A vegetarian’s pick of her favorite vegetarian-friendly restaurants in Washington, DC.
Today, vegetarian fare is no longer tailored solely to the plant-based and super-health-conscious diners (which therefore often meant veggie options were boring salads and bland black-bean burgers, as they were thought to satisfy both), but rather is sought out by anyone who loves good food and likes to expand their palate. Vegetables, with their diverse flavors and textures, offer chefs the opportunity to showcase their creativity and cooking chops. In fact, the ability to make vegetables shine is often the hallmark of a talented chef. We have put together a vegetarian dining guide to Washington, D.C., with a list of spots with standout vegetarian dishes from every cuisine and for any dining experience that you may want. Some of these restaurants are not strictly vegetarian, but their menus have plenty of selections for vegetarians, which works well with a mixed dining crowd. Whether you love vegetables or are someone who just loves good food, you are bound to love the suggestions in this vegetarian dining guide.
For Vegetarian Filipino Food: Hiraya
Hiraya is a daytime café, and if you haven’t tried it yet, now is the time. Their menu features all kinds of tempting vegetarian creations, including garlic fried rice with delicate enoki mushrooms dressed in a tamarind sauce, biscuits drenched in a wild-mushroom gravy and crowned with a crispy fried egg, pancakes adorably served in a mini skillet with a dollop of velvety and nutty ube butter, and a citrusy calamansi ricotta toast.
For Vegetarian-Friendly Italian Food in Washington, DC: Centrolina
Washington, DC is home to many Italian restaurants, but for an upscale and exquisite experience with reliably good vegetarian options, Centrolina is best, mainly because the vegetarian pasta options are ever-changing, so you can come back over and over and try something new anytime. In the winter, Chef Amy Brandwein offers succulent ribbons of chestnut-infused pappardelle served with wood-roasted mushrooms and rosemary. In the fall, pillowy burrata ravioli rests in a golden butter sauce. And when tomatoes are in season, try the pasta Norma variation tossed with roasted eggplant in a garlicky tomato sauce. Each one is better than the last – hence why this Italian spot scored a top spot in our vegetarian dining guide!
For Vegetarian Pupusas: El Tamarindo
Most pupusas shops have a classic cheese pupusa and one or two other vegetarian options, but El Tamarindo takes vegetarian pupusas to new heights. They offer the classic cheese of course, but also bean and cheese, spinach and cheese, ayote and cheese, loroco and cheese, and jalapeno and cheese. For those who can’t tolerate dairy, there’s a plain bean pupusa, and even a vegan-cheese pupusa! Craving more than a pupusa and the usual curtido and red salsa? El Tamarindo has many other vegetarian goods, ranging from jackfruit enchiladas to black bean chimichangas to corn tamales.
For Vegetarian Chinese Food: Chang Chang
Peter Chang and family have built quite the empire in the D.C. region, with multiple restaurants all over Maryland and Virginia. But he has only one venue in D.C. proper, and it happens to be one of his best for a vegetarian-friendly restaurant in Washington, DC. Chang Chang’s menu offers a plethora of dishes hailing from the Sichuan province and region around Wuhan, and many vegetarian options are available. While traditional Chinese food isn’t known for its vegetarian options, Peter Chang restaurants all have an extensive vegetable section, with many dishes in the ‘appetizer’ and ‘rice and noodle sections’ of the menu being vegetarian as well. Launch your tasty experience with a crunchy and garlicky cucumber salad, a pillowy scallion bubble pancake, chewy tofu-skin salad, and plump fried vegetable dumplings. From there, dive into Sichuan green beans, soft garlic eggplant, Wuhan sesame noodles, or stuffed tofu pockets. Then again, you can’t go wrong with the kung pao vegetables either, and you may regret it if you don’t order the mapo tofu. In other words, come with a group and order it all!
For Vegetarian Lao food: Laos in Town
D.C. is lucky to be home to several Lao restaurants, all of which offer good vegetarian options. Laos in Town, however, has an entirely separate vegetarian menu, which is why we included them in our vegetarian dining guide. The veg menu has all kinds of tempting dishes like crispy chive cakes, tofu orm, which is a dill-flavored soup (brimming with eggplant, green beans, and fried tofu), wok-fried noodles tossed in a sriracha sauce, and meaty king trumpet mushrooms with crispy fried shallots and cashews.
