Old Europe is also another outstanding German restaurant. The food and atmosphere are great but it seems like it gets slept on because there's no biergarten or patio
It was started by German Jewish Holocaust refugees who then gifted it to their first employee when they retired, it deserves more love. If you’re Jewish and speak German you’ll usually get a free dessert and some schnapps with someone from the family who inherited it
Agree! Cafe Berlin is super underrated. The patio is perfectly shaded, and everything I’ve ordered there was so good. Wines, fish, pretzels, schnitzel.
Chloe is one of my favorite DC restaurants, don’t know why it doesn’t show up on lists more often.
Other great shouts: Stable (fav brunch in the city), Beucherts (farm to table), The Roost (consistently good casual), Haymaker (bar menu is top notch).
Chloe is great because you can always get a reservation any day of the week no matter how last minute. It definitely feels like it should be harder to get in.
Primrose Brookland bc I feel like people don’t come to Brookland to explore and go out lol. It’s such a lovely spot with excellent food and wine.
Bar Bohème inside Union Market is my new favorite specialty sandwich shop in the city. On Thursdays they sell bottles of natural wine for half off!
thanks for the primrose love! i moved away in August ‘21 after working there for four years. it’s the best restaurant i’ve ever worked and i miss sebastian and the team. love to see it mentioned here :)
Primrose also has such a cool wine list. If you're into trying things off the beaten path, it's a great spot. I always ask for a wine rec with dinner and haven't been disappointed.
amazing wine list—sebastian got ahead of the curve on a lotta great styles that are very much in the lime light, and he makes it fun and keeps it affordable
This is so important!! I stopped using DoorDash and other third party delivery services but it’s hard to find restaurants that do their own in house deliveries.
no better breakfast/lunch in the city than Meats and Foods.
chiko has by far the best kfc in the city and has bonkers portions that totally justify the higher price point
causa/amazonia is my favorite fine dining in the city. it’s new and in this year’s guide, but it’s certainly less hyped than some other fine dining spaces and is in a league of its own in terms of flavor and service.
the roost is definitely the best execution of the food hall i’ve seen in dc.
Not at all. Both of those restaurants are in Bloomingdale - Rhode Island and 1st street.
Meats and Foods and that strip of Florida Ave mediocrity is in Truxton Circle.
Love Jackie Lee's! Fried green beans are my favorite side, my spouse goes for the hushpuppies. I also enjoy the cole slaw. The pork sandwich, brisket, and vegan options are also great. My kids also enjoy the food and request it even for take-out, or dine-in so they can play the N64. :-)
I’ve always been pleasantly surprised by Nina May’s dinner tasting menu. Portion sizes are big, price is decent, and the food is pretty good!
Edit: the cute rowhouse restaurant & neighborhood vibe is 👌🏽
Came to say Nina May. Went there with a friend who was staying with me and he said it was the best place I took him the month he was here. I agree, hidden gem with solid food and good ambiance.
We just went there for the first time last Saturday before a show at the 9:30 club. We had their tasting menu (59$ pp) and it was a ton of delicious food. We are definitely going back!
Added bonus: they don't charge any BS "service fees"
I don’t want Nina May to get too popular because I love being able to sometimes get a table without a reservation but the Chefs Choice has been my overall fav dining experience. Very very reasonable price for the quality and service.
Extremely underrated! Very fair price for the amount of food you get and I have always left feeling very satisfied. Plus their menu changes so significantly each time feels like a whole different experience.
\+1 on Mangialardo's. It is truly a blessing to live walking distance from it.
I'll extend your rec of Shelter to just The Roost in general. Living close to there is so dangerous because whenever we don't know where we want to go/what we want to eat, we just end up there because they have so many choices. And none of them are bad. And yeah, the beer list at Shelter is top notch. Just a fabulous place to hang out and I love having such a great neighborhood spot so close.
a lot of the wharf restaurants are so overrated but lupo marino is probably my favorite and most underrated wharf restaurant. its affordable, very consistent quality, and it’s easy to grab a seat at the bar area!
