Shouk

Came to this area for a conference. Delicious food and very friendly service. Definitely going back this week before going home. The burger is to die for.

It's nice that it's vegan but I can't believe how many people rated this place 5 starts. The food is mediocre at best. Very strange and conflicting flavors. The pita bread was nice as was the spicy harissa bust that's about it. Is was pricy but we are in DC so it's expected. I had the burger and my hubby had a pita. It was just ok. There are many much better places in the area. Overall I would NOT recommend.

Went here after the Women's March (on the advice of the reviewer below!). Slightly out of the main drag so the queue wasn't too big and I was glad I wasn't put off by the small seating area. The food was stunningly good and even though I had to eat perched on the sidewalk I was really impressed. The black bean pitta was jam packed with flavour and food and fantastically spicy. Sweet potato fries and dip were also done to perfection, if only they had a Shouk near me in the UK!

Stopped in during historic Women's March and they insisted on giving free lunch to all marchers! What a place! The burger was rich and dense and so tasty. Love these people, love this food!

To start with, as a tourist, it's a bit tricky to find.
But this place definitely deserves 5 stars. To begin with, the staff are friendly and know what they're doing. The food is superb. Must try the Shouk Burger and Mushroom Pita Pocket. Also the bathroom is clean. Yay.

I was at the convention center for a conference and had the burger bowl one night (the bowl option has rice and lentils instead of a pita, and I thought it would be better to go since the pita might get soggy). I was astonished with how good it was! I went back for lunch another day (cauliflower pita) which was also good but I had to get the burger bowl for my plane ride. Amazing!

The place was busy on a weeknight, doing a brisk take-out business. Small seating area, several communal tables and a few smaller ones. The Shouk Burger and Polenta Fries are very good, can't go wrong!

As of mid December 2016 the map marker is slightly off. The true location is on the K Street side (south east corner) of the building, not the New York Ave NW side as shown. Reported, hopefully they fix it, I don't want you to miss this restaurant!

The place is nice! The personal was excellent! And for the food it was so tasty ! I'll be there a million times again 👍

Shouk offers fast, fresh, flavorful food. They have a lot of nice pita sandwich options, and I ended up opting for the fennel one. The pita was pillowy soft, and all of the fillings were tasty and well-seasoned. I also ordered a side of polenta fries, which were quite nice.

Even so, I'm not sure that I'd go out of my way to make a second trip there, given that the meals are so pricey. The pita sandwich was nearly $10, and it's not particularly large or filling. To be fair, their quality is quite good, but even so, I've had just as good or better (e.g., Taim in NYC) for less.

Delicious vegan food. Spicy to the right level. Great atmosphere. Soup and a large rice bowl for 15 dollars. Went there twice and will be back.

The staff were very friendly and warm as I walked in and helped me decide what to get. I had the fennel bowl with sweet potato fries and a lavender lemonade. I really enjoyed the food and the music.

Had the cauliflower pita because I love cauliflower but it was so hard to choose -- everything on the menu looks good. I had just the pita and really enjoyed my dinner. The sauce made it extra memorable and it was just the right amount of food. You can ask for light sauce or extra sauce! My dining buddies had the ratatouille pita and the lentil soup and they oohed and ahhed over those, too. Lots of seating-- we ate outdoors. Everyone working there looks like he/she is having a blast. Good music. Going back soon.

Updated from previous review on 2016-09-28

The vibe of Shouk is fresh and clean, with an open food assembly area and small section for dry goods. The focused menu consists of pita sandwich options, salads and sides. My sister ordered the cauliflower pita with tahini and jalapeno oil and I got the fennel pita with potato, red pepper and pistachio pesto. The pita was soft and chewy and was filled generously with the veggies. We also shared a side of sweet potato fries that was served with cashew labneh. Shouk's offerings surpass most other Middle Eastern food I have had, and it is an absolute must for vegans in DC!

Creative flavorful food - great freshly made whole wheat pita, roasted fennel and cauliflower tasty. Seaweed seemed out of place in cucumber chickpea combo. Harissa was somewhat bitter. The acoustics are terrible - maybe some rugs on wall or something is needed. Rap harsher than usual and poor fit. The furniture is hard and uncomfortable. The rosemary lemonade had too much rosemary flavor. But i believe this place has lots of potential and would go back again as the menu has lots of interesting choices.

I went there for dinner and was quite disappointed since I expected too much from previous reviews. The place looks nice but there is little choice and the food is not fantastic whereas prices are quite high in comparison to other vegan restaurants in DC. First, the staff made a mistake for a side and they were quite upset when we signalled it to them. Their sweet potatoe fries contain too much cumin and were not very hot. My friend ordered a hummus sandwich that had almost no hummus... Very disappointing for the price you paid (around 10$ for a pita bread with some vegetables and a little hummus). The only positive thing was their cashew labne. It was excellent!

