
Alchemy at C3 Lab, a vegetarian-focused restaurant and bar, is now open in South End. The restaurant is inside a 10,000-square-foot warehouse that’s part of C3 Lab and includes an art gallery, coffee shop, and a free co-working and events space.
The restaurant first opened in June, but after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19, it closed for a week to disinfect and test the remainder of the staff. As of Friday afternoon, Alchemy has reopened to the public for dine-in service and takeout.
Food: Chef Ken Aponte’s menu is vegetarian focused, but there are still plenty of options for meat-eaters, too. Here are some highlights:
- Fried Lion’s Mane fettuccine ($24) – or substitute with grilled chicken ($25)
- Seitan over polenta ($24) – or substitute with braised short rib ($25)
- “Mushroom Trip” ($15) – mushrooms served four ways
- Tostones ($10) – fried plantains in adobo seasoning
Drinks: Mixologist Bob Peters created the craft cocktail list at Alchemy with drinks called “Ron Swanson” (whiskey, green chartreuse, drambuie, vermouth) and “Campari Queen” (rum, lemon, Campari, kombucha). Craft cocktails cost $7-$9 for a half-portion or $11-$16 for a full portion. Alchemy also serves beer in bottle/can and on tap as well as wine.
Art gallery: In order to get to the restaurant, walk through the art gallery, which displays works of C3 Lab’s resident artists and more. The gallery rotates every two months.
Coffee shop: If you’re going to use the massive (and free) co-working space, pick up some Enderly Coffee from the small coffee bar inside the Alchemy space.
Location/hours: Alchemy at C3 Lab is located at 2517 Distribution Street. It’s open for dinner from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday through Sunday. Brunch and lunch will also start soon.
OK, let’s take a closer look inside:

Caesar salad ($9) – grape tomatoes, chili flake croutons, chopped romaine, Parmesan, caesar dressing

Tostones