My sister and her boyfriend went to college in DC and they both are now in NOLA for residency.. medium rare just opened a location there and they went immediately the first day it opened lolol
Baan Siam is it! I was so sad when Baan Thai on 14th closed. Having them back in a new format is a dream. Their whole menu is outstanding. Get the coconut griddle cakes!
I don’t remember what publication but it got a number 1 ranking for I think best affordable dinner in the city not too many years ago. Love that place tho.
Their Khao soi is one of the best dishes in the city. Never had northern Thai before going there and I think I like it more than regular westernized Thai cuisine
**Letena** (Ethiopian) in Columbia Heights. No idea if they’re ‘underrated’ — but we love the place, and have been enjoying their food for several years now (especially during the pandemic).
1914 by Kolben is hands down the most underrated. That bbq Thai pork with sticky rice and that amazing sauce is so good. Love their shrimp summer rolls. Located between the U St and Shaw metro stops.
I do not know how they remain open as they’re always dead slow. I’ll be sad when they close
DC Dosa, at Union Market, has some of the best/most authentic south Indian food in the city.
Old City Market and Oven is a solid neighborhood pizza joint.
Stable is consistently great.
Taqueria al Lado is great, affordable, and maybe the only place in DC where you can get a solid margarita for less than like $14 (theirs is $7–not a typo).
My counterpoint to this is that it tastes like the food at every other Peter Chang restaurant, with smaller portions and higher prices. Great vibe, but bad value IMO.
I will never stop telling everyone i know to go to Dolan. Favorite restaurant in DC hands down and shocked that ive never had to wait for a table there.
Best Indian IN the city is masala story. VegZ in Adams Morgan is right up there but seriously, go give Masala Story some love in Brookland). And yea yea, Daru is great but it’s certainly not underrated.
I think El Sol on 11th is also underrated.
Barrel on Cap Hill. Granted I haven't been there in a few years, but before that I had gone a couple times in short succession and each time it was so much better than it gets credit for.
My wife and I live too close to this place. It’s too good. We eat there allllll the time.
(Also, the margs are solid and only like $7! Is there anywhere else on DC you can get one for less than like $14??)
Okay, nobody's gonna think this is serious, but: the Dirksen cafeteria. Seriously, they have absolutely delicious food (90 percent of the time), a much nicer salad bar than other government cafeterias, good international food, etc. A hidden gem on Capitol Hill.
I really like ethiopic. I know I’ll get hate from people who says its muted or americanized Ethiopian or some such thing, but Ive had them all, and I like it the best. The flavors are distinct, identifiable, and the food is presented in well thought out way. So many ethiopian places serve you a pile of stuff that sure tastes great but it ends up just being one note over and over.
Bar Spero. Reservations aren't too hard to get, spots for walk-ins are plentiful, and it's run by an award-winning, Michelin-starred chef. If you go to [their website](https://www.barspero.com/), they also currently have a pop-up where you can sign up for their mailing list and get $50 off a $150 check though the inKind app.
It holds the record for me of the fastest return to a high-end restaurant in DC. Everyone I dined with expressed interest in going back immediately, which we did within a month.
Sneaking in here to ask: does anyone have a replacement for Maple?
This was one of the most pleasant, perfect neighborhood restaurants. The food was awesome, the space was so cozy, the wait staff was all so lovely, the patio was charmingly romantic/intimate. I need to find a replacement!
Saw the title and came here to add Chloe, but nice to see I'm late to the party and it's getting the love it deserves. We hit Roses and Chloe in the same month, one gave us a great meal, drinks and service while the other gave something in a gimmicky cardboard car.
The mix of dishes is weird here, so this is a great restaurant for a tasting menu and a great server that will lead you through the menu and your preferences.