Check out our interactive map with all the restaurants:
For Vegetarian Bar Fare: PLANTA Queen
Come to PLANTA Queen for the cocktails and stay for the food! With treats like martinis and spritzes, as well as veggie sushi rolls, cauliflower wings, Korean fried “chicken” bao buns, and steamed dumplings–you won’t want to leave until you’ve tried everything on this happy hour menu!
For Vegetarian Mediterranean food: River Club
The music, the vibe, the décor, the wine, the food – it’s hard to know what the best part of River Club is, but the food is undeniably one of the highlights of this Georgetown newcomer. With a Spanish-Italian-Lebanese theme, the cuisine at River Club is bold and bursting with eclectic flavor combinations. With vegetarian-friendly dishes like crispy patatas bravas served with an aromatic saffron aioli, mujadara, an earthy, comforting Lebanese rice-and-lentil dish laden with crispy fried onions, and the creamiest hummus in town, there is no shortage of stellar vegetarian fare. But the list doesn’t stop there: try the roasted beets served with tahini, herbs, pomegranate, and a harra crunch, sweet and smoky barbequed carrots, Catalonian leeks, or the roasted cauliflower with pistachio dukkah. There is too much to order, so go with a large group (or a small group with a big appetite!), and revel in the festive vibe and indulgent veg food.
For Vegetarian Afghan food: Lapis
Lapis is a must in our vegetarian dining guide to Washington, DC. You know you will be taken care of as a vegetarian or veggie-lover when the menu has a whole section called “vegetarian dishes.” Even better? That section doesn’t even list all the veg dishes available. You may not typically think of Afghan food as having a lot of vegetable-forward fare, but Lapis will prove you wrong. For instance, with their Zardak, which are sweet roasted carrots, combined with earthy yellow lentils and dried plumbs, or cauliflower soaked in a tomato sauce and adorned with cilantro or the simple but deliciously rich red kidney beans, maybe succulent spinach and leeks, leek dumplings, pumpkin flatbread… seriously, there is no end to Lapis’ vegetarian delights!
For a Vegetarian Tasting menu: MITA
Mita, a Michelin-starred restaurant—one of just a few vegan restaurants worldwide–is beloved by all in the D.C. area, not just plant-based diners. For good reason, the tasting menu is extraordinary, with dishes like a sinfully creamy arracacha soup, yuba drizzled with a black bean mole, and hearty housemade arepas. It is the finest of Latin-American fine dining experiences you can have in the capital area. Read our full review here.
For the Best Vegetarian Dumplings: Anju
The yache mandu at Anju are hands down the best vegetarian dumplings in town. The plump, pillowy dumplings are stuffed with chewy, savory impossible ‘meat,’ doused in chili crisp, and green onion shavings sprinkled on top. They are so deliciously dense, and exploding with savory, sweet, garlicky, smoky notes–you will want to make a whole meal out of them. But you shouldn’t! Anju has many other great veggie gems on their regular menu, including rice cakes, home-style tofu bibimbap, and of course, panchan, the little side dishes that are a must for any Korean meal.
For the Best Vegetarian Indian food: Tapori
Tapori, one D.C.’s newest Indian restaurants, is laden with delicious vegetarian bites. From a decadent cheese-stuffed kulcha to lotus root chat to smoky tandoori broccoli to meaty mushroom biryani to a sweet and savory paneer chop, you won’t know where to start or end! Treat yourself to all of it.
For Innovative Seasonal Vegetarian Cuisine: Oyster Oyster
Led by James Beard Award-winning Chef Rob Rubba, the one-Michelin-starred Oyster Oyster deserves a special mention for its exceptional and inventive vegetable-forward dishes. As noted in our previous summer dishes feature, their chilled peanut broth with sweet baby corn, filet beans, and potato is an unforgettable melange of seasonal flavors. It’s cool, refreshing, and showcases the magic they create with vegetables. In fact, everything at Oyster Oyster, vegetarian or vegan, is a dream, making it a true standout and one of our favorite vegetarian-friendly restaurants in D.C.
