(Updated 2:25 p.m.) It can be hard to find good vegetarian and vegan-friendly options around Alexandria. After a walk along the waterfront or a stroll through Del Ray, it’s nice to know where you or your friends with plant-based diets can stop in for a meal.
ALXnow has you covered.
There are a couple different ways of ranking Alexandria’s vegan restaurants, but one of the most consistent is from Happy Cow, an app dedicated to helping users find vegetarian and vegan-friendly options.
Ranked by ratings, these are the Happy Cow users’ top choices in Alexandria:
- PLNT Burger (1700 Duke Street): a regional chain with plant-based burgers. The Alexandria location is in the Whole Foods Market on Duke Street.
- Spice Kraft Indian Bistro (2607 Mount Vernon Avenue): an Indian restaurant with two locations, one in Arlington and another in Alexandria. Has several vegan and vegetarian options.
- Hawwi Ethiopian (1125 Queen Street): an Ethiopian restaurant in Old Town with vegan options.
- Asian Wok Cafe (828 N. Washington Street): a casual Chinese restaurant with a fairly extensive vegetarian and vegan menu, including vegan versions of classic Chinese dishes.
- Yunnan by Potomac Noodle House (814 N. Fairfax Street): a restaurant in the Montgomery Center focusing on food from southwest China. Enjoy it while it’s in Alexandria, though, because it’s moving to Arlington due to the redevelopment of the Montgomery Center.
- Caphe Banh Mi (407 Cameron Street): a Vietnamese restaurant in Old Town with vegan options.
- Lost Dog Cafe (808 N. Henry Street): a pizza and sandwich regional chain with some vegan and vegetarian options,
though the selection for vegan/vegetarian options is very limited. Update: Lost Dog Cafe has vegan cheese as a substitute option and all vegetarian sandwiches and pizzas can be made vegan. - Mai Thai Restaurant (6 King Street): a Thai restaurant on Alexandria’s waterfront with several vegan options.
- &pizza (Hoffman Town Center, Bradlee Shopping Center, Potomac Yard): a regional pizza chain with several premade and customizable vegan pizza options.
- The Peoples Drug (103 N. Alfred Street): a sandwich and cocktail bar in Old Town with vegan options, notably a plant-based meatball sub.
Yelp, meanwhile, ranked Spice Kraft as the number one highest rated vegan-friendly restaurant in Alexandria. Yelp’s Top Ten also included Fetching Goodies, a vegan and gluten-free residential bakery with treats available for purchase online to be picked up on East Windsor Avenue.
ALXnow checked in with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and got some recommendations as well:
PLNT Burger is 100% vegan and located inside a Whole Foods Market. They offer various kinds of burgers, chik’n sandwiches, and a “Save the Bay Fillet”.
The following restaurants aren’t fully vegan, but do offer vegan options:
Hawwi Ethiopian Restaurant offers a vegan sampler, which includes chickpea puree, beets and potatoes, and collard greens served with Injera (flatbread) or basmati rice.
Spice Kraft Indian Bistro has several vegan options, such as vegetable korma and bhuna bartha (roasted eggplant) can make other entrees vegan upon request.
Aditi Indian Dining also has several vegan options, including channa masala and gobi Manchurian (cauliflower).
Falafel Inc has a small menu, but offers great options, like a vegan meat shawarma sandwich with red umami cabbage with vegan dressings.
Andy’s Pizza in Old Town has a great vegan pizza called Miller Time made with locally made vegan cheese (vertage brand).
The following are near Alexandria:
Busboys and Poets in Arlington has many vegan options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, like vegan egg wraps, vegan tuna salad, and vegan Bolognese pasta.
Loving Hut in Falls church is 100% vegan with everything from summer rolls with vegan meats to spicy noodle soups.
Chay Restaurant is also in Falls Church and features Vietnamese cuisine where about 80-90% of the menu items are vegan.
Image via Spice Kraft Indian bistro/Facebook