• CLOSED: Mark's Kitchen

  • (10)
    8

    Closed

  • White Veg-options
Vegan-friendly
American
International
Take-out
Korean
Non-veg

Serves meat, vegan options available. Has vegan choices, also standard American fare, kid-friendly, popular for Saturday and Sunday brunch. Reported closed June 2023.


Venue map for Mark's Kitchen
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10 Reviews

First Review by rileysoprano

BeverlyOrnberg

Points +1209

Mostly Veg
17 Jul 2022

Great place for breakfast and lunch

Why didn’t anyone tell us about this Takoma Park gem? We started with mung bean pancakes and then, I had the veggie fried rice with tofu, mushrooms and vegetables and Daniel had the seaweed bibimbap with tofu. (Careful: the miso soup has fish flakes.)

Pros: Lots of vegan options , Attentive, pleasant staff, Very colorful

rbhaul

Points +325

Vegetarian
30 Jul 2021

Cute place

This place had plenty of vegan options. I would make sure to say you want it to be vegan when you order cause some things mean that it can be made vegan. It was reasonably priced, but my meal was kind of small. Also if you’re wondering, this place is very very casual inside.

Pros: Many vegan options, Good price

Cons: Ambiance

JeffBlatnick

Points +44

Vegan
22 Apr 2017

Fresh and delicious

Very flavorful and diverse options for a family restaurant 🤓✌️🍃

Alysoun Mahoney

Points +921

Vegan
19 Feb 2017

Great selections; be sure to say 'vegan' loudly!

I enjoyed a great lunch here with a fellow vegan friend. I had the Spinach Tofu Cakes (tofu patties w/ spinach, red pepper, spring onion & shiitake mushroom mixed together & served over steamed rice or brown rice w/ a raspberry soy sauce & greens on top & string beans & sweet potatoes on the side) - beautifully presented and delicious and a great value for $9.95. My friend had the Tofu Royal Sampler Box (grilled tofu, zucchini, eggplant, soybeans, roast seaweed, shiitake mushroom, mung bean pancake & steamed rice or brown rice) which she also enjoyed. The one downer was my friend ordered a vegan milkshake (with soy) but they initially brought one with dairy milk instead. They realized their mistake and swapped it out before she started drinking it .... but it sure would have been better if they had gotten it right the first time.

Pros: Tasty food, Many vegan options, Great value

Cons: Need to re-confirm vegan choices

Abbyb

Points +16

Vegan
03 Jun 2016

beware

I really like this place-- but beware. They label dishes as vegan, but it's not necessarily the case. I ordered spaghetti with marinara. It comes with garlic bread on the side. I asked about the garlic bread, on two separate occasions, and was told it was not vegan. They use butter. The dish should not be labeled as vegan on the menu if it's clearly not all vegan.

Pros: lots of vegan items

Cons: labeling not clear

Lainie6897

Points +9

Non Veg
30 Apr 2014

Excellent choice for vegans and non-vegans alike

My husband and I recently discovered this place and we love it! I had vegan options both times and my husband had the Korean steak. They have a nice selection of craft beers and all kinds of soda / soft drinks that you would have been able to find at a general store in the 1950s (Moxie, cream soda, etc). I would recommend the tofu skewer appetizer with maple chipotle sauce (which you can buy there). I had the sesame noodles, which I found delightful. I saw the earlier review, but maybe it was a bad night? Mine were very tasty.
My husband is a huge fan of carrot cake. He ordered the carrot cake, which I tried. It was moist and the icing had a nice complementary flavor. The one thing I plan on telling them then next time I am in there is that I am not sure what is up with some of the other desserts. My friend got the mud pie (I think it was called). He said it tasted like it had been sitting out all day! I got a Boston cream pie slice to go. First of all, it had the layer of chocolate on top that looked like cake fondant, the kind of thing you can peel right off (and it did). It was inedible, hard, and also had the texture like it had been sitting out all day. The server had said something about how they were "getting a lot of Boston cream pies in lately" which I take to mean that they are not made in-house. Personally I think this is a huge mistake, but I can say that the other food is fresh and tasty. It's like home-cooking if you're a vegan, or it's like eating at a vegan / Korean diner. Lastly, another reviewer said that it was pricey. Entrees run about $10, which seems reasonable to me, and there are specials every day of the week. That being said, visit as soon as you get the chance.
Updated from previous review on Tuesday April 29, 2014

