The 43 best restaurants in Washington, D.C. right now

Chef power couple Matt Conroy and Isabel Coss bring their culinary cred to the cuisine of her homeland with this creative Mexican restaurant. The live-fire hearth at Pascual is responsible for the kiss of flame that touches nearly everything that emerges from the kitchen here. That includes tacos al pastor carved from the turning trompo, meaty lamb neck barbacoa, and even skate. Coss got her start baking at Mexico City’s venerated Pujol, so don’t skip desserts like her Mexican chocolate cake.

Immigrants from Africa and Asia color the vibrant food of Trinidad. In the U Street Corridor, restaurateur Jeanine Prime shares the diverse influences in an upscale form. Start with callaloo soup, a collection of puréed greens that’s spiked with chiles, calmed with coconut milk, then topped with a liberal handful of lump crab meat. Large plates like the whole fried snapper and smoked “dino” beef rib necessitate sharing with someone you love.

In case you haven't heard, Georgetown is back, and Lutèce is partly (largely) to thank. The stylish French bistro from chef Matt Conroy and pastry extraordinaire Isabel Coss (who are also behind Mexican restaurant Pascual, also on this list) is serving inventive takes on mains, apps, and desserts using seasonal ingredients. It's a thrill to sit in the cozy dining room and try to guess how each dish will be presented and each ingredient reinvented.

The menu at Lutèce changes weekly, but one recommendation that stays constant is the sourdough—order whichever permutation is offered when you visit. Try the melt-in-your-mouth Parisian gnocchi and dare yourself not to lick the kombu and miso sauce from the bowl. Even roasted carrots are made special here—Conroy dresses them up with dates, tarragon, and blue cheese in a way that transforms the humble vegetable into a complex vessel of flavor. Definitely be sure to save room for Coss's desserts; the Honey Semifreddo and seasonal financiers are particularly delicious.

Time Out tip: To get the full experience, why not treat yourself to the Chef’s Tasting, which runs $125 per person? Keep in mind the whole table has to partake—somehow, we don't think it'll be a tough sell.

There's perhaps no restaurant in D.C. that I love more than Lapis, the elegant and cozy Afghan eatery on the corner of Columbia Rd NW in Adams Morgan. Whenever I'm asked to recommend restaurants for visiting family or friends, I always send them here. Lapis has been the setting of many conversations, solo dinners, post breakup vents, and celebrations for the five years I've lived in the neighborhood. It's a resteraunt suited for every occasion and season; the big windows and airy interior (which is lit by candles and globelights in the evening) give the space a warm, homey vibe that makes it feel impossible to think about the worries you left at the door. This feeling is only heightened when you pick up the menu, which is chock-full of deeply flavorful Afghan dishes that are the culinary equivalent of a warm hug. 

Run by the Popal family (the same group responsible hotspots like Pascual, Lutèce, and Lapop), Lapis serves generations-old family recipes, including bolani (Afghan flat bread) stuffed with fillings like pumpkin and beef and served with yogurt and chutney, and spiced rice studded with raisins and carrots. Be sure to explore the cocktail menu, which is full of surprises that pair well with all the meat, vegetables, and sweets on offer, and save room for plenty of plump Afghan dumplings. The vegetarians in your life will appreciate the deep vegetarian section on the menu—which also includes a few vegan options.

Time Out tip: Dinners here can get crowded, but there are other great times to visit, too. Lapis offers a hearty brunch menu that includes plenty of cocktails and much of its dinner menu, plus a few surprises like cardamom rose pancakes. Lapop, the underground speakeasy next door, has the snuggest bar and shares a kitchen with Lapis, too; get some dumplings, bolanis, or kebobs alongside your drink. 

Chef Matt Adler's Capitol Hill restaurant is a love letter to Italian American cooking. Walls lined with framed photos and shiny red booths call back to the type of red sauce joints so common on the East Coast (Adler spent his early years as a line cook at Scoozi, his dad's Italian restaurant).

