D.C. has grown into a pretty good place to eat if you don’t consume animal flesh. There are a number of all veg or vegan joints, and we even specialize in a few particularly veggie-friendly ethnic cuisines, like Ethiopian. Most restaurants offer at least one non-meat option, though there’s no guarantee it won’t be the same tired portobello burger or hummus platter. For our latest take on this year’s best vegetarian list, we breakdown our favorite places to eat meat-free across a couple different categories. And since these lists aren’t meant to be exhaustive, be sure to let us know your favorites in the comments.
Photo by Mr. T in DC
MANDALAY: Mandalay, the excellent Burmese restaurant in Silver Spring, has been one of my favorite vegetarian-friendly restaurants in the D.C. area for years, and last year, Aung Myint, the son of the owners of the Silver Spring location, opened his own Mandalay in Shaw. Many of the same great flavors are at the new Shaw locale, but the menus aren’t identical. If you want to pick from 15 vegetarian entrees (my favorites are the fiery tofu with hot peppers in an onion curry-V10, and the fried tofu in a coconut curry cream sauce-V13) and a huge selection of salads (try the gram fritter salad. Yum!), head to the Silver Spring location. In Shaw, Myint is being more experimental, offering a seven-course meal upstairs, and more casual dining downstairs in the bar area. The selection downstairs is not as robust as the Silver Spring location, but the food is all excellent and often rotates. Recent highlights include a pumpkin curry and a flat noodle dish that Myint personally recommended. I’ve yet to be disappointed at either Mandalay. But, if you’re splurging for the seven-course meal, be sure to specify in your reservation that you are vegetarian, and bring your appetite — the courses aren’t small. — Lynne Venart
Mandalay Silver Spring is located at 930 Bonifant Street. Mandalay D.C. is located at 1501 9th Street NW.
OVO SIMPLY VEGGIE:This fast-casual vegan Asian restaurant opened in College Park about a year ago, but I just discovered it in the past couple of months. I’m glad I did. The food here tastes as fresh and light as the airy, white decor, but is packed with flavor. Customize your entree by picking your protein or veggies, your sauce, and your type of rice; or order from a handful of soups (including an excellent vegan wonton), salads, or appetizers (like jicama rolls, lettuce wraps and shitake crisps). My favorite sauces have been the green curry and the kung pao, but I haven’t yet tried the spicy peppercorn, ginger scallion or pickled mustard greens. Next time! What I like most about Ovo Simply Veggie is that it tastes healthier and more refreshing than your standard Asian vegan restaurant, whose dishes often end up heavy and covered in goo. — Lynne Venart
Ovo Simply Veggie is located at 7313-E. Baltimore Avenue.
Steamed vegetable dumplings at Toki Underground (Alicia Mazzara).
SUNFLOWER VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT: Sunflower is one of the few all-vegetarian restaurants in the area and offers a mind-boggling array of Chinese, Japanese, and Thai dishes made with a healthy dose of soy protein. Think General Tso’s tofu, fried rice, vegetable stir fries, and cryptically named dishes like “Adventure of Tempeh Land.” With so many choices, you’ll never feel like you’ve been relegated to one small meat-free corner of the menu. — Alicia Mazzara
Sunflower has locations at 6304 Leesburg Pike and 2531 Chain Bridge Road in Virginia.
THAI X-ING: Most Thai restaurants will be great for vegetarians, but on Sunday nights, Thai X-ing is all vegetarian, and the food is fantastic: pumpkin curry, tofu soup, mango sticky rice—all delicious. Just don’t expect to be able to choose what you’re eating. Chef and owner Taw Vigsittaboot makes what he wants, and all diners get the same, wonderful dishes. Tuesday nights features a vegan and vegetarian menu with a fish option. Both menus cost $30 per person, with bring-your-own-bottle service. Trust me, it’s well worth the price. — Lynne Venart
Thai X-ing is located at 515 Florida Avenue NW.
