When I was contacted to review Roti’s vegetarian and vegan options, I almost said ‘no.’ Reviews can put you in a tough position. I do not like posting bad reviews, but I also refuse to mislead my readers. More often than not, I deny offers to review products and restaurants, as I’m a pretty opinionated mamasita
Right before declining, I remembered that one of my former coworkers from the Senate loved the place. Whenever we’d venture to Union Station, like clockwork, she’d go to Roti and I’d go to another place to get a salad. Well, it was time to break convention… I said ‘yes.’
When I arrived, I explained that I was there for a vegan tasting. What came next was a feast of yellow rice, mixed veggies, falafel, hummus, cucumber salad, sumac onions, slaw, Israeli couscous, a 7-olive blend, and get this–gluten free pita bread! The colors were pretty, satisfying my eye hunger, the smells were harmonious, satisfying my nose hunger, but alas, what about my mouth hunger? and my mind hunger? and my tummy hunger? Well, I’m hear to tell you that all three were glowing with joy! The food was prepared to perfection–the rice and couscous were tender, the pita was that perfect balance between fluffy and chewy, the fresh veggies were crisp, the hummus was creamy. And the food was seasoned well–not too salty, definitely not bland (particularly when doused in the sweet and spicy “shug” sauce).
Roti, a relatively new restaurant currently concentrated in DC, NY, and Chicago, has plans to expand into new markets. What I loved most was that despite considering themselves a “fast food” restaurant, their options tasted slow cooked, like they were prepared with care and love. My intuition was right, as almost everything is made in house. This was especially appealing for me because not only do I rarely eat out, but I almost never eat at fast food restaurants. My stomach cannot take the sodium and fat (and neither can my mind nor my heart). But with Roti came food that I’d definitely eat when in a rush, when I’ve forgotten my lunch on the counter at home, or when traveling.
Everything I mentioned so far in this post is vegan. For vegetarians, there’s also roasted eggplant (has honey in it, otherwise, it would be vegan), Tzatziki, a red pepper mayo, and feta. All in all, I found the food refreshing and I found myself really wishing that Roti would position themselves in airports. I travel a lot and am almost always craving good, healthy, veg-centric options in a sea of greasy spoons. If you’re not in an area with Roti, hopefully you’ll get to try it at some point and if you are in an area with Roti and haven’t tried it yet, I would absolutely recommend it! To more veg-centric options!
