Beefsteak

Beefsteak is amazing. I’ve been here a few times now and it’s one of my favorite restaurants in DC. It’s healthy, vegetarian friendly, and delicious. I usually go with the «Eden», and today I asked for cranberries on top — which was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. The Eden has quinoa, various green vegetables that they cook, yogurt sauce, and a cilantro sauce (which reminds me of an Indian chutney). The flavors mesh so well together. Plus, you can get juice which is essentially an unlimited option because you can refill your cup as often as you’d like. They have a green juice — apples, cucumber, and kale; a lavender lemonade; and a apple beet juice. I usually mix the apple beet with the lavender lemonade, then refill to finish off with the green juice and take it home with me. They give you the option of eating your meal with chopsticks, a fork, or a spoon — and if you don’t finish it they have to-​go items at your disposal so you can gather your things in a timely manner. The entire place has a chipotle-​type feel. Similar system, similar speed, and similar ambiance. People take their orders to go or eat in the restaurant. The people that work there are very nice as well! Then you put your trays and silverware back just like you would at chipotle or Panera (if you choose to eat in-​house). Anyway, always very pleased and very delicious!

I’m a big fan of Beefsteak. Don’t let my 3 stars fool you, the food is very good. I just think this place needs a little work on the service aspect.
I’ve been to Beefsteak 3 times and have had the «Eden» each time. It’s awesome, and fresh, so why mess with a good thing?
The only thing I don’t love is that unlike your typical Sweetgreen or Chopped, there is no discussion about your dressing. All of the sudden they are squirting a ton of sauce on top of all your wonderful veggies, which wouldn’t be my preference. The second time I went, I remembered to say ‘sos’, but otherwise, have never been asked.
Also, the one time I asked to get the salmon on top, they pretty much ignored me… not sure why because that is extra $$, and nobody was even in there. But I didn’t really feel like pushing it so, their loss.
I will also say that one time I went with my mom and whatever she got was definitely not as flavorful. Go with the eden :)

Usually I’m loyal to sweetgreen for my nutritious meals. Though with the recent news sweetgreen is ditching DC to headquarter elsewhere I’m starting to consider new options for spending my money locally. Enter Beefsteak.
I tried their Kimchi-​wa. I liked it, though I think it might have been better mixed together more instead of having a glob of kimchi here, a dollop of sour cream there. Without the crunch (corn nuts?) and cream that came with it, it would have been just healthy but bland. I prefer how sweetgreen organizes dishes — you know what is seasonal, which have grains, the calorie content of everything. Beefsteak is not a bad addition to the healthy-​eating scene though, I’d come back.

I was really excited to try Beefsteak since I really like vegan food, but I was SO disappointed. The concept is good, but the food is gross. I built my own meal and ordered a variety of veggies, quinoa and tomato sauce. The tomato sauce tasted funny and did not blend well with the other ingredients. Also, I ordered avocado, and they charge you based on if you want a quarter or half of avocado. I’ve never seen that before. Sweetgreen charges you extra for avocado, but they give you half and call it a day.
As other reviewers have mentioned, Beefsteak is overpriced. I get it. It’s DC, Jose Andres and «quality» ingredients, but sweetgreen and shop house manage to keep their prices reasonable, while offering similar quality ingredients. I would probably be willing to pay what they charge if the food turned out to be good, but it isn’t, so I won’t. So disappointing!

I think that the food is great – good quality, and tasty, although I do wish there was a meat option other than just chicken.
However, the ordering system and staff is still problematic. I have been in several times now, and every time it takes FOREVER to get my order. There are always a ton of people working there, however most seem apathetic, and inevitably there is one person making the orders along the line, one at the register, and then everyone else is in the back, even when a line of people forms.
I think if they could get the system working more smoothly, this would be 4 starts for sure.

After ODing on Xmas cookies, I needed some healthy food in my life. Cue Beefsteak! I was too intimidated to make my own (next time!), so I chose one of their «favorite» bowls, all of which sounded delicious. Settled on the Kimchi-​wa, which was pretty dang tasty. I was surprised at how filling it was– I expected it to be less substantial than something with meat, but it was enough for me for both lunch and dinner. The flavors of the yogurt sauce, ginger dressing, and the Sriracha I added on top mingled together quite nicely. Service was fast, staff was very friendly, and there was plenty of seating (mostly long, communal tables). And price was comparable to other fast casual places. Will definitely be back to try more options!

