A new organic vegan restaurant will open in Riverdale Park’s town center in early 2020, adding to the Route 1 corridor’s growing dining scene.

Gangster Vegan Organics plans to open in January in the space downstairs from the Bikram yoga studio near Banana Blossom Bistro, owner Taneea Yarborough told the Hyattsville Wire.

In addition to seating for 25, the restaurant will also offer delivery through local services.

Ingredients for the restaurant will be sourced from national organic vendors, with local wellness-oriented businesses offering workshops on healthy living on site from time to time.

A former principal, Yarborough opened Gangster Vegan in Baltimore’s Cross Street Market in September, just two weeks before undergoing major surgery for breast cancer. She said her time as a school administrator gave her a first-hand experience of the problems with America’s nutritional habits.

The menu features vegan dishes with hip hop-inspired names, like a Swizz Beets burger, a C.R.E.A.M. smoothie made with bananas and dates and a Dirty South barbecue bowl.

Since the opening of Riverdale Park Station just up the road, Riverdale Park’s town center has seen new life, with Riviera Tapas, the expansion of the Town Center Market, new owners for Dumm’s pizza and the planned opening of 2Fifty Barbecue.

Yarborough told the Hyattsville Wire the location was carefully chosen.

“It was important for us to be in an easily accessible area that was also not far from some of the area’s food deserts,” she said. “Being beside a bikram studio is also no coincidence, as we see the importance of connecting with individuals who already understand the value of holistic wellness.”

Located at 6202 Rhode Island Ave., Suite 105, the restaurant plans a grand opening once construction is complete, and will be open seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.