The Top 100 Places to Eat and Drink Near Service Bar

Updated June 17, 2026

Categories

  1. Rank 1. Service Bar

    Cocktail Bar

    Cocktails arrive with technical precision at this U Street bar, where the bartenders treat regulars and tourists with equal warmth. The space itself—worn wood, dim light, no pretense—feels like the living room of someone with genuinely good taste.

    Awards
    Address
    926 U St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  2. Rank 2. Mita

    Vegetarian Peruvian

    In the Shaw neighborhood, Mita serves an all-plant tasting menu that draws from across Latin America with confident creativity: arepas arrive in a basket with guacamole and cashew sour cream, watermelon crudo swims in cucumber leche de tigre. Chefs Tatiana Mora and Miguel Guerra build umami through layered vegetable dishes that feel neither restrained nor novelty-driven, but simply generous.

    Awards
    Address
    804 V St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  3. Rank 3. Bresca

    Contemporary

    Bresca sits on 14th Street amid gold leaf and a living moss wall, trading bistro anonymity for a warmth that feels both neighborhood and occasion-worthy. Chef Ryan Ratino's cooking—a foie gras negroni, lamb pappardelle—arrives casual yet artful, with service that knows when to vanish.

    Awards
    Address
    1906 14th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  4. Rank 4. Amazonia

    Amazonian Peruvian

    Awards
    Address
    920 Blagden Alley, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  5. Rank 5. The Coffee Bar

    Awards
    Address
    1201 S St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  6. Rank 6. Allegory

    Awards
    Address
    1201 K St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  7. Rank 7. Dragon Hero

    Awards
    Address
    2016 Ninth St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  8. Rank 8. District Catering

    Awards
    Address
    2250 11th St NW, Unit 205, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  9. Rank 9. Oyster Oyster

    Vegetarian

    A vegetable-focused tasting menu that somehow leaves you energized rather than depleted. Rob Rubba's compositions—eggplant agnolotti in corn broth, squash baton with seed ricotta—work from the premise that vegetables need not be a compromise. Even bread arrives reimagined, layered with garlic and accompanied by marigold-flecked sunflower spread, a signal that nothing here is incidental.

    Awards
    Address
    1440 8th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    Resy
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  10. Rank 10. Upstate FTW

    Awards
    Address
    1314 U St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  11. Rank 11. Jônt

    Contemporary

    Ryan Ratino's counter-only dining room, positioned above Bresca, pivots on pristine Japanese seafood and wagyu, each plate composed with theatrical precision and backed by an almost balletic service. The meal crescendos through delicate tartares and uni preparations before depositing you at a separate dessert counter, where mignardises arrive like confections from a jeweler.

    Awards
    Address
    1904 14th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  12. Rank 12. St. James Modern Caribbean

    Modern Caribbean

    At St. James Modern Caribbean, Jeanine Prime channels Trinidad through shared plates and rum cocktails in a spare, color-punctuated room where callaloo soup arrives deep green and crowned with crab. The jerk brisket, twelve hours in marinade then smoked, speaks to something unhurried and deliberate, a meal that refuses to abbreviate itself.

    Awards
    Address
    2017 14th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  13. Rank 13. Baan Mae

    Awards
    Address
    1604 7th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  14. Rank 14. ROYAL DC

    Latin American

    An airy corner spot where Latin American cooking stays unfussy and welcoming. The breakfast arepa—fried egg, tomato, cotija, and avocado sealed in seared masa—arrives wrapped like a gift; at dinner, the upstairs room fills with regulars chasing tender pork empanadas and masa gnocchi studded with braised beef and mushrooms. The prices match the unpretentious spirit.

    Awards
    Address
    501 Florida Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    Resy
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  15. Rank 15. Andy's Pizza

    Awards
    Address
    808 V St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  16. Rank 16. Eatopia Eatery

    Ethiopian

    Awards
    Address
    1301 U St NW, Ste 111, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  17. Rank 17. Rooster & Owl

    Contemporary

    A husband-and-wife team runs this Michelin-starred kitchen where ricotta gnudi and pistachio olive oil cake reveal restless global ambitions within spare, contemporary walls. The prix-fixe format lets diners mix courses while the bar customizes wine pairings to match.

    Awards
    Address
    2436 14th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    Resy
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  18. Rank 18. Maydān

    Middle Eastern

    A wood-fired hearth dominates the rustic dining room at this Middle Eastern restaurant, where the kitchen's command of flame and technique produces flatbreads, roasted vegetables, and meats of striking precision. The prix-fixe progression—from charred spreads through tahini-coconut rice pudding—unfolds with the confidence of a place entirely at ease with its craft.

    Awards
    Address
    1346 Florida Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  19. Rank 19. Lulu’s

    Awards
    Address
    1940 11th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  20. Rank 20. The Dabney

    Mid-Atlantic American

    At The Dabney, a wood-fired hearth anchors a spare, brick-walled dining room where chef Jeremiah Langhorne pursues Mid-Atlantic flavors with quiet conviction. His tasting menu moves from delicate snacks through roasted vegetables and charred wagyu with three-way eggplant, each plate a controlled study in restraint.

