WA DC Dining Recommendations

[travelingjen]

We will be in WA DC the first full week of September. I am having a difficult time deciding on where to eat as there are so many great options! We are renting this apartment in the U-Street neighborhood but we are not limiting ourselves to that area for dining.

I already have dinner reservations made at Rasika. For the rest of the week I would like to eat at maybe two more "upscale/expensive" places for dinner (Komi, Obelisk, & Marcel's are high on that list) and then a mixture of moderate to inexpensive places. We love all cuisines and I particularly like French and Italian. I would also like to find a few places for breakfast, lunch places near the tourist spots, and some delicious bakeries/pastry shops. Basically, I want to eat the best that DC has to offer!

Additionally, if someone could recommend some nice/classy lounges that we could sit and have a cocktail or two in, that would be great!

[osumelissa]

Love Cava Mezze. Ted's Bulletin is a neat little restaurant in Eastern Market for breakfast or dinner. If you will be here on a Sunday for brunch, I suggest Perry's for their drag brunch. It's such a fun time.

For a really neat cocktail experience, make reservations for Columbia Room. It's a bar inside a bar with only 10 seats. It's a tad pricey at $67, but that gets you three cocktails that are strong! The Gibson is another speakeasy and is located just off U Street. Marvin has a great upstairs patio and is next to the Gibson.

[katieh]

I really liked Zaytinya for upscale Turkish and Greek. My sister always raves about PX for cocktails.

[spankswife]

LOVE Zaytinya!!!! Also, Ben's Chili Bowl for a casual lunch. Thai Phoon has great Thai food, there is a good cupcake place by DUpont circle...Honestly there are so many great restaurants around Dupont.

[winnied]

I second Ben's Chili Bowl.

I really enjoy 1789 and Bistro Bis as well for more upscale dining.

[sunshinedaydreams]

I agree with Cava and Ben's Chili Bowl. I'll add Rosa Mexicano right off the Chinatown Metro stop. They have good drinks and great food. And they make fresh guac for you at your table.

I also really like Martin. If it's nice weather, the rooftop bar is really nice. And it's really close to the 930 Club, which is DC's best music venue, IMO, if there are any good shows while you're here.

[frlcb]

Do people really eat Ben's Chili Bowl sober? I used to live on the street over from it (we could see it from our kitchen) and I only went there after a night out. It was really good then.

[travelingjen]

Thank you to everyone for the great recommendations! I have added several of these to my list!

[spankswife]

Aug 1, 2012 18:51:26 GMT -5 frlcb said:

Do people really eat Ben's Chili Bowl sober? I used to live on the street over from it (we could see it from our kitchen) and I only went there after a night out. It was really good then.

LOL! We did, although I totally get where you are coming from! We went for lunch with or 2 yo. Actually, Joe Mantegna (Criminal MInds) was there while we were there, and the place was packed!

[neonpink]

Founding farmers is really good. All the food is from American farms.
Jaleo- a Spanish Tapas restaurant that is really good. I was there mid July and had a fantastic meal.

Lincoln's Waffle Shop is a no frills breakfast place near the Ford Theater. It was cheap, simple, and when we went super fast. We went before any crowds showed up.

Church Key- Logan Circle is a really hip place with great beers on tap and good food.

Legal Seafood. We went in for a light bite and drinks. I had a crab soup and a moscow mule. I'm still thinking about it. I'm sure the entree's are great.

Ben's Chili Bowl is really good. It's a pretty historic restaurant in DC. It was the first place I had the regions half smoked chili dog. It was awesome.

I'm not sure how athletic you are, but DC now has a bike share. Capital Bikeshare. www.capitalbikeshare.com/ You can rent a bike for 3 Days for 15 dollars, the first 30 minutes are free then $1.50 for an additional 30, the rate goes up from there but there are so many stations you could honestly ride almost all day for free. They are located near almost all the major sites and made getting around DC so easy and fun. DC is very flat so even my husband who doesn't bike ever had a great time. We saw so much more that way. They also have a special bike lane done Pennsylvania Ave and riding down that was really cool.

[jenn248]

Ditto Church Key, Central, and Zaytinya. I've also heard really good things about Blue Duck Tavern, but haven't been myself yet (we plan to go for our anniversary this year). I also like Proof - if you already have a full dinner schedule, it would be a nice place to go for happy hour and get some nice wine and a cheese plate. Co Co Sala is fun, too, and would be good for either dinner or cocktails. For cheaper meals, I like Ella's Pizza and Matchbox.

You should also try to hit up a few of the food trucks for lunch while you're in town. Red Hook Lobster Truck is one of the most popular ones; my personal favorites are Fojol (I prefer their Indian, but they also have Ethiopian and Thai), Basil Thyme, Dangerously Delicious Pies, DC Ballers, and Tasty Kabob. You can find the locations each day at foodtruckfiesta.com/; most will post their locations by 11:00.

POV rooftop lounge at the W Hotel has a great view of the city (it's right next to the White House). I would only go for one drink though - they're very expensive. You don't need a reservation if you're just going to the bar, but I would avoid it on a popular happy hour night (Thurs/Fri), as it tends to get crowded.