The menu at Caruso's Grocery is filled with classics made with markedly fresh ingredients and mastered with cheffy skills; each bite of the thinly-pounded chicken parmiginia yields a satisfying snap and swims in marina sauce, and the creamy Alfredo is studded with chunks of mushroom. Finish your meal off with a hefty wedge of tiramisu.

Time Out tip: Caruso's has a massive wine list and a good selection of cocktails.

Chef Jeremiah Langhorne—formerly the chef de cuisine at the much-lauded McCrady’s in Charleston—takes a near-obsessive approach to local sourcing at his mid-Atlantic tasting-menu restaurant in Blagden Alley. His dishes come steeped in history and are made primarily using produce grown and raised nearby, including the rooftop garden. The interior feels like a chic barn with dark wood floors, tables, and rafted ceilings. The open kitchen is anchored by a wood-burning hearth that churns out new dishes daily.

Albi means "my heart" in Arabic, and it's very clear that chef and owner Michael Rafidi has put all of his into this Michelin-starred establishment in Navy Yard. Rafidi sends out plates that double as art and meld local ingredients with Levantine flavors. Always crowded, Albi's atmosphere is lively and fun, too—a departure from some other fine dining restaurants putting food out at this level.

Don't skip the pitas, which include a hummus plate kissed with Maryland crab, charred cabbage and a hot sauce-esque condiment called tatbili. Try the sweet sumac carrots, which are served with goat labne, dates, and peanut harissa; even the side dishes, which include a skewer of thinly crisped and spiced potaoes, are stars here. Fire touches many of the best dishes at Albi (thank the massive wood-burning hearth in the dining room); a mezze dish of smoky, melt-in-your mouth lamb belly lives in our dreams, and mains include a delicious smoked chicken kabob served with safrron yogurt and radicchio flatbread. End your meal with brown butter knafeh, a nest of shredded phyllo stuffed with sweet cheese and topped with pistachio powder and yogurt ice cream. 

Patrice Cleary's Mount Pleasant restaurant is a neighborhood treasure that serves homestyle Filipino food. Whether for drinner, brunch, or a happy hour meetup, Purple Patch is a solid gathering spot with even better food. The menu includes traditional Filipino dishes, like lumpia, done extremely well. The meats are tender and flame-kissed, and vegetables are fresh and snappy (a personal favorite of mine is the sweet and tangy Atchara Papaya Salad with green papaya, carrots, bell pepper, ginger, and sweet viaigrette). Try the Coconut Curry Chicken, any of the sliders, and the Filipino Bistek, which is marinated in soy sauce and lime juice. Dessert includes lots of permutations of ube and coconut, but my favorite is the halo halo, a sweet wonder of shaved ice, coconut gel, mung beans, sweetened condensed milk, toasted coconut and ube ice cream.

Chef-restaurateur David Deshaies is a newly minted member of the Maîtres Cuisiniers de France, but don’t let his Gallic roots get in the way of enjoying some of the city’s best pasta. At his “glam Italian” restaurant, the 40-layer lasagna, filled with short rib sugo and truffle-scented mornay sauce, gets the most word-of-mouth. But don’t miss the oversized veal parmigiana, blanketed in bubbly cheese, which will eclipse any version of the dish you’ve had before.

Compliments Only is the sandwich shop of our dreams. With locations in Dupont and Capitol Hill, the sandwich spot's menu is filled with 10-inch subs packed with ingredients in unexpected combinations that'll make your mouth water. 

The Crunchy Boi is one TikTok famous food that actually exceeds its hype; the marriage of crunch and creaminess comes from piles of potato chips, shredded lettuce, pickles, onion, garlic mayo, turkey, and provolne. Other beloved menu items include Marisa Tomei Eats Free, which comes with capicola, mozzarella, arugula and basil salad, honey chili aioli, and Genoa salami, or the Turkey Caesar Sub, which crowns a giant cruton with turkey, iceberg lettuce, Caesar dressing, parmesan and black pepper. Whatever you order, don't sit down without a pile of napkins because things will get messy. 

