What To Eat With 24 Hours In DC

Politics might be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Washington, D.C., but there's more to dining in our nation's capital than Watergate salad. The city has also earned a reputation as a delicious dining destination. From casual street fare to innovative fine dining and D.C.'s vibrant carryout scene, the city is rich with great food on any budget.

D.C.'s chefs and restaurants are passionate about showcasing the confluence of culture and cuisine that makes dining in the city unique. It's a delectable blend of culinary excellence and creativity that brings the city's menus alive with flavor and flair.

I've eaten my way around D.C. for years and immersed myself in the district's food world as a personal chef, cooking instructor, food stylist, and food writer. You could spend years in the city and not fully experience its ever-evolving food scene, but if you're in town for just 24 hours, these places will get you off to a delicious start.

Whether you love a flat white or a macchiato, and drink one cup a day or enjoy several cups before noon, it's easy to fuel your D.C. adventure with an expertly-brewed cup of coffee. Coffee shops are sprinkled liberally across the city like law firms, and no matter which quadrant of the city you're in there's a delicious cup of joe for you.

Stop in at one of Colada Shop's two D.C. locations at the Wharf or Dupont Circle for a sip of the Cuban coffee tradition. The coffee shop has been serving up excellent coffee from classic café Cubanos to café con leches since 2016. Its menu also includes pastries, breakfast sandwiches, and more. Dua DC Coffee, a downtown Indonesian specialty coffee shop, is another tasty option. Its coffees are made with single-origin beans from the different islands of Indonesia. Its menu also includes iced brown lattes, pour-overs, and a fantastic iced kopi sosu, an Indonesian iced coffee with milk. 

The Coffee Bar pours coffee made from roasters across the country. Menus at the downtown and Shaw locations offer the usual coffee suspects along with a few signature drinks, like a cardamom latte. Other coffee shops worth visiting include Peregrine Espresso, Lost Sock Roasters, and Somewhere Cafe.

Make the most important meal of the day a delicious one with breakfast at one of these D.C. spots. Whether you're looking to grab a bagel on the go or want to take the time to savor a leisurely breakfast, D.C. has you covered. Restaurant Elle in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood may be well-known for its lunch and dinner offerings, but its breakfast options are also stellar. This Michelin-recognized restaurant serves up breakfast mainstays like quiche and house-made granola. Its egg sandwiches are not to be missed.

If you love a breakfast sandwich, head up Georgia Avenue for breakfast at Doubles, a cozy neighborhood cafe in D.C.'s Park View area. Its small but mighty breakfast menu includes stars like the She Wolf Standard, a delectable stack of eggs and cheddar on focaccia. Customize it with your choice of add-ons like bacon, tomato jam, or chili oil for a real treat.

Breakfast lovers in Capitol Hill's Eastern Market neighborhood can grab a seat at the counter at I Egg You, a cozy spot where eggs are the star of the show. At Yellow the Cafe, its Levantine menu blends classic French techniques with the flavors of the Mediterranean in pastries like Orange Blossom Croissants. Other spots to check out include Ted's Bulletin. Its Ted's Tarts, house-made pop tarts, are not to be missed. If a bagel on the go is more your speed, stop in at one of Bullfrog Bagels' four D.C. locations.

D.C.'s food truck scene offers a dynamic array of cuisines, from succulent BBQ to tacos. With a variety of trucks parked all over the city, you can enjoy your choice of food for lunch on the go. Whether they're parked outside popular tourist attractions or near one of the city's parks, food trucks are an amazing way to experience the city's street food culture.

Find the Grub Rockstar truck for mouthwatering Southern food with a Creole and Caribbean twist, like meatballs and lollipop lamb chops brushed with its signature Rockstar Seasoning Blend and sauce. If you're in the mood for tacos, look for the Taco Dirty to Me truck. It serves up a fusion of flavors, offering creative takes on a street food staple with fresh toppings and inventive combinations, like its fried honey sriracha shrimp tacos with seaweed salad.

The District Flames truck serves restaurant-quality food like its seafood baked potato, an enormous baked potato topped with shrimp and crabmeat. Halal Grill delivers savory Middle Eastern cuisine on the go. Highlights on this truck's menu include the gyro over rice, grilled lamb and beef with basmati rice, and their special Tzatziki sauce. Follow these trucks' social media accounts to find out exactly where they're located so you don't miss out.

In a city known for power lunches, these restaurants provide the perfect perch for watching D.C.'s movers and shakers in action. These are the places where you're likely to catch a glimpse of Washington's who's who in the city's social and political scenes.

