About Restaurant Openings Around DC
A guide to the newest places to eat and drink.
Matzo ball soup and pho bowls arrive at Union Market on February 1 thanks to the food hall’s newest vendor: Prescription Chicken.
The health-minded soup specialist launched a year and a half ago in local grocery stores and via delivery, serving chicken soups suited to various ailments and moods. (Think “hangry”-style loaded with pulled white meat, veggies, and a mix of egg noodles and matzoh balls, or a spicy hangover-friendly version brewed with stomach-soothing ginger and turmeric.) Owner Valerie Zweig’s inspiration for the company was her own bout with laryngitis a few years ago, when she was craving a simple broth delivery while sick in bed. Prescription now offers that, too—and even “super sick” packages with orange juice, tea, tissues, and throat lozenges.
You don’t need to feel anything besides hungry (or cold!) to enjoy the soups. At Union Market, Zweig will offer her core menu, plus three specialty bowls: a “faux pho” with spicy chicken broth and rice noodles, a creamy Old Bay chicken option, and a Thai-style coconut-lime broth with dill and chicken-basil dumplings. Packages will be available to-go or by the bowl to eat at the market.
Rounding out the menu are Poppy’s bagel bites, mini challah breads, and a rotating selection of homemade yogurt bowls from sister company Gertie’s. Zweig likens them to “modern parfaits” with a base of freshly made plain or chocolate yogurt and toppings like macerated strawberries and granola, or pina colada-inspired coconut-chia pudding, pineapple, mint, and toasted coconut.
“We personally like chicken soup in the morning, but not everyday does,” says Zweig.
Look for Prescription Chicken to launch in the former Toli Moli vending space on February 1 for at least six months. In the meantime, you can find them popping up at Dupont’s Made in DC.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
