7 Best Restaurants In Washington, DC — What To Eat
I have a personal rule while traveling to never eat at chain restaurants unless they're specific to that area (or if I'm on a budget). My goal is to experience new foods and cultures, so this prevents me from ordering something "basic" that I could get anywhere else. So, for breakfast, I went to Teaism, which is an Asian-inspired restaurant and teahouse. They have three locations in DC (the one I went to is a block away from the White House) and serve all-day breakfast. I ordered their okonomiyaki dish, which was packed with flavor.
Okonomiyaki is a savory Japanese pancake that's made with shredded cabbage. The dish on its own is $11.50, but you can add turkey bacon or chicken apple sausage (which is what I did) for $15.50 total. I actually found this restaurant from several different viral videos on TikTok, and they all recommended this specific dish. It was super flavorful and VERY filling. There was also a sweet and tangy sauce layered between the Japanese pancake and fried eggs, and I desperately need it bottled up. It felt like a plate of Japanese soul food, and I can't wait to go back.
As someone who's lived in New York City for well over a decade, I've had my fair share of bagels. Call Your Mother is a neighborhood deli and bagel shop that came highlyyyyy recommended. They have savory and sweet "bangers" to match any mood you're in, like their "Jetski" (which comes with brisket, two different cheeses, Sofrito, and jalapeño) and their "Summit" (topped with peanut butter, Nutella, marshmallow fluff, and a banana). I ordered their Spicy Pastrami on a cheddar bagel and was not disappointed.
The Spicy Pastrami ($15) came with pickled veggies, jalapeño, and a jalapeño-herb mayo. I pride myself on being someone who can eat a lot, but I think most people would be able to get two meals out of this. Like, I should have paced myself better and saved the other half as a snack for later in the day because I was so full. Still, though, this was a great sandwich, and the pickled veggies were A+. The star was clearly the bagel though – it was dense without being heavy, crispy but not fluffy, and something I'd definitely order again.
Mumbo sauce (sometimes called "mambo" sauce) is a staple condiment at a lot of DC takeout spots. Most people use it to coat their chicken wings, fries, and nuggets, so I wanted to try it on all three. I scoured through every viral TikTok and Reddit thread from DC natives, and the two most-recommended places were Yum's II Carryout and Howard China. Yum's wasn't too far away from where I was staying, so that's where I ended up.
I got a three-piece order of wings, a 10-piece order of chicken nuggets, French fries, and an extra side of Mumbo sauce. In total, it cost $18.55. Mumbo sauce is pretty similar to ketchup, though it's somehow a bit more sour and sweeter. A lot of commenters stated that it's a little spicier as well, but maybe my palate isn't refined enough because I couldn't taste any spice at all. Overall, it's a fun, new sauce to try. Nothing revolutionary, but it's still very tasty.
I love a good sandwich. There's something kind of magical about a perfect ratio of meat, veggies, melted cheese, and toasted bread. My go-to spot in DC is Compliments Only, not just because their "Crunchy Boi" sandwich goes viral every month (with several videos hitting over 100k likes), but because it's genuinely so, so, so tasty.
The Crunchy Boi is topped with turkey, provolone, potato chips, garlic mayo, pickles, onions, shredded lettuce, oil, and vinegar. It cost $15. I personally don't think any sandwich should cost more than, like, $11 with tax, BUT I will say that this was massive. Still, I was so hungry that I scarfed it down within a few minutes. Even though it was more expensive than I would have liked, I'd still order it again.
DC actually has the largest Ethiopian population in the US, and my favorite authentic spot in the city is Chercher. My friend and I always split their deluxe vegan platter, which comes with ~10~ different sides. Neither of us is a vegan or vegetarian, but this platter is so freaking good that I order it every time I'm in the city.
The deluxe vegan platter is $22.99, and there's not a bad side in the bunch. All of their platters are so huge that I can't imagine anyone ever leaving hungry. Like, the table next to me had three people splitting a single platter, so, yeah, you'll be stuffed by the end of your meal.
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I'm 34 years old and only recently started drinking alcohol after taking a break for nearly a decade. But DC is home to a ton of great bars, so there's a lottttt to choose from. For a cheap night out, there's Cucina Morini, which offers $7 martinis during happy hour. But for inventive (and viral) drinks with a great atmosphere, my pick is Opaline Bar and Brasserie. This is the place to go to if you're trying to impress someone, your parents are in town, or you just want to treat yourself. They have a "First Ladies Cocktail" menu, and each drink is inspired by a different first lady. After all, this ~is~ DC.
All of their cocktails range from $16–$21. I ordered the Michelle Obama (the purple drink above), which is made with empress gin, lavender and blueberry essence, lemon juice, lavender leaves, and Fever-Tree club soda. My friend ordered the Dolly Madison, which is made from Jim Beam bourbon, lemon elixir, egg white, and Angostura bitters. Both were delicious. Fittingly, the Betty Ford drink is non-alcoholic.
I'm a chocolate guy, and I've never met a dessert I didn't like, so when I found out that Baked & Wired created the viral "cakecups" trend, I knew I needed to try them. A little different from cupcakes, these "cakecups" are small-batched cakes with a tonnnnn of frosting. Like, you simply can't go wrong. This family-owned bakery has a sister store, A Baked Joint, that I've also been to (for a breakfast sandwich, which was great!), so I knew I wouldn't be disappointed.
I ordered the Chocolate Doom (chocolate cake with a dark chocolate satin frosting). Other flavors range from Pistachio Honey to Dirty Chai to Red Velvet. Each cakecup costs $6.20, which, yeah, is more expensive than I would have liked. I was shocked that the Chocolate Doom wasn't too sweet or overpowering. My worry was that I'd only be able to handle a couple bites before getting severely overwhelmed by the sweetness, but that simply wasn't the case. I happily inhaled every single crumb.
I didn't want to make an "appetizers" category because there are simply too many to choose from, so I added a bonus "honorable mention" section for one of my favorite smaller plates in the city. I already mentioned Opaline above, but their charred octopus dish is so good that it deserves a special highlight.
The charred octopus is $19. It's served with fennel, heirloom cherry tomatoes, Castelvetrano olives, and saffron aioli. That aioli was magical. I've also had their Classic Caesar salad ($15), which thankfully did not skimp out on the parmesan cheese. I'm a firm believer that most of life's problems can be solved with a Caesar salad, and this one didn't disappoint.
Do you have a favorite DC food recommendation that didn't make the list? Feel free to share it in the comments below! If you'd like to remain anonymous, you can use this Google Form instead.
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