Vegetarian and Vegan Restaurants in Washington, D.C.

1. Elizabeth's Gone Raw

Located in a historical townhome in the heart of Washington, Elizabeth's Gone Raw offers an upscale vegan dining experience on Friday evenings only. Owner Elizabeth Petty’s 3-hour meal includes a raw vegan tasting menu of six courses with complimentary kale chips and optional organic wine pairings that will leave even the toughest wine aficionados impressed. The restaurant pays homage to her discovery of the healthy benefits of raw-vegan cuisine after a battle with cancer in 2009, and includes tasters of lime-cashew yogurt, porcini paper, and spirulina powder. The perfect place for a special occasion, Elizabeth's Gone Raw is open for dinner on Friday nights only.

1341 L St NW, Washington, D.C. 20005, Phone: 202-347-8349

2. Busboys and Poets

Named for American poet Langston Hughes, Busboys and Poets is an original hipster enclave and a D.C. institution.

Part alt-bookstore and part vegetarian-centric restaurant, Busboys and Poets was established by Andy Shallal to create “a space for art, culture, and politics to intentionally collide,” and he has done this with great success.

Boasting a performance space, bookstore, and café all under one roof, foodies will delight in the extensive selection of vegetarian and vegan dishes from the restaurant, ranging from out-of-this-world vegan nachos to vegan crab cakes and “tuna” salad.

Busboys and Poets has locations in Hyattsville, Brookland, Shirlington, Takoma, and Mount Vernon Triangle and is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day of the week.

2021 14th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20009, Phone: 202-387-7638

3. Chaia

Chaia is a fast-casual, farm-to-taco joint that made the move from being a longtime stalwart at local farmers markets to a beautiful brick-and-mortar space in Georgetown, much to the delight of its fans.

Offering urban street fare consisting of vegetarian and vegan corn tacos stuffed with fresh, seasonal produce and topped with local micro-greens, Chaia has fast become the go-to place for unrivaled tacos. The menu features an array of vegan or gluten-free corn tacos with mouthwatering fillings such as creamy kale and potato with pickled onions, poblano crema, pepper jack cheese, green sauce, skillet corn, a cilantro-lime crema, Monterey Jack, and Sun Gold tomatoes. Tacos are served with sides like green rice and black beans, along with a variety of beverages.

3207 Grace St NW, Washington, D.C. 20007, Phone: 202-333-5222

4. Equinox

Equinox offers a combination of market and plant-based cuisine that includes meat, vegetarian, and vegan options. While the menu isn't entirely vegan, it is easy enough to ignore the meat or fish entirely and choose veggie-only options, which include artichoke soup, crunchy artichokes alla Romana with red pepper aioli, tempura cauliflower with fall vegetables and rice, and charred asparagus with baked spaghetti squash and cashew cheese.

Diners can either order off the a la carte menu or choose from a three, five, or seven-course tasting menu, while on Sundays they offer a famous vegan buffet brunch. Equinox is open for lunch and dinner, 7 days a week.

900 19th St NW, Washington, DC 20006, Phone: 202-331-8118

5. HipCityVeg

Part of a Philadelphia-based chain, HipCityVeg is a fast-casual restaurant that uses 100% organic non-GMO ingredients to produce delicious plant-based cuisine. The popular eatery focuses on healthy comfort food, like burgers, chicken sandwiches, and chicken nuggets, made with farm-fresh ingredients that are delivered every morning. Scraps are composted or recycled at the end of every day, standing by their environmentally-friendly philosophy.

The menu features favorites such as the Ziggy Burger with smoked tempeh and special sauce, a battered chicken sandwich with creamy peppercorn ranch called the Crispy HipCity Ranch, as well as salads, sweet potato fries, smoothies, and desserts. HipCityVeg is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, 7 days a week.

712 7th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20001, Phone: 202-621-8057