Soul Vegetarian Restaurant & Exodus Carry-Out (DC)

"Soul Veg," as it is known is an all vegan soul food* joint near Howard University in DC.

DECOR: Hole in the wall / carryout type. There are maybe 5 tables with the metal & vinyl pullout chairs you might remember from back in the day. Modest church** decor on the walls. Not an impress-your-date spot, though she's vegan, so maybe a test-your-date type spot.

CUISINE WARNINGS: None. Everything is vegan. There is a fear that soul food, being greasy cholesterol laden stuff, might likewise stumble into junk-food veganism, but it doesn't seem such.

VARIETY: they have a hot bar, which is quick, and then i suppose you can order things, but i either go during breakfast or late (when the kithcen is shutting down). Not super extensive, but okay. Maybe like 10 sandwiches, and the hot bar usually has 2+ entres and a variety of vegetables.

COST: $9 for a single entree off the hot bar. Sandwiches are like $4-7. Most things under $10. Full brunch runs $12 and easly feeds 2.

DELICIOSITY: People rave about the mac & "cheese" and yams, and i've heard good things about some type of burger not on the hot bar. Brunch is great--pancakes excellent, grits excellent, tofu scramble excellent, vegan sausage was dry and a tad boring but tasty enough. (Update: the Mac & Cheese is off the chain, as is their vegetable protein's texture).

OVERALL: a nice neighborhood spot for the non-bourgeoisie. Service won't be fast if they're actually cooking something for you, so stick to the hot bar. And i can't certify the spot as LGBT friendly,** which sort of sucks, but lest we forget the society we live in, that's sort of normal...

* - "Soul food," if you don't know, is essentially southern comfort food vastly popular amongst African Americans with southern roots. It's not wholly dissimilar from stuff white southerners eat, but it is its own distinct cuisine family. And frankly, africans intented southern cuisine.)

** - There are many Soul Veg restaurants around the country, all apparently a project of The African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem church. So if you've heard any of the criticisms of Soul Veg staff (i've heard rumor of discomfort with the genderqueer and impatience with obnoxious white people), keep in mind these are religious folk. I've never observed these phenomenon and find cats to be quite kind, but i'm not outwardly genderqueer and also loathe obnoxious white people.