Housed inside the historic Heller's Bakery building, Ellē itself has become a beloved institution in Mount Pleasant since its opening in 2018. The all-day cafe and restaurant serves some of the area's best coffee and pastries in the morning and afternoons (be sure to get buttery and sweet guava turnover), and a well thought out dinner menu in the evenings that spotlights fresh ingredients and fermentation. Menus change often, so you never quite know what you're going to get, but you can be assured it'll be delicious and inventive. 

Chef Angel Barreto and his talented team keep finding ways to make me adore Anju, the Korean restaurant in Dupont that dishes up creative cocktails and imaginative takes on classic Korean dishes. Each dish sounds familiar but then gets a fresh twist; take the Chikin, which is Korean fried chicken enrobed in sticky and spicy gochujang glaze. The heat is cut with a generous drizzle of white BBQ sauce. The mandu, or pan-fried dumplings, come filled with succulent shrimp, pork, or kimchi—and Impossible meat.

This spirit of invention extends to the brunch menu and the cocktail list; one of my favorite drinks in all of D.C. is the Tell M"Iwai" (Tell Me Why), made of sesame washed iwai whisky, black tea-infused tart cherry juice, amaro, lemon simple syrup, and rhubarb bitters.

Slightly off the main drag at the Union Station end of H Street, Ethiopic is one of the best Ethiopian restaurants in a city that’s known for the cuisine’s earthy flavors. Vegetarians and meat-eaters alike can find something they enjoy here, from lamb and lentils to baklava. The decor blends traditional elements of Ethiopian culture, like the country’s ancient scripts, with more contemporary designs.

Thank goodness chef Katsuya Fukushima was never told to stop playing with his food, or else we might never have ended up with Daikaya. (Or if he was, thank goodness he didn’t listen.) The former culinary director at Jose Andres’s ThinkFoodGroup has so many good ideas he opened two restaurant concepts under one roof. Downstairs: a Sapporo-style ramen shop set to a soundtrack of ’90s music and satisfied slurps. Upstairs: a fast-paced izakaya with clever small plates and inventive cocktails. Don’t miss his nearby Italian-Japanese restaurant, Tonari, and its memorable pizzas, either.

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With Penn Quarter and West End locations, Rasika has gained a stellar reputation for bringing upmarket Indian cooking to D.C. One of restaurateur Ashok Bajaj’s empire, which also includes Bombay Club, Annabelle, and La Bise, the Penn Quarter Rasika is under the creative eye of Vikram Sunderam, who ran the kitchen at London’s Bombay Brasserie for 14 years. The inspired menu begins with sweet-and-spicy avocado-banana chaat and ends with oozing chocolate samosas.

Chef Kevin Tien's modern Vitenamese restaurant only opened earlier this year, but it's already venerated and collected numerous culinary world accolades (including the New York Times' 50 Best Restaurants list and the Michelin Guide). At Moon Rabbit, Tien and co-owner Judy Beltrano have made it their mission to remix classic Vietnamese dishes by combining classic techniques with modern and unexpected flavors. The result is so inventive and fun that you may forget you're at a fine dining establishment.

Here, summer rolls come bursting with spears of daikon, hearts of palm, and a bouquet of seasonal veggies. The From the Sea portion of the menu includes a couple standouts: the ahi Tuna Crudo with strawberries, lemon verbena, and cilantro, and the Curried Tilefish with coconut curry, collard greens, and green papaya. Please save room for pastry chef Susan Bae's whimsical desserts, which include a delicious green curry sponge cake with avocado sorbet and caramel made with finger lime and fish sauce.

Chef Matt Adler's ode to Italy's Southern coast serves some of the lightest and brightest Italian dishes you'll find in D.C. since it opened earlier this year. Cucina Morini is your spot for delicate yet toothsome pasta dishes served in richly flavored sauces and crudos so fresh they could swim off the plate. The massive 18 seat bar and lounge is also beloved for its $7 martini deal. 

