What are some good restaurants to eat in Washington DC?

[FAH1223]

Between Farragut and Dupont - Improv - Used to work over here. The lunch move was Bub and Pop's, if you like deli sandwiches.

• Before the show - Swahili Village - about a block and half down M St. Some of the folks on this thread like it. I don't care for it, but East Africa flavors (and clientele); Closer to Dupont Circle station is Chang Chang - which is good Chinese. They had a Americanized Menu and a Real Deal Ho Lee Field Chinese menu when I went.
• After the Show - &Pizza and Surfside Tacos will probably be open.
• A better idea - pick a place that you actually want to go to, and uber over to the improv when you're finished.

U St and 14th - B&P - the food is edible. It's not a spot I would go out of my way for. It's basically a stepped up black owned but a menu designed for everyone neighborhood restaurant.

Look at this menu - Lunch & Dinner Menu | Busboys and Poets

Nothing here is gonna set your palate on fire. Busboys and Poets, Ben's Chili Bowl, Georgia Browns - these are places that get a lot of good press.

Options

• Walk in the other direction and hit Ooh's and Aah's if you want Southern. (don't look at the prices though)
• A Block before B&P is St. James if you want "Caribbean" - emphasis on the quotes.
• If you have time (and money) - get a reservation at Maydan (Mediterranean)
• If you have money - try the Izakaya Seki (Japanese)
• After the show - &Pizza, Roaming Rooster - and these spots are really drunk food options. RR got a huge boost after some chick bigged them up on Twitter during the Popeye's Chicken Craze. I used to work over L'Enfant where they had their food truck among 15 other food trucks, 3 others doing their best Chick Fil A impression. The chicken sando was just aight. There was no line prior to her tweet. Now they got 3-4 brick and mortar locations...

Both of these areas is high $ per square foot, so they end up having to charge high prices, or have boring menus to please everyone.

If this makes me a snob, pass me my Top Hat and Monocle.

My first job out of University, we used to always book Busboys and Poets (14th and V) for working lunches when we had international visitors. Mainly due to the price per person being $25-$30 for 3-course lunch. (Salad/soup appetizer, entree, and desert).

Another spot I used to love to book was Rasika and that was $45 per person for family style menu.

 

[WIA20XX]

Repped

Appreciate it.

Hope you enjoy yourself. Definitely peep the menus and read the reviews.
Cause I will send you to a spot to try their Wild Yak Dumpings with a quickness, lol. (Royal Nepal in Va for those interested)

 

[WIA20XX]

Another spot I used to love to book was Rasika and that was $45 per person for family style menu.

Rasika LIVES UP TO THE HYPE. That spinach chaat/pakora thing they got going, *magnifique*

If you rock with Indian, I was just at Daru in North East - well worth going.

 

[FAH1223]

Rasika LIVES UP TO THE HYPE. That spinach chaat/pakora thing they got going, *magnifique*

If you rock with Indian, I was just at Daru in North East - well worth going.

That Spinach chaat was amazing

Never been to Daru I'm gonna peep

 

[Sad Bunny]

I’m in DC tonight.

Who tryna link

 

[MrRDU]

Y'all familiar with Alias on 14th?

Pupatella?

 

[WIA20XX]

Y'all familiar with Alias on 14th?

Pupatella?

I've had the pizza at Pupatella. It's cool if you like Neapolitan style pizza.

It's not the best Neapolitan style in the city but it's really good. If you like that style you can also try Mozzarella on H street Northeast, All Purpose, Stellina, and the best one is in deep northwest. It's called 2 Amy's.

Have not been to Alias.

 

[Da Jungles]

Just spent the night in DC. I left about an hour ago. I wish I saw this thread last night when we were looking for places to eat

 

[2Quik4UHoes]

Whoever mentioned Levi’s is accurate as fukk. Arguably the best soul food in the whole area while it was around. Also, Five Guys technically isn’t from the DMV. It’s originally from the Midwest but John Riggins was the first big investor which is how a chain of stores started in VA.

To me, the issue of DC not being the best food/culture city has to do with the nature of the city itself. It’s tiny, it’s the city facing the fastest form of gentrification, and so I would say these things make it difficult for the city to blossom as a real cultural hub. Baltimore is much bigger in comparison and has a seaport and it’s the last major city on I-95 before you get to Savannah so it’s quietly had advantages for decades.

What works in DC’s favor is how transient/international it is while still hosting a historically very large AfrAm population. So it still makes for a very dynamic environment but it’s an environment still going through its changes. A bunch of long time Black owned spots have closed up since gentrification really took off. Likewise, the other Black owned business groups like the Ethiopians/Eritreans get pushed further and further north until they’ve all crammed into Silver Spring. So it’s an ongoing thing, but what will be interesting is seeing how the Black people still in the city plan to hold on to what’s left. The Eastside is rapidly being gentrified but with the added awareness of today, we might somehow still see Black representation in food and culture in the city so long as everyone works in tandem. Otherwise, we all gon be in Maryland and DC gon be a jumbo size version of Old Town Alexandria

 

[Silky Johnson]

Silvestre's, it's a Peruvian spot most of them are in Maryland near Southeast DC and there's one in Bowie. Probably the nicest one.

They don't miss, EVER!
try the:
The Fajitas (with the House Ranch)
Best Rotisserie Chicken Ever
Steak Quesadilla
And the Red Snapper

I hit up the one in Fairwood while visiting the fam. This slaps

That spicy sauce...