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Where to keep taste buds satisfied and calories in check
D.C. has never been this flush with trendy places to break a sweat — and work up an appetite. Studios and gyms like Barry’s Bootcamp, CrossFit, Flywheel, Orangetheory, Equinox, and Soul Cycle (to name a few) are scattered throughout the city. Luckily, so are great places to grab pre- or post-workout food, whether you crave a green juice at 7 a.m. or late-night grilled chicken to go.
Here’s 12 dining destinations to augment a workout:
Read MoreFor convenience in downtown Bethesda, the global juice bar with the cult following holds a slight edge over neighboring Puree Juice. Early-morning hours make it a convenient place to grab an Energizer, Sports Juice, or avocado sandwich ahead of a pre-work workout. SoulCycle, Equinox, and Pure Barre are less than a block away.
Founded by famous integrative medicine doctor Andrew Weil, True Food’s nutritious menu (which lists calorie counts and dietary restrictions) is filled with wholesome dishes like ancient grain bowls, hearty seasonal salads, and grass-fed burgers. Other area locations also sit in workout-heavy corridors in Fairfax and Arlington.
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Less than a block from popular Flywheel in Dupont, Glen’s Garden Market has serves some of D.C.’s most wholesome sandwiches, salads, pizzas, and prepared foods. It opens at 8 a.m. on weekdays and doesn’t close until 10 p.m. on every day but Sunday. Glen’s also serves a rotating selection of craft beers — a legitimate recovery drink.
This peaceful tea house and restaurant is a longstanding favorite. The Dupont location is conveniently close to Flywheel, Yoga Works, Yoga District, pilates studios, and other active spots. An Asian-influenced menu centers around nutrient-dense bento boxes and soups, with other satisfying, vegetable-filled big plates and curries.
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For those who work out hard and need a well-deserved treat — isn’t that the point of burning all those calories? — this always-packed bakery in Georgetown offers some of D.C.’s best cakes, pies, cookies, “cakecups” (not cupcakes), tea, and coffee.
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Open at 7:30 a.m., the West End location of this Australian chain of cafes features wellness lattes, cold-pressed juices, coffee, teas, plus a health-focused brunch menu that includes an avocado smash and multigrain porridge. Bluestone Lane is less than a five-minute walk from SoulCycle, Urban Boxing, CrossFit, Solid Core, Equinox, Squash on Fire, and Orangetheory.
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A well-pulled espresso is the unofficial drink of cycling aficionados, and the Rapha store in Georgetown is more than a place to buy bike jerseys and water bottles. The small Grace Street shop is a prime place for post-workout coffee, pastries, and light fare, whether you’re post-Peloton or just popping in from nearby SoulCycle, barre3, CorePower Yoga, or pilates class.
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Stylish millennials and woke wellness types drift in and out of in-house yoga classes, seminars, and the all-day American Son restaurant at the Eaton hotel. Chef Tim Ma creates menus featuring immigrant-influenced American cuisine that is fresh and sustainable. That includes tofu gnocchi, tofu tots, and a spaghetti squash ssam.
A lot has changed on the H Street corridor since Sidamo Coffee & Tea opened more than 12 years ago. But Sidamo remains popular for its chill vibe, in-house coffee that’s roasted daily, and light fare. After Sunday classes at Orangetheory, barre3, or CrossFit, stop in for the afternoon Ethiopian coffee ceremony.
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Farmbird is an H Street hit, and its fast-casual selection of grilled chicken and sides makes a perfect meal before or after a class at nearby barre3, CorePower Yoga, Orangetheory, CrossFit, or Joy of Motion dance studio. The menu effectively balances comfort food (mac and cheese, potato salad) with healthy options (roasted broccoli, avocado lime salad).
While not immediately walkable from most of Arlington’s name-brand fitness studios and gyms, getting your post-workout protein at Elevation is worth the trip. The chain serves sustainable, organic, grass-fed, free-range burgers — plus fries and milkshakes.