Time Out tip: When the weekend rolls around, Cucina Morini becomes Caffé Morini, a brunch destination serving eggs, paninis, toasts, and morning cocktails. If you're in a hurry, the restaurant offers a grab-and-go cappuccino and cornetto deal for $10. Don't miss the cornetos, which are hand-filled with either chocolate, vanilla, pistachio, or tiramisu pastry cream.

Finding a taco that compares to options in the West and Southwest is a tall order on the opposite coast. Luckily, Washingtonians have La Tejana, the Mount Pleasant tacqueria serving up the best breakfast tacos in the city. Co-founded by Ana-Maria Jaramillo, who is a native of the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, and Gus May, a D.C. native, La Tejana is that fix—the long lines that gather every weekend morning to secure one (or three) in rain or shine are proof.

Try the Tio Willie, which comes with cheesy scrambled eggs, queso drizzle, bacon, and friend potatoes. Another popular option is the 512, which adds Texas-style BBQ brisket to the breakfast taco party.

Even if you did make it into the morning taco line, La Tejana makes for a great night out thanks to its lively cocktail bar (note the reservation link above is for the bar only, and the taco shop doesn't take resevrations). Evening food offerings include soft and chewy churros with dipping sauce, and queso dip you'll want to swim in. 

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For those of us who take BBQ seriously (which includes me after living briefly in Memphis, Tenn.), there's one place worth traveling for in the District—2fifty BBQ. People travel from far and wide to experience this spot's Texas-style meats, which are slow cooked over many hours and kissed by flames and the restaurant's own sourced oak to impart that signature smokiness. In terms of sides, all the classics are here including braised beans, mac n' cheese, sweet potato mash, corn bread, and more. Save room for the banana pudding or key lime pie for a sweet ending to your meal.

This pearl of the Georgetown waterfront comes from local favorite Fabio Trabocchi. It’s hard to focus on your meal with welcome distractions like docking boats or glistening chandeliers in the opulent dining room where maritime kitsch need not apply. For the full experience, order a seafood tower featuring preparations inspired by the Amalfi coast. The stack is brimming with cooked and raw treats, crustaceans and bivalves, all served chilled atop crushed ice. This is definitely the place for a special occasion—with a price tag to match.

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Local chef Aaron Silverman’s two-story Barrack’s Row restaurant is worthy of its Michelin-starred reputation. The restaurant is named after Silverman's paternal grandmother and mixes her culinary influences with global delights like crab Rangoons served inside squash blossoms, and sticky toffee pudding flavored with Mexican mole negro and horchata ice cream. The days of Rose's not taking reservations are over, but not a drop of charm has been lost.

Husband and wife team Henji Cheung (on food) and Sarah Thompson (on wines) serve some of the best Cantonese food around at their Columbia Heights restaurant, Queen's English. The intimate dining room, which only has a handful of tables and stool seating and is beautifully decorated with pink wallpaper, feels like a cozy hideaway. The dishes draw on Cheung's upbringing in Hong Kong style and include a beautiful medley of textures and flavors, and Thompson's lovingly-curated natural wine list is filled with varietals that pair nicely with each offering. Don't miss the creative cocktails, either.

When I go, I like to order a smattering of plates. Some that live in my memory are a tender cumin lamb belly, and the Temple Street Octopus, served with peanut, olive, and ink aioli. For mains, try the Drunken Duck Noodle or Bobo Chicken, which comes slathered in ginger scallion, tamari brown butter, and sesame. Wrap up the meal with a rich finale in the form of chocolate Sichuan ice cream with elderflower whipped cream, a flavor bomb of spice and sweet.

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The DMV is home to the largest population of Ethiopian people outside of Africa, and as a result we are blessed with many Ethiopian restaurants. One that stands out among the rest is Heat Da Spot Café, a humble neighborhood treasure in Petworth known for its laid-back atmosphere and hearty Ethiopian breakfast. This is the perfect place to mosey over in your sweats and sit down to some great food.

