Energy Kitchen

i got the veggie southwest burger with fries… it wasnt that great it consisted of alot of peas and lentils… the fries and sweet potato fries were cold… the organic ketchup was realllly good… i give it 2 stars cause they have fresca.

Website says the DC one is open Saturdays until 4, but we went there today around 1 PM and it was closed. I liked the food I got at an Energy Kitchen in NYC, which is why I’m giving 3 stars.

I would give them 5 stars if the Sweet Potato Fries were crispy! I hate soft and soggy fries, and may be this differs from person to person, but I like biting into a crispy/​crunchy fry and then getting the soft potato on the inside… And I know this is possible with Baked fries because I bake the Alexia brand sweet potato fries and they come out nice and crispy every time.
Otherwise, I loved the bacon and cheese burger: It is different from your typical burger in taste and oil content, but the health trade offs are worth it.
The Vanilla shake: Is watery but tastes very good for the 221 calories you’re spending on it.
Chicken Fajita: My bf loves this one and he liked the Turkey Chili as well.

Love the energy burger

After my initial review yesterday I spent a miserable afternoon not feeling so well. Like I said in my earlier post, I’m not a picky eater and I’ll try just about anything. It is very rare for me to have any kind of unpleasant reaction to the foods I try but yesterday was a major exception.
It started about 2 hours or so after I finished my meal and lasted through this morning. All of the other food I ate yesterday was food that I eat regularly so it was clearly the EK food that bothered me.
So — I’ll stick by my original assessment: If you want junk food, just eat the junk food. A ‘healthy’ substitution isn’t going to curb your craving and is probably made with some mysterious ingredients.

I’ve gone to this place a few times because one of my client offices is nearby.
The first time I went there I noticed a sign that said «Fast food doesn’t need to be fat food» or something to that effect. However, by the time I finally got my food, I felt they need to scratch the «fast food» reference. From the time I ordered to actually receiving my food was a good 15+ minutes.
I actually found the burgers tasty, both the sirloin and the bison are rather good. As for the prices, I feel that most of their prices are a bit high. Adding an order of fries and a drink to the cost of the burger and you’re easily over $ 10 for lunch. Also the amount of fries you get seems small, though from a healthy aspect it’s probably a good portion. I was also a little disappointed with the fries as both times I’ve added them to my order they have been lightly burned, but they had an OK taste.
I wouldn’t say avoid this place, but don’t go in with too high of expectations and be sure you can afford spending $ 10-​$ 15 on lunch.

Has anyone actually looked at the nutrition information for this place? The breakfast options all have a ridiculous amount of sodium. All of them are over 1000mg except for «the energy breakfast sandwich» which has 961 grams of sodium. Not so great for a healthy choice.
If you are looking for healthy go somewhere else.

EK was better than I had expected based on what my co-​workers had told me. A nice surprise. Had the BBQ Turkey Burger — Actually, a pretty good burger. Added Hot Sauce and Mustard. Look, I do not need a gourmet meal every day. I do not have an expense account. And, generally, I do not have the time to linger at lunch. So, I eat a little bit later in the afternoon to miss the rush. And I usually bring my computer to do a little surfing/​side-​work/​personal finances and what not. So… Wi-​Fi is important to me… almost as important as the food. Thus, while EK makes a nice burger, it will not make my rotation. Get Wi-​Fi! and I will come back for lunch (and to Unilocal!to add another star).

The sirloin burger was damn good. First time eating there and I was expecting to find small portions and no taste. It was surprisingly good and filling. Pretty pricey, but equal

The Energy Kitchen promotes itself as a healthy «fast-​food» joint boasting that all items are under 500 calories «full of flavor not calories.» So why wouldn’t I try it out? Well after waiting 20 minutes for my Bison burger and sweet potato fries, here are my thoughts.
Pro: The food is actually quite tasty.
Cons: The burger and fries were expensive ($ 8.49 for the Bison burger!!!). The portions were also very small which is probably why each item is under 500 calories. But think about this, a Big Mac weighs-​in at 550 calories and small fries at 230 calories while the Bison burger is at 479 calories and 237 for the sweet potato fries. Now I recognize there is saturated fats, sodium, etc., but the caloric intake from both places is roughly the same, but half the price at McDonalds with bigger portions. Also, the ambiance is nothing to brag about and there isn’t a lot of seating capacity. I’m just not sold. Shake-​Shack is right up the street and so much better.
Bottom line: until the prices drop and they don’t charge $ 1 for a slice of cheese, I wont be back.

I would give this place a solid 3 stars. I decided to check it out after all of the initial newness died down. Also I was feeling lazy that day and didn’t want to walk to far from the office in the cold. I got the sirloin burger and the regular fries. The burger was good, although wasn’t crazy about the EK sauce… it was a bit spicy for me, but I’m a total non spice wimp. The fries weren’t great… they were a bit soggy, and granted they are baked but they tasted as though they had been sitting around for a while.
I would certainly try it again but try something else. Its not bad for the fast food concept.