DIRT generally finds locations in fitness hubs, and their Arlington location is no exception. The Miami import offers nutritious, but satisfying, food at an affordable price. With an extensive all-day menu of sustainable proteins, salads, grain bowls, smoothies, and kombucha on tap, DIRT is easily walkable from Ballston spots like Orangetheory, CrossFit, yoga, boxing, and karate.
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For convenience in downtown Bethesda, the global juice bar with the cult following holds a slight edge over neighboring Puree Juice. Early-morning hours make it a convenient place to grab an Energizer, Sports Juice, or avocado sandwich ahead of a pre-work workout. SoulCycle, Equinox, and Pure Barre are less than a block away.
Founded by famous integrative medicine doctor Andrew Weil, True Food’s nutritious menu (which lists calorie counts and dietary restrictions) is filled with wholesome dishes like ancient grain bowls, hearty seasonal salads, and grass-fed burgers. Other area locations also sit in workout-heavy corridors in Fairfax and Arlington.
Less than a block from popular Flywheel in Dupont, Glen’s Garden Market has serves some of D.C.’s most wholesome sandwiches, salads, pizzas, and prepared foods. It opens at 8 a.m. on weekdays and doesn’t close until 10 p.m. on every day but Sunday. Glen’s also serves a rotating selection of craft beers — a legitimate recovery drink.
This peaceful tea house and restaurant is a longstanding favorite. The Dupont location is conveniently close to Flywheel, Yoga Works, Yoga District, pilates studios, and other active spots. An Asian-influenced menu centers around nutrient-dense bento boxes and soups, with other satisfying, vegetable-filled big plates and curries.
For those who work out hard and need a well-deserved treat — isn’t that the point of burning all those calories? — this always-packed bakery in Georgetown offers some of D.C.’s best cakes, pies, cookies, “cakecups” (not cupcakes), tea, and coffee.
Open at 7:30 a.m., the West End location of this Australian chain of cafes features wellness lattes, cold-pressed juices, coffee, teas, plus a health-focused brunch menu that includes an avocado smash and multigrain porridge. Bluestone Lane is less than a five-minute walk from SoulCycle, Urban Boxing, CrossFit, Solid Core, Equinox, Squash on Fire, and Orangetheory.
A well-pulled espresso is the unofficial drink of cycling aficionados, and the Rapha store in Georgetown is more than a place to buy bike jerseys and water bottles. The small Grace Street shop is a prime place for post-workout coffee, pastries, and light fare, whether you’re post-Peloton or just popping in from nearby SoulCycle, barre3, CorePower Yoga, or pilates class.
Stylish millennials and woke wellness types drift in and out of in-house yoga classes, seminars, and the all-day American Son restaurant at the Eaton hotel. Chef Tim Ma creates menus featuring immigrant-influenced American cuisine that is fresh and sustainable. That includes tofu gnocchi, tofu tots, and a spaghetti squash ssam.
A lot has changed on the H Street corridor since Sidamo Coffee & Tea opened more than 12 years ago. But Sidamo remains popular for its chill vibe, in-house coffee that’s roasted daily, and light fare. After Sunday classes at Orangetheory, barre3, or CrossFit, stop in for the afternoon Ethiopian coffee ceremony.
Farmbird is an H Street hit, and its fast-casual selection of grilled chicken and sides makes a perfect meal before or after a class at nearby barre3, CorePower Yoga, Orangetheory, CrossFit, or Joy of Motion dance studio. The menu effectively balances comfort food (mac and cheese, potato salad) with healthy options (roasted broccoli, avocado lime salad).
While not immediately walkable from most of Arlington’s name-brand fitness studios and gyms, getting your post-workout protein at Elevation is worth the trip. The chain serves sustainable, organic, grass-fed, free-range burgers — plus fries and milkshakes.
DIRT generally finds locations in fitness hubs, and their Arlington location is no exception. The Miami import offers nutritious, but satisfying, food at an affordable price. With an extensive all-day menu of sustainable proteins, salads, grain bowls, smoothies, and kombucha on tap, DIRT is easily walkable from Ballston spots like Orangetheory, CrossFit, yoga, boxing, and karate.
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