Pow Pow is bringing its disco stick egg rolls, trolley fries, and other plant-based guilty pleasures to 1250 I Street NW late spring. The restaurant from partners Shaun Sharkey and Margaux Riccio first launched on H Street NE in May 2016.

The fast-casual restaurant stands out for its creative comfort food dishes that draw inspiration from Chinese, Japanese, and Korean cuisines. Riccio’s cooking got a round of applause from Post critic Tim Carman last June, especially for her ways with the mock meats that make up dishes like the “Natalie Porkman” featuring sweet and sour “pork” made from seitan, or the “Tokyo Roboto” starring teriyaki grilled plant-based chicken. 

Riccio makes the unique proteins in house, along with just about everything else that reaches diners’ plates, including cashew-based “cheeses.” She’s been so successful at developing products that she formed a spin-off company, Planted by M, and sells plant-based items to other restaurants in the city including sPACYcLOUd Lounge in Adams Morgan and Fare Well on H Street NE. 

The menu at the new location at 13th and I Streets NW will be similar to the menu on H Street NE, according to Riccio and Sharkey. Riccio says she’s adding gluten-free “pork” and “chicken” to make meals even more accessible.

“People have been on us about being in Northwest since the day we opened, especially after we went plant-based,” Riccio says, adding that there’s been so much increased demand for plant-based cuisine. Food trend trackers called 2019 the year of mock meat with companies like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods taking off. 

The team from Pow Pow is behind another plant-based casual concept—Bubbie’s Plant Burgers & Fizz, which is currently operating out of the Rock & Roll Hotel. There will soon be a food truck too. Chef Roro of Roro’s Lebanese Cuisine recently joined the Bubbie’s team as the sous chef de cuisine.  

Pow Pow, 1250 I St. NW; eatpowpow.com