Veg replaces Level Up Lounge with vegetarian eats

Calling all vegetarians, vegans and gluten-free folks. A new Midtown cafe will probably interest you.

Veg (2431 J Street) is now softly open in the space above Thai Basil. It used to be Level Up Lounge, and Veg comes from the same owners as the two aforementioned businesses. Level Up’s dark purple walls and neon lights are gone; the redesigned look is cozy and bright—Veg greatly benefits from the space’s abundant natural lightwith several different rooms offering different seating styles. Local art pieces and cool, bohemian light fixtures are nice touches as well.

Veg serves breakfast and lunchthough it may stay open later on weekends or for special eventsalong with coffee, tea, beer, wine and a few cocktails. The latter includes a spin on a Bloody Mary, with Thai basil, lemongrass and sea salt bitters ($9), and the Vanilla Gin, with Zeal’s Vanilla Pine kombucha, gin, lemon and hibiscus ($9).

The menu features both Thai- and Indian-influenced fare: Thai-style steamed eggs with tofu, mushrooms, fried garlic and shallots with grilled flatbread ($8); samosas with a sweet chili plum sauce ($8); naan pizza topped with roasted veggies and curry ($8); and kitchari ($4.50), an ayurvedic mix of lentils and rice. There are also more classic veggie cafe offerings, such as house-made granola with fruit, local honey and almond milk ($7); pancakes made from lentil flour ($6); and an almond butter-banana sandwich ($7).

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