True Food Kitchen — Restaurant in Merrifield

I visited on Good Friday as a way to have a meal out that focused on lighter, healthier, and earthier offerings. As with many Mosaic eateries this evening, the place was rather swamped with customers even as late as 8 PM. I ate at the bar and was glad I did. Service came quickly and gave me ample time to review the menu after cleaning the area in front of me.

I settled on ordering a prickly pear refresher drink, the tuna tostada appetizer, the Tuscan kale salad with added chicken for protein, the salmon entree, and the flourless chocolate cake. Bad news: the kitchen took 25 minutes to get my appetizer and initially brought my kale salad when that item was not even fired yet. Good news: the bar staff took charge, sent the salad back, expedited my tostada, and comped the cost without me even asking. More good news: the tostada tasted great, with the Chip being predictably crispy, the flavor of the tuna came through the avocado and jalapeño, and the ponzu was so delightfully spicy that I could most have had a separate cup of just that sauce. The salad came just as I was finishing the tostada. I would have liked the kale salad to be a little brighter perhaps with more lemon and the chicken to have the same grilled flavor but be juicer.

Once again the kitchen took another 25 minutes to produce my salmon, and this time the assistant manager brought my dish which was a welcome touch given the tough night the kitchen was having. My entree had another winning sauce with the pumpkin seed pesto which had an almost Indian taste (I suggest putting the pesto next to the farro and quinoa and have the sauce and the grain together). The vegetables were cooked properly, especially the charred onion. Most importantly the salmon was cooked to a proper medium rare as requested (the default temperature is medium). All in all three tasty savory dishes somewhat spoiled by the inconsistent times from the kitchen. The chocolate cake had a delicious and almost decadent chocolaty richness with a slightly firm shell and a soft, moist interior. Caramel at the bottom provided a welcome accent as did the ice cream which held its shape as I finished.

Without the comped appetizer my bill would have been around $65. Even if I paid for the appetizer, I might be okay with the value for a Mosaic eatery against current inflation pressures. Most notably I really appreciated the attention from the bar staff and the manager to get my meal pacing on track and check with me to see if they could do anything else. I wish I had their names, which as a very minor point I would suggest them providing upon greeting me. Still I had a good experience on an off night for the kitchen in some ways and would return again if I were movie watching at the Angelika or otherwise found myself...

This is my family’s hands down favorite restaurant. If you are looking for fresh, creative, delicious food and drink, modern atmosphere where all are welcome, and friendly and attentive staff, this is the place for you!

For my family, walking in this place is like a mini-vacation. This is not hyperbole, my family and friends confirm — you feel when you walk in.

First off, it’s the only place in the DMV that truly understands and accommodates food restrictions and preferences. It’s the only place I’ve been anywhere where most of the servers can walk you through the entire menu and tell you which items have gluten, dairy, or soy and what substitutions can be made.

And their gluten/dairy-free entrees are not an after-thought. They are numerous and delicious! I typically find the restaurant gluten free breads and desserts are not as good as what I can make at home or buy from the grocery store. This is not the case at True Food! I don’t know how they do it, but they make the most mouth-watering gluten free/dairy free fresh breads and baked goods we have ever tasted! Highly recommend trying their GF/V pizza, GF/V pita bread, GF/V burger buns, GF/V flourless chocolate cake, and GF/V chocolate chip (hunks) cookies. Their vegan ice cream and whipped cream are also fabulous.

Worth noting, they cheerfully honor your preferences, making almost any adjustment you need to most dishes.

We also love that they take vegetables and herbs seriously. They are present in every dish and are well-prepared. The result is fresh, modern, and so much fun!

Furthermore, they have a whole plethora of options interesting fresh juices, teas, coffees, oat milk matcha horchatas, and other beverages to try out.

When out and about in Merrifield this a great place to stop (the only place actually) and get a gluten AND dairy free dessert and beverage.

Finally, the other thing that is amazing about this place is how you FEEL after eating there. Restaurant food generally makes us feel weighed down, this is not the case at True Food. We actually feel BETTER after we eat there!

Okay, I’ll stop there… but if you haven’t tried TF and you love food —...

While I really want to like this place, and love the idea of fresh ingredients with lots of vegetarian/vegan options, sadly my experiences have not been up to par any of the times I have visited and I no longer plan on returning.

To put this into perspective, I have dined at True Food on numerous occasions over the last 5 years. On my first visits a few years ago, I continually experienced poor service (not being able to get refills, unfriendly servers, etc) and I also thought that most of the food was bland and not seasoned or flavored very well. I then stopped going completely after I found a piece of PLASTIC (like food packaging) in my food during brunch one day. When I brought it to the manager’s attention, he argued with me and insisted that it couldn’t have come from the kitchen because he claimed they didn’t have any plastic at all in their kitchen, which seems fishy to me. This experience frustrated me and I did not return for a few years as a result.

I then decided to give True Food another try yesterday for dinner (take out) and unfortunately had a bad experience again. When I arrived to pick up my food, I asked the bartender where to get it since I did not see any bags with my name on them. He told me that it must not be ready yet (despite me arriving 10 minutes after the order pickup ETA). I waited 10 minutes and then politely asked him to check with the kitchen since it was 20 minutes late now. He didn’t go check with the kitchen, and told me to just wait longer. No other staff in the restaurant seemed concerned with the delay or me waiting, and I was completely ignored by other staff who walked by me. Another 5 minutes goes by and finally a friendly server came over to me with my food. I understand that delays can happen, but I would have appreciated being updated with a new ETA or at least just an apology that the food was running late.

But to make matters worse, there was another piece of PLASTIC in my food again last night! I couldn’t believe that it happened twice, years apart! There were also two thick long black hairs in my food (I have short brown hair, so it’s not even remotely...