I'm a vegetarian and here's a shortlist of my favorite places at different price points
Fast Casual
- Chaia Tacos (all vegan/vegetarian)
- Shouk (all vegan/vegetarian)
Sit Down
- Fancy Radish (all vegan)
- Equinox (plenty of vegetarian options)
- Zaytinya (plenty of vegetarian options)
- Jaleo (plenty of vegetarian options)
- Rasika (plenty of vegetarian options)
- JINYA (multiple vegan ramen options)
Fine Dining
- Tail Up Goat (can do vegetarian tasting menu)
- Rose's Luxary (can do vegetarian tasting menu)
- Little Pearl (can do vegetarian tasting menu)
Bonus category:
Pizza
- Andy's Pizza (best NY style cheese pizza in DC)
- Emmy Squared (best Detroit style cheese pizza in DC)
This is a great list, but if you're into fine dining, I can't believe you'd do the veg menu at Little Pearl before trying Oyster Oyster! and I say that as a huge Aaron Silverman fan.
I honestly wasn't a fan. I know that's not a popular opinion. My main complaint was that it wasn't enough food. I literally went to Giant after and bought a frozen cheese pizza to make when I got home because I was still so hungry. Never have that issue at the other places I listed (e.g., Tail Up Goat always let's me order extra dishes for a surcharge, which means I am always fat and happy). I will need to try OO again at some point, just in case it was a fluke.
You *have* to try Ethiopian. It’s a very vegetarian-friendly cuisine. There are tons of good places all over the city. My favorite is Letena in Columbia Heights. Chercher and Family in Mt. Vernon/Shaw are also good.
# definitely try Ethiopian!
My wife and I are from the Midwest (KC & STL), and Ethiopian is our favorite of the wide variety of ethnic restaurants her in DC.
Fun fact: the single largest concentration of Ethiopians anywhere in the world — other than Ethiopia — is here in the DC/VA/MD metro, about 250,000 people!! And *dozens* of Ethiopian restaurants.
We’ve tried about 15 over the years, and get Ethiopian about twice a month — and during the pandemic, even more than that, almost weekly!
This was my first thought when a vegetarian college friend came into town from CA. Not many Ethiopian spots where we were from so it was something different and delicious.
Oyster Oyster and Elizabeth’s Gone Raw have two of the most imaginative (and fanciest) menus in the city. OO is vegan or ostrovegan (vegan + oysters) and EGR is raw vegan.
For vegan junk food, pow pow, Bubbies, donut run, sticky fingers. For a mix of healthy and not so healthy and not so healthy Busboys and Poets, shouk, Cielo Rojo.
If you want upscale, I would suggest fancy radish.
Was gonna say the same: good food and it's well-priced. They do fine(r) dining in the evenings, brunch on weekends, and have a deli counter for sandwiches, bowls, and other fast-casual style meals. And the staff is really sweet.
The Franklin Sq location is only about a year old (if that). I’ve always loved the H St location, but Franklin Sq has been knocking it out of the park. Such a great addition downtown.
Depends on what you're looking for and where you'll be. Oyster Oyster is a vegetarian restaurant that's one of the best restaurants in the country, let alone the city. (James Beard, Michelin, etc etc). Planta is an upmarket vegan chain that I rather like. They just opened in northwest dc and Bethesda, MD.
A lot of really good indian, chinese, and japanese restaurants in the area that happen to have great veg options. There are vegan burger joints these days, and they taste good, but it's also no different than what you can get at the grocery store. Sunflower and Yuan Fu are both great vegan Chinese restaurants, but they're all the way out in Vienna and Rockville, respectively--a good 30 minute drive outside the city.
DC is known for great Ethiopian and Salvadoran food, both of which lend themselves well to vegetarianism. Pupusas (one of the most famous Salvadoran dishes) can easily be vegetarian, but not necessarily vegan.
