Grass Roots Station

This place was great, but looks like they are either temporarily closed or out of business :(

What a fresh take on a restaurant… literally fresh!
I live very close to this gem of a restaurant, so I often grab take out on the way home from the metro. Take out is always quick, and I mean I walk in and out with a great «home cooked» meal within 10 minutes.
The staff is always friendly and helpful!
Things I’ve had that I like, the pink salmon pasta (soooo good), the tortellini is my favorite with their red sauce. YUM! The philly steak sandwich is also a great option!
As far as appetizers go, I’ve had the fried mozzerella which was ok, and the chicken fingers which were actually more like breaded chicken breasts. French fries were blah, not their healthy style so it didn’t really work.
They come with great little side salads, yum! Also sodas to go.
My only complaint and reason they don’t get 5 stars is that they are not open on Sundays, and they close between 3 and 5pm during the week. There have been a couple times I wanted to go there and it was closed. OTHERWISE great place.

What a lovely restaurant. It’s like eating in someone’s kitchen, or being a part of someone’s dream restaurant. It is cozy, welcoming, and serves really good food at a reasonable price. Do not overlook this delightful gem of a restaurant! The food is beautifully served and delicious, but the restaurant is not stuffy and cold… nor is it overly casual and cafeteria like. I’d love to go back soon. Our waitress was so kind and welcoming. It was a great night; we both left there in great spirits, and how often does a dinner do that?
We had hot tea, lasagna, and gnocchi… yum! Most people were eating dinner, but there were people at the bar and there are also couches that looked perfect for some coffee drinking and book reading.

Hubby and I decided to check this place out. Really homey and nice on the inside. Guessing this is a family-​run place. I had a crabcake sandwich (came with side salad) and he had a chicken parm sandwich kind of thing (can’t remember what exactly it was called). Having been spoiled with Southern MD crabcakes, of course nothing will compare with fresh crab right on the water. I was pretty impressed, though. This crabcake sandwich was quite good. Not too heavy on the Old Bay, but nicely seasoned with something else. I may have to get it again to figure it out. There were a few shell pieces, though, so watch out. Hubby’s chicken parm sandwich was quite satisfactory for him. For drinks they serve tea, coffee, sodas, and they have a fridge full of other teas and «natural» drinks. The dessert options sounded yummy, but we were just in for lunch, so no dessert.

It was very good. I got the crabcakes and they were great. I was with a group and everyone enjoyed their meals. I really hope that they start opening for brunch soon. Our waitress was great, as well.

I hate to write really bad reviews. But, I think I need to here. I preface this with saying we are vegan, and maybe that makes it harder for a restaurant. But the food was just repulsive.
We came in for lunch on a quiet weekday when I worked from home. We liked the mission of fresh organic foods, and thought maybe there was a potential for healthy food. That was clearly not the case. We ordered the vegetarian sampler, which was essentially Ethiopian – spinach, chickpeas, and lentils. I love Ethiopian food. I think the Fojol Bros. of Benethiopia food truck is a temple. This was not.
The food was so oily that there were literally slicks forming on the plate. It tasted overly oily, it smelled bad, and the taste was no better. We ate less than ½ of our portions, and within five minutes felt sick. Further, while efficient, I have to agree with other reviewers that the service was a bit surly. On the plus side, the coffee was really good. That brings it all the way up to the one-​star rating.
Sorry, Grass Roots Station, a flashy website and promising mission statement did not make it for us.

I’d give this a 3.5 from our experience tonight. First, they were getting slammed because it was the last day of their groupon offer. Second, we have tried to eat here for a long time but have had it closed on holidays, closed on Sundays, and closed at 9:00. Even though it is convenient to us, it made it hard for us to actually get there.
The good: I really like the concept of the place. Vegetarian friendly, organic. The price was a bit expensive, but not wildly. The food itself was pretty good. We had a vegetarian combo which was essentially anglicized Ethiopian food. It was really tasty, and not as greasy as Ethiopian food can be, with the addition of really nice spinach. We had a gnocchi, and a fried calamari. All of the dishes were excellent, though we didn’t get the sauce that should have come with the calamari.
The bad: The service was a bit slow, the price is slightly high, and the food was good but not spectacular. Our reservation on open table didn’t actually get us a table. They were just slammed.
Overall, we would eat here a good bit if the hours were better. As it is, we won’t be coming all that often, but not because we don’t want to.

