Native Foods Cafe

*Disclaimer: I only tried one dish so this is not a –final– rating!
Came here for lunch and got the Soul Bowl with a side of fries. From what I had read, the «native chicken» appeared the most appealing to me and I liked the idea of a bbq/​ranch style bowl, but alas, the bowl only came with four measly sticks of this «native chicken».
The dish itself was not that interesting, nor was it very tasty unfortunately. Despite its very appealing description, the brown rice and steamed veggies were very bland, and the «native chicken» itself did not have much flavor. Regrettably, all the taste of the dish came from the bbq and ranch sauces, which does not speak well about the flavors of the bowl itself. I’m afraid I have been spoiled by other DELICIOUS vegan places that have dishes that are 10x more appealing with much better flavors.
While I am tempted to try other dishes at this place to give it a saving grace, it’s unlikely I’d try it again. Better options are out there.

I had the Native Southwestern Burger with roasted veggies as a side. When I got the plate, there was a hair on top of my burger. Then there were gnats flying all around my food. The veggies were good but the burger left much to be desired. This location is closing December 8^th and I can definitely see why.
Very friendly staff though!

Yay! Native Foods is now in DC! I’ve visited a Native Foods location in LA in the past and really enjoyed my experience there. I had an enjoyable experience at the DC location as well. It’s located conveniently in Penn Quarter and is perfect as a lunch spot. They even have an outdoor patio where you can dine on warm days. It’s been unseasonably warm recently so I dined on the patio.
They have quite a selection here and I ultimately settled on the Thai Meatball earth bowl (Thai seitan meatball with mango-​lime chili sauce, roasted red peppers, and lemongrass broccoli on a bed of organic quinoa and super slaw. This was delicious but my only complaint is that it’s quite a small portion for $ 10.
Other than the disappointing portion size, I really liked Native Foods. I definitely recommend it!

A caveat: every Native Foods review I write is in comparison to my visits to the original Native Foods in southern California, back in the days when the founder still owned it (and did free cooking demos!). Those were the days.
Native Foods as a whole has gone downhill since then. Still, this location was decent. I had the twister wrap with buffalo chicken, which was as good as I remembered. My husband had the Oklahoma burger, which tasted good but was half the size it used to be. We had both the regular and sweet potato fries, which are still great. They no longer come with ranch, so now you can pay a dollar more for a huge cup of dressing that’s way more than you’ll need to dip some fries. Very wasteful.
Speaking of wasteful, for a chain that was founded on concern for the planet and for animals, our meal generated a lot of waste. Our sandwiches were served in plastic bowls, our fries in paper boxes, the utensils were plastic, the water cups were plastic – and we’d told them we were dining in! Native Foods once used reusable plates and utensils. Even if all of this is recyclable, recycling still takes energy. Seriously, this is not what the Native Foods I love would do.

I really love what Native Foods is all about. An approachable vegan fast-​food café with options that both carnivores and vegetarians can get excited about. While their menu serves up tons of mouth-​watering meatless burgers, «meat» sandwiches and «chicken» wraps, I find that they lack the fresh, healthy, options that many vegans and vegetarians crave. Native Foods does offer a variety of veggie bowls and salads however, I have yet to be impressed by anything that I have ordered from there that has been mildly healthy.
To give you an example, knowing that I wasn’t crazy about Native Food’s salads or veggie bowls, I decided to try out a whole-​wheat sandwich. I ordered a seasonal veggie wrap and to my dismay it was oozing with mayonnaise and stuffed with FRIED avocados… why would anyone do the injustice of FRYING AVOCADOS!!!
So, all in all, Native Foods is a great place to enjoy some high calorie vegan food, but if you are looking for delicious, plant-​based, healthy options, I would suggest going elsewhere.

Unfriendly service and dirty.
None of the employees smiled. Even food seemed unhappy.
It’s nice that Native Foods is available in a city with few vegan options, but this place needs an attitude adjustment.
I’ve been to many NF throughout the country but this is by far my least favorite.

We stopped by Native for a quick vegetarian lunch. This restaurant is an order at the register style and food is brought to your table. The staff was very friendly and informed us of all of their specialty faux meats. I ordered the portobello and «sausage» burger that was made of a wheat blend. The sandwich was delicious and not heavy for a hot day.
I ordered a side of fries that were heavily seasoned. They ran out of ketchup so I requested barbecue sauce which I didn’t feel like was a good match for the fry seasoning. I also had a watermelon fresca that, although delicious, got to be a bit much in regards to powerful flavoring.

Ordered the chicken bacon avo club. Tasted fresh, crispy and loved the creamy avo.
The Japanese chicken bites were tender, moist, and delicious.
The lavender lemonade is tasty and freshing, though it gets increasingly sweet with each sweet.
Nice place to stop by after a long day of museum hopping.

