shouk

Leah Cohen

For vegans and vegetarians, the opening of Shouk is great news — but carnivores are better off sticking to what they know best. Shouk, a plant-based fast-casual food chain in the Washington, D.C.-Maryland-Virginia area, recently opened its fourth location on Wisconsin Avenue. The diner serves a variety of dishes inspired by Tel Avivian street food, including falafel and fresh hummus, as well as more creative dishes like oyster mushroom schnitzel and veggie sausage.

Our group ordered pita chips and hummus, the falafel sandwich, spice fries with Shouk sauce, the Shouk burger, the sausage pita and the za’atar cauliflower bowl. The dishes, unfortunately, were hit-or-miss.

The falafel was fantastic: crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and paired perfectly with the hummus. The spice fries were also excellent, and the sweetness of the Shouk sauce perfectly balanced the seasoning on the fries.

On the other hand, the cauliflower bowl was drowning in sauce, and I could barely taste the flavor of the vegetables. The experience with the Shouk burger was not too different from the cauliflower bowl. Between the tomato jam and tahini, there were simply too many flavors in the sandwich.

With its official grand opening on Saturday, March 24, Shouk is worth a first visit — but maybe not a second.