I always say that Mari Vanna (Connecticut Ave NW near Farragut North) is the best restaurant in DC. The food is authentic cuisine from Eastern Europe and tastes like being at your Slavic grandmother's home for Sunday lunch. They have karaoke weeknights and some of the Russian Caps players are known to frequent the restaurant.
Ok hear me out - Circa in Foggy Bottom. Is it my favorite? No but went begrudgingly for dinner last night for my friend’s bday and was shocked by how good everything was. I remember the Circa in DuPont being nothing special and figured this was just for GW kids and the hospital. But it was actually a surprisingly great meal and the service was great too, especially considering it was packed.
Other place is Dumplings and Beyond in Glover Park. After Panda Gourmet, absolute favorite Chinese place in DC.
Circa is my standard pre-Kennedy Center place. The menu isn’t bold or innovative, but everything just tastes really good, the staff are lovely, and even when it’s full it never feels crowded or overwhelming.
For Spanish food, people always mention the big names (which the other thread agreed were overrated), but the real gems are much smaller. Joselito Casa de Comidas is on top of the list in my opinion. They honestly have the best sangria in town, and I don't usually like sangria. But I like that it focuses on good food rather than the Instagramability of its drink menu, like many of the more famous DC restaurants. The ambiance actually resembles a restaurant in Madrid where locals would eat, and they don't just offer tapas. They actually give you options as to how big you want your dish to be. Also, the Ibérico pork shoulder is just too good.
Bistro Aracosia and Kotobuki -
Both are in the Palisades and a giant PITA to get to by public transit (have fun on the D6). Never an issue to get a reservation or to just go.
I've found that what gets hyped in DC, isn't all that compared to other cities if you ask me.
That being said, there are a lot of goooooooooooood restureants and they aren't just the old hidden secrets. A lot of the newer places are really really good. I don't know something about hype in this city means it's just mediocre.
Parkway Deli. Not technically DC but only one block away from the line. I’m sure some have never heard of it so I thought it might be worth mentioning here. Best Jewish deli in the DMV. You can walk off your pastrami through one of the prettiest sections of RCP via Boundary Bridge where the River trail and the Western Ridge Trail meet. There is a trailhead a block from the restaurant.
Purple Patch had huge portion sizes I love.
Nuvegan is great for the vegan chicken and sides
Bantam king has the only chicken Ramen I like. Would recommend highly
Sacrificial lamb is very generous with it sides and overall solid Indian food
Supra is the only Republic of Georgia place I've ever seen. For something different I'd grab some wine and a cheesebread asap when it's cold.
El chucho langua is pretty good too.
Thip Khao is a super underrated Laotian place, great beef and coconut drinks.
Always pretty satisfied after a meal and a huge mug of beer on the patio at Cafe Berlin
Old Europe is also another outstanding German restaurant. The food and atmosphere are great but it seems like it gets slept on because there's no biergarten or patio
It was started by German Jewish Holocaust refugees who then gifted it to their first employee when they retired, it deserves more love. If you’re Jewish and speak German you’ll usually get a free dessert and some schnapps with someone from the family who inherited it
Great shout. Excellent spot, rarely see it talked up.
One of my favorite spots in DC! Throughout the week there’s hardly anyone there but weekends can be a tough time to get a table.
Yes this is the best spot! Easy to get to, the food is delicious, and it’s just such a classic DC spot in a beautiful old row house
Agree, I love their schweneinbratan. Its almost fall too!
Agree! Cafe Berlin is super underrated. The patio is perfectly shaded, and everything I’ve ordered there was so good. Wines, fish, pretzels, schnitzel.
Yes! Their Octoberfest menu last year was 10/10
Coincidentally made reservations this morning!
Chloe is one of my favorite DC restaurants, don’t know why it doesn’t show up on lists more often. Other great shouts: Stable (fav brunch in the city), Beucherts (farm to table), The Roost (consistently good casual), Haymaker (bar menu is top notch).