I walk by this place so often that I finally decided to have lunch here. First, the girl at the counter was super sweet and had great meal suggestions for me — a non-​vegetarian. I ordered my meal to go, no drink. She offered me a cup for water since it was so hot outside. Very considerate.
Once I got back to work, I was pleasantly surprised by how good the food was! Even as a carnivore, I wasn’t really missing the «meat.» I chose one of the classics — Chicken Run Ranch Burger — with seasoned fries. First, the crispy battered «Native Chicken» had a pretty realistic texture. A little softer than chicken; more like an extra firm crab cake. Nonetheless, the taste was good, especially with the ranch dressing, romaine, carrots (like a slaw) and whole wheat bun. The fries were shoestring. Since I took them to go, they were not hot, but that’s my fault. The seasoning was pretty tasty.
All in all, I will be coming back to try some of the other choices. Plus, they’ve got some yummy looking desserts!

Um hello!!! Vegan/​Vegetarian restaurant?! I’m so there.
After a short museum trip, I forced Brian (a carnivore) to go here with me. It took forever to find– which is sad. I’ve been living just outside DC all of my life and could NOT find it (right by the metro stop in front of the U.S. Naval memorial).
Upon arriving we met this fabulous employee– Jazmyn! She is not only hilarious but so very kind. She helped us navigate through the menu– especially my carnivorous friend.
On to the food– I had the Avocado/​Chicken/​Bacon sandwich (the name escapes me!). It was so good! We also ordered chili cheese fries and the hummus mixed with the chili was the best I’ve had. Brian tried a chicken burger and loved it as well (which is rare– he is picky). The Watermelon FRESCA is amazing. I’m craving it as I type this.
So glad to try something delicious and new! I will be visiting the Falls Church location soon as it’s closer to where I live, but I’ll be back to DC to visit Jazmyn!

Although the presentation of the gyro bowl (~$ 10) did not look the best, the food was delicious, and it hit the spot for a quick, healthy meal. Would not order again, but I would definitely come back to try out other things in the menu.
I think I could go vegetarian and eat here every day because the mock meat was delicious. I also got a side of the seasoned fries, and it wasn’t that flavorful, but the fries were thin. It was good, but I might skip the fries next time for a healthier meal.
The food does take some time for preparation, so have a little patience and it will be delivered to your table shortly. Lots of seating, including outdoor patio seating overlooking the fountain at Archives as well. Perfect snack if you’re in the National Mall area and need a quick, healhty meal from browsing the museums.
Usually places like this have nutrition/​caloric value on the menu, but there was none to be found here. Would appreciate that info.

I watched one of the chefs prepare food and noticed he did not wear gloves. Eeks! Maybe that explains why I felt sick after eating some salad?
Also, one of the things that concerns me is they tend to be low or running out of things but inform you after your order has been taken. They offer to make substitutions but by then, you’ve already paid.

Ever since I started meatless Monday’s I have been filling my Monday hunger pangs with lame Morningstar foods. Native Foods is my new go to on Mondays. I got the chicken run ranch sandwich and it was delicious! I would recommend it I anyone wanting to go veggie for a meal. It’s is filing but not so much that you feel super full after the meal.
I am not sure if real vegetarians would be a fan of the food since the texture of many of the «meats» is almost real but the fact that a veggie friend turned me on to this place tells me it will be a fan favorite of almost anyone.
Also, they have several options for delicious lemonades and teas.
Great addition to Penn Quarter.

I do not think this place deserves the high ratings it has.
Pros:
1. Location. Right near the Archives/​Navy Memorial Metro station, right on the plaza, and they have a really nice patio (although they seem to forget to put out their sun umbrellas when it’s sunny)
2. Provides more vegan options in the area. This is almost always a plus.
3. Friendly service.
Cons:
1. They serve everything in to-​go containers. EVERYTHING. Not only is this terrible for the environment, but it severely compromises the presentation of the food. I thought this was just a glitch during their soft-​opening, but they do not offer real plates or silverware or cups for drinks. Totally stupid.
2. Slow. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever had fast service at this «fast casual» chain, and this location is no exception to the rule.
3. The food is mediocre, at best. Mostly it is just bland, boring & not worth the money. It’s not even as good as it is at other Native Foods locations (which is still mediocre). I think this is because they serve everything as if it is a to-​go order, so the sauces aren’t put on the foods, they are served on the side. The side dishes are extremely small, as the to-​go container is small than the dine-​in dish used at other locations.
I would not go out of my way for this place. And there are better vegan, gluten-​free options within a one-​block radius.

Update time — the 4-​star review still stands. I tried something different this time, the «classic Reuben» with the dill potato salad, along with a Lavender Lemonade. (I’ve stopped in and had a Watermelon Fresca before, as well.) The Reuben was actually REALLY good, right up there with the original portabella «sausage» burger that I’d tried. The new side item, the potato salad, is particularly good, though — I love the dressing. It’s light, tart and refreshing, just like I like it — I can’t stand those heavy, mayo-​based dressings that a lot of places seem to use for potato salad, so this was a refreshing change.
I tried the key lime pie based on Unilocal recommendations — good choice, folks, this is some good stuff. I’m not quite used to the crust — it was a little crumbly and tastes a bit like uncooked oatmeal — but it compliments the filling VERY well. I’d love to know how they make this without dairy components, because it tastes JUST like what I’m used to from other spots. Really good.
The Lavender Lemonade is a little sweet for me. Refreshing, but too much for my palate. I liked the Watermelon Fresca a lot better — it has pulp in it, which I wasn’t prepared for, but the more I tasted, the more I enjoyed it.
The issues that keep it from being a 5-​star remain, however. Pretty slow service, even for sit-​down. The food took about 15 minutes or so to come out, and while it isn’t a hassle for ME to wait, those on restricted lunches (30 minutes or less) are going to have issues with that. Also, with dessert, the meal was pretty damned expensive — 16 and change for the portabella burger, potato salad, drink and pie. That’s a little too steep for me, even for D.C. standards.
Probably falls into the category of an «every now and then» choice. But definitely delicious, nonetheless.

