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We'd been hearing the rumors that Vegetate, the popular vegetarian restaurant on 9th Street NW in Shaw, would soon be forced to close its doors, and now the Convention Center Community Association has posted this farewell message from owners Dominic & Jennifer Redd, confirming the news. Fans of the restaurant will be relieved that the Redds say they are planning on opening in another location as soon as they find one.
We're writing with some unfortunate news. Vegetate on 9th Street is going to be closing at the end of this month. Our lease is up and we've decided to look for a new location.
We will let all of you know once we've found a new space. In the meantime, we'll be doing select catered events.
Thank you for all your support over the years. Those of you in the area, please stop by for one last dinner at Vegetate's 9th Street home.
Best, Dominic & Jennifer
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"P.S. Given our experiences with our neighbors in our attempts to get a liquor license, we are considering moving to an alcohol-friendlier area, such as Utah or Saudi Arabia."
+1
Yes. Residents are outwardly hostile to liquor-serving establishments along 9th Street. And by "residents" I mean parishioners of the Shiloh Baptist Church.
Is there such a thing as a "liquor-friendly" neighborhood, or is it just varying degrees of hostility?
Some are definitely worse than others. The 2+ year battle that the Queen of Sheba restaurant had to engage in in order to secure their license was absurd. And they were fought every step of the way by the church.
interesting
Their last day of service to the public is on Saturday, so get in there quick.
I can't help but think that they would not be in this position if they got their liquor license when they opened instead of having to wait a year or two due to Shiloh. Now those two blocks (9th between rhode island and o) will be even more vacant at night and oh so much more a thrill to walk down.
Maybe they would have done better in this location if they gained any buzz whatsoever for their food and not just their liquor license woes. This is the only topic that ever arises when Vegetate is mentioned. Considering the dearth of high quality vegetarian establishments in DC propper, they had a somewhat unique niche concept that even many dedicated vegetarians didn't find terribly appealing. I've never read a particularly good review of their food, and I was disppointed on several visits.
I am sad to see them have to move, but as a vegan, I was just turned off by their somewhat pretentious eschewing of the term. I agree that DC needs a high quality veg*n establishment. And I'm not just saying that because I just got back from NYC and had one of the best meals I've ever had at Candle 79.
Two of the best local Indian vegetarian restaurants are Woodlands and Udupi Palace and they're both right across the street from eachother in Langley Park. Quality food, an obscene buffet, dirt cheap prices, and great service. Both would do tons of business downtown, until the PG County doubleparking churchies discovered that they're run by foreigners and want to serve beer. This is why you can't have nice things.
Langley Park south asian would do well - better than Nirvana, which is really inconsistent. Rockville east asian spots like Vegetable Garden & Yuan Fu would be welcome closer to home too.
I was very excited for Vegetate to open and would have welcomed it if it delivered on its promise, but the food was a letdown. Places like Green Zebra in Chicago, Ubuntu in Napa, or Cafe Flora in Seattle are good examples of this concept done really well.
DC really needs a place like this but if they return they would be more successful if they expanded their menu to include more vegan offerings. It's kinda sad that a vegetarian restaurant at times would only have a single vegan entree. Candle 79 is a terrific example of what they should be striving to become.
It sounds like I might be in the minority here but I love Vegetate and I'm sorry to see it go.
i hope the owners of vegetate do not have to encounter such HORRIBLE NEIGHBORS as shiloh baptist in their new location. the church, 80% of whose members live in MD, have been the worst possible spoiler of improvement, safety, and quality of life of the residents of shaw, especially on and around 9th nw.
+10
For what it's worth, the law has changed and any new restaurant occupying 1414 Ninth Street will not face the same battle as Vegetate did in acquiring a liquor license.
I will GREATLY miss Vegetate and all it added to our wonderful neighborhood.
Would Shiloh have a problem if a goddamned cupcake shop opened in that space? You better f**king believe it.
Am I missing something? I ate there twice and it was horrible. Mediocre food, sickening signature cocktails, rude and/or incompetent staff. I had such a bad experience that I emailed the managment, no reply. Good riddance to bad rubbish.