There is no beef or steak here. If you enjoy eating meat I strongly encourage you to go somewhere else. They charge a lot of money for vegetables, I just don’t understand where they get the right to charge that much for lettuce.

I think I found my new favorite lunch/​healthy spot. It’s so much better than salad bars, Chipotle, Potbelly, Shophouse, etc. I got the beet sandwich with the kale juice. I felt so healthy eating my lunch and normally I won’t eat carbs but it felt like I wasn’t coming a crime. Love this place and I will totally be back!

So much love for Beefsteak. I’ve been to this location (and the other in DC) a handful of times now, and have always left very satisfied and happy. These are different sensations, so I want to explain… satisfied meaning I feel full, happy meaning I feel good about what I ate. I’m not a vegetarian, but if I could eat at Beefsteak every day, I would be.
Most recently I brought my cousin to Beefsteak. She’s a pescetarian and absolutely loved it… talked about how rare it is to find a place that, as we said, honors vegetables. So I really appreciate how Beefsteak does that. The veggies are the centerpiece of the meal, and they’re done gorgeously.
To appeal to people who won’t eat here *because* it’s all veggies – come on, you know they exist – I do think Beefsteak could have more toppings. They have chicken but it’s chicken sausage and is pretty underwhelming (I got it the first time thinking it was fresh chicken, and won’t get it again). How about a grilled chicken breast? Of course, I also understand not wanting to go that route because of what this restaurant is, at its core.
Also wish Jose Andreas would open more fast-​casual places.

2.5 Stars
I guess I should start out by saying, I like vegetables but I also love meat. This is a vegan’s paradise. So many veggies to choose from! It’s like Chipotle in the sense that there’s an assembly line and you can choose what you want in your bowl and you can get it customized!
For those of us who are less creative, there are signature items on the menu. I opted for the Beefsteak burger: brioche bun, beefsteak tomato, onions. I didn’t realize that you could add on meat and avocado, so I took that liberty.
I think I paid around $ 10. I have to say, I was definitely disappointed with the size of the «burger.» It was gone in 4 bites. The chicken that I had paid extra for was ground chicken and wasn’t that filling.
They do however have a lot of drink options to choose from, like juices and lemonade. Really like the concept of this place, just wasn’t a fan of the execution.
I also didn’t think the employees were that thrilled to be there. I asked for chicken and avocado to be added on when I was paying, and they seemed noticeably distraught that I would request something additional (Even though the store was not full by any means).
My main bone to pick with this place is the bathrooms. They were absolutely horrid. I went into one and there were plastic gloves on the floor, everything was wet, and there was no soap and it smelled AWFUL. I decided to go to the one next to me and it wasn’t much better. There were plenty of employees in the store and I even saw the manager having a chat at one of the tables with one of the employees. This store could work on their cleanliness and attitude.

If you like vegetables, you will love this! I’m a huge Sweetgreen fan but sometimes I want cooked vegetables. Now I have that option thanks to Beefsteak.
I made my own bowl, which made me a little worried at first… After all, how do you know if you are picking the right things? Now that I’ve done it, I think it would be hard to make a bad bowl if you pick the foods you like. I eat meat but I went all veggie. I’m avoiding sugar, gluten, and high glycemic foods these days, and that was easy here. The veggies are cooked in boiling water and you get to pick all of your toppings. I will definitely be back.

if i could give it ten stars I would. 9 dollars for a bucket full of DELICIOUS beautifully sauced and flavored vegetables. It feels like an answer to God’s prayers. i built my own. I put in everything I loved. A Beefsteak in NYC would SLAAAAYYYYYY. Please branch out to NYC, we need you.
Yes, the ordering system is totally overwhelming and intimidating but once you do it, you can’t wait to go back.