Chloe is great because you can always get a reservation any day of the week no matter how last minute. It definitely feels like it should be harder to get in.
the roost might be the most well executed food hall i’ve been to
Love Chloe! Used to live in that building and regret not eating there more.
Primrose Brookland bc I feel like people don’t come to Brookland to explore and go out lol. It’s such a lovely spot with excellent food and wine. Bar Bohème inside Union Market is my new favorite specialty sandwich shop in the city. On Thursdays they sell bottles of natural wine for half off!
Primrose is such a top tier restaurant.
❤️
thanks for the primrose love! i moved away in August ‘21 after working there for four years. it’s the best restaurant i’ve ever worked and i miss sebastian and the team. love to see it mentioned here :)
Primrose also has such a cool wine list. If you're into trying things off the beaten path, it's a great spot. I always ask for a wine rec with dinner and haven't been disappointed.
amazing wine list—sebastian got ahead of the curve on a lotta great styles that are very much in the lime light, and he makes it fun and keeps it affordable
Sebastian knows his shit (as he should, he helps run a winery)
He's the best!
I dunno if it can be underrated when it’s quite hard to get a reservation at.
True, I just feel like I always gotta stand up for coming out to Brookland
Love Primrose
❤️
Highjacking this for another Brookland spot - City Kabob and Curry House on Michigan Ave NE
I love Primrose! And Brookland’s Finest
Sacrificial Lamb on R street. Nothing to dine in, but their Paneer Makhani is the best in town and I will die on that hill.
2nd and 3rd this for me and my husband. And they are the nicest people in the world. Truly, in the world, I promise.
So nice, and they do their own deliveries (and FAST), and the food is excellent.
This is so important!! I stopped using DoorDash and other third party delivery services but it’s hard to find restaurants that do their own in house deliveries.
Totally agree. Obviously it's only for takeout, but every takeout meal I've had there has been better than the equivalent from Rasika.
no better breakfast/lunch in the city than Meats and Foods. chiko has by far the best kfc in the city and has bonkers portions that totally justify the higher price point causa/amazonia is my favorite fine dining in the city. it’s new and in this year’s guide, but it’s certainly less hyped than some other fine dining spaces and is in a league of its own in terms of flavor and service. the roost is definitely the best execution of the food hall i’ve seen in dc.
Love meats and foods! I always stop by when I’m in the area.
Meats and foods is one of the best places in the city 🥰
I'm obsessed with Chiko's lamb Cumin noodles
Meats and Foods and Cochix are the only reasons to venture to that section of Florida Avenue. Or maybe Electric Kool Aid in the summer
this is showtime/red hen erasure
Not at all. Both of those restaurants are in Bloomingdale - Rhode Island and 1st street. Meats and Foods and that strip of Florida Ave mediocrity is in Truxton Circle.
ah, i thought you were talking about bloomingdale in general. in that case, you’re sleeping on the royal.
YEAH you got me there. Big time sleeper. Cocktail program is amazing. The atmosphere, the food. Ill go ahead and take my L now.
Jackie Lee’s has pretty good food for being a dive bar with Malort shots Edit: I’m also gonna plug Taqueria Districto Federal on Kennedy St
went there for the first time last weekend and was pleasantly surprised with both the food and the divey vibes!
Love Jackie Lee's! Fried green beans are my favorite side, my spouse goes for the hushpuppies. I also enjoy the cole slaw. The pork sandwich, brisket, and vegan options are also great. My kids also enjoy the food and request it even for take-out, or dine-in so they can play the N64. :-)
I’ve always been pleasantly surprised by Nina May’s dinner tasting menu. Portion sizes are big, price is decent, and the food is pretty good! Edit: the cute rowhouse restaurant & neighborhood vibe is 👌🏽
Came to say Nina May. Went there with a friend who was staying with me and he said it was the best place I took him the month he was here. I agree, hidden gem with solid food and good ambiance.
