Senbeb Cafe

The low key atmosphere is really appealing and the food is out of this world — the fried chicken, mac & cheese, and crab cake sandwich were mind blowing. There’s also a small outside table in the back that was nice for us since the limited counter seats were taken at the time.

Vege cheese steak was awesome! Nothing special about the fries, probably a good thing.

They have a good small market with vegan foods — not cheap and not good variety, but it’s a nice neighborhood place. Unfortunately, we were not motivated to try the café food as the girl at the counter was extremely rude! I don’t care how good the food is here — I am not coming back.

Went here during a flash blizzard, which added a nice ghostly atmosphere. It was also Valentine’s Day, which meant there were actual ghosts just gliding up and down the street outside. It was cool.
Cajun chicken sandwich was fried really well but could have used more seasoning. Steak and cheese sandwich was the best vegan steak and cheese I’ve ever had, though. Red lentil soup was pretty good and I like that this place sells fries. Will be coming back to try more dishes for sure. And the fact that they have a refrigerator case of AMAZING VEGAN TREATS (cheesecake, cake, etc) will force me to come back all the time. I heard a rumor they are desserts from The Ultimate Vegan Bakery Vegan Treats From Pennsylvania. I’m not sure if it’s true but I don’t give a damn because whatever that case is selling, I’m buying!
Also there is a cute, tiny lil’ co-​op attached where you can buy snacks while you wait for your order at Senbeb, and then eating them just ruins your appetite. To each her own. The woman working at Senbeb was rude, but it’s OK because she put a spell on me with her case of vegan treats. I am literally inside the case writing this review as cheesecake slides down my dead cheeks. Yum!

Love this place! Their Cajun Fried Chicken is a weekly staple at my house. Situated in a weird place near the Washington DC/​Takoma Park border and was a little hard to find my first time. We are not vegan, but becoming more health conscious and more adventurous!
We’ve tried:
Cajun Friend Chicken (****+ Mambo Sauce = *****)
Chicken and Mushroom Curry (****)
Salmon Cakes (***)
BBQ Tofu (***)
Black Bean Burger (**)
Jerk Chicken (***)
Sides:
Coleslaw (*** — used to be four *, but they changed the recipe to be more mustardy and less spicy… but some people like that)
Yams (*** — a little watery yes, but its not drenched in syrup like other places)
Collards (**** — yes, a little water too, but its not super salty like normal southern collards and you can actually taste the veggie)
Mac and Cheese (***** — i LOVE their mac and cheese! Cant tell its vegan!)
Green Beans (*** — little bland)
So overall, they get four stars from us… service is always impeccable and the ladies there are soooo sweet! Too bad they close early on sundays. Never tried their brunch, but always get a craving for Senbeb sunday nights!

I think not good. :(the sides (greens beans/​yams) were soggy and yucky, like they’d come out of a can.
The chickpea and spinach soup was good, creamy, but not spectacular. I wouldn’t go back again just to have it. The cornbread was average– not as moist as I think it should be. Pretty hard. Meh.
The garden salad was crisp and fresh, but tiny as a side. I just felt like I was eating at my mom’s house on a day when she just threw together leftovers out of her unhealthy food repertoire. Meh.
Now, here’s where the two stars come in– the girl at the register was very sweet, and let me know about the frequent visitor program. Also, the prices were very inexpensive– but I’m a living foods junky. I like it clean, brightly colored like it just came out of the earth, and organic– I also like it fresh and mostly raw, so I’m not their target audience here. The food is edible, but I feel like I’ll be cleansing this out later.

I LOVE Senbeb Café. I’m a cheatin’ vegan — I eat vegan foods several days out of the week to make me feel better about my weekend ribeyes and racks o’ ribs. Balance, grasshopper, it’s all about balance. I love this place because, as opposed to the other soul food vegan spots in the area (granted, I’ve only tried Everlasting Life’s locations and Sweet N’ Natural), their mock meats are so close to the texture and flavor of the real deal that I don’t feel like I’m missing a single thing. Same with the mac n’ cheese. I can’t stand that mushy soy cheese casserole that seems to be the norm everywhere else, but Senbeb uses something verrrry close to the taste and feel of the real thing so I’m sold! I honestly do judge restaurants by their mac and cheese, so once I’d tried that I just kept going on down the menu. The steak and cheese — awesome. The mixed greens — AWESOME, seriously. It puts a damper on my day when they’re not available. The salmon cakes — YES MA’AM. Every single time. Eventually, when I get tired of them (don’t hold your breath), I’ll venture on to the jerk chicken and beef & broccoli. The selection of drinks is cool too, I really like the Chai Cola for days I’m being bad and indulging my carbonated beverage addiction. The desserts — also surprisingly delicious for not containing the various animal secretions I’m used to (eggs, butter, creams). Namely the German chocolate cake — on point. You get my point, right? Just come try for yourselves! The one star off is just because I’m a spoiled 21^st century brat — everything is basically cooked to order, so this is not a «let me just pop in and pick up something on my 30-​minute break» spot. Expect to wait for your food, but to be delighted when it’s finally done.
I’m literally on my way to Senbeb in a few minutes to treat myself before work.

This place has a great menu. Excellent waffles and pancakes on Sunday. I dined in but I don’t think there’s a lot of seating available, but they package your order in a way so it’s very easy to get it take out. I will probably be back frequently picking up to go orders and trying the rest of the menu– everything looks great!

