Gone are the days when going to a vegan restaurant meant choking back tasteless food served with a whiff of patchouli. These days, the D.C. area is a rich wonderland of plant-based restaurants, and each is as varied in personality as the people who eat at them. There are chic, upscale tasting menus; homey vegan comfort food spots with hefty, filling plates; and massive, consistent fast-casual chains.
Joining this list this time around: Bethesda’s ultra-chic Planta, vegan comfort food favorite Sticky Fingers Diner (recently reopened after rebranding), and Dupont’s DC Vegan.
Though this list is limited to restaurants with no meat on the menu, it’s worth noting that quality vegan meals can be found all over town.
At newly crowned James Beard Award finalist Oyster Oyster in Shaw, chef Rob Rubba’s ever-changing menu ($85 per person) celebrates in-season produce from small farms with a vegan menu (and the possibility of adding oysters for non-vegans). Meanwhile, downtown’s long-running vegan mainstay Elizabeth’s Gone Raw opens its elegant townhouse doors just three nights a week for $85-per-person spreads. At nearby Equinox, Todd Gray puts high-end veggie dishes front and center at this showy, sun-filled restaurant. Though a stellar vegan tasting menu sits mightily on the dinner menu, it’s the all-vegan, eight-course brunch that really steals the show with dishes like homemade spinach rigatoni for $40.
Health experts consider dining out to be a high-risk activity for the unvaccinated; it may pose a risk for the vaccinated, especially in areas with substantial COVID transmission.
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