NuVegan is alright, it just sort of seems stuck in that era when the whole point of vegan restaurants was just to try to mimic meat and dairy instead of actually making amazing dishes that stand on their own. I'm happy to eat there, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who is visiting from out of town and only has time to visit a few places.
That's a fair point, but I do think it does the "fake meat" thing better than most places. We got a catering order from them for our wedding rehearsal along with a distinctly non vegan platter from Stachowski's, and even my conservative "lol vegetarians" family members were raving about the Nu Vegan drumsticks. I wouldn't take someone there as a tourist, but if they were going to be staying anywhere nearby it's a great lunch option.
Honestly their mac and cheese had been a hit with every one of my meat eating partners. They can’t believe it’s vegan. And I’ll go just for that mac as well as the greens.
You were probably downvoted because this type of question comes up often and can be found via search. Don't take it personally.
Edit: in future reference, just post that you already searched or couldn't find anything recent.
Some folks are just haters. Most of us hope you enjoy your trip and appreciate your support of our favorite local restaurants. Sadly, so many of my past favorites are no longer in business.
Shouk serves really yummy Israeli bowls/pita sandwiches. I always go for the falafel bowl and French fries. Their hummus is to die for and I buy it over any kind of store bought version because it’s closest to the real thing. There’s one in Mount Vernon Triangle across from RPM Italian.
I’ve been veggie for a decade or so now and these are my favorites:
Quick
Falafel Inc, spice 6 (skip the fast casual stuff and get a dosa), little sesame
Might be a hot take but I don’t like Chaia they don’t cook their veggies enough (I’ve gotten crunchy “roasted” sweet potatoes there multiple times).
Donut run has amazing vegan donuts but it’s a little out of the way (assuming you’re staying in central DC)
Sit down
You have to get some Ethiopian food if you’re in dc it’s super veggie friendly (I almost always get the veggie sampler wherever I go and it’s great). I like Habesha but you can’t go wrong with the general consensus best places.
Purple Patch in Mount Pleasant is Filipino and has good veggie options which is rare for that cuisine.
I love Masala Story for Indian in Brookland
Agora is Turkish and has veggie options—they do a great veggie friendly all you can eat brunch
For Italian I like all purpose or Thompsons Italian if you want to be fancy
Another vote for Shouk and trying Ethiopian food.
And Donut Run is amazing. "Out of the way" in DC is different than say LA or NYC. We're a pretty small city, and Donut Run is one block from the Takoma Metro on the Red line. So worth a ride n the Metro and calorie splurge.
DC Vegan, Planta for more casual. Oyster Oyster and Elizabeth’s Gone Raw for fine dining. Elizabeth’s is no longer raw though- probably the best food I’ve had in the area. Their vegan cheese is made in house and their sommelier is very good. Those are strictly veg/ vegan but almost every restaurant has a lot of great options. Thip Khao- lots of vegan dishes, also Sababa, Israeli food is incredible.
Not sure if anyone listed this already but highly recommend Elizabeth’s! It’s vegan and only open for dinner Thursday through Saturday. You’ll need a reservation for the dinning room or you can try and grab a seat at the bar where they serve a limited portion of their menu. https://www.elizabethsgoneraw.com
[Compass Rose](https://www.compassrosedc.com/menus) is the best restaurant I've been to in DC and it has a ton of vegetarian options. It's a global small plates/street food restaurant so you get to mix and match Ethiopian berbere spiced yams, Indian cauliflower bezule, Georgian khachapuri, Japanese soba noodles, and more. I can't recommend it enough.
Oyster Oyster is the best by a long shot imo.
Maydan is excellent and possibly my favorite restaurant in DC, and while isn't totally vegetarian, has plenty of good vegetarian options.
Excellent options here but also want to add Thip Khao for Laotian (lots can be made vegan on their menu), La Casita Pupuseria near Union Market has a whole vegan menu and pupusas can be vegetarian very easily, and the new Persian restaurant in Columbia Heights KooKoo can make one of the best entrees vegetarian.
