What happens when a popular juice bar outgrows its space? When you’re Tobyn Britt and Lucy Perutz, who run the Beat (968 Main St, 970-510-5134), you sweet-talk the owner of the adjacent gift shop (in this case, Britt’s mom) into retiring. The husband-and-wife team then remodeled the Main Street bungalow into a proper restaurant (plus patio) that’s equal parts hipster hang, hippie haven, and British pub, with a bit of New England charm tossed in, too. 

Locally sourced, organic, vegetarian meals plus urban cocktail culture draw enthusiastic diners. Perutz expertly dresses greens, avocado oil–fried tofu, and brown rice in honey miso, vegan sriracha aioli, and seaweed gomasio. The result is a complex balance of umami, freshness, creaminess, and the unexpected that’s gloriously gluten-free and vegan. 

Britt’s beverages are equally manifold, from cardamom rose lemonade to the Permission Slip, a signature assembly of tequila blanco, Mommenpop D’Orange sparkling citrus vermouth, house-made clementine juice, and lime. 

“We’re always looking for those layers of depth,” says Britt. “My goal is to break the boundaries of the vegetarian paradigm and get those dudes who love to eat meat to come eat here and walk out stoked. It makes me happy to see the rodeo queen and her boyfriend eat here.”

Currently open for lunch Tuesday to Saturday, the Beat plans to start serving dinner mid-June. The restaurant also sells items like distilled nonalcoholic spirits, ceramic oil and vinegar bottles, and aromatic bitters.

If fresh, plant-based ingredients are the heart of the joint, why not name the place “Beet”?

“I was a drummer,” responds Britt.