Washington DC Wharf: Top 5 Restaurants With Healthy & Vegan Options

The wharf area of Washington DC is buzzing with urban life all year round due to its popular restaurant scene and beautiful location along the waterfront. In recent years, the city seriously upgraded the promenade along the wharf, outfitting the piers with outdoor bars, oversized boardgames for public use, and plenty of seating areas.

Locals and visitors to the area looking for a healthy bite to eat will not be disspointed. The short strip of less than one mile long is packed with sit down restaurants, casual cafes and take out spots that offer plenty of delicious vegan and vegetarian food.

Ilili DC
The Wharf, 100 District Square SW

This stunning Lebanese restaurant facing the Wharf’s bustling walkway feates floor-to-ceiling glass walls, lush foliage and chic/quirky bird-case inspisred bamboo light fixures hanging from the ceiling.

The food is nothing short of elevated Middle Eastern cuisine, with a fresh, upscale take on all the classics including hummus, tabouli salad and house-made pita bread. Omnivores have plenty of dishes to choose from, but vegans will also be fed well.

These options include a number of uniquely Lebanese vegan items like kabis (pickled turnip), ambered carrots, hindbeh (sauteed dandelion greens) and much more. This winning spot is a must go for anyone visiting DC or going out to eat in the wharf area in search of healthy, vegetarian and/or vegan options.

Colada Shop
10 Pearl St SW

This colorful cuban cafe ensconsed behind an Italian restuant off the main drag may seem like an unlikely pick for healthy and plant-based food at DCs wharf. But it’s fair to say Colada Shop is a hidden gem.

The menu includus a delicous vegetarian cuban sandwich that can be made vegan, complete with marinated portobello mushrooms and roasted cauliflower. You can also make your own bowl, with quinoa, black beans and roasted veggies.

Or, opt for the all-vegan Santiago salad, piled high with bleack beans, crispy chickpeas and avocado. Orders are placed at the counter, making for a super casual, not to mention quick, dining experience.

Falafel Inc
1140 Main Avenue SW

This tiny take out spot on the far north end of the wharf is well-known among locals; there was a line out the door for lunch by 11:30 when I was there on a week day. The “fast food” layout of the restaurant–a slip of a space with room for a line of customers plus a narrow bar seating area along the back wall–belies the top quality bowls and sandwiches that are all 100% vegan.

Each meal is made to order. Start with pita bread or a bowl stuffed with falafel, red cabbage, additional salad ingredients and a dressing of your choice, including mazbout (tahini), spicy habibi, garlic and the jalapenjo-based “invisible” sauce.

The owners are friendly, accommodating and willing to customize your order. You can find some outdoor seating at nearby tables, or stroll along the wharf as you nosh on your super nutritious dish.

Rice Bar DC
600 Maryland Ave. SW

Ask and you shall receive. The universe has spoken for healthy eaters and vegans on the go in and around the city when it comes to Rice Bar DC. The local chain of Korean-inspired meals-in-a-bowl offers make-your-own concoctions. While the SW DC location is not exactly on the Wharf, it’s located in the heart of the nearby museum district.

Choose as your base one of six types of Asian noodles, including ultra healthy buckwheat noodles (buckwheat is a nutrient-rich complete protein).

Then, choose four types of vegetables from more than 10 options, ranging from the basic broccoil to roasted seaweed to bean sprouts. Then choose a protein (choose from several types of meat or tofu), and a broth of your choice.

Finally, choose a sauce that will be artfully drizzled on top–I chose spicy peanut. Or, if the entire make-your-own is just too much drama, simply order one of their tried-and-true signature bowls.

All of the ingredients are prepared daily and very fresh. The final effect of the combo soup bowl piled high with soft and crunchy ingredients, steaming, flavorful broth and tangy sauce is to-die-for delicious.

As long as you sit at one of the bar stools to eat, your meal is served in an eco-friendly stainless steel bowl, and all orders come with a warming bowl of miso soup.

Ben & Jerrys
705 Wharf Street Southwest

No visit anywhere is complete without dessert. And what better place than Ben & Jerrys to find a divine scoop of plant-based ice cream packed with chunks? The almond milk cookie dough flavor is tasty, don’t get me wrong, but the sunflower seed butter flavor is hands down the best vegan ice cream I’ve tasted.

The name (hold your breathe) of the flavor is called the Colin Kaepernick’s Change the Whirled™Caramel Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert With Fudge Chips, Graham Cracker Swirls & Chocolate Cookie Swirls. Pure yum.