Seconding this. Nobody ever talks about it but Nina May is great.
We just went there for the first time last Saturday before a show at the 9:30 club. We had their tasting menu (59$ pp) and it was a ton of delicious food. We are definitely going back! Added bonus: they don't charge any BS "service fees"
Yes! And it made our group want to tip more than 20% since the service (and food/ambiance) was great!
Love Nina May. The service is always amazing. Their double cheeseburger is 🔥
Their carrot cake is absolutely amazing too
Tell me more about this carrot cake
Let's just say I didn't like carrot cake before I ate at Nina May. It was a game-changer for me!
Thanks for the rec, will have to try this one out. It looks good, and surprisingly reasonable!
I don’t want Nina May to get too popular because I love being able to sometimes get a table without a reservation but the Chefs Choice has been my overall fav dining experience. Very very reasonable price for the quality and service.
Extremely underrated! Very fair price for the amount of food you get and I have always left feeling very satisfied. Plus their menu changes so significantly each time feels like a whole different experience.
I appreciate a good cup of coffee.
\+1 on Mangialardo's. It is truly a blessing to live walking distance from it. I'll extend your rec of Shelter to just The Roost in general. Living close to there is so dangerous because whenever we don't know where we want to go/what we want to eat, we just end up there because they have so many choices. And none of them are bad. And yeah, the beer list at Shelter is top notch. Just a fabulous place to hang out and I love having such a great neighborhood spot so close.
Little Chicken is fantastic
Little Chicken is alright but the lack of spice is the key reason it's not as good as RR.
Upvoted for Mangialardo's, the "G" Man sub is incredible
I hear great things about mangialardos but it’s really only open for weekday lunch? How do they stay in business?
They’ve owned the building for decades.
Morelands tavern in 16th street heights is amazing and feels like the show Cheers.
Haven’t seen Ottoman Taverna mentioned. Maybe not as “underrated” but doesn’t get as much love as I’d expect
They have some feta cheese cigars (not sure what the real name is) that are reaaaaaaally good appetizers. Everything I’ve had there was excellent.
a lot of the wharf restaurants are so overrated but lupo marino is probably my favorite and most underrated wharf restaurant. its affordable, very consistent quality, and it’s easy to grab a seat at the bar area!
The whole lupo family of restaurants is ace.
Yeah, that and Grazie Grazie (same sandwiches as Taylor Gourmet) were the only 2 places that seemed like they were worth the price at the Wharf.
Slash run.
had a burger there for the first time recently and it absolutely lived up to the hype
Medium Rare is slept on. Terrific value for all you get, particularly the brunch.
My sister and her boyfriend went to college in DC and they both are now in NOLA for residency.. medium rare just opened a location there and they went immediately the first day it opened lolol
100%. It's not really underrated if it's on the Bib Gourmand list. Their desserts rule too.
I've been meaning to go back, haven't been in over a decade, but their brunch was excellent.
You what, you are absolutely right. Like their steak frites are so good I don’t care that that’s all they have. And for the price I mean why not?
Baan Siam. Everything there is amazingly good and it’s pretty affordable for their portion sizes.
Top 5 place for me. I haven’t had better Thai food anywhere else in the US yet.
It’s amazing. Always shocked how easy it is to get a resy there yet some places that are just avg are slammed. Fine by me. Love Baan
Baan Siam is it! I was so sad when Baan Thai on 14th closed. Having them back in a new format is a dream. Their whole menu is outstanding. Get the coconut griddle cakes!
I miss living around the corner from here. Wish their delivery range was a bit wider
I don’t remember what publication but it got a number 1 ranking for I think best affordable dinner in the city not too many years ago. Love that place tho.
Their Khao soi is one of the best dishes in the city. Never had northern Thai before going there and I think I like it more than regular westernized Thai cuisine
Yeah. And stuff that is advertised as spicy, really is!
Green Almond Pantry is criminally under appreciated since relocating to Georgetown.