Another great addition to Del Ray’s growing list of restaurants. We started with Azifa, a tasty Ethiopian dish made of lentils and the chef’s secret recipe topping. Then we dug into a couple of wonderful sandwiches. Their take on the classic steak and cheese was great. Not sure what made the sandwich so good: the fantastic roll, the tasty beef or the American cheese. I had a taste of the fish sandwich. It was also very good. We’ll certainly be adding it to our regular rotation of lunch spots in Alexandria. Can’t wait to try dinner.

I went here with some friends, and we arrived shortly before 6, when they had $ 5 selected appetizers (veggie quesadilla, bruschetta, calamari, and two others), $ 3 beer and $ 4 wine. Even better, I believe it is locally sourced AND affordable. It’s rare you see these two things go hand-​in-​hand.
I ordered the veggie quesadilla, which was enough for a full meal. It was stuffed with a variety of garden vegetables and came with a side of sour cream and a delicious, smoky alioi. It was tasty, and for the pure reason of calories, I had to resist from ordering more. The other girls order calamari, which they seemed to enjoy, and one ordered a pasta that was just loaded with cheese. She said it was great, and really enjoyed their bread with it.
The service was fantastic. Our waitress filled our waters for us several times, made sure we had everything we needed whether it was silverware or extra sauces, and was really friendly. She showed a lot of care for her customers and went out of her way to accommodate us. First class.
The location is good if you’re a Metro user. It’s right off the Blue and Yellow Line at Braddock. Definitely worth a visit. Extensive menu ranging from meats to pasta to veggie to gluten at reasonable prices with amazing service.

We had a really great time here last night and are eager to try more of their entrees! We only heard of this place through Groupon a few months back and finally made time to come here for dinner, and we are so thankful we did!
The place itself is very casual, which is a nice change from our usual spots, but very very casual, do not expect much of your typical restaurant décor or atmosphere, it’s not like that at all. The music they had playing set a nice tone for dinner. I was very impressed by the service, a few other reviews complained about the service but the lady that helped us was extremely helpful and pleasant and made some excellent recommendations for us!
As for the food — just wow! We had the beef tips entrée as well as the gnocchi. The beef was really well cooked and had a great flavor, almost like it had a bit of curry going on, but it worked! The gnocchi was the table favorite for sure. Just delicious and expertly cooked — they were just perfect! The prices for all of their entrees were very reasonable and the portions were great as well!
For dessert we splurged and tried both the tira misu and the chocolate mousse. I’m not usually a mousse person but the berry flavored drizzle on the plate paired perfectly with the chocolate. The tiramisu was lighter in flavor than many others I have had but since it’s summer it was actually a nice change and I enjoyed it a lot.
This place has great food for a great price. We were both very pleased and seriously are looking forward to coming back. The workers there seemed to know many of the other diners which was nice and they were just very friendly to us and seemed genuine. Definitely worth a try if you are in the area!

I was never a huge fan of the previous restaurant in this location, so I was happy to see a new joint that was green and supporting local farmers. Like some of the reviewers before me, I also felt the service was a little strange. A group of 4 of us walked into the front door, and we were kinda expected to seat ourselves. It was a little awkward, because clearly the place isn’t set up for self service.
It looked like they only had one waitress, and one guy helping her. The waitress didn’t write down any of our orders, which is fine, and surprising, because you think that she’s got a great memory. But, of course, she disappointed and came back to us asking us to repeat a couple of our orders.
The food was solid. I went with the Salmon Penne, which was richy and creamy and perfectly cooked. The bruschetta was very fresh and tasty. I’d probably swing by here again at some point. They appear to have some good happy hour specials. Not bad for folks who live by the Braddock Road Metro.

I like this place! We’ve been there twice and we’ve liked it (is that redundant? ‘Love’ is a hard place to find… DC’s a big place.)
The menu choices are varied and all excellent (for the standard fare) and intriguing (for the food you’ve read about but haven’t ever had… chicken saltimbocca!).
They seem to be ecofriendly, if that’s your thing, and they use local produce, which I think is an awesome movement. It’s a total kluge of cuisines so your best to check out the menu online but you should be able to find anything despite your dietary restrictions.
The only wierd thing is that the first time we went, my wife got the salmon and it came with this weird coating on it like it had been lightly breaded or something before it was panfried. I got the chicken saltimbocca today and it kind of had the same thing on it. It’s not bad… it’s just unfamiliar. We suspect it may be an eggwash or something? I’m sorry… had I been a better reviewer I would have demanded an explanation!
Grass Roots Station is cool. Get the Azifa as an appetizer (it’s a «side»)…it is lentils (which we all know are boring) spiced up (!) with this sauce on top which has awesome flavor and its served with an Ethiopian bread. Awesome… the menu description doesn’t do it justice. Go to an Italian place for the tiramisu (meh).