This place is so low key, and it is quite out of the way from DC hustle and bustle. However, it’s worth the journey if you are patient and don’t mind the close quarters. The food is all vegan and all good. The menu changes, but there are always a good number of choices for a variety of palates. They also have dessert from Vegan Treats (YES PLEASE) and raw choices. So, going here, you can get just about every aspect of your vegan palate’s predilections satiated. The hard part is to figure out what you will actually order — the one of each doesn’t fly too well if you don’t want to weigh 500 pounds. So, go with a group of people, then you can try more!
The cornbread is excellent, and you can add it on as a side to anything. Yes, the mac and cheese is good, but I have to say, it is not as good as I had hoped it would be. I just have a preference for some other local vegan mac n cheeses. Still, it’s good.
The raw food is great — but, don’t knock raw until you try it. It is pricier, and it is very similar to offerings at Khepra’s and Woodlands. Just as good, but in a plastic container.
The savory dinner items and sandwiches are standard fare, but the portions are generous. So, maybe don’t eat it all, or you will feel guilty afterwards? Remember, vegan food is not always healthy, low-​calorie. It’s great for many reasons, but don’t presume it’s super healthy low fat and low sodium! It’s fantastic food, though, so it’s worth it.
The brunch items cause great lines and require great patience, but the food is worth it. These pancakes may be my favorite blueberry vegan pancakes in the DC area. They are light and fluffy and huge!!! They are bargain-​priced! That’s my brunch recommendation. The omelet is good with the veggies, but the texture isn’t my fav. The grits are tasty, but nothing extraordinary. Oh, and the biscuits may be my favorite vegan biscuits in DC, too!!! YUM. Flour and fat and salt — goooood eating!!!
Go here hungry, and you will leave full! Very conducive to take-​out given the small seating area.

The «Senbeb Café» gets my family’s vote for the BEST vegan soul food anywhere! We live in Hawaii, and visit our sons who live in the Washington, DC area once or twice a year. We lucked up on this rare find … which even non-​vegans must love. This DC café, that’s also close for Takoma Park/​Silver Spring residents (and visitors like us), proves healthy eating can be soulful and delicious. We manage to fit in a few lunch/​dinner visits when visiting … and we HIGHLY recommend it to those of you who are fortunate enough to live nearby (although, we wouldn’t trade Hawaii for the world. :-D). Eat up and enjoy! With aloha, Ewa Malia & Family

Passing through town we stopped in for lunch. So happy to find that the whole menu was home cooked, fresh, and vegan. I got the cheesy veggie omelet. So delicious. Also tried the kale salad and the carrot cake. Everything was superb.

This was my second vegan soul food experience. Went for the first time the other day and the food was amazing! I was skeptical of how a vegan crab cake could actually taste like a crab cake but it did and was amazing. A little greasy but hey what can you expect. The Mac and cheese was great and I enjoyed it more than woodlands and the yams were great. Will definitely be back soon and would love to try one of the sandwiches.

The vegan chocolate cake was very rich and decadent. Salmon cakes, potato salad, mixed greens and chicken salad were good. However, the piece of cornbread I received was inedible and stale. It was so hard, I couldn’t eat it.

Best veggie burger I ever had… The mac and chese is great too. People usually love the chicken sandwich. It tastes great, but it’s too big for me. Consider splitting with a friend.

Epic.
Vegan Cajun Fried Chicken: A million little layers of meaty deliciousness, coated in seasoned breading. I am a faux chicken connoisseur, and Senbeb’s is ties with Everlasting Life’s for best I’ve ever had.
Mock Beef & Broccoli: Again, I’ve had a lot of mock beef, and this ties for favorite with the Vegetarian Plus kind you can buy at the supermarket.
Mac N Cheese: 2^nd best vegan mac n cheese I’ve ever had. Tastes like the kind your mom made you from a box when you were a kid.

I went in looking for Qhemet Biologics hair products, and I am beyond excited that they sell them! Now Never mind that it’s walking distance from my house. I will never order those products online again (well, as long as they continue carrying them). I’m one happy customer :)

Everything I’ve had here is good and I’ve been up and down the menu. Do expect to wait a while for your food and you might want to take it to go. I don’t think there are more than 12 seats.

I’m new to the neighborhood, so when I found out that there is a vegan restaurant right down the street I nearly wet my pants with with excitement. When my WATER BOTTLE almost spilled on me… get your mind out of the gutter silly Unilocal reader!
Went here on a Thursday night and my wife and I ordered two dinner entrees. One was cajun fried chicken with collards and potato salad, the other was chickpea stew with green beans and potato salads. Why did my wife and I order two of the same sides? That’s something you’ll have to take up with her.
We were pleasantly surprised as both were flavorful and delicious. For $ 10.50 you get an entrée (of ample size), two sides, and come cornbread. I sampled the jerk chicken as well which was also muy bueno. Everything is vegan, so no meat, diary, eggs, or anything of that nature. ¼ of a star off for not making their own, or having good, vegan desserts. They had some sort of chia seed pudding that I wasn’t adventurous enough to try.
The interior isn’t much to look at, but the food is fantastic. The neighboring vegan food store didn’t have much available for sale, but their prices were VERY reasonable. It reminded me of a Yes Organic Market that’s run by some hippie vegans who weren’t sure whether they should restock the shelves after most of their groceries had been sold.
If you’re vegan, and you live in the area you need to go here now. Just make sure to get there before 8, as that’s what time they close.

This vegan spot is THE BOMB!!! You absolutely CANNOT sleep on it! I am sooooo NOT vegan and this place hits the spot… EVERY TIME! Between the greens, potato salad, yams, salmon cakes, crab cakes, chicken salad, corn bread (all vegan — I might add)… Sometimes its hard to choose what I want!!!

Small, but friendly place just south of the Takoma aquatic center, this neighborhood café and market is a veggie heaven!
I had very friendly service, and food was good — not great, but good.
It’s a dive inside. atmosphere is the people.
It’s local — good. It’s vegan — good.