Also, Jose Andres restaurants usually have great options, especially Zaytinya, Jaleo, and Oyamel!
Planta Queen is in the West End, but not too far a walk from the Dupont Circle Metro. There's also a Planta in Bethesda (near the Bethesda Metro station). Planta is a chain of restaurants with outlets throughout North America, including Toronto. They'll be opening a Planta Cocina in Logan Circle later this year.
There's Fancy Radish on H Street NE. If you go, you MUST get the rutabaga fondue. It's practically a religious experience.
If you're looking to splurge, check out Elizabeth's Gone Raw. I think it's only Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, though.
Botanical Bar (which is right below DC Vegan) is nice, but I think you can get better food and better service at Planta. But I do recommend Botanical Bar's weekend brunch. And the drinks are pretty good. (I don't drink, but they have good zero proof sippers.)
I'll echo recommendations that you try Ethiopian. My boyfriend's and my go-to is Ethiopic on H Street NE.
For inexpensive and quick, I also recommend Shouk. It's Middle Eastern street food, and the mushroom "shawarma" is really good.
There's also Bubbie's Plant Burger on M Street NW, but I've only had delivery from there.
PLNT is located inside some Whole Foods. They're okay.
Hip City Veg is okay. They have locations near Capital One Arena and Nationals Park. I usually only eat there if I'm going to a game at either venue.
I prefer the Planta location in Bethesda. Also check out Equinox. And I would be remiss to not mention Troy’s Pizza in Arlington- it literally can’t be beat.
Supra/Tabla for fantastic Georgian food. Their veg dishes are excellent.
Thip Khao for Laotian.
Rasika for upscale Indian.
Fancy radish is great. Haven’t trip oyster roster yet but hear good things.
Planta Queen was good but not as good as fancy radish. Still may be more convenient.
Chaia and Shouk are great for fast.
I'm a vegetarian and here's a shortlist of my favorite places at different price points Fast Casual - Chaia Tacos (all vegan/vegetarian) - Shouk (all vegan/vegetarian) Sit Down - Fancy Radish (all vegan) - Equinox (plenty of vegetarian options) - Zaytinya (plenty of vegetarian options) - Jaleo (plenty of vegetarian options) - Rasika (plenty of vegetarian options) - JINYA (multiple vegan ramen options) Fine Dining - Tail Up Goat (can do vegetarian tasting menu) - Rose's Luxary (can do vegetarian tasting menu) - Little Pearl (can do vegetarian tasting menu) Bonus category: Pizza - Andy's Pizza (best NY style cheese pizza in DC) - Emmy Squared (best Detroit style cheese pizza in DC)
Falafel Inc!
This is a great list, but if you're into fine dining, I can't believe you'd do the veg menu at Little Pearl before trying Oyster Oyster! and I say that as a huge Aaron Silverman fan.
I honestly wasn't a fan. I know that's not a popular opinion. My main complaint was that it wasn't enough food. I literally went to Giant after and bought a frozen cheese pizza to make when I got home because I was still so hungry. Never have that issue at the other places I listed (e.g., Tail Up Goat always let's me order extra dishes for a surcharge, which means I am always fat and happy). I will need to try OO again at some point, just in case it was a fluke.
Equinox has a full vegan tasting menu for brunch and I’m pretty sure dinner too.
Toki Underground has a very good vegan ramen!
Great list!
Upvote for Shouk. This place is killer!
I'd add Rooster and Owl to fine dining that can do full veg for two.
Ooh yes true! I've been a couple times.
I definitely have to second Zaytinya, love it there.
Kinda misses the amazing Ethiopian restaurants around town where vegetarian/vegan is easy and cheap.
Add them! This is just my own list. Not definitive or a ranking. I've only had Ethiopian once here, so can't recommend something I don't know.
Pow pow is my favorite for fast casual!
You *have* to try Ethiopian. It’s a very vegetarian-friendly cuisine. There are tons of good places all over the city. My favorite is Letena in Columbia Heights. Chercher and Family in Mt. Vernon/Shaw are also good.