TOKI UNDERGROUND: After taste testing the vegetarian ramen at Toki Underground, Daikaya, and Sakuramen, I think Toki wins hands down for flavor of the broth, and the ability to add Toki’s endorphin sauce kicks up the flavor even more. While I do love the tasty bamboo shoots at Daikaya, the veggie broth leaves something to be desired. Add the fact that Toki also has great veggie dumplings and a handful of veggie sides and appetizers, and you have a winner. — Lynne Venart
Toki Underground is located at 1234 H St NE.
ETETE: Ethiopian is always a strong choice for a vegetarian meal because there’s enough variety to satisfy meat and non-meat eaters alike. And unlike some cuisines, I never feel like I’m missing out by forgoing animal flesh. Although I’m an omnivore, I always order the veggie combo platter at Etete for the piquant yemisir wat (spicy red lentils), silky split peas, and sweet-tangy tikil gomen (cabbage and carrot). For pescatarians, the whole fried fish is well worth the add-on; it’s delicately crispy and perfect with just a squeeze of lemon. — Alicia Mazzara
Etete is located at 1942 9th Street NW.
Vegetarian platter at Zenebach Injera (John Winder).
ZENEBECH INJERA: For the best tasting Ethiopian fare in the city, my vote goes to Zenebech Injera. Other Ethiopian restaurants have a clear edge on ambiance, and not everyone relishes dining at a tiny hole in the wall. Atmosphere aside, it’s hard to beat the dazzling flavors at Zenebech, along with their freshly made injera which is pleasantly tangy and wonderfully soft and chewy. — Alicia Mazzara
Zenebach Injera is located at 608 T Street NW.
CITYZEN: CityZen, the restaurant inside the Mandarin Oriental hotel, features an incredibly pricey, incredibly fancy, but incredibly delicious vegetarian tasting menu. If you have specific vegetarian requirements or dislikes, the kitchen is happy to customize your order. The kicker is the cost—it will set you back a whopping $115 per person, and that’s before the booze. It’s incredibly good, and would be a luxurious gift or anniversary dinner. — Lynne Venart from the 2013 list
CityZen is located at 1330 Maryland Avenue SW.
CityZen dining room (via the Mandarin Oriental).
ELIZABETH’S GONE RAW: Are you tired of being left out of every tasting menu outing with your foodie friends? Don’t worry buddy, you’ve now got a horse in this race: Elizabeth’s Gone Raw. Every Friday, this little rowhouse offers a six-course raw vegan tasting menu that includes imaginative dishes such as pickled candy onions and watermelon and hibiscus sorbet. If you’re not interested in forking over the $75, join them for a Thursday happy hour for organic wines, cocktails, and small plates, like the best kale chips to ever walk the Earth. Elizabeth’s Gone Raw is a fantastic example of how a vegan meal can be a palate-expanding experience for even the most carnivorous among us. — Stephanie Dinkmeyer from the Best Vegan list
Elizabeth’s Gone Raw is located at 1341 L Street NW.
The masala dosa at Woodlands (Jamie Liu)
WOODLANDS RESTAURANT: While many of us are familiar with the curries and tandoor-cooked meats of Indian cuisine, there’s actually an entire region of cookery that focuses exclusively on vegetarian fare. Woodlands specializes in south Indian dishes, which are 100% vegetarian. The enormous dosas–a thin, crispy pancake stuffed with different vegetable fillings–are a house specialty and should not be missed. In addition, you’ll also find delicately spiced vegetable curries, lentil and yogurt-laced biryanis, and a few examples of a little known sub genre of Indianified Chinese food. — Alicia Mazzara
Woodlands Restaurant is located at 8046 New Hampshire Ave in Maryland.