On the whole, I would not recommend this place but I hope they will improve their offer!

Updated from previous review on 2016-07-29

Thank you other reviewers for the recommendation to try the brown rice and lentil bowl. I ordered the cauliflower (roasted) with tomato, scallion, tahina, and jalapeno oil along with hummus and pita. Wow! Best meal I have had in a while and at a great value. I will be returning before I leave DC. Better than the great food, the use sustainable service ware and responded to questions about the ingredients in the dishes.

As a longtime vegan, I brought two omnivore friends for dinner here, and we all agreed that the food was great and the place was lots of fun!

Our table shared the polenta fries plus dip & pita - and agreed that the dips (cashew labneh / beet tahina / hummus) were the best we'd ever had. I loved my ratatouille pita; my omnivore friends had the fennel pita and the basta salad and were equally satisfied.

Really great options for pitas - but I recommend getting it as a bowl with brown rice and lentils, then adding the hummus and pita as a side. The chocolate chip and cardamom cookie is the best vegan cookie I've ever had. In fact, it may have been the best chocolate chip cookie I've ever had. At least in a long time. Pretty simple and stripped down interior - but it's all you need and the food is great. Polenta fries are also strongly recommended.

This is a truly superb addition to DC! The ambiance is awesome -- it feels like you're being transported to the Middle East (okay... sort of... as best as possible given that it's in the middle of a brand new DC development). The food choices are diverse and incredibly creative and flavorful. We were so excited to find it we bought way too much... but particularly enjoyed the ratatouille lentil/rice bowl and the polenta fries. I am excited to keep going back and trying everything.

Shouk's food is super yummy, especially their polenta fries and tomato tahini. The vibes are cool, the staff is friendly, and they have beers!

Thanks, Shouk, for showing up in the Mt. Vernon area of DC and having some tasty all veg choices! I love that there is an almond milk in-house made beverage - very refreshing and fun.

Any item you order here, it will have a good flavor, but, it is too salty for my taste and the price tag is also a bit more than I would hope. However, the price you pay is to have the satisfaction and certainty of knowing whatever you order is veg! Priceless, really. Drag whomever you like to this place, and everyone will find something.

Rice bowls instead of pita sandwiches are good choices if you don't want the wheat or gluten. The portions are decent but if you have a big appetite, you will still be hungry or need to buy more.

Mushroom lentil and cauliflower rice bowls or pita sandwiches, beet salad and polenta fries are just a few tasty options, but don't stop there - sweet potato fries and fennel bowl/ sandwich, oh yes! The menu is a lot of fun, but, just be careful of price and salt if you have concerns for either.

We tried the soup of the day (green lentil soup),mushroom pita and cauliflower pita which came with hummus and plain pita.
The food was fresh and full of spices.
I loved the pita and hummus, really delicious, nothing to complain about :)!
For the mushroom pita I think it needs a fresh salad to make the most of it, next time I will definitely also get a salad. The cauliflower pita was really special, saucy with a few fresh tomatoes, but I would also try it with a fresh salad next time.
They also sell spices, olive oil, spreads and other goods. I got the zataar spice which is wonderful and has a good pruce.
Soups were good, but portions not so big.
I would definitely go back. I still regret not having a side salad :(

DC has surprisingly few places where you can get fast casual plant based food, so I was delighted to learn about Shouk in the gossip section of the Washington Post - apparently Sen. Cory Booker and Moby casually dropped in a few weeks ago. Stopped in this weekend to check it out, and ordered the cashew labneh and hummus, Both were amazing, but I could not stop eating the cashew labneh - kind of a dip-like cashew-based concoction that used the pita bread as a platform. The pita was outstanding - much thicker than I'm used to having it, but so hearty and fabulous. Will definitely be stopping in to try more of the dishes. Oh, and the rosemary limeade was different and refreshing after a long bike ride.

Great tasting pita sandwiches with unique flavors you really can't get anywhere else. Friendly service. Prices can be a bit high for not being organic, but I am fine with it if they keep the quality as good as it currently is.

i've been to lots of middle eastern restaurants, and was expecting similar - but this place is different! the food is really creative - all the dishes we had were incredibly flavorful and had combinations of things we wouldn't have thought to put together. it didn't feel at all like a vegan place, it's somewhere i can take all my carnivore friends to and they'd be happy. i'll come here every time i visit dc - only wish there was one in sf!

We walked to Shouk from the mall. It was well worth the 1.5 mile walk.

Tried the black bean pita wrap (with sweet potato, red pepper, tomato, arugula, spicy harissa) and it was pretty good, very spicy too. Also the sweet potato fries were great. The polenta fries were not as good though.