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.
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.
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.
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…
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!
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.
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!
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?