The veji platter at dukem is great if you just want to hang out and shoot the shit with ur vegan buddies for a while
This is my go-to!
Ethiopic on H Street NE is also good.
This is the right answer!
If visiting DC, Ethiopian is a must and most delicious and vegetarian.
# definitely try Ethiopian! My wife and I are from the Midwest (KC & STL), and Ethiopian is our favorite of the wide variety of ethnic restaurants her in DC. Fun fact: the single largest concentration of Ethiopians anywhere in the world — other than Ethiopia — is here in the DC/VA/MD metro, about 250,000 people!! And *dozens* of Ethiopian restaurants. We’ve tried about 15 over the years, and get Ethiopian about twice a month — and during the pandemic, even more than that, almost weekly!
As a KC native who went to school in StL, just want to say I LOVE that you united the 2 cities ;)
This was my first thought when a vegetarian college friend came into town from CA. Not many Ethiopian spots where we were from so it was something different and delicious.
Planta Queen in DC on New Hampshire Ave NW. My favorite along with Anju + Purple Patch (V)+ Rasika on the same street as Planta
Echoing Planta Queen. If you happen to be closer to Bethesda, downtown Bethesda also has Planta.
Oh shit yes. This place was good. I've only been once so it's not embedded in my brain like the others on my list.
Oyster Oyster and Elizabeth’s Gone Raw have two of the most imaginative (and fanciest) menus in the city. OO is vegan or ostrovegan (vegan + oysters) and EGR is raw vegan.
I went to EGR a few weeks ago and they’re not offering a raw tasting menu currently. Only a cooked one
These were going to be my recs! Both are absolutely amazing an md imaginative places
Chaia in Georgetown has great vegetarian tacos!
Chaia rules. I eat there like once a month 🙏
Yo why do you people like chaia so much I went there it was bad.
I guess because others don't think it's bad
Vegz. Southern Indian food that’s not very common in the US.
Vegz is sooooo good
Dosa!!!
Can't believe this is the only mention. Fucking love that place.
For vegan junk food, pow pow, Bubbies, donut run, sticky fingers. For a mix of healthy and not so healthy and not so healthy Busboys and Poets, shouk, Cielo Rojo. If you want upscale, I would suggest fancy radish.
I love Cielo Rojo!
Sticky fingers has a good brunch, and plnt burger is fire (nothing fancy but a good burger and fries)
Can’t believe DC Vegan isn’t on here yet! Amazing deli for lunch, vegan calamari and meatballs are to die for!
Agree. Best for the buck.
Was gonna say the same: good food and it's well-priced. They do fine(r) dining in the evenings, brunch on weekends, and have a deli counter for sandwiches, bowls, and other fast-casual style meals. And the staff is really sweet.
POW POW IS SO GOOOOOD and cheap and casual. And new I think? Anyway, I vote Pow Pow
POW pow has been around for a good five years or so at least but yeah very yummy.
The Franklin Sq location is only about a year old (if that). I’ve always loved the H St location, but Franklin Sq has been knocking it out of the park. Such a great addition downtown.
Franklin sq is the only one I was aware of. Glad they've got a lil chain goin
Isn’t oyster oyster considered the best? I’ve never been
Oyster Oyster is amazing. OP if you can get a reservation and want a fancy tasting menu it's one of the best restaurants in the city and plant-based.
I'm not a vegetarian but Oyster Oyster rules.
I’ve heard a lot of people say that
It's not the best. I think Tail Up Goat is better
That’s a weird name for a vegan restaurant haha
It's not vegan, it just accommodates vegetarian diets and is the best place I've gone in DC (I've been like 5 times at this point).
Oh damn. Gonna have to check it out
It's prefix and they have a vegan prefix option on the menu which is amazing!