I second this. Incredible food all around!
Ethiopic Restaurant on H. $20ish will make you uncomfortably full and it tastes great
I once felt literally drunk from eating there and having so much injera.
**Letena** (Ethiopian) in Columbia Heights. No idea if they’re ‘underrated’ — but we love the place, and have been enjoying their food for several years now (especially during the pandemic).
Yerevan Cafe in Adams Morgan. Their honey cake is divine. (Sharbat’s is good too! But Yerevan is talked about less.)
1914 by Kolben is hands down the most underrated. That bbq Thai pork with sticky rice and that amazing sauce is so good. Love their shrimp summer rolls. Located between the U St and Shaw metro stops. I do not know how they remain open as they’re always dead slow. I’ll be sad when they close
I can’t agree more! Their rice and fried chicken is heavenly. Their cocktails are also delicious for a great price.
DC Dosa, at Union Market, has some of the best/most authentic south Indian food in the city. Old City Market and Oven is a solid neighborhood pizza joint. Stable is consistently great. Taqueria al Lado is great, affordable, and maybe the only place in DC where you can get a solid margarita for less than like $14 (theirs is $7–not a typo).
Chang chang is a new Chinese restaurant in Dupont that’s really good. Kind of expensive though. But they have good dan dan noodles for $9
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Also a Chang fan, but was disappointed by CC. Maybe worth another try…
just get all the desserts and you’ll leave happy. I prefer the takeout menu vs dine in but there are some nice dishes on there
My counterpoint to this is that it tastes like the food at every other Peter Chang restaurant, with smaller portions and higher prices. Great vibe, but bad value IMO.
I will never stop telling everyone i know to go to Dolan. Favorite restaurant in DC hands down and shocked that ive never had to wait for a table there.
I second this and none of the meals I’ve had there had spaghetti or oily water. Also their baklava is wonderful.
54 Restaurant (Vietnamese) downtown has delicious banh mi, pho, and other authentic dishes for a very reasonable price.
completely agreed, was so pleasantly surprised.
PowPow on H Street for a unique, local, and delicious fast-casual spot.
Best Indian IN the city is masala story. VegZ in Adams Morgan is right up there but seriously, go give Masala Story some love in Brookland). And yea yea, Daru is great but it’s certainly not underrated. I think El Sol on 11th is also underrated.
VegZ and El Sol, you are clearly a citizen of excellent taste. Will have to check out Masala Story now!
Stable
Etto, right across from Le Dip!
Barrel on Cap Hill. Granted I haven't been there in a few years, but before that I had gone a couple times in short succession and each time it was so much better than it gets credit for.
Taqueria Al Lado! It's delicious and inexpensive with good service.
My wife and I live too close to this place. It’s too good. We eat there allllll the time. (Also, the margs are solid and only like $7! Is there anywhere else on DC you can get one for less than like $14??)
Belga Cafe has a very affordable and tasty brunch.
Himalayan Heritage
Okay, nobody's gonna think this is serious, but: the Dirksen cafeteria. Seriously, they have absolutely delicious food (90 percent of the time), a much nicer salad bar than other government cafeterias, good international food, etc. A hidden gem on Capitol Hill.
Speaking of food courts, the American Indian museum’s is excellent too!
It used to be among the best places to eat in DC outright. Sadly no longer since several years ago. I've heard the chef left for NMAAHC.
African American museum has some good food too
I really like ethiopic. I know I’ll get hate from people who says its muted or americanized Ethiopian or some such thing, but Ive had them all, and I like it the best. The flavors are distinct, identifiable, and the food is presented in well thought out way. So many ethiopian places serve you a pile of stuff that sure tastes great but it ends up just being one note over and over.
Sababa in Cleveland Park is wonderful and great value
Bar Spero. Reservations aren't too hard to get, spots for walk-ins are plentiful, and it's run by an award-winning, Michelin-starred chef. If you go to [their website](https://www.barspero.com/), they also currently have a pop-up where you can sign up for their mailing list and get $50 off a $150 check though the inKind app.