Pros: Many tasty vegan options, Like home cooking, Reasonable

Cons: Some (not all) of the desserts

cookiem

Points +5952

Vegan
05 Feb 2014

Mediocre

This place is a nice little place for the center of Takoma Park - it has that little town feeling, despite being in a suburb of Washington, DC. When you walk in, there are people, tables, food and just a general sense of minor chaos and disorganization. You can purchase food items that are pre-made and processed, as well as order from their menu.

The menu choices are plentiful for vegans and the food is fresh, but I know that I can go elsewhere to get a better deal. I like going here to support a small, local business, but the cost is something that could prevent some from wanting to return. If you look at the menu, the costs seem reasonable. However, when you then get the order, it's a normal portion, but, these days, a normal portion is small at a restaurant. To fill up, I would probably next time order not only a salad and an entree, but maybe add on a side (almost ALL of the sides are vegan!!) or starter.

The menu is great for the pasta & MK, the salads, starters and main courses sections. The menu is Asian/ American, and very vegan friendly. So, that's a plus - you can satiate a variety of food interests in one location. I love that there are lots of options for seaweed and fresh veggies! More places should have seaweed - and not just the electric green seaweed salad at Japanese restaurants. I prefer their Asian-Korean style entrees to the other stuff, but it is all decent.

Overall, I like the place, but if I'm hungry and budget-concerned, I will leave hungry or spend more than I had hoped to spend.

Pros: Many vegan options, Menu marked well, Fresh food

Cons: Portions smaller than I would like, Small space

Sally K

Points +90

Vegetarian
28 Oct 2012

Vegan desserts and Gingerbread heaven

Mark's offers numerous vegetarian options on it's menu, mostly Asian-influenced. It also offers vegan desserts, and customers ordering them seemed happy. I opted for the non-vegan Gingerbread with ginger ice cream and candied ginger on top. It was fabulous. Another delicious non-vegan dessert: Mystery cube with layers of white, milk and dark chocolate in a cube. The mung bean pancakes and my big salad were very good. Seasonal specialties like their stuffed acorn squash are really delicious. The place has a bustling atmosphere, as the place is locally popular, and kids are present. if you want peace and quiet, go on off hours. Wait staff was friendly and helpful.
Updated from previous review on Wednesday April 04, 2012

Pros: Vegan desserts, Many veggie options, Fabulous Gingerbread dessert

Cons: noisy kids

Proudvegantraveler

Points +465

Vegan
02 May 2011

worst food in years

disclaimer- I don't eat at chain or fast food restaurants.
I had the sesame noodles, which tasted like soy sauce and nothing else. My mom had curry and hated it. The only reason we didn't send it all back is that we waited 45 minutes to sit and 25 minutes for the food. Can you say, "Starving!?!" We were told it would be a 15 minute wait to be seated.

Pros: neighborhood

Cons: food, wait, very dirty near bathrooms

rileysoprano

Points +40

Vegan
16 Apr 2009

Great restaurant!

We went to Mark's kitchen recently when my family was in town and it was the best posible choice for us. I am vegan, my husband although omni is very veg-friendly and my parents are both meat and potato people who would never even consider eating anything remotely "ethnic". Finding a restaurant to suit all of us is nearly impossible... This restaurant had something for all of us!

It didn't hurt that the staff was very friendly and helpful. The menu was a mix of ethnic and all American burgers and stuff. There was also an entire section of vegan deserts. It is a very casual little place with limited seating so I imagine it can get a little crowded at times. We will definitely be going back though!

Pros: wide range of choices, friendly staff, vegan desserts

Cons: a little small




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