Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion.
Sorry! We don't have any recommendations for Washington, D.C. right now.
Washington has long benefited from a constant infusion of different cultures, making it a stellar culinary host for visitors and transplants from around the world. But recent years have made the fifth or sixth banana of American haute cuisine into a foodie town in its own right. You can find almost any cuisine here, from Salvadoran to Ethiopian, despite the lack of true ethnic neighborhoods in the city. You can now also sample cooking from some of the country’s hottest new chefs, find already established celebrity chefs who have just made their D.C debuts, and sip craft cocktails on par with some of the world's best.
Although most neighborhoods lack a unified culinary flavor, make no mistake: D.C. is a city of distinctive areas, each with its own style. Chinatown, for example, is known for chic small plates of various origins. You'll find Japanese noodle shops next to Mexican taquerias and Indian bistros. These spots wax and wane on the popularity scale with each passing season; it's worth taking a stroll down the street to see what's new. Downtown, you'll find many of the city's blue-chip law firms and deluxe, expense-account restaurants, as well as stylish lounges, brewpubs, and upscale eateries that have sprung up to serve the crowds that attend games at the Verizon Center.
Wherever you venture forth in the city, there are a few trends worth noting: artisanal cocktails, charcuterie-and-cheese plates, and back-to-basics new American cuisine are in vogue. You'll find tapas-style portions pervasive, whether you're at a Greek, Asian, or American restaurant. High-end restaurants in town also have begun to add bar menus with smaller plates that are much less expensive than their entrées, but created with the same finesse.
Though Italian, French, and fusion spots continue to open at a ferocious pace, Washingtonians are always hungry to try something new, whether it's Chinese smoked lobster, fiery Indian curry, or crunchy and addictive Vietnamese spring rolls.
Skip the chain bakeries and head to Baked & Wired for their legendary cupcakes (the red velvet is a must), savory scones, and chocolate chip cookies. Any D.C. native will tell you this is one of their favorite spots! Also, coffee lovers will be pleased with all the options on the menu.
This spacious restaurant is on the ground floor of the 130-year-old Riggs Bank Building, now known as the Riggs Hotel. The café boasts large Corinthian columns, original stone floors, a sky-high ceiling, and Palladian windows. The menu is as luxurious as its surroundings: an ample raw bar featuring caviar, oysters, and crab. If seafood is not your thing, there are plenty of other choices, like steak frites and duck breast.
This rustic, dimly lit wine bar brings chic cuisine to the city's hippest neighborhood. The wine list features rare varietals—with a dozen still under $11 per glass—but even teetotalers will be enchanted by the menu's classic dishes. The duck confit, avocado bruschetta, and grilled hanger steak are standouts, while the ginger-caramel pot de crème is a favorite for dessert.
Popular D.C. coffee and gelato chain Dolcezza set up shop at the Hirshhorn Museum a few years ago, making it the only locally owned café in a Smithsonian museum. On a hot summer day, cool down with a heaping cone of their beloved pistachio gelato or recharge with a strong espresso. Located in the futuristic-looking lobby designed by the internationally acclaimed Japanese artist Hiroshi Sugimoto, it has stunning tables made in the shape of the roots of a medieval Japanese nutmeg tree. The café also offers freshly made sweet and savory pastries to appeal to the diverse taste of its guests.
A slice of Europe in Georgetown, Kafe Leopold has an all-day coffee-and-drinks bar, olive-and-onion tarts, crispy schnitzel paired with arugula, and a decadent assortment of pastries. Tucked away in Cady's Alley, the restaurant sits on a quiet side street with design shops and restaurants. The setting is an architecturally hip dining space, with roll-up window walls and a patio complete with a fountain, perfect for sitting with a glass of Grüner Veltliner and taking in the views.
This unpretentious but intimate and stylish bistro recalls a Parisian café, with dark woods, white tablecloths, and cozy tables—not to mention the owner himself is from Paris. The main floor has two dining rooms, one of which has floor-to-ceiling windows that open to the street when weather permits. The menu is traditional French, with staples like steak frites, escargots, bouillabaisse, and crepes.
At the edge of the National Gallery of Art's Sculpture Garden, you can sidle up to the counter and feast your eyes on the menu items before deciding what you'll order at this casual, sit-down eatery. From pastries to anything-but-ordinary salads to hot and cold sandwiches with Southwestern or East Asian flavors, you'll have an array of choices. Salads topped with plenty of seasonal fruit, vegetables, and style. Sandwiches typically offer a twist, such as Montréal beef on whole-grain ciabatta or lemon-tarragon chicken salad on a whole-grain croissant. Enjoy your meal inside with full windows or outside in either the sun or the shade—or take it with you to sit by the fountains surrounding a pond, making something of a soothing oasis as they drown out the traffic noise. In summer, you can order carafes of sangria to take in the sounds of the popular Jazz in the Garden series. During the winter, you can enjoy some boozy hot chocolate and cider while walking around the garden's seasonal ice-skating rink. Hours change seasonally.
Skip the chains and head to this beloved local coffee shop and whole-grain bakery offering fresh sourdough creations, whole wheat almond croissants, and seasonal veggie frittatas. Grab a specialty coffee, a yerba-maté or nettle tea, and a 100% whole-wheat chocolate croissant or buckwheat muffin on your way to tour the city. Look out for the afternoon’s pastries, including the wheat-free sorghum brownies.