Palmer Alley in D.C.'s City Center neighborhood is where you'll find Centrolina and its sister cafe Piccolina. Flanked by high-end retailers like Burberry and Hermes, these two restaurants offer fresh, authentic, Italian regional dishes. Centrolina is the more formal of the two, but both offer world-class Italian food with a rotating menu of seasonal plates. Ris, in the city's West End, provides sophisticated American cuisine with a seasonal focus. The menu that changes every two weeks except for a handful of customer favorites, like the Ris cheeseburger and the crown of cauliflower. 

Old Ebbitt Grill is one of Washington's oldest restaurants and it's still going strong today. Its extensive menu of classic American fare features everything from Oysters Rockefeller to a French dip sandwich and house-made pasta. Its location just steps from the White House is the prime location for spotting D.C.'s political celebrities. Settle in at Le Diplomate, in the 14th Street corridor, to enjoy a menu of French brasserie favorites in a bustling, yet elegant atmosphere.

The museums that line the National Mall not only offer world-class exhibits; many of them also house excellent dining options. Take a break from taking in the art, science, and history and stop into one of these restaurants for a meal. At the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Sweet Home Café serves dishes inspired by African American culinary traditions. It specializes in scratch cooking using locally sourced ingredients. You can pair shrimp and grits with their hibiscus and ginger sweet tea for a perfect meal.

The National Museum of the American Indian is home to the Mitsitam Native Foods Café, offering a menu of Native-inspired foods that highlight ingredients indigenous to the Americas. Mitsitam means "let's eat" in the Native language of Delaware and Piscataway tribes, and you'll definitely want to once you enter the cafe.

The Ocean Terrace Café at the National Museum of Natural History provides family-friendly fare with an emphasis on sustainable grains and vegetables. For a light bite, the Pavilion Café at the National Gallery of Art offers soups, salads, and sandwiches with a view of the Sculpture Garden, while the Courtyard Café inside the National Portrait Gallery serves a casual selection of pastries, sandwiches, salads, and desserts.

D.C. does happy hour like no other city. It's networking with cocktails and mixed drinks, where politics and business are mixed as seamlessly as the drinks. These spots run the gamut from casual cocktails to sophisticated sips, creating the perfect setting to unwind after a day in the nation's capital.

You can enjoy happy hour on the 19th hole at Equinox on 19th, a family-owned and operated restaurant focusing on seasonal and regional cuisine in an elegant setting. A riff on the restaurant's 19th Street location, its happy hour menu spotlights its exceptional cocktails and wine selections at reasonable prices. The rooftop bar at Perry's in Adams Morgan is the perfect happy hour setting with views for days and a menu of modern Japanese cuisine. 

If tacos and margaritas are more your vibe, check out Santa Rosa Taqueria on Capitol Hill. It offers specials on margaritas, beer, and accompanying bites. In Mount Pleasant, happy hour at Purple Patch combines Filipino classics with specialty cocktails like their spicy calamansi margarita. Aperitivo hour at RPM Italian is the place to see and be seen. You can enjoy its extensive bar menu along with wines, cocktails, and beer for a steal. It's one of the few restaurants that offers happy hour seven days a week.

From laid-back bites to formal, multi-course meals, the dinner options in D.C. are endless. There's something to please every palate and every budget. For an upscale experience, head to Eastern Market for dinner at The Duck and the Peach. A meal here is a feast of California-inspired food with influences from New England prepared with seasonal, farm-to-table ingredients and served in its warm, inviting dining room.

If pasta is what you crave, Reveler's Hour in Adams Morgan is the place to be. Its house-made pasta takes center stage on a menu filled with Italian fare. From cannelloni with brisket to rigatoni with roasted pork, there are only good choices here. You can also sample a terrific taste of the French Riviera with dinner at Georgetown's L'Avant-Garde. Its kitchen delivers elegant, modern French dishes in a chic, contemporary setting.

For more casual vibes, Shaw's Ghostburger dishes out gourmet smash burgers with creative twists like the Backyard BBQ Burger. It's piled high with American cheese, bacon, a jalapeno aioli, and BBQ sauce. Or, you can indulge in mouthwatering burgers, fries, and shakes made with the finest ingredients at Good Stuff Eatery on Capitol Hill. It's the ideal spot for a quick and satisfying meal.

Dining in D.C. isn't just about great food — it's also about supporting restaurants with a purpose. D.C. is home to several mission-driven restaurants that serve fantastic food, celebrate marginalized communities, and provide culinary and hospitality training. They blend great food with the goal of providing opportunities to the audiences they serve.