Came here for lunch with a co-​worker during their opening week. We had some problems with the ordering process, but I hope things get smoothed out.
Definitely pricey for the area, I think my order ended up ~$ 15, but super tasty! I also sampled their house-​made juices and they were all super good – especially the lavender lemonade!
I had the Beefsteak burger and added a poached egg, while my coworker had the Frida Kale. I honestly was surprised at how flavorful and delicious both ended up being – and I am a veggie lover!
Worth trying at least once – I’ll definitely be back!

Absolutely love this place. You’re able to customize a healthy bowl and the main ingredients are veggies. As a person who doesn’t eat that many greens, it definitely has me wanting to come back for more.
Gave this place 4 stars because of the prices.

I was really excited to try this place, but I have mixed feelings. I tried one of the premade options because it was too overwhelming my first time to make my own though that’s an appealing option for the future. I do really wish they had brown rice. I know they have quinoa which I got and was great, but brown rice is a great option. I didn’t really love that they steamed the vegetables and there seemed to be some water from that in my food which was not awesome. With the sauce they put on top it was very runny. I thought the vegetables were good, but like others said even the premade bowls don’t seem to really go together or make sense. I’ll come back to give Beefsteak another chance but for right now Sweetgreen remains my fast-​casual salad love.

It’s really easy to get all of your veggies in at this place. I chose a customized grain bowl with a quinoa base, cilantro sauce, all my veggies, and an avocado half and poached egg on top. It was a lot of food and it was delicious, but it was pretty expensive, especially the add-​ons. Two bowls and 2 juices were almost $ 40 — that’s a bit steep for what is basically fast food. It is entirely fresh food that spoils quickly, so the cost is a little understandable. While I’d definitely go back I’d first consider making the bowl myself. The juice was amazing. I had both the apple beet juice and the cucumber kale something-​or-​other. The line was out the door when we got there and the place isn’t very big, but we easily got a seat. Be prepared to share a table with another group.

Never go full potato, unless you’re at beefsteak. This is the place to go if you are looking to find a veggie fix. Don’t let the title confuse you because this is all veg all day.
I heard about this place from one of my gym mates and since I live the healthy lifestyle, I decided to check it out after a workout. Walking in, you’re essentially in the line (shout out to the layout planner for efficiency). There’s ample seating for big or small parties as well as a few outdoor seating options. Quality of plastic forks and spoon = next level. I can’t deal with flimsy plastic forks when eating veggies because they bend too easily and its frustrating.
Anyways, going to the important part: the creation of your food. They have a menu with a few pre-​made options, but that’s not as fun as creating your own food. The ordering process is similar to chipotle where you choose your options. When you first order, you get to choose from a variety of veggies. Name the veggie and it’s there. You can choose one or you can select all of them. ITS UNLIMITED. After selecting your veggies, they go into a boiler while you choose your base (quinoa, rice, and i think bulgur *what the hell is bulgur?) I usually get quinoa. Next you move to the secondary base which are a secondary starch. You can only choose 3 of these :(. I usually get the kimchi, seaweed salad, and radishes. Next you can choose a dressing (I get the soy ginger) and finally toppings (only 3 can be selected). Once the veggies are fully boiled, they’re transferred to the bowl and voila! you’ve created your salad. I know they have the option for meat IFF you really are craving some protein.
All in all, this is a great place for a healthy fix and I’ll definitely frequent this more often.
Tip: If you’re making your own bowl, don’t forget about the spinach, kale, and other greens in the showcase fridge behind the main assembly line of veggies. I missed it the first time until someone pointed out.