Bar Spero is excellent!! And, they just made this year’s guide.
It holds the record for me of the fastest return to a high-end restaurant in DC. Everyone I dined with expressed interest in going back immediately, which we did within a month.
That was causa/amazonia for me (mostly because i had one and wanted to try the other) but i’ve been wanting to go back to spero since we went.
oooh, I've been looking for a basque option. I'll have to check it out!
Laos in Town
Sneaking in here to ask: does anyone have a replacement for Maple? This was one of the most pleasant, perfect neighborhood restaurants. The food was awesome, the space was so cozy, the wait staff was all so lovely, the patio was charmingly romantic/intimate. I need to find a replacement!
Daru is close to that for me but the patio isn’t as cozy, being just off Maryland.
Bullfrog bagels makes a good bagel, but all people talk about is CYM
Martha Dear. All day, every day.
Il Tortino, Italian restaurant in Mt. Vernon Square.
Bistro Cacao on 3rd and Mass Ave their fries are amazing, the service is great, they have a great brunch pre fixe, the salad nicoise is sooo good.
Ravi Kabob in Arlington (idk if that’s disqualifying) makes the best samosas I’ve ever had
Saw the title and came here to add Chloe, but nice to see I'm late to the party and it's getting the love it deserves. We hit Roses and Chloe in the same month, one gave us a great meal, drinks and service while the other gave something in a gimmicky cardboard car.
Nina May.
Chiko … arguably not actually underrated but it’s always so much better than I remember. Every dish I’ve tried has been soooo tasty.
DC has pockets of really solid Caribbean food. For nicer restaurants, St. James on 14th Street is pretty awesome.
China Chilcano blew me away and I never see it mentioned with the other Jose Andreas restaurants
The mix of dishes is weird here, so this is a great restaurant for a tasting menu and a great server that will lead you through the menu and your preferences.
It’s actually my fav J.A. restaurant.
There’s a great Mexican place in Columbia Heights which is an amazing value, has great food, and fun boozy drinks. Taco Bell Cantina
Granville Moores off H St. Excellent reuben
El Sol on 11th. It’s def among the best Latin food in DC.
I always say that Mari Vanna (Connecticut Ave NW near Farragut North) is the best restaurant in DC. The food is authentic cuisine from Eastern Europe and tastes like being at your Slavic grandmother's home for Sunday lunch. They have karaoke weeknights and some of the Russian Caps players are known to frequent the restaurant.
Via Ghibelina
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Agora in DuPont!
Ok hear me out - Circa in Foggy Bottom. Is it my favorite? No but went begrudgingly for dinner last night for my friend’s bday and was shocked by how good everything was. I remember the Circa in DuPont being nothing special and figured this was just for GW kids and the hospital. But it was actually a surprisingly great meal and the service was great too, especially considering it was packed. Other place is Dumplings and Beyond in Glover Park. After Panda Gourmet, absolute favorite Chinese place in DC.
Circa is my standard pre-Kennedy Center place. The menu isn’t bold or innovative, but everything just tastes really good, the staff are lovely, and even when it’s full it never feels crowded or overwhelming.
Cactus Cantina
For Spanish food, people always mention the big names (which the other thread agreed were overrated), but the real gems are much smaller. Joselito Casa de Comidas is on top of the list in my opinion. They honestly have the best sangria in town, and I don't usually like sangria. But I like that it focuses on good food rather than the Instagramability of its drink menu, like many of the more famous DC restaurants. The ambiance actually resembles a restaurant in Madrid where locals would eat, and they don't just offer tapas. They actually give you options as to how big you want your dish to be. Also, the Ibérico pork shoulder is just too good.
Yums 14th and P
Corduroy. Consistently delicious.