I didn’t go expecting anything fantastic, especially after reading the reviews. But I was pleasantly surprised. Food was very good (I had cannalloni and my husband had chicken parm) and nothing on the menu was over $ 14.
Don’t go expecting anything fancy — just a good low-​key weeknight dinner after a metro commute.

We used the groupon on a weeknight.
We appreciate using organic/​earth friendly ingredients and understandably that increases price. For me, if we’re paying for a pricey dinner (which is an event!) I’d like a bit softer atmosphere. Maybe it’s the bright white lights/​wall behind the cooking area? The super bright combined with tables in close proximity wasn’t my fav thing. And the music was seriously elevator. For a place that has some ethnic flair, at least play those world cds they sell at Starbucks and bookstore counters!
Good food but unfortunately I’ll echo several other folks on service. Despite our server’s enthusiasm, he forgot about us often. This may have lead to appetizer confusion — we ordered the mozzarella. After ordering we were left alone for quite a while as other tables filled. Then a couple that arrived well after us got their appetizer — same thing we ordered– first. 5 minutes later «ours» came, but immediately after our food came out. As in, he walked over the appetizer and then walked back over with the entrees. Our server noted the unfortunate timing but didn’t apologize or try to fix anything. Wanting to enjoy my salmon hot but also have the appetizer, the salmon & especially the potatoes ended up tepid.
A different server did notice us and brought over a complimentary salad while we were waiting for our appetizer. We also were very late to receive the complimentary bread, not even sure if everyone got it.
Husband enjoyed the ravioli and my food was good, just not warm enough. I had come to the restaurant excited about getting tiramisu for dessert but since service had been so slow we were ready to head out.
I always welcome a new restaurant to the area but I’m not sure if I’ll jump to head back. It’d be great for a quick beer and a bite coming off the metro, but the atmosphere isn’t what I’d want for that.

We purchased a groupon for Grass Roots Station and tried it out before heading home from a «weekend» in the DC area.
Be warned if you are driving here… unless there is something we don’t know, there’s no real parking for this place. There are 3 spots for the entire retail center (which has a few other shops in it) but 2 of them are 30 minute parking and one of them is 15 minute parking! We just parked in the 30 minute spot and figured we really had about an hour because it would take them a while to get a tow truck there, hah.
But, it’s literally right across the street from the Braddock Road Metro station.
They opened at 11am and we arrived shortly after that. We were greeted by a lady who was cleaning the glass doors and told to sit wherever we liked. We were the only people in there until just before we left when a family came in.
Our waiter was friendly and very helpful. He told us the specials and then gave us time to decide what we wanted. He answered any questions we had about the food and made sure to tell the cook directly not to put cheese in my fiancé’s pasta. Awesome!
The entire staff here just seemed to be in a great mood and were not snobby or full of themselves like some places in the area.
We ordered the Bruschetta as an appetizer and the waiter informed us that because tomatoes are out of season, they’ve been using cucumbers instead. He asked us if that was okay with us, and we liked the sound of it so we went ahead and ordered it.
I ordered the Wild Salmon and my fiancé got the Penne A La Arrabbiata, without cheese. We were given a basket of fresh, fluffy bread while we waited for our food, which was yummy dipped in the infused olive oil they had bottles of on every table.
The bruschetta came out pretty quickly and OMG am I glad they made it with cucumbers. It was delicious. There were four generous sized pieces of crusty bread topped with a perfect mix of (what appeared to be) garlic, red pepper, cucumber, parsley, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper. Amazing! We quickly cleared the plate.
The bell dinged, signaling that our entrees were ready as soon as we finished the last bites of bruschetta. Perfect!
My meal was pretty impressive. There was broccoli, cauliflower, mashed potatoes, and spinach topped with a HUGE slab of salmon. It was topped with red pepper sauce and there was a balsamic drizzle around the edges of the plate. The veggies weren’t super seasoned, but were so fresh and yummy without anything extra. The mashed potatoes and spinach were awesome.
The salmon was perfectly cooked and melted in my mouth. The red pepper sauce was perfect with it. I was very sad when my plate was soon empty.
I didn’t try my fiancé’s pasta, but she loved it. It came out very hot and the sauce was definitely «very spicy» like the menu stated. It was a pretty large serving of pasta, too. She ended up getting half of it boxed up to take home for later.
We both thought the prices were perfect for what we got. it ended up being just over $ 30 for an appetizer, two very large entrees, and a soda (plus, you get a basket of bread).
We left full and happy, and wishing we lived closer to Grass Roots so we could eat there all the time!