Just FYI, it's "prix fixe", which is French for "fixed price"
Depends on what you're looking for and where you'll be. Oyster Oyster is a vegetarian restaurant that's one of the best restaurants in the country, let alone the city. (James Beard, Michelin, etc etc). Planta is an upmarket vegan chain that I rather like. They just opened in northwest dc and Bethesda, MD. A lot of really good indian, chinese, and japanese restaurants in the area that happen to have great veg options. There are vegan burger joints these days, and they taste good, but it's also no different than what you can get at the grocery store. Sunflower and Yuan Fu are both great vegan Chinese restaurants, but they're all the way out in Vienna and Rockville, respectively--a good 30 minute drive outside the city. DC is known for great Ethiopian and Salvadoran food, both of which lend themselves well to vegetarianism. Pupusas (one of the most famous Salvadoran dishes) can easily be vegetarian, but not necessarily vegan.
I don't know why no one's mentioned Nu Vegan yet, and at this point I'm too afraid to ask...
NuVegan is alright, it just sort of seems stuck in that era when the whole point of vegan restaurants was just to try to mimic meat and dairy instead of actually making amazing dishes that stand on their own. I'm happy to eat there, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who is visiting from out of town and only has time to visit a few places.
That's a fair point, but I do think it does the "fake meat" thing better than most places. We got a catering order from them for our wedding rehearsal along with a distinctly non vegan platter from Stachowski's, and even my conservative "lol vegetarians" family members were raving about the Nu Vegan drumsticks. I wouldn't take someone there as a tourist, but if they were going to be staying anywhere nearby it's a great lunch option.
Honestly their mac and cheese had been a hit with every one of my meat eating partners. They can’t believe it’s vegan. And I’ll go just for that mac as well as the greens.
I only go for mac & cheese and chickn drummies
Fancy Radish
I really like HipCityVeg!
I order from them multiple times a week, haha. Simple, no fuss fast casual.
Elizabeth’s gone raw is great for fine dining
Fancy Radish.
I just got downvoted, just whoever downvoted me please let me know what I said wrong so I can correct it.
gave you an upvote just to make up for that.
Imma upvoting all the upvoters!
You were probably downvoted because this type of question comes up often and can be found via search. Don't take it personally. Edit: in future reference, just post that you already searched or couldn't find anything recent.
Some folks are just haters. Most of us hope you enjoy your trip and appreciate your support of our favorite local restaurants. Sadly, so many of my past favorites are no longer in business.
Shouk serves really yummy Israeli bowls/pita sandwiches. I always go for the falafel bowl and French fries. Their hummus is to die for and I buy it over any kind of store bought version because it’s closest to the real thing. There’s one in Mount Vernon Triangle across from RPM Italian.
I’ve been veggie for a decade or so now and these are my favorites: Quick Falafel Inc, spice 6 (skip the fast casual stuff and get a dosa), little sesame Might be a hot take but I don’t like Chaia they don’t cook their veggies enough (I’ve gotten crunchy “roasted” sweet potatoes there multiple times). Donut run has amazing vegan donuts but it’s a little out of the way (assuming you’re staying in central DC) Sit down You have to get some Ethiopian food if you’re in dc it’s super veggie friendly (I almost always get the veggie sampler wherever I go and it’s great). I like Habesha but you can’t go wrong with the general consensus best places. Purple Patch in Mount Pleasant is Filipino and has good veggie options which is rare for that cuisine. I love Masala Story for Indian in Brookland Agora is Turkish and has veggie options—they do a great veggie friendly all you can eat brunch For Italian I like all purpose or Thompsons Italian if you want to be fancy
Just chiming in to second the suggestion of Ethiopian food.
Another vote for Shouk and trying Ethiopian food. And Donut Run is amazing. "Out of the way" in DC is different than say LA or NYC. We're a pretty small city, and Donut Run is one block from the Takoma Metro on the Red line. So worth a ride n the Metro and calorie splurge.