Breakfast platters come with an array of foods on one plate that include spiced scrambled eggs cooked with peppers and onions, plus beef tips or sambusa and a scroll of spongey injera to soak it all up. If for some reason you're not craving Ethiopian food when you visit, you're still going to be well taken care of because the team serves tasty American breakfast sandwiches, like sausage, egg, and cheese on a pillowy biscuit.

Time Out tip: To make this the best takeout run ever (or to prime yourself ahead of your sitdown meal), cross the street and walk about half a block to Doubles, where you'll order a coffee to accompany your platter. You'll never feel more alive than you will after this combo.

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Sushi Taro is an upmarket kaiseki-style traditional Japanese restaurant owned by brothers Nobu and Jin Yamazaki. In a kaiseki-style meal, diners don’t order off a menu. Instead, the chef presents a succession of complementary dishes. The sushi kaiseki features nine courses at $135, one of the better deals on fancy fish you’ll find in D.C.

When Italian-born chef Fabio Trabocchi opened Fiola in 2011, he quickly established his flagship as the place to go in Washington for sumptuous iterations of the cuisine of his homeland. This Michelin-starred marvel is a grand celebration of beauty and brilliance, where every dish on the varied tasting menus is almost as photogenic as it is delectable. As long as you’re splurging, order the caviar—harvested from Calvisano, Italy, and served with milk bread and whipped ricotta.

Nestled on a quiet street corner in Georgetown, La Bonne Vache serves some of the best French comfort food in the city. The very attentive service—I've been served wine and cocktails while waiting outside in line for a table—adds to the welcoming vibe. Whether seated at the cozy bar or one of the charming bistro tables on the sidewalk, La Bonne Vache's small and curated menu of comforts is just the thing for dinner or brunch. Pillowy gougeres collapse when topped with whipped paprika cream cheese, and the steak tartare is melt in your mouth tender. Don't skip out on the burgers, which are delicious and hearty; start with the LBV Classique, which comes topped with red onions and Gruyère fondue. 

Time Out tip: Keep in mind that La Bonne Vache doesn't accept reservations, so eating slightly earlier or later than peak hours may help secure a table. 

If you’re looking for a decadent splurge and a high probability of a celebrity sighting, head to this modern restaurant from California chef Michael Mina inside Georgetown’s Four Seasons hotel. Here, steaks are baptized in butter and movie stars and power players rub shoulders. The addictive fries are crisped in duck fat. The swank bar is a regular hangout for VIP guests and, true to its name, offers a vast selection of rare Bourbons and Scotches.

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To find the best Neopolitan pizza served in the District, you must venture to Menomale, which has two locations in Brookland and NoMa. Founders Ettore and Mariya Rusciano use an original recipe crafted in 1715 to craft pies with thin, snappy crusts that are cooked in a wood-fired oven (imported from Italy) at high temps to produce a gorgeous char. The crusts yield a satisfying snap when they hit the mouth, and are an ideal vehicle for a slew of toppings. My personal favorite? The Verdone, which consists of some of the brightest Genovese pesto I've ever tasted, mozzarella, rosemary chicken, and walnuts.

Time Out tip: Like a thicker crust? Menomale also serves pizza in the Roman style, meaning with thick crusts and loaded with toppings, at its NoMa location only.

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Izakaya Seki is tucked into an unassuming and narrow two-floor row house. Choose to eat upstairs in the dining room or downstairs at the chef’s bar, as either choice is equally no-frills; coat hooks are just about the only décor. Once seated, you’ll be hard-pressed not to salivate, either over plates arriving at neighboring tables or by what the robata cooks behind the bar are turning over a low flame. The chef’s rotating sashimi selection is accompanied by freshly grated wasabi, and the seasonal miso soup is not to be missed. The handwritten specials menu offers an extra layer of character with illustrations to match the fun fare.

