As students migrate back to campus, they’ll notice an old favorite restaurant got a fresh look and new menu items.
Roti, a fast casual restaurant chain that serves up Mediterranean plates, pita pockets and salads, is starting off the semester with renovations and added menu options at the I Street location.
The restaurant renovated both the indoor and outdoor dining areas in the last week of December. Outside on the patio is a combination of new cozy couches to lounge on and tables with bright green chairs. Overhead, the restaurant added dreamy string lights for a calming atmosphere. Inside the restaurant, the formerly crowded dining tables have been replaced with modern, cozy, seating.
The restaurant now allows diners to choose as many toppings and sauces as they want for no extra charge – a perk that makes it easier to explore all of the delicious new flavors they have to offer.
Some of the best new menu items are comprised of surprising flavor combinations that, sometimes surprisingly, work together. The versatile lemon-oregano pickles went just as well with my mediterranean rice plate as they would on top of a pulled pork sandwich. The mix of citrusy lemon and spicy, warm oregano was a unique combination.
The pickled onions were also a pleasant surprise. With an almost neon magenta color, I was immediately drawn to the aesthetic aspects of this topping, and the candy-sweet taste of the onions was the perfect compliment to a spicy dish.
New sauces to top your pita sandwich, salad or rice plate include a red and green s’hug sauce, which is a traditionally Middle Eastern hot sauce. The red s’hug sauce was an equal mix of sweet and spicy, and the green s’hug was made of basil, cilantro, red pepper and jalapenos, which left my lips tingling.
Roti’s quinoa cauliflower tabbouleh had a new flavor in each bite. In one bite, I tasted a bit of dried figs and in the next was surprised by a crunchy slivered almond. The tabbouleh also had chopped up bits of rich kalamata olives and was tossed with a light red wine vinegar that didn’t overpower the other flavors.
In addition to the new menu items, Roti revamped old dishes by switching to chargrills to cook all of the restaurant’s protein, leaving my steak more flavorful and tender than usual.
Roti will now serve seasonal homemade beverages, too. The spiced carrot apple green tea seemed like a confusing concoction at first but actually had a mellow, even watery flavor. The pomegranate lemonade black tea was a tart blend of lemonade and calming black tea with a sour aftertaste.
The restaurant is also now serving four beer and wine options. The beer will come from two local brewers, D.C. Brau Brewing Company and Maryland-based craft brewery, the Flying Dog. All alcohol options are moderately priced for the area at around $8 a glass.
