximum wait for one or two meals is 10 minutes.
The staff are also extremely friendly and accommodating. For instance, if a customer decides to change his or her order, the staff is more than willing to go through the process of coordinating with the cooks to cancel the previous order and place a new one.
All in all, b.good is an excellent establishment and definitely has high quality food. Although b.good is also less expensive than other restaurants in downtown Wellesley, such as Alta Strada, it is still relatively expensive and the portions are small, which may deter students from going to b.good.