When you’re in the mood for a massive slice you can sink your teeth into, Sonny's Pizza is your spot. The Park View staple serves big, square slabs of Sicilian-style pizza topped with fresh ingredients on big lunch trays. Every space at Sonny’s, which includes a groovily decorated bar and spacious covered patio filled with picnic benches and an Airstream trailer that doubles as a bar, feels communal and welcoming—a perfect place to tuck into a pizza with friends.

As for what to order? You can’t go wrong with any flavors here, whether you order classic pepperoni or mushroom and thyme, or the very tasty Pesky Mario, with tomato, mozzarella, mushrooms, Calabrian chilis and bitter rapini. The menu is great outside of their pies, too; try the Long Shot sandwich, a rich and bitter symphony of ham, soppressata, pickled onion, provolone, escarole, Calabrian chili butter, and Italian dressing piled on sesame focaccia. Get the massive Caesar Salad, which comes piled so high on the plate you’ll wonder if it’ll topple, on the side.

Smack in the middle of Adams Morgan aka Party Central lies Perry's, nestled away one street over on (slightly) quieter Columbia Rd, NW. Step inside and you'll find a lively scene and a kitchen that serves an array of well-executed sushi prepared downstairs, where a classic wood-paneled dining room offers a more sedate setting for unwinding. Along with sushi, the menu features a short list of New American starters and entrées, with such favorites as seasonal heirloom tomato salad, grilled swordfish steak with lemon chutney and the chef’s veg platter.

Another major reason to visit is the beloved drag queen brunch, which is offered every Sunday. The fixed price includes all you can eat food and dancers to entertain you. Arrive early for the show.

Cassoulet, a bean stew from the south of France that’s known for its sumptuously meaty overkill, is one of chef-owner Cedric Maupillier’s specialties. Get it here stacked with two kinds of sausage, duck confit and cured pork butt. Reservations are a must, and the happy hour offer is great for anyone looking to save a dollar or two.

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Though chances are you’ll eat more than your fill at 2Amys, consider grabbing a snack beforehand: The secret is out on this Cleveland Park restaurant, and wait times can stretch over an hour. But the Neapolitan pies, which meet Italy’s precise Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) standards, are worth the inconvenience. The restaurant tends to draw a family crowd, so anticipate a seat next to a marinara-flinging toddler.

Time Out tip: Note that 2Amy's doesn't accept reservations, so there may be a bit of a wait, although it usually moves fast.

With three locations around the city, this stalwart’s reputation for fresh fish and masterfully prepared rolls at bargain prices has remained since the inception of the tiny Capitol Hill restaurant. Our advice; ask your waiter to pick your dishes rather than opting for the omakase. They can tell you exactly what arrived that day and what’s worth trying.

Cozy doesn’t begin to describe this rustic corner bistro in Bloomingdale. The restaurant is centered around the wide-open kitchen’s Argentine-style grill, which runs on Virginia oak. Most of the Italian-leaning dishes make a pit stop in the fire before hitting plates, but best of all is chef Michael Friedman’s handmade rigatoni with sausage ragu; the Biden-beloved dish that will have you throwing all your carb cares to the wind.

Le Diplomate is one of the dining destinations for political powerbrokers, and its star-studded dining room and bar is often packed with bold face names. From the globe lights overhead and the wood floors underfoot, to the woven bistro chairs and the curieux that adorn the walls—most everything you can touch or see or even hear in restaurateur-impresario Stephen Starr’s brasserie was literally imported from France itself.

Even with so many great raw bars around town, les fruits de mer are not to be missed. Nor is the steak tartare de parc, which features a tender, sweet filet chopped fine and topped with salty capers and a velvety quail egg. For entrees, the grilled loup de mer is lightly seasoned and served overtop a rich, buttery tapenade and hearty, oversized white beans. If its simple bistro fare you cherchez, the steak frites and escargot are wise choices.

Time Out tip: If you collect matchbooks, be sure to ask the host for one from Le Diplomate. 

