Max Broad

Curious to spot a unicorn? Go to pokez where you can enjoy an authentic burrito shop at knows how to do it vegan. Nothing personal against chipotle, but there is nothing sterile about the food here. As a burrito lover (snob?) I’ve ordered multiple of their vegan selections. They have several to choose from including vegan breakfast, burritos, potato and chorizo, and more. Last time I had the California burrito which didn’t suit me. They use the beyond burger in the burrito which to me tasted like having a hamburger in a burrito. So this time I ordered the veggie. It was really good; it came with rice, beans, guac, lettuce, and even vegan cheese! The burrito is giant and delicious, very umami. The one thing it was lacking was consistency. The entire burrito was quite soft and I wish they had a plant-based meat (besides Beyond Meat) to add some substance.

Pokez serves the burrito with a cabbage salad, which was nothing too exciting. However, I really enjoyed the puréed tomato style salsa with some heat, which I poured over every bite.

For dining in, they do rely on single use cutlery and plates. I wish everything wasn’t so disposable.

The prices here are reasonable—you can get a vegan burrito from $9-13.

There are not many places that I would give an authentic burrito rating of 10/10 as a vegan, but Pokez knows how to serve up that giant tortilla-wrapped deliciousness.

I have come here several times after a Washingtonian article identified this as one of DC’s secretly super vegan friendly restaurants. There are two columns of vegan dishes in the menu: one column is tofu-based mock meats, the other is traditional tofu and veggie dishes. We got the Szechuan chick’n, eggplant in garlic sauce, and general tso’s tofu. The eggplant was great—always get the eggplant! The chick’n was very good with a hint of spice; each chick’n strip was narrow and thin almost like a short stubby noodle. It was seasoned really well and had a good chickeny texture. I wouldn’t get the general tso’s again…it wasn’t bad but didn’t come the way I typically like it with a crust around the tofu and a rich sweet & tangy sauce.

The portions are large here: three dishes was too much food for three people. I recommended we order two entrees and an app, but that plan was thwarted when the only vegan app they had was a solo spring roll. Hopefully they expand their appetizer list in the future.

This restaurant has big round tables in the back; I’ve been here with larger parties and it works well for that.

This place is delicious. I’ve had the pho, the vegan beef and broccoli, and the banh mi. It never disappoints. The banh mi was delicious and reasonably priced at $8. We had it with fried tofu, although it would have been great if they also offered it with veggie beef like they do with the vegan beef and broccoli dish. The plant based pho was also great; the apple broth has a slight hint of sweetness but otherwise does not hold back on umami. I would give them 5 stars if they completed the mission of making genuinely vegan dishes. For instance the banh mi didn’t have vegan mayo, so they just withheld the mayo. And the egg rolls are still made with egg (I know, it’s ironic that it’s not necessary given the name). The vegan beef and broccoli was really good. And large; about 1.5 servings!

The burger I was served had a perfectly cooked fried tofu patty with a really delicious peanut sauce. It had fresh cucumber slices and green onions on a homemade bun with seeds--a fun reincarnation of Thai peanut noodles. But the real star of the show was the fries: cut into large thin slices, served warm, soft but solid. And they came with the most excellent and spicy mayo dipping sauce. They had a bit more salt than I would've liked, but overall really really good. I'd go back here to try other things on the menu as well because they had a strong homemade/wholesome-and-satisfying theme and are located in such a cool/artsy area surrounded by colorfully painted warehouses.

9/17/23: There’s a reason why Lil Choc is one of my favorite eats in NY. These crepes are good for any and every meal. I usually have them for weekend brunch, but we just had them for dinner and it was lit. For savory, we first had the burrito and jackfruit bbq crepes. The burrito stuck to the basics with whole black beans, avocado, and a (cashew?) crema to balance it out. It was delish. The jackfruit bbq wasn’t my favorite of the savory crepes (others have blown my mind in the past) but my gf really liked it. The bbq sauce was on the smoky side, where I tend to prefer the sweet and tangy approach. For both of these the highlight was the crepe itself, with a batter that had a subtle sweetness to complement the filling. We finished with a strawberry, Nutella, whipped cream dessert crepe and this was a veritable treat for the tastebuds. I’m a sucker for sweet crepes. I enjoyed sitting outside for the first time and am glad to see they expanded the seating bc this place was always busy and getting a table took a while when I visited.

2019: These are the best crepes in the world. Everything is vegan, the crepes are so creative and decadent. Get here early because it’s a small place and fills up quickly.