A budget- and waist-friendly lunchtime locale

Amid a row of more indulgent eateries down the street from the Capitol sits Sweetgreen, an oasis for Capitol Hill staffers and other area employees looking to watch their waistlines during the lunch-hour rush.

Customers can choose from eight conceptualized salads, including the lowest-calorie Curry Gold salad — made with spinach, roasted chicken, cucumbers, beets, dried cranberries and toasted almonds — and the more splurge-worthy Derby Cobb salad, with blue cheese, egg, bacon, avocado and chicken.

The Cobb salad is worth the calories, with the perfect amount of smoky bacon and a healthy serving of creamy avocado. The lighter honey Dijon vinaigrette is the perfect flavor and consistency to top off the salad’s heavy ingredients.

The option to create your own salad also gives customers the power to concoct their own signature meal.

On a hot day, try the tart frozen yogurt, only 85 calories per half-cup. Fresh fruit and other goodies top off this refreshing treat. 

The Capitol Hill Sweetgreen is just one of a few locations around Washington, Maryland and Virginia, and has built up a loyal following in the area. Its popularity, however, is both a blessing and a curse. Lines can get long during the noontime rush, and service can be slow, so be prepared to spend a good chunk of time waiting for your meal.

The line, however, doesn’t seem to detract repeat Sweetgreen customers, who come prepared with the establishment’s reusable salad container — a plastic Tupperware that helps reduce waste and protect the environment. The containers are part of Sweetgreen’s mission to serve healthy, sustainable food — a philosophy created by a trio of Georgetown University graduates.

Even those who don’t come prepared with their reusable carryout container are helping the environment. All of the restaurant’s packaging, cutlery and napkins are made with biodegradable materials. Those who opt to dine in throw their trash into compost bins, reducing the carbon footprint of their lunchtime meal.

With a mission of using sustainable food and eco-friendly products to create healthy and waist-conscious meals, the establishment is a must-visit for Capitol Hill’s weight-watchers and environmental activists — or just the casual neighborhood luncher.