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On my recent trip to Washington DC, to explore the city for the first time and to see my grandson Dayan, we came up with a fun daily plan: eat brunch together…walk in DC and visit museums and memorials…eat dinner.
DC offers many restaurants with very diverse food choices and vegan options are plentiful. While I’ve been plant based for more than six years, my grandson is not. Living, working and going to school in DC, he gets ample exercise walking everywhere. And he eats on the healthier side as well. So we chose places from different cultures that also offered vegan options.
I felt excited to try so many new restaurants and foods. Check out these vegan eats in Washington DC.
Vegan Eats in Washington DC
What a rich foodie experience in DC. We enjoyed a wide variety of food, learned it’s best to make reservations for evening meals and definitely walked off our calories. That’s important due to generous meal portions! I usually ate half of my meal and sent the rest home with Dayan.
Art and Soul
Located in the Capitol Hill area, this hip restaurant offers seasonal, locally sourced dishes from owner and chef, Art Smith. In warm weather, enjoy dining on a spacious outdoor patio. Chef strives to make sure every plate achieves that perfect combination of sweet, salty and sour flavors.
Menu offerings range from southern favorites to bowls to pasta dishes to avocado toast.
Vegan options are limited here, however I enjoyed a delicious pasta dish with freshly sauteed veggies.
Busboys and Poets
DC is known as a brunch city, which worked out so perfectly for my grandson and me. I looked forward to our first brunch together at this popular spot.
Busboys and Poets is located in a lively neighborhood, at 14th and V Streets NW, and serves as a bookstore, coffee shop AND restaurant. They focus on global fare and offer a wide variety of vegan meals. Busboys and Poets cares for the body, with its carefully prepared food, for the mind with curated events and for the soul with their books and poetry.
We made reservations and then browsed in the bookstore after we arrived. I loved the fun atmosphere. I also loved my meal, a vegetable quinoa bowl full of grilled eggplant, asparagus, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, avocado, red peppers and kale. Truly, it was SO good. And the portion was huge. Dayan took half my meal home to enjoy later in the week.
Doi Moi
For our Saturday evening meal, Dayan and I selected a Vietnamese restaurant, Doi Moi. This popular spot on 14th Street NW offers Southeast Asian fare, a vegan menu and fresh pressed juices.
Executive Chef Wade Foo Fatt finds inspiration for his dishes in the vibrant street markets of Vietnam. He relies on fresh herbs and vegetables to deliver a flavorful, healthy menu.
The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, with flickering candles at each table. I enjoyed the Ratatouille Curry, richly flavored with bell pepper, zucchini, eggplant, macerated tofu, coconut milk, cilantro and peanuts, with a side of rice.
Gypsy Kitchen
For brunch on Sunday, we visited the bohemian inspired Gypsy Kitchen, also located on 14th Street. Even though it was cool and rainy, Dayan and I sat on the covered patio on the rooftop. Large heaters circulated warm air, making the setting perfect for our meal.
Gypsy Kitchen serves international dishes and cocktails for brunch, lunch and dinner in laid back, eclectic surroundings with warm vibes. Flavors hail from Morocco, Israel, Spain, Greece and Lebanon. I was particularly drawn by the boho decor…plump pillows, tapestries and woven rugs…and the fun menu.
Dayan and I started with the delicious house made hummus, served with flatbread. My meal was crispy cauliflower with a lemon tahini, dried fruit relish, capers and pistachios. We splurged on desserts, a Basque cheesecake slice for Dayan and grilled peaches for me. So yummy!
Rasika
As the long weekend wound down, we selected Rasika, a modern Indian restaurant for our evening meal. Located on D Street, between 6th and 7th Streets, this sumptuous restaurant offers authentic Tawa, Sigri, Tandoori and regional curry dishes, with vegan options.
We started with flash fried spinach and delicious naan bread. I chose fragrant Dal Makhani with lentils, tomato, garlic and fenugreek served with rice. The whole meal, which we enjoyed in a leisurely fashion, was amazing. It was a fitting end to the weekend.
Arepa Zone
Although Dayan returned to work on Monday, and I flew out that evening, we decided to meet for lunch near his office. In keeping with trying different foods, Dayan selected Arepa Zone, a Venezuelan cafe known for food truck style hand held meals.
This cafe says they exist to create delicious, authentic Venezuelan food in a casual dining atmosphere. They’ve served arepas, cachapas and tequenos in DC since 2014 and offer vegan options.
I selected the vegan arepa, a hand held sandwich with bread made from white corn meal, full of sweet plantains, avocado and black beans. I loved it!
Vegan Foodie
You can live a vegan lifestyle…and still enjoy being a foodie!
What a fun four days in the nation’s capital, visiting my grandson, exploring the city and trying a wide variety of foods. I happily discovered that every coffee shop we popped into for a snack between brunch and dinner offered vegan options as well. And our sampling barely scratched the surface of what’s available in DC.
There’s no help for it. I simply must return!
Have you visited Washington DC? What was your favorite restaurant?
Check out our DC walks in the rain in this post. And Fun Things to Do in Washington DC on my other blog.
Washington DC finds from Amazon:
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