At Emma's Torch, refugees receive hands-on training in the culinary arts, giving them the skills they need to advance their careers in the industry. Its cafe serves breakfast, lunch, and happy hour bites in the city's Woodridge neighborhood. The menu at Immigrant Food is as diverse as America itself. The eatery serves eclectic dishes like Venezuelan tequeños, Greek wings, and Indian samosas that celebrate the many cultures that have contributed so much to this country. The restaurant uses its platform to raise awareness about immigration issues, doubles as a gathering place for immigrant communities, and advocates on their behalf.

In Anacostia, Kitchen Savages gives diners a five-star dining experience and provides culinary training for at-risk youth. Its chefs teach them skills they'll need in the restaurant industry and in life. DC Central Kitchen's mission is to fight hunger and poverty with job training for youth and adults facing barriers to employment. Its culinary trainees prepare the food served at its three locations across the city. Dog Tag Cafe in Georgetown serves as a bakery and a classroom for veterans, teaching them business skills to ease their transition to civilian life.

If dining at a Michelin restaurant is on your bucket list, D.C. is the place for you. Each year, the Michelin Guide recognizes the very best restaurants with either Bib Gourmand Status, which acknowledges restaurants that produce good food at reasonable prices, or the coveted Michelin stars, the hallmark of excellence in the industry. D.C. boasts 29 restaurants in D.C. with Michelin's Bib Gourmand status and 25 with Michelin stars. There are dozens more restaurants included in the guide that are Michelin-recommended though they haven't quite earned Bib Gourmand or star status.

Make a reservation at the U Street corridor's two-starred Jont for a magnificent progressive Japanese tasting menu. There are only 17 seats at the chef's tasting counter so make your reservations ahead of time. Rooster & Owl in Columbia Heights earned its star with its four-course, market-driven menu that blends global flavors in the most delicious way.

Caribbean street food takes center stage at Cane. This H Street restaurant earned Bib Gourmand status with dishes like oxtails with jasmine rice and Trini beef pies. Makan, another Bib Gourmand honoree, offers vibrant, authentic Malaysian cuisine perfect for adventurous palates. Michelin also recognized Moon Rabbit and the Shilling Canning Company in its most recent guide. Penn Quarter's Moon Rabbit reinvents traditional Vietnamese dishes with modern twists and Shilling Canning Company in the Navy Yard neighborhood focuses on seasonal mid-Atlantic fare prepared with ingredients local to the Chesapeake region.

If you really want to get a taste of D.C.'s food culture, these restaurants showcase the city's rich, culinary history, where tradition and local flavor shine. They're iconic spots that serve the flavors that are woven into the fabric of the city.

A D.C. institution since 1958, Ben's Chili Bowl is famous for its half-smokes and chili dogs, but it's more than just a restaurant. Its owners, Ben and Marianne Ali, fed civil rights activists in the '60s, and have remained open and even expanded to five locations. It's a must-try for anyone seeking the taste of D.C. In Adams Morgan, El Tamarindo has been serving authentic Salvadoran and Mexican cuisine for decades. Stop in for a few of the award-winning pupusas. Lebanese Taverna in Woodley Park is another D.C. icon you won't want to miss. This family-run favorite has been serving some of the city's best Mediterranean food since 1979.

For a truly local dining experience, place an order at any one of D.C.'s carryout restaurants that are scattered throughout the city. These spots offer quick, no-fuss meals with big flavor and have become staples for both locals and visitors alike. Be prepared to grab your food and go because there's no seating in these restaurants. Menus typically include American Chinese favorites, but for a true D.C. experience, order chicken wings with mambo sauce.

D.C. is filled with spots serving irresistible sweet treats. Whether you're jonesing for a decadent pastry or a scoop of ice cream, the city's dessert scene offers something to satisfy every sweet tooth.

Stepping into Pluma by Blackbird is like walking into a European bakery. You can't go wrong with their selection of pastries from scones to cookies to croissants. Don't leave without a chocolate pistachio croissant and a salted caramel peanut cookie. You can sink your teeth into a Food Network competition-winning cupcake at The Sweet Lobby, a boutique bakery in Barracks Row. It also bakes up French macarons, madeleines, eclairs, and more. 

Ice cream lovers will melt for a scoop of Moorenko's Ice Cream. Its Eastern Market location scoops flavors like cherry stracciatella, cinnamon cappuccino, and Swiss chocolate, a delicious example of its handcrafted flavors made from high-quality ingredients. Captain Cookie and the Milkman serves locally-made ice cream sandwiched between two of their freshly baked cookies. With three locations in D.C., you can grab a cookie, or a dozen, as you travel around town.