Toastique, Local Unique at Wharf DC

Of all the places at The Wharf DC for food and snacks, Toastique is distinguished by its serenity.  It’s located off Maine Ave, a busy street where busses roar and emergency vehicles zoom past. But once inside you experience a calmness away from the noise and sight pollution. It’s no mistake that Toastique is this week’s health and wellness feature.

For those of us that live and work at the DC Wharf, Toastique is always a healthy option. It’s a great meeting place where we can prepare for the day or recover from the night before with nutrition, vitamins and even activated charcoal, (yeah, it’s a thing).   

Owner, Brianna Keefe

Toastique promotes itself as a gourmet toast and juice bar. It is the creation of Brianna Keefe, who has always been passionate about nutrition and fitness. She was a high school and collegiate cheer athlete and even launched a food/fitness blog in high school. 

At James Madison University she found herself busy seven days a week with practices, lifting, and games, not to mention a full academic schedule. That’s when she started making open-faced sandwiches a la “toast.” 

Brianna says, “I needed something to keep me energized and fueled throughout the day and to me, toast was the perfect amount of everything I needed – carbs, protein, and good fat.”

True to Brianna’s vision, the meals at Toastique are delicious, filling and healthy.   

Avocado Smash

Starting with the toasts, they are substantial. Calling them toasts doesn’t really do them justice, but the term is in fashion, and the term, open faced sandwich is kinda old fashioned. If you are squirmy about the idea of spending money on “toast”, let me be clear, these are meals on an edible plate. Feel better now?

Avocados are also in fashion and the Avocado Smash at Toastique is supreme. It’s healthy and it’s comfort food. I don’t know how many avocados are used for each order but it’s a lot, and it’s fresh, and it’s lumpy, just the way it should be. Ask them to toss a poached or hard boiled egg on top and it is a complete meal. I also highly recommend the smoked salmon toast and the cheese Italian toast.  

Acai Bowl

Like many health minded restaurants, Toastique offers a line of icy cold fresh fruit and granola bowl combinations. The colors of the fresh fruit bowls are bright and bring happiness just by seeing them.  The OG Acai is pure happiness and includes acai, blueberry, banana, strawberry, apple juice and is topped with granola, cacao nibs, strawberries, blueberries and honey. Other bowl options include dragonberry, cocolada, and matcha.

The cold pressed juices are where Briana’s creativity and dedication to nutrition really shine.  She says they are pressed every 24 hours, which means they are fresh and made with the best available ingredients.  

Detoxify Juice

My go to juice at Toastique, especially after a long night of too much bourbon, is the Detoxify Juice. It contains coconut water, lemon, agave and activated charcoal.  As I said previously, activated charcoal is apparently a thing so I asked Brianna, the expert. She says, “food grade activated charcoal is made from coconut shells or bamboo. It is ‘activated’ by processing at very high temperatures to make it more porous. It absorbs toxins in the gut to prevent the absorption of toxins into the body. Benefits of activated charcoal is anything with digestion,gas/bloating and also is a great hangover cure!”  Aye, aye captain, I’m doubling down on my Detoxify Juice! 

No health bar would be complete without smoothies. Toastique’s menu includes a line up of health conscious smoothies that trick you into eating your fruits and vegetables.  

Blue Majik

I get the Blue Majik in part because I’m adventurous (it’s blue, really blue), is tasty and seems to be quite good for me. The smoothie includes blue majik, banana, mango, and almond milk. I’m told blue majik is also a thing. It’s recently achieved superfood status and is made with freshwater algae, which is also a thing, and it’s good for you. 

Whether you are a health nut, recovering from a long night, or just want a great, healthy meal, try out Toastique.