Native Foods is great! I always have issues finding healthy fast food. Even places like chopt’d don’t end up being the healthiest options. However, Native Foods serves fresh and vegan options, that taste delicious.
Although the vegan fried chicken isn’t the healthiest choice at Native Foods, it’s a must try. You won’t even realize that it’s not chicken. All of their cheese is cashew based, which is amazing.
Their bowls are the healthiest options with the best portion sizes — they are a combination of quinoa/​brown rice and tempeh/​setain varieties with steamed/​roasted veggies accompanied by a sauce. I tried the Sesame Kale Macro and my friend had Greek Gyro Bowl. Both were delicious.
One point docked because they are out of stuff a lot of the time — especially their butternut squash polenta bites (heartbreaking).
I’ll be back, and plan to order different items every time I visit!

Super fun delicious, vegan food. This is a casual vegan restaurant and they’re not trying to be overly green-​smoothie on you, so you’ll see an unapologetic veg approach toward ‘regular’ dishes such as burgers, cheesesteaks etc.
Décor is hip, one step away from hippie. It’s almost like a vegan corner bakery except with a focus on savory items. Service is pleasant, and they give you little tent cards to bring out your meals. I’m a fan of Protein Bar down the street, as well, as of course the former is not vegan, but Native Foods wins on the taste quotient. Protein Bar may be better nutrition wise, because you can go more haywire at NF.
I opted to try a few things:
— Micro Greens Starter Salad — This is really great. There is a base of fresh spring mix, covered with shredded carrots and beets, and topped with high quality micro greens and sesame seeds. There are some croutons in there too which I forgot to get on the side. Balsamic dressing was surprisingly tasty
— Kung Pau Tofu — Awesome. If you’re OCD and like to have all your foods separate, this is the dish for you. There’s a portion of medium-​length brown rice (tasty, soft), shredded carrots/​cabbage (slightly marinated), teriyaki tofu (this lasted about 2 seconds), sweet potatoes (a bit 2012), and spicy broccoli (all the rage). Everything comes together nicely and it’s a super filling dish. I left most of the brown rice over, because I was getting full
— Super Sauerkraut — Harkening to my German roots, I was looking forward to this and it did not disappoint. It’s chopped kale, cabbage, some other slaw-​y things marinated in a sweet sauerkraut sauce. Loved it
This whole deluge of vegan goodness came in under $ 20. I went for dinner, so it was relatively sedate, but I understand lunch if packed at least during warm weather

So now that I can’t eat meat on Fridays due to lent, I’m glad to have found a place that’s in on the «faux meat.»
Food — I had the meatball sub ($ 7.95) and while I missed true meatballs, it was pretty good and filling. Sides are $ 1.95 while special ones are $ 2.95.
Drinks — They brew their own herbal teas in: green, blueberry, and peach. Other drinks are watermelon fresca and lavender lemonade (my fave!). All $ 2.95 with free refills.
BIG TIP!: Sign up for the frequent guest card. Get a free drink same day AND $ 10 off on your bday :) What’s not to love?

I have only two qualms about this location: it was hard to locate (it really is behind the Navy Memorial) and they use disposable cutlery and plates which I had not seen at Native Foods before.
Besides that, another great Native Foods. I had the meatball sub and a side of steamed kale. Each was delicious.
I am envious of all those who work near there.

This is a fabulous location choice for a new vegan eatery. This part of town has a few choices at best, and none are all veg. Although they are a chain, because they are a chain of restaurants, the staying power is more likely! Great news for anyone in Oenn Quarter!
The hours are longer than some other eateries in this part of town. The vibe is casual. The food is fresh. The menu is gluten free friendly and seasonal. The staff are friendly. The outside seating is plentiful, nice choice on a nice day to overlook the Memorial. It is a bit odd when you walk in that the counter is so close– very fast food feel to that aspect.
The food is not my favorite, but I will give them 5 stars for affordability, menu notes, variety, freshness, organic choices, all vegan menu, and laid back atmosphere. I love the peanut butter parfait, and I can’t get enough of it. They have delicious bowls of grains with sautéed and seasoned vegetables– quinoa and veggies never tasted so good! I appreciate that they don’t over salt.
Order, pay, sip in a beverage with free refills, get some to go box for leftovers. Good times! It’s great to know that it’s all vegan! It’s a tough market… So glad they are here!