Went here for lunch with a friend and it was great. I used the Groupon which made it a really good deal. Even without that is very reasonably priced though. The service was great and very friendly although we were the only ones there other than a few people who came in to order takeout. I would definitely go back.
We shared the calamari appetizer at the recommendation of the server which was great. The bread was also fresh out of the oven and delicious. She had the meatball sandwich which she liked and I had the crab cake salad which was also great.

We stopped at Grass Roots on our way home from the airport for carryout. I ordered the Grass Roots salad and added chicken. The salad was fresh and tasty, but small for an entrée salad at $ 14 — much more like a side salad. The chicken, which I paid for on top of the salad price, was dessicated. If I hadn’t already been exhausted from a long day of travel, I’d have walked back to get a replacement. My husband ordered the beef stew special. He seemed happy enough with it, though it looked more like beef soup than stew.
We may try it again because it’s so close to home, but I’m not optimistic.

Better of going to Olive Garden.
Food was terrible.
Sent back most of the meal.
Save your money
All of the meal was just bad.

Found the menu intriguing, as well as the new look of this restaurant – which used to be La Piazza – tried Grass Roots Station with another friend in the neighborhood last night. The service was very friendly.
Everything we ordered were specials for Friday evening. We both loved the asparagus flan (something you don’t see often) that we shared as an appetizer… went very well with the bread provided (which was also good). We were both trying to figure out how it was made, what was in it… usually flan is associated with a dessert.
I tried the Mustard-​crusted Tilapia… it was much too strong on the mustard for my taste at least, but really liked the simple way the spinach was made that came with it. My friend’s taco pizza – a hearty portion– was not too bad, but she liked it better when she added some of my spinach to it.
I tried the Kombucha Juice, described as a fermented herbal tea drink. It was a nice mild drink, but I was surprised it came in a bottle, and not made there at the restaurant. The restaurant seems to point out that it used local farmers for alot of its menu, but i’m still not sure what is and what is not.
We were too full to try the dessert menu.
I think it has potential and I would come back again to sample some other items on the menu, which as others have mentioned, seems to be a mix of different ethnicities. They do seem to have a decent selection of vegetarian options, and there is a kids menu included. Only lunch and dinner is offered for now, but evidently breakfast and a Sunday brunch menu are in the works.

This place used to be La Piazza. While they still serve some of the same menu items of the old La Piazza, they now offer some other different dishes that appear to be Ethiopian. So, it seems as though it is an Ethiopian AND Italian place. I have not tried any of the «new» dishes. I have stuck with what I knew I liked that they still had from the old places menu. I have to be honest here that I was very disappointed that La Piazza closed, and was very skeptical of the new place.
My first impression was that they really upgraded the interior. Nice colors, much nicer furniture, candles on the tables. Overall a much more cozy and nice atmosphere that La Piazza lacked. However La Piazza made up for that with the great, hearty, and very generous Italian portions. My favorite was the stuffed shells, and the Lasagna.
My meal was basically the same thing I remembered, and it was very good. The bread they bring out before the meal was rather good as well. I have to say though, that I was disappointed that they no longer carried the stuffed shells. My only real complaint was the the first time there my Lasagna was cool in the very middle in the bottom. They did fix this the second time there.
I have to say though, that I’m not sure I get the whole «local /​organic» thing. I really did not see or experience anything that made it stand out as such a place. Is this just a gimmick? I’m not sure how everything can be locally sourced honestly. Maybe this is worth doing more research on.
Over all my two trips there were a positive dining experience. Fairly good service, quick with drink refills and very friendly. The meals did not take too long to come out either, and the interior décor /​atmosphere were big upgrades. I am giving this place 3 stars. I’m not a huge Ethiopian person, and have not yet tried any of those dishes, but what I have tried, I did really like. I will continue to go back, and possibly give other menu items there a try. So far, so good.