Photo courtesy of Protein Bar.

On June 25^th, Protein Bar will open its doors to its newest location on 925 17^th Street, NW at K Street in downtown DC conveniently located between the Farragut North and Farragut West metro stations. Active Washingtonians, this Chicago-based restaurant offers not only a healthier food alternative but protein packed menu items to help you kick-start your day with breakfast and keep your engine going with lunch and dinner.

The food:

With the rise of food sensitivities, Protein Bar does a stellar job of listing their ingredients and catering to those with gluten allergies. The majority of their menu has gluten-free options with the exception of their bar-ritos. Each dish lists nutrition facts and is made fresh to order.   The thing that really got me was you can taste the freshness in everything that they prepared.

One of my favorite food menu items was the Guac & Roll Bar-rito because I’m a sucker for guacamole (but then again who isn’t?) and they were definitely not skimpy on the guacamole. Among the group of samplers, the Buffalo Bar-rito seemed to be the crowd pleaser.

However, my favorite item on the menu was their Spinach & Pesto Bowl as it was light but flavorful. Each of their bowls are mixed with organic quinoa and mixed in with different fresh ingredients. The Healthy Parm Bowl is another favorite; it is a little heartier and served warm.

Their salads are not your typical salads. Their dressings are made fresh daily and are delicious. My favorite dressing of theirs is their cilantro lime which has a nice citrus punch to it; blended in with their Super 6 Salad Mix it gives your salad even more flavor without being overpowering. My two favorites salads were the Baja Salad and the Superfood Vegan.

The drinks:

I am not a fan of veggies in my drinks. I would prefer not to drink my vegetables. But their Greenberry raw juice kicked my butt into gear. With a mixture of kale, apple, strawberry, and cilantro; you could taste the healthiness in the cup while still enjoying drinking it as a refreshing cup of juice. The favorite among the samplers was the HI-5 which was described by someone as “…health in a cup and better tasting than wheatgrass.”

For something a little heavier, their blended protein drinks offer a section from something fruity to a heavier indulgence with peanut butter and chocolate to a drink with a pick me up, the Millennium Perk which contains espresso.

Join them for their grand opening on Wednesday, June 25^th at 11am and you may be one of the first 100 lucky people in line to receive a $100 gift certificate.

-ADT (Angie)