True Food Kitchen opened its doors in Bethesda in June 2017. It resembles an LA-style restaurant with its health-driven menu and interesting twists on everyday dishes. That said, if you’re not a health nut, this restaurant isn’t for you.

The restaurant has a very minimalist approach to its seating. The tables are all made out of wood and all of the booth seats were colored green. Everything about the room feels like what one would expect when going to Sunday brunch. The food is presented on white plates and bowls. The restaurant has a very nice decor with plants located at every table. It also has big windows that create great lighting with the sunlight. However, the decor is probably the best thing about the restaurant, given that the food was mediocre.

We went into the restaurant completely blind of the menu, so it was shocking that most items on the menu had quinoa in it. Even the pancakes. All the juices had vegetables in them, and the lemonades had honey in them. The honey lemonade was definitely the best tasting thing that we ordered. At first it tasted like average lemonade, but once you got to the honey, it was really something else. The margherita pizza was pretty mediocre. It had fresh mozzarella which is necessary for a good pizza but the sauce was far too “tomato-y.” The sauce-to-cheese ratio was disappointing.

The avocado toast had smashed avocado on wheat bread with a sunny side up egg and arugula on top. It had a delicious dressing on it and made the whole meal taste more fresh. The avocado was too salty and the egg was too big for the bread size. It came with two pieces of toast, however they were both very tiny.

If you’re trying to eat healthier, we suggest coming to True Food because they serve healthy food that tastes good for what it is. However, if you just want some good brunch, go to a more traditional place like City Perch in Pike and Rose.