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Hip twentysomethings squeeze into this tiny spot to slurp big bowls of ramen in rich, house-made broth. The dumplings are great, too—we especially like the pan-fried pork ones. The space is decorated with graffiti, skateboards, and comic books, and for dessert, there’s creamy yuzu custard. What’s not to like?

A seat near the roaring copper-hooded hearth at Rose Previte's Mediterranean eatery has been a coveted res since Maydan opened in 2017. The Michelin-starred restaurant's dining room has the feel of the coziest taverna you can imagine—and rustic Mediterranean food, which earned it a Michelin star, is just as inviting. The menu standouts are the grilled meats and dishes that have been kissed by the oven's open flame, plus plenty of delicious dips and spreads. The physical space is gorgeous; the blue double entry doors and dining room's lofty ceilings have graced many an Instagram feed.

Time Out tip: Try the "Tawle" menu, which means table in Arabic, for a great sampling of Maydan's offerings. The four course, curated menu is meant to be eaten family-style.

Sometimes the only thing that'll do is a heaping plate of pancakes, or a comforting pile of chicken and waffles—when this need strikes, Unconventional Diner is there to answer the call. Brunch is this beloved Shaw eatery's business–it's served every day of the week here. While the menu includes many of the dishes you'd find in a classic greasy spoon, like meatloaf, what actually emerges from the kitchen is miles more interesting and delicious. 

Chef David Deshaies (whose CV reads like a fine dining rap sheet) infuses all his dishes here with global flavors and impeccable technique that make each one sing; the aforementioned meatloaf, for example, gets a sting with Sriracha, and the Insta-famous pancakes come doused in tart and sweet blueberry lavender syrup.

It's lucky for us that Michelin-star holder Michael Rafidi seems to be just as talented at making casual dishes as he is at fine dining, because his Levantine café serves some of the yummiest pick-me-ups in the District. With two locations in Georgetown and Union Market, Yellow has cemented itself as a superior morning and midday option.

The morning menu consists of inventive pastries, like a delicate cardamom morning bun and scarily accurate baklava croissant. More hearty options include well-spiced shakshukas and breakfast sandwiches that include a delicious za'atar dusted croissant that holds smoked peppers, labne, and a runny egg. Later in the day the menu includes pillow-soft pitas stuffed with grilled meats and fresh veggies, plus deliciously smooth hummus plates. 

Osteria Morini pays homage to the casual and rustic cuisine and ambiance of the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy.  In Italian, “osteria” means a place where the owner “hosts” guests, and at Osteria Morini, Chef Bill Dorrler succeeds with a menu that includes plenty of luscious meats, succulent vegetables and cheese done in numerous ways. To start, get the salumi board, which comes with a selection of aged charcuterie and cheeses, and the grilled octopus with fingerling potato, fennel, and Fresno chili aioli. For mains, we love the seared duck breast with spring pea crema, farro and vegetables like squash and zucchini. For pasta, get the truffled ricotta and proscuitto ravioli. The extensive wine list and brick-walled interior add to the cozy vibe—the riverfront view isn't too bad, either. 

Time Out tip: There are many specials on offer at Osteria Morini. Our favorites are Morini Mondays, which means rotating $15 pasta dishes available every Monday in the dining room. Additionally the lunch special—which costs only $32—gets you three courses plus a drink. 

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India in the time of the Raj, when English colonizers would sit in restrained, masculine dining rooms and, presumably, cherry-pick the best of the subcontinent’s cuisine, influences both the cuisine and ambience here. Decorous waiters in penguin suits warn against the supposed heat of a non-threatening lamb vindaloo. Thali platters, tandoori meats, and Goan curries are also available, and the menu offers discreet explanations of the various regional styles. Stick around for the live piano music.

Walking into Jimmy T’s is like walking into a living room straight out of a 1970s sitcom. That’s because not much has changed since the diner opened in 1969. This true greasy spoon is a Capitol Hill favorite that serves up the basics, just like mom used to make. The prices can’t be beaten, and it’s small enough that politicians and regular folks may literally rub elbows over egg-and-cheese sandwiches and corned beef hash.