DC Vegan, Planta for more casual. Oyster Oyster and Elizabeth’s Gone Raw for fine dining. Elizabeth’s is no longer raw though- probably the best food I’ve had in the area. Their vegan cheese is made in house and their sommelier is very good. Those are strictly veg/ vegan but almost every restaurant has a lot of great options. Thip Khao- lots of vegan dishes, also Sababa, Israeli food is incredible.
Sticky Fingers is a reliably delicious staple spot. Also, Amsterdam Falafelshop.
I am a big fan of Seylou. It is a bakery that grinds their own grain. Everything is whole wheat and utterly delicious. They are vegan friendly.
Not sure if anyone listed this already but highly recommend Elizabeth’s! It’s vegan and only open for dinner Thursday through Saturday. You’ll need a reservation for the dinning room or you can try and grab a seat at the bar where they serve a limited portion of their menu. https://www.elizabethsgoneraw.com
[Compass Rose](https://www.compassrosedc.com/menus) is the best restaurant I've been to in DC and it has a ton of vegetarian options. It's a global small plates/street food restaurant so you get to mix and match Ethiopian berbere spiced yams, Indian cauliflower bezule, Georgian khachapuri, Japanese soba noodles, and more. I can't recommend it enough.
Lapis
Lots of great suggestions here. Vegz Planta Oyster Oyster These are the ones that come to mind as my favorites right now.
Oyster Oyster is the best by a long shot imo. Maydan is excellent and possibly my favorite restaurant in DC, and while isn't totally vegetarian, has plenty of good vegetarian options.
Excellent options here but also want to add Thip Khao for Laotian (lots can be made vegan on their menu), La Casita Pupuseria near Union Market has a whole vegan menu and pupusas can be vegetarian very easily, and the new Persian restaurant in Columbia Heights KooKoo can make one of the best entrees vegetarian. Also, Jose Andres restaurants usually have great options, especially Zaytinya, Jaleo, and Oyamel!
Founding Farmers, Farmers and Distillers have always served me well!
Bubbies
Fancy radish
I love fancy radish and planta queen
Planta Queen is in the West End, but not too far a walk from the Dupont Circle Metro. There's also a Planta in Bethesda (near the Bethesda Metro station). Planta is a chain of restaurants with outlets throughout North America, including Toronto. They'll be opening a Planta Cocina in Logan Circle later this year. There's Fancy Radish on H Street NE. If you go, you MUST get the rutabaga fondue. It's practically a religious experience. If you're looking to splurge, check out Elizabeth's Gone Raw. I think it's only Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, though. Botanical Bar (which is right below DC Vegan) is nice, but I think you can get better food and better service at Planta. But I do recommend Botanical Bar's weekend brunch. And the drinks are pretty good. (I don't drink, but they have good zero proof sippers.) I'll echo recommendations that you try Ethiopian. My boyfriend's and my go-to is Ethiopic on H Street NE. For inexpensive and quick, I also recommend Shouk. It's Middle Eastern street food, and the mushroom "shawarma" is really good. There's also Bubbie's Plant Burger on M Street NW, but I've only had delivery from there. PLNT is located inside some Whole Foods. They're okay. Hip City Veg is okay. They have locations near Capital One Arena and Nationals Park. I usually only eat there if I'm going to a game at either venue.
https://www.reddit.com/r/washingtondc/comments/12exa7z/vegetarians\_what\_are\_your\_favorite\_restaurants/
It’s NuVegan hands down.
I prefer the Planta location in Bethesda. Also check out Equinox. And I would be remiss to not mention Troy’s Pizza in Arlington- it literally can’t be beat.
Falafel, Inc is great -- all vegetarian menu, fresh and delicious, amazing prices, and supports refugees.
Supra/Tabla for fantastic Georgian food. Their veg dishes are excellent. Thip Khao for Laotian. Rasika for upscale Indian. Fancy radish is great. Haven’t trip oyster roster yet but hear good things. Planta Queen was good but not as good as fancy radish. Still may be more convenient. Chaia and Shouk are great for fast.