In a city full of steak houses catering to business travelers on expense accounts, Bourbon Steak, located at the Four Seasons Hotel, has made a name for itself as one of the best. The menu offers an array of steaks, from curated cuts of Waygu imported from Japan to grass-fed bone-in rib eyes from nearby farms in Maryland and Virginia. Not a steak lover? Bourbon also offers decadent seafood towers and hearty cuts of fish prepared on a wood-fired grill. As the name implies, Bourbon Steak also has an extensive whiskey list. The oenophiles can also rejoice with a comprehensive wine list.
Inside a picturesque blue Georgetown row house, you will find Café Georgetown, a chic, European-inspired café serving pastries such as carrot cake and baklava. The café has an extended coffee and tea menu, but what guests come for is the exquisite latte art. If you're visiting during cherry blossom season, a cherry blossom latte is a must! At $7, they are pricier than your average latte, but they are worth the splurge.
With 30 years in service, Cafe Milano continues to be a buzzed-about place in many Washington, D.C. political and celebrity circles. Don't be surprised if you bump into a politician or a waiter who later becomes famous (Bradley Cooper waited tables there during his time as a Georgetown University student). Specialties are butter lettuce salad with lemon vinaigrette and crostini, thin-crust pizzas anchored by Naples-controlled San Marzano tomato sauce, and sumptuous pasta dishes in pesto or fresh vegetable sauces. Cafe Milano is particularly popular in the summertime when its front-facing, floor-to-ceiling walls retract to include a chic outdoor dining space.
This award-winning teahouse, named Yelp’s “Most Loved Business in D.C.” in 2019, features more than 80 teas, tonics, and body products based on founder Dr. Sunyatta Amen’s Jamaican Maroon and Native American great-grandmothers’ time-tested formulas. After you're greeted at the counter, one of Calabash’s skilled staff will craft a concoction based on your needs or desires. Every interaction is personal. Calabash also offers healing via direct-trade, pour-over coffees and vegan vittles, including Jamaican patties, pies, and soups. At Calabash, you enter as a customer and then become a part of the community.
Tucked away on picturesque S Street NW, Dawson's Market (formerly Glen's) is a hybrid grocery store and coffee shop–café. With a focus on locally sourced ingredients, the café offers delicious sandwiches, freshly made pizzas, and hearty soups. Enjoy your lunch and people-watch on the ample patio. Pick up locally made, pastries, cheeses, and condiments in the restaurant space. Check the website for events, which include wine and cider tasting.
Eat tasty pastries and sandwiches with a purpose—the sales of this bakery support veteran and military spouses' entrepreneurship programs. This quaint bakery offers a variety of sweet and savory pastries, sandwiches, and coffee.
The specialty at chef José Andrés's Mexican stunner are antojitos, literally translated as "little cravings." But the high ceilings, gracious service, and gorgeous Frida Kahlo–inspired interior are anything but small, and even the smallest of dishes is larger than life when doused with chocolate mole poblano sauce or piquant lime-cilantro dressing. Standouts include homemade margaritas topped with a clever salt foam, the seared Chesapeake perch with serrano and cilantro, and grasshopper tacos—yes, those are bugs basted in tequila and chili sauce, and they're delightful. Museumgoers shouldn't miss the filling and fanciful lunch specials.
Chef Jeff Black does serve three kinds of po'boys, but that's about as working-class as it gets at this dazzlingly decorated homage to the bivalve. East and West Coast oysters come raw, with perfect dipping sauces—at half-price all day on Monday and during happy hour every other day—or warm in five irresistible guises, from bacon wrapped to crusted in cornmeal and sprinkled with sweet-potato hash. If you eschew shellfish, Black has you covered with a grass-fed steak lovingly bedecked in blue cheese. Expect to get the best and pay for it here, where craft cocktails are $12, and each warm apple pie serving comes baked in its own miniskillet. Upstairs, the classy crowd endures lengthy table waits with Peroni on tap at the breezy Black Jack bar.
If you need a break and a quick hit of sugar in between sightseeing, Pitango is a great place to stop for a while, or just pick up a sorbet or gelato on the fly. It would be hard to pick a standout flavor among the stellar rotating cast, but their most popular is Fondante, a rich chocolate. Newer flavors include white nectarine, golden kiwi, and hibiscus blossom. If you're hungry for something more substantial, pick up one of their sandwiches made with Italian meats and cheeses on freshly baked focaccia or a to-go box of their handmade, signature, almond cookies.
The inn is historical, with its fireplaces and antique furnishings, but the restaurant's culinary sensibilities are thoroughly modern. The menu changes seasonally but consistently offers excellent seafood and vegetarian options. If you come for brunch, you can dine in the ivy-draped patio surrounded by eclectic sculptures. If you come for dinner, make time for a nightcap—perhaps a craft cocktail or a straightforward glass of whiskey—in the intimate lounge.
One of the newest additions to the trendy brunch scene beloved especially of young professionals in D.C., Tatte in Dupont Circle sits in the triangular point of a building, with windows on both sides—ideal for letting in the right light for the Instagram pictures you'll be inspired to take in this aesthetically pleasing café. From biscuit-and-egg sandwiches to quiche to the North African poached-egg dish, shakshuka, there's something here for every palate.
The imposing exterior belies the spare yet serene two-story space offering breakfast specialties, healthy Japanese and Thai-style entrées that make for great comfort food and desserts. Don't sleep on the homemade cookies! There's a lovely street view from the second level.
Sign up for Travel Tips & News
Thank you for your interest!
