Sonya Hu
Plant-based takes on my favorite childhood AND drunk college favorites? Sign. Me. Up. Pow Pow is my life embodied in a single restaurant, with all of the indulgent, delicious Asian guilty pleasures that were forced out of my diet when I became a pescatarian. Whether it's orange chicken, sweet and sour pork, and a good ol' teriyaki stir fry, Pow Pow has you covered with its delicious array of vegan bowls. They're also super accommodating of other dietary restrictions, with a separate GF menu (or you can make any of their other bowls GF with a few substitutions). It's genuinely impossible to go wrong with a single item on their menu, but a few favorites are:
- Tokyo Roboto: perfectly balanced teriyaki sauce with a touch of bright acidity from the grilled pineapple...absolutely chef's kiss.
- K-Town BBQ: maybe I'm just a sucker for pineapple because the pineapple kimchi really binds this whole dish together...the sesame drizzle on top of the Korean BBQ-flavored "chicken" also kicks this bowl up a notch
- Sticky Sesame: if I'm feeling something a bit more indulgent, this is the perfect go-to -- the "chicken" is fried to perfection, and the sauce is perfectly sticky and sesame-y
- Trolley Fries: my favorite when I'm feeling ~especially~ indulgent. The flurry of sauces / toppings (kimchi, Korean ketchup, togarashi mayo, cashew cheddar) gives these perfectly crispy fries all the flavor in the world. The slivered scallions add just a touch of green to help you pretend you're being healthy, and you can also top this bundle of wonders with a protein of choice
- Thai Pumpkin Soup: I'm 99% sure this is just a seasonal item for the fall / winter, but it is fantastic, and I'm going to need this on the full-time menu ASAP. It has a rich pumpkin flavor made luxurious by the coconut milk and delightfully comforting with a touch of heat by all the spices
Beyond the absolutely PHENOMENAL food, everything about Pow Pow sparks joy -- from the utilitarian, but upbeat atmosphere with A+ music selection, to the quick and friendly service, every element of Pow Pow's dining experience was well thought-out and expertly executed. You can order at one of two kiosks (great if you're feeling antisocial and / or just want to spend some extra time staring at the menu), and then take your pick of a table or barstool if you'd like to watch passerby while waiting for your name to be called. All in all, Pow Pow has solidified its spot as one of my go-to D.C. spots -- while the H Street location will always have a special place in my heart as our OG, I'm so excited that we also have the Franklin Park location!
PJ
So this was my first time at Pow Pow. Stop here while checking out the WORD museum. The food was great! I was a little apprehensive but wanted to try something different. I must say that the food was extremely fresh. I tried the gluten free fried chicken. Whoa! Crunchy and everything, the taste was so good! And I’m a meat eater. Lol! Plenty of food, I couldn’t even finish the large bowl. It was packed with protein since I also had quinoa.
Lynda Kummelt
The food is excellent! Everything is very flavorful. We got the fried mozzarella, Angry Noodles, Fried Chick'n, and Chick'n Fingers. The serving were huge. Highly recommend!
Suhey Ortega
PowPow has an amazing plant based take on Asian dishes! Every time I go I like to try something new on their menu and I am never disappointed! Everything has so much flavor, great portions, and a distinct taste. Highly recommend PowPow and trying their new seasonal menu items!
Kaela Davis
The food was delicious. Fresh and flavorful. So many options it was hard to decide what to get. Even my picky kids loved it!!
Jaide Thomas
WOW! Pow Pow is absolutely amazing. My sister and I still talk about how we wish this establishment was in more cities because the food was delicious. Sharkey was very patient, attentive, and kind. He took the time to explain to us the different items on the menu since it is hard to choose between them all! The food was so fresh and plentiful. This place will definitely have you telling your family, friends, and neighbors to come check this place out!
Natasha ShaMone
My daughter took me to PowPow for a quick lunch- 1253 H Street NE WDC 20002. Parking was super easy in the strip mall of Advanced Auto Parts. I ordered Sichuan Dumplings ($9), a side garden salad, and the Tokyo Roboto Bowl ($11)! Yum! Yum! Yum! Delicious! You can immediately taste freshness! I love the interior design of the place, the music was pumping good, plants on each table, great staff, peaceful and pleasant energy! Hi there! Great food! Plant based menu!!!
Carlisa Derrick
Coming from out of town, I wanted to try some local eateries. Wanted some Asian inspired food and Google sent me here. The general chicken is delicious! Very flavorful but the Buffalo Mozzarella balls!!!! Wow I had to go back to the site to make sure it was indeed vegan! Not sure how they did it but sheesh! It was so delicious! A must have!!!
Cameron Goodman
This food is INSANELY good. You’d think your meal was a 5 star vegan restaurant not a fast food spot. It’s fresh, original, tons of flavors and not over cooked or covered in sauce. As a life long vegetarian I’m blown away. One thing they need to mail down is getting these dishes out faster… since technically they are trying to be a quick service restaurant. It’s hard I get it!! Good luck!
Taylor Smith
For lovers of Asian food, this was absolutely delicious & did not disappoint! Clean, quiet, and a chill experience coupled with good food. 100% plant based & flavorful! Glad we were able to find this place to fit our lifestyle needs.
Elizabeth Hung
We ordered online and our order was ready to pickup within 5-10 minutes. We ordered the firecracker bowl, firecracker cauliflower, kbbq bowl, and natalie porkman bowl.
The vegan meats all have great texture. Everything was extremely flavorful and had great textural contrast.
Our favorites were the firecracker cauliflower and firecracker chicken bowl. We got half signature rice half salad for our bowls. The rice is coconuty with quinoa, rice and forbidden rice.
nicole brittain
My daughter and I traveled out of our way to try Pow Pow because of all the rave reviews. First I will say that the food we were able to order was delicious and the people who worked there were super friendly. Customer service was awesome. But I had a few issues. First, I ordered the Natalie Porkman but they were out of seitan but they switched the chikn for it. Second, I ordered the fried mozzarella but they were out of it and the truck was due the next day. Third, I wanted to try the banana egg roll dessert which I paid for but found out they were out of that too. So, three of the items I wanted to try were not in stock which was very disappointing being that we traveled a long way to try this place and our visit is over tomorrow. They did substitute another menu item for the banana egg roll which was nice. The only reason I would go back is because what we did order was very good and the employees were awesome. I will however call ahead to see if they are fully stocked. Otherwise I will not go out of my way.
Update: Customer service goes a long way in my book. I appreciate the fact that this is a small business and they make everything in house. That's why I wanted to try it all! Because they were so awesome and because they took the time to reply to this review and because the food I did get was delicious....I will be back when I am in DC. Save a chimi chimi pow pow egg roll and some Taiwanese fried mozzarella for me please 😁
Dorea Reeser
SO GOOD! Talk about unique, delicious, a d mostly healthy options. I absolutely love their rice. It has coconut in it, and I can't wait to gobble it down! And the "mozzarella" balls are absolutely amazing! I have to order them every single time.i get Pow Pow. I was thrilled to finally visit the restaurant because I'd only ever ordered delivery. It's nothing fancy so I wouldn't go there on a date, but it's clean and nice enough! The staff are super friendly and helpful if you have questions.
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