What I Ate in Washington, D.C.

This summer brought me to Washington, D.C. for the first time ever, and after scoping out Happy Cow, I knew I’d be well fed during my week long trip. I didn’t even get around to visiting all of the fully vegan places, but I put a good dent in the list.

pita bread filled with a veggie patty, onions, green and tomato

Above you’ll see the dinner I enjoyed with my friend Dave who runs VegLife in Kansas City. Shouk is a fast casual Israeli eatery, and I could eat there every day. My Fennel Pita was packed with artichokes, red peppers and pistachio pesto – yum! Dave’s Shouk Burger looked fresh and delicious. We shared an order of Polenta Fries which were crisp as can be, everything was prepared quickly, and the staff was incredibly friendly.

an overflowing vegan milkshake

On a different night, we had dinner with two other friends at Fare Well. I had stopped in for breakfast and tried the Chilaquiles; put a bucket of the crispy potatoes in front of me and I’ll happily gorge myself for the rest of my life. The Cookie Dough Milkshake was also incredible – the cookie dough chunks are actually small enough that you can suck them up through the straw. Genius. At dinner, I tried the Barbecue Seitan Sandwich and while the flavors were all amazing, the seitan had an odd chewy texture to it. The S’mores Milkshake served as a great appetizer, and there may have been more sweets involved.

vegan fried chicken with a side of dairy free macaroni and cheese

Everyone I talked to said I had to check out NuVegan and I was not disappointed. It has a community kitchen feel to it, and the texture and flavors of both the Vegan Chick’n Drummies and Mac & Cheese were on point. I wanted to try more but I was still full from the Chilaquiles, plus I knew that Sticky Fingers was a short walk away…

chocolate cupcake topped with banana frosting, crushed peanuts and a cherry

Sticky Fingers and Fare Well have the same owners, so I knew going in that I was in good hands. The skies opened up on my way from NuVegan and were dropping sheets of water, so I happily tucked into a latte and this Banana Split Cupcake and sat back waiting for the weather to clear up. The cupcake wasn’t overly sweet and had a subtle banana flavor — I love it when I don’t feel like I’m going to get a sugar headache after eating sweet treats!

vanilla cupcake topped with white frosting and colored sprinkles

At one of my two stops at HipCityVeg, I enjoyed this tasty Vanilla Cupcake. When I was there over lunch, I had the Chipotle Fajita Wrap which was smokey and crisp and delicious (I took a photo but it wasn’t quite as photogenic as the cupcake). I think I basically inhaled it. HipCityVeg has a modern, bright space and they obviously do a huge amount of take-out business — if I lived in DC, I would definitely visit often.

wrap filled with vegan chicken and veggies

My main reason for visiting D.C. was to attend the Animal Rights National Conference, and one of the food vendors was D.C. Vegan Catering. They offer a variety of pre-packaged food, and this BBQ Tofu Wrap hit the spot!

bowl of rice, mushrooms and veggies

I rounded out my trip with lunch at Loving Hut after touring Poplar Spring Farm Sanctuary. This was my first time at a Loving Hut, and the service was excellent. I tried the Claypot with Rice — the pot is perfect for keeping your food warm! A bit of hot sauce adds some extra warmth, and I completed my meal with a delectable slice of Peanut Butter Bomb Cake.

While I did a ton of walking in D.C., I probably gained a few pounds from eating all of this wonderful food. I also have to give a shout out to Busboys and Poets who have several great vegan options on their menu and focus on social justice. Do you have a favorite spot to score vegan food in DC?

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What I Ate in Chicago

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What I Ate in LA