I was really excited when Beefsteak was opening in Dupont, as I’ve always wanted to try Jose Andres’s fast casual salad concept, but foggy bottom was just too far from me. I finally tried it today, and unfortunately I think it’s the worst out of the fast casual salad places I have had. I picked the kimchi wa, and as others have said, they mix things without much rhyme or reason, and what fits together nicely. I also don’t like the fact that they boil/​steam the veges, killing some nutrients you get vs raw vegetables. I also don’t like the chicken sausage, I much prefer grilled chicken. In the end, the heap of vegetables and sauces didn’t come out very flavorful. The salad was bland, somewhat soggy, and not appetizing at all.
The service didn’t help as well. One of the salad makers who had her hair covered and wore glasses, was making my salad and when it came to choosing the grain, I said rather loudly (I’m not timid when it comes to my order!) that I would like the quinoa, not the rice. However she never looked up or tried to listen, and just proceeded to dump rice and the sauce over it. I wasn’t sure it was my salad or not, so I told the next person who was understanding, and said yes the rice was already there, but told the originally woman that I wanted quinoa not rice. So she gave me this look like «seriously» and I told her that I did tell her but I guess she must have missed it. So she took my bowl, dumped the food in the trash, and slammed the bowl on the table (and left it on the table instead of just dumping the whole thing in the trash). I was like whoa, all I did was ask for quinoa, as if I totally ruined her day when she wasn’t even looking or listening to me before putting my grain down. I got my quinoa but I’m never coming back there with attitude like that. The other staff however, were all really friendly and pleasant.
I tried to finish my salad but it just wasn’t good to me. Worst yet, my brother said he started to feel sick after. I will not be back here. I much prefer the other fast casual salad places.

Certainly a FRESH surprise.
If your going vegetarian the month of October, beefsteak is a QSR you have to check out. Here’s the concept: Jose Andres is now in the QSR game and believes the future is vegetables. After eating at beefsteak, I think he’s right.
You have a number of choices. I went with my brother and decided to get 2 bowls, one for each of us. Essentially you pic your vegetables which are then flash boiled right in front of you. You then get to pic a grain or a salad. The yogurt dressing is delicious and the fact that you can add avocado and seaweed salad is awesome. This food doesn’t sit heavy at all, no food coma involved here.
My brother and I also split a beefsteak burger which looks like a hamburger, but is really a tomato, it was delicious. Make sure to also try the lemonade, it is incredibly refreshing.
I love the convenience of this location and the design of the restaurant is killer. I’ll be back here all the time for lunch and quick dinners. Fantastic.

Dupont has &Pizza (the Chipotle of pizza), Shophouse (the Chipotle of Asian food), and now Beefsteak is the Chipotle of vegetables.
I went on opening day today, which went impressively smoothly. The space is really nice — large, modern, and open, and in a prime area.
The concept: Make your own bowls. Despite the restaurant name having «beef» and «steak» in it, neither are available. (Actually, neither are beefsteak tomatoes unless you get a «beefsteak sandwich»). You select your own fresh vegetables, as many as you would like, the veggies are «flash prepared» (aka boiled, I think), and you then top it with protein, sauce, grain, and more.
I selected about 6 veggies (edamame, mushrooms, zucchini, corn, and green beans are the ones I recall), added chicken sausage (which was excellent), and an array of sauces and toppings. The «toppings» don’t only include stuff like sesame seeds, but also more substantive offerings — I got seaweed salad and kimchi. I also tried each of the three grains — rice, quinoa, and something called bulgur, which was actually my favorite.
The result was a bowl that was quite large and diverse. It’s pretty rare that I am not able to finish my lunch, and somehow I couldn’t quite do so with this overwhelming bowl. I really liked the kimchi and seaweed salad, and especially enjoyed the chicken sausage. I found myself picking around the veggies, which may be a bit blasphemous, but there were too many other good things in the bowl to prioritize steamed edamame too highly. You could select as many veggies as will fit in the bowl, so you could probably create a pretty giant serving.
My overall reaction is mixed. I liked most of the pieces of the bowl, but it didn’t seem to «come together» to me. Kimchi is good, but I don’t usually mix that with corn, quinoa, and chicken sausage. (The fault maybe mine as a «make your own bowl» creator).
I would probably have rated beefsteak at 4 stars, but the price point will probably keep me from returning. The «base» bowl is $ 7.50, but adding the rice was a dollar and the chicken was three more dollars, so my post-​tax total was close to $ 13. That’s a lot for lunch, especially considering I could get a similarly-​filling bowl for $ 7.50 post-​tax next door at Shophouse. I had a $ 4 coupon I expected to use after I downloaded the «Beefsteak» app, but the cashier told me their system was down, so I guess I’ll return to redeem that and then return to my «under-​$ 10» lunch routine.