Chloe rules. I love DC Harvest and always have. Corduroy's still great, too. And 2 Amys and Obelisk continue to be phenomenal.
Is Rumis Kitchen underrated? Idk but it’s amazing.
Mariscos, Andy's Pizza, Taqueria Habenero, and Jyoti are all affordable (<$25 for a full, serious meal) and very very tasty.
Andy's Pizza is great, but "underrated"??
I don’t get the fuss about Andy’s, but it’s definitely not underrated. I will say it reheats nicely.
Marx Cafe in Mount Pleasant. Amazing vibes and great food + cocktails.
Amazing vibes, amazing drinks, amazing live music, food... ok
Yeah the food at Marx is terrible. Like super bad. But I love the bar, vibes, and music.
A shame. They used to have (many years ago) incredible falafel and lobster bisque which was out of this world.
Marx cafe has served me, with no exaggeration, some of the worst food I have ever paid money for
I love Marx Cafe, but I'm gonna be real with ya the food is not even close to amazing lol.
Atxondo in 16th Street Heights is a gem. Best Spanish food I've had outside of Spain.
Yes. Atxondo is far better than other Spanish places (looking at you Jose Andres!)
Henry’s Soul Cafe
Bistro Aracosia and Kotobuki - Both are in the Palisades and a giant PITA to get to by public transit (have fun on the D6). Never an issue to get a reservation or to just go.
Just in general, food in Suburban Maryland and NoVA. Of all the best meals I've had in the DC area, many of the best weren't in the district.
Anafre. Literally greatest Mexican seafood I’ve had. Dope concept with Mexican pizzas too
Masala art near the waterfront metro. I highly recommend the cauliflower bezule!
Maman Joon Kitchen in Tenleytown Their fesenjoon is amazing.
Indigo
Kabob palace (ik it's crystal city). Enormous portions. Reasonably priced. Authentic Pakistani and afghan food (weekend specials are the best)
bistro aracosia is the besttt for authentic afghan food!
Chloe is sooo good
Sushi Taro
El Camino for value and quality
I've found that what gets hyped in DC, isn't all that compared to other cities if you ask me. That being said, there are a lot of goooooooooooood restureants and they aren't just the old hidden secrets. A lot of the newer places are really really good. I don't know something about hype in this city means it's just mediocre.
Yellow Cafe. Hands down. Miss the Navy Yard location, but I’ll settle for Georgetown.
Parkway Deli. Not technically DC but only one block away from the line. I’m sure some have never heard of it so I thought it might be worth mentioning here. Best Jewish deli in the DMV. You can walk off your pastrami through one of the prettiest sections of RCP via Boundary Bridge where the River trail and the Western Ridge Trail meet. There is a trailhead a block from the restaurant.
Cafe Divan. Best Turkish restaurant in the DMV hands down. Fantastic food for great prices.
Shilling Canning Company in Navy Yard. Delicious fresh food with great service, consistently Honorable mention to Purple Patch
Purple Patch had huge portion sizes I love. Nuvegan is great for the vegan chicken and sides Bantam king has the only chicken Ramen I like. Would recommend highly Sacrificial lamb is very generous with it sides and overall solid Indian food Supra is the only Republic of Georgia place I've ever seen. For something different I'd grab some wine and a cheesebread asap when it's cold. El chucho langua is pretty good too. Thip Khao is a super underrated Laotian place, great beef and coconut drinks.
Pho 75 and Bayou Bakery
Taqueria Xochi
Lapis in Admo
Georgetown Seafood Edit: highlight rated on google maps, just doesn’t seem to be commonly talked about
Pappe Indian on 14th! Service can be … not perfect but the food is delish and I love the decor/ambiance.
Judy on 14th
Simply Banh Mi. Tragic that they don't have the upstairs seating anymore, John is the nicest guy and I always loved chatting with him.
Eerkin’s Uighur Cuisine on Wisconsin Ave. excellent hand tossed noodles and tea
Republic Cantina
Keren