Get yourself through midterms with a hearty meal from Farmbird.

Farmbird has two D.C. locations, one in Penn Quarter at 625 H St. NE and one more central to campus at 860 E St NW. Indoor dining is not currently available because of the pandemic, but you can get a dish delivered to you or pick it up.

I ordered from the Penn Quarter location on Grubhub, and it took just less than 30 minutes to arrive. Grubhub included no delivery fee, so for the three plates I ordered for my roommates and myself, I paid about $40 in total.

The fast-food-style restaurant touts its fresh chicken dishes and vegetable sides. For a meal, you can choose between one of five protein plates ($10.35) like the chipotle masala or barbecue ranch plates; salads ($10.35) like the cucumber soy salad with chicken thigh; or sandwiches ($10.35) like the pulled barbeque chicken sandwich. For sides, Farmbird offers plates like kale and avocado salad and crispy mac and cheese.

While Farmbird is advertised to be a primarily chicken-focused eatery, it accommodates dietary restrictions. In addition to being gluten-free, each bowl comes with the option to swap out the chicken for tofu.

Each of the five plates comes with your choice of a protein and base, with options like brown basmati rice, riced cauliflower and supergreens. Wanting a kick, I ordered the spicy roasted fresno plate ($10.35) with chicken breast, brown rice, fresno pepper sauce, pickled red onions, crispy shallots and cilantro.

As it is a local business, Farmbird touts its local, humanely raised chicken from farms in the DMV. The chicken lives up to its hype – it was notably fresh and cooked perfectly tender.

I opted for a base of brown rice, which was good, if a bit dry. But the rice was balanced out by soft pickled onions, cilantro and roasted fresno peppers. The spicy roasted fresno plate is certainly for those who like a little heat – the peppers and onions give the dish a noticeable kick that was not too overpowering but still suffused the senses.

The plates include one side and greens, which can upgrade to a second side for an extra $1.45. Unsure of how large the sides would be, I opted for one, the brussels sprouts, which were crispy and seasoned with salt and pepper. But next time I’d go for a second, like the roasted sweet potatoes, mac and cheese, chili lime cucumbers, avocado or chickpea salad. Each side costs $3.35.

I ordered the unsweetened black tea ($2.85) for my beverage but also could have gone with the raspberry tea ($2.85) or the wild kombucha ($4.85). If you choose to include a dessert, consider ordering the Sweet Street Salted Manifesto Cookie or the Sweet Street Chocolate Chunk Manifesto Cookie (each $3.35) in your order.

The next time you are looking for a quick lunch made with locally grown food, try Freebird.