CAVA MEZZE AND CAVE MEZZE GRILL: The bright flavors of Greek cuisine, with its attention to vegetables and cheese, make it a perfect fit for a vegetarian meal. Cava Mezze’s small plates menu has plenty to like if you don’t eat meat, including cheese dumplings with browned butter and mint, butternut squash pie enveloped in ethereal phyllo dough, and their signature dips and spreads. And if you can’t get to one of Cava Mezze’s three sit-down locations, stop in a Cava Mezze Grill; it’s kind of like the Chipotle of the Peloponnesus with veg-friendly wraps, salads, and salads.— Alicia Mazzara
Cava Mezze has locations in D.C. (527 8th Street SE), Clarendon (2940 Clarendon Boulevard), and Rockville (9713 Traville Gateway Drive).
ZAYTINYA: Of all the Jose Andres restaurants, Zaytinya is my favorite, and the one I’ve found to be most consistent over time. It’s also been a great option when dining in the company of vegetarians and meat eaters alike. The wide selection of Mediterranean mezze has something for everyone, be they picky or adventurous, and the veggie dishes are among the best on the menu. The crisp brussels sprouts with garlicky yogurt sauce are particularly divine, along with the roasted cauliflower with raisins and seasonal mushrooms with dates and almonds. — Alicia Mazzara
Zaytinya is located at 701 9th Street NW.
WOODLAND’S VEGAN BISTRO/EVERLASTING LIFE CAFE: On paper, vegan soul food might not make much sense, but don’t be fooled: Woodland’s Vegan Bistro, formerly known as Everlasting Life Cafe, pulls it off. This Georgia Avenue spot in Park View doesn’t look like much from the outside (the salmon facade is usually graffiti-stricken and the windows typically boarded up with metal gate), but the restaurant’s spacious, posh interior adds all the more charm to this not-quite dive-y take on vegan-friendly soul food. The rotating menu offers different dishes on different nights of the week, but a variety of exotic salads and sandwiches—like the Eggplant and Tomato salad and Fried Chick’n sandwich—are mainstays. Mac ‘n cheez, barbecue tofu, and sautéed bean curd lasagna are all great options if you find yourself there on the right days. But I suggest making a point to get there on a Tuesday for the Shepherd’s Pie. Also, their smoothies are like the nectar of gods. Make sure to check out their new food truck. — Matt Cohen from the Best Vegan list
Woodland’s Vegan Bistro is located at 2928 Georgia Avenue NW. The truck can be followed here.
MERIDIAN PINT: Meridian Pint has more than just a really great craft beer list. The bar food is a cut above, with tasty options like deviled eggs, samosas, mac and cheese, fried tofu, veggie chili, and nachos that come in vegetarian, vegan, and meaty varieties. If you’re hankering for more than just snacks, entrees like the eggplant and tomato curry, risotto with spring vegetables, and quinoa-stuffed roasted vegetables are a refreshing break from the usual veggie burgers and hummus. — Alicia Mazzara
Meridian Pint is located at 3400 11th Street NW.
Meridian Pint (Tom Cizauskas).
SCIENCE CLUB: The menu may be small, but Science Club is the only bar (that we know of, anyway) that only serves vegetarian food. That’s got to count for something, right? Marinated tofu skewers, kashmiri lentil soup, homemade veggie burgers are healthier, tastier takes on typical bar fare. And the wallet-friendly happy hour and chill atmosphere should appeal to anyone, regardless of dietary preference.
— Alicia Mazzara
Science Club is located at 1136 19th Street NW.
SMOKE AND BARREL: Don’t be thrown off by this Adams Morgan bar’s meat-heavy barbecue menu. It also features numerous vegetarian options including vegan wings and smoked tofu tacos. Johnny Adrade’s punk rock ethos transcends into all of his bar and restaurant food. Smoke and Barrel also has solid vegetarian and vegan brunch options; a fitting successor in that location to Asylum, which had one of the first vegan brunches in the city. —John Fleury from the 2013 list
Smoke and Barrel is located at 2471 18th Street NW.