No matter when I go, I’m always in for a good, healthy meal. Everything tastes great and I’ve never been disappointed — except for when I had it delivered… I guess because I’m about 10 minutes away, the food was very cold. They also run promotions, so be on the lookout for a $ 10 meal. I particularly like their BBQ Turkey Burger, the sweet potatoes, and the Turkey Meatloaf.

I came in here this morning for the first time. I had been interested in going since it opened but the big «free coffee with any breakfast item» sign attracted my attention this morning. The men working there were all VERY nice, and the place seemed clean. I ordered the vegi egg wrap, with tomatoes and spinach. The wrap was okay, it lacked flavor though, so now I understand why the man at the counter encouraged me to take some hot sauce with me– it definitely needed it. Anyway, if I were to go again I think I would try one of the breakfast smoothies.
Edit: I forgot to add that the biggest disappointment was that my coffee was totally room temperature. So I had to put it in the microwave once I got into my off. Eww.

I had a sirloin burger. The portion was decent, but meat was a bit too spicy for my taste and the place itself is definitely overpriced. It has 21 g of fat vs 29 g in a Big Mac, so don’t fall for the ‘healthy meal’ trick. Not sure if I’m coming back.

I had the chicken club wrap. It was an odd mix of warm chicken and cold guac. It wasn’t bad, and felt like a healthy light dinner, which was my hope, so I can’t complain too much.
There were a lot of staff in the restaurant and I think some corporate types who kept asking how the food was. It was a bit of overkill… I would have preferred my sandwich come out a little speedier versus having to wait on the one guy running the food.

We stopped by during opening week and had a good lunch. Everything seemed very healthy from the burgers to the fries. I really liked the sweet potato fries that are baked not fried. The burger was just OK.
I’m not sure why the name is Energy Kitchen because I didn’t feel energized nor full afterwards.
I would go back for the fries if nothing else.

What can I say? The food is good, I would’ve gave 5 stars but the service is TERRIBLE
They are very disorganized — making peoples orders wrong twice, forgetting call-​in orders, etc… I orderd at 12:30, they said 10 mins — was there at 12:50 and I wasn’t eating until 1:45… that is unacceptable — the whole place is confusion.
again — the food is good and for downtown DC reasonably priced — don’t expect a super size FF — this is not Mickey D’s — portion control people, plus they are only $ 1.99
I’ve had the Bacon Cheddar burger and a Chicken Fajita Wrap — Both good if not great (ask for hotsauce for the wrap and ketchup for the fries, the ketchup has a bbq twist to it) I’ve also had the Sea Salt Fries…
my 2 cents is free
but seriously — get a manager in there with processes to make this place run smoothly… it’s a nightmare to go in there but the food is really good

This is apparently a chain from NYC, that is all about healthy food, all the entrees are under 500 calories. Its not the most inviting place, everything is white and neon green inside, and the place had a weird smell to it — a bit like wet wood shavings.
The counter employees were very friendly, and the order didnt take very long, so I was happy about that.
But my meal itself was disappointing. I got the Bacon Cheddar burger. They use turkey bacon which is good by itself but doesn’t really work on a cheeseburger — too lean to really add flavoring, it just gets lost. Same with the fat free cheese, couldnt really taste anything even when I just took a little bite of the cheese itself. The burger was on the smaller side but at least not terribly so, and tasted ok if a bit bland. If they are dedicated to serving smaller portions, the prices should be less as well, but my burger was eight bucks.
More seasoning to the burger and lower prices are definitely needed here.

Pros: Great food, great service. Much faster than Shake Shack, and healthier. I don’t mind the smaller portion because, you know, low calorie offerings and all. I didn’t feel too skimped on my bison burger. Could use some more fries though…
Cons: Price. Please don’t charge an extra $ 1.00 for a single slice of cheese. What are you guys thinking?
Probably not going to go back unless they lower the cost everything by a dollar. Same reason why I’ll no longer go to Sweet Green.

A delicious and healthy alternative to salads for lunch! If you’re not a big «leaf-​eater» like me, the idea of waiting in line for a salad for 15 – 20 minutes during the lunch rush as would be the case if you went to Energy Kitchen’s neighbors Sweet Green or Chop’t, this place is perfect for you!
Offering a breakfast and lunch menu with all items under 500 calories, Energy Kitchen offers up delicious eats that are low in calories, but high on taste. Everything here is grilled, baked, or steamed so you don’t have to hate yourself for having a burger and fries (a bison burger starts at 479 calories without and cheese or turkey bacon and an order of baked fries with sea salt amounts to 198 calories).
The prices are reasonable when you consider what you get: healthy, fresh ingredients. The Energy Burger, at $ 9.49 and 495 calories, surely packs quite a wallop with a bison burger patty, egg whites, and fat-​free cheddar cheese… it will definitely fill you up the same way a $ 12 salad from one of the salad joints will.
A great and healthy place for breakfast or lunch… give it a try!