8 Exciting and Delicious Vegan Restaurants Around DC

Looking for a dietary reset to kick off the new year? The “Veganuary” movement challenges participants to go the entire month without eating any animal products. Eliminating butter and bacon doesn’t mean you have to stop eating out. Here are eight exceptional spots where sticking to the regimen still feels like an indulgence.

DC Vegan

Mozzarella, meatballs, and marsala get a makeover at this whimsical subterranean spot in Dupont Circle, which focuses on Italian American faves. Home in on crackly fried “calamari” made from rings of king trumpet mushrooms, cacio e pepe lavished with creamy cashew sauce, and roasted wild-mushroom ragout ladled over tender polenta cakes.

Bubbie’s Plant Burgers & Fizz

Longtime plant-based chef Margaux Riccio always despised the Southwestern-spiced black-bean patties that were often her only burger option. So she created a beet-­focused, umami-rich alternative for her line of signature burgers, including the bananas-­good Monkey Wrench, with melty vegan cheddar, animal-free bacon, a fried onion ring, and pickled jalapeño.

Elizabeth’s

The OG of local vegan fine dining, this elegant downtown tasting-menu restaurant once solely offered raw food but now embraces cooking. Seasonal dishes might include a giant royal-­trumpet-mushroom raviolo with a flurry of truffles or charred-fennel soup with an island of poached chayote squash.

Planta Queen

Boasting the chic vibes of a Hong Kong late-night lounge, this sleek West End spot flaunts a menu of sexy pan-Asian fare. Start with standout “sushi”—compressed watermelon mimicking ahi tuna and mock eel made with umami-pumped eggplant—before savoring larger propositions, such as fiery dan-dan noodles, truffle fried rice, and General Tso’s–inspired cauliflower.

Mita

In an Amazon-inspired corner spot across from the 9:30 Club, chefs Miguel Guerra and Tatiana Mora craft an ever-evolving Latin-inspired tasting menu. Dishes might include young-­coconut ceviche, mushroom terrine doused with a super-savory reduction, and an arepa basket accompanied by guacamole-­like guasacaca.

Oyster Oyster

James Beard Award winner Rob Rubba’s sustainability-­minded, plant-centric mecca in Shaw deftly showcases peak seasonal produce in artful presentations. Think grilled lion’s-mane mushroom alongside squash filled with seed pâté in the winter or a summery stunner of agnolotti fattened with velveteen eggplants sitting in corn broth.

Little Sesame

Hummus is the star at this downtown fast-casual storefront, which showcases the spread in seasonal fare such as a cauliflower shawarma bowl with a fusillade of fresh herbs or a puffy pita sando plumped out by tahini-­drizzled eggplant. For dessert: pirouettes of oat-milk soft-serve with halva crumbles and cacao nibs.

Shouk

The wind-powered fast-casual joint turns out superb takes on Middle Eastern classics. Shawarma gets reimagined with seared oyster mushrooms, while a pita practically bursting with crispy falafel also comes filled with pickled vegetables, herbs galore, and a slathering of tahini. Don’t sleep on the well-spiced fries.

This article appears in the January 2025 issue of Washingtonian.

Nevin Martell

Parenting writer

Nevin Martell is a parenting, food, and travel writer whose work has appeared in the Washington Post, New York Times, Saveur, Men’s Journal, Fortune, Travel + Leisure, Runner’s World, and many other publications. He is author of eight books, including It’s So Good: 100 Real Food Recipes for Kids, Red Truck Bakery Cookbook: Gold-Standard Recipes from America’s Favorite Rural Bakery, and the small-press smash Looking for Calvin and Hobbes: The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson and His Revolutionary Comic Strip. When he isn’t working, he loves spending time with his wife and their six-year-old son, who already runs faster than he does.