    Awards
    Address
    122 Blagden Alley NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  21. Rank 21. Causa

    Nikkei Peruvian

    Chef Carlos Delgado's intimate tasting menu traces a path from Lima's coast through the Andes and Amazon, folding Japanese technique into Peruvian seafood and spice. Causa, the namesake dish of mashed potato and ají amarillo crowned with tuna, and a wagyu finished in Peruvian pepper sauce, chart a precise geography of flavor.

    Awards
    Address
    920 Blagden Alley Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  22. Rank 22. Elmina

    African

    Chef Eric Adjepong's West African cooking unfolds in a warm, contemporary room where the tasting menu pivots between refined technique and the spirited informality of Ghanaian chop bars. Scallop crudo arrives with cucumber granita and coconut broth; braised goat comes tableside with fufu and a pour of deep orange-red nkati nkwan sauce. The space invites lingering, and the cooking justifies it.

    Awards
    Address
    2208 14th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  23. Rank 23. Unido

    Panamanian

    Awards
    Address
    908 W St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  24. Rank 24. Slice & Pie

    Awards
    Address
    2221 14th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  25. Rank 25. Izakaya Seki

    Japanese

    Awards
    Address
    1117 V St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  26. Rank 26. Le Diplomate

    Parisian French

    Awards
    Address
    1601 14th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  27. Rank 27. The Red Hen

    Rustic Italian

    Exposed brick and reclaimed timber frame a narrow dining room where reservations vanish fast, though the three-sided bar welcomes walk-ins into an Italian kitchen that treats its pasta with the seriousness of doctrine. Mezzi rigatoni arrives draped in fennel sausage ragù and pecorino; sticky toffee pudding with eggnog gelato suggests the chef understands pleasure as a moral obligation.

    Awards
    Address
    1822 First St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    Resy
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  28. Rank 28. Anju

    Korean

    Brick and greenery frame a comfortable corner of Adams Morgan where Korean drinking food anchors a spirit-forward menu—banchan, mandu, and soju flow in easy rhythm. Chef Danny Lee's mother contributed recipes like dak jjim and dolsot bibimbap, dishes that taste like they've been made a thousand times before and will be again.

    Awards
    Address
    1805 18th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    Resy
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  29. Rank 29. Press Club Bar Of Record

    A wood-paneled room evokes the '70s while the bar operates with laboratory precision: syrups macerate under cryovac, bourbon receives yogurt washing, cacao gets pressure-infused into amontillado. Each shift tastes and adjusts batches to accommodate seasonal variance—strawberries in June behave differently than in October—treating consistency as a living pursuit rather than a fixed formula.

    Awards
    Address
    1506 19th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  30. Rank 30. Your Only Friend

    Gastropub

    A sandwich bar that carries itself with cocktail-bar sophistication, Your Only Friend pairs clever-titled handheld meals—the "Hot Nug" topped with Nashville sauce, mortadella and mozzarella on the "Mortz & Mootz"—with rotating specials like blue cheese-brined wings and a sharp cocktail program. The mood is neighborhood casual, the execution deliberate.

    Awards
    Address
    1114 Ninth St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  31. Rank 31. Maxwell Park Shaw

    Awards
    Address
    1336 Ninth St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  32. Rank 32. Jane Jane

    Awards
    Address
    1705 14th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  33. Rank 33. Death & Co. D.C.

    Awards
    Address
    124 Blagden Alley NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    On the Way What's Around

  34. Rank 34. Cana

    Brazilian

    Awards
    Address
    2412 18th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  35. Rank 35. Unconventional Diner

    Modern New American

    White walls and seafoam booths frame a kitchen that treats diner conventions as a starting point rather than gospel: kale nachos, meatloaf spiked with sriracha and morel gravy, roasted cauliflower with tahini and fried chickpeas. The chicken pot pie bites are nearly impossible to refuse. Expect a wait.

    Awards
    Address
    1207 Ninth St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    Tock
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  36. Rank 36. Showtime Bar

    Awards
    Address
    113 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  37. Rank 37. Astoria DC

    Sichuan Chinese

    A Dupont Circle kitchen that catches the young and restless with funky, locally rooted cooking at prices that feel like a gift—the cumin lamb arrives tender and alive with spice. The bar welcomes walk-ins and solo diners alike, making room for anyone hungry enough to trust the mapo tofu.

    Awards
    Address
    1521 17th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  38. Rank 38. Colada Shop

    Awards
    Address
    1405 T St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  39. Rank 39. Reveler's Hour

    Wine Bar

    Behind a austere facade, a U-shaped bar and arched ceilings frame a dining room where natural wines anchor small plates of grilled oysters and house-made pasta with spicy pork ragu. The semifreddo with olive oil and grilled citrus arrives as a small, perfect punctuation mark.

    Awards
    Address
    1775 Columbia Rd NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  40. Rank 40. Doubles

    Awards
    Address
    3118 Georgia Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  41. Rank 41. Tail Up Goat

    Caribbean

    Awards
    Address
    1827 Adams Mill Rd NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  42. Rank 42. Queen's English

    Chinese

    A neon-fronted Columbia Heights spot serves Hong Kong cooking with meticulous balance—lotus root with anchovy dust, Wagyu in mala broth. The spare dining room, lined in white and blue, feels intentionally intimate.

    Awards
    Address
    3410 11th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  43. Rank 43. Shōtō

    Modern Japanese

    A volcanic stone cascade and ivy-clad walls frame Shōtō's bar and dining counter in the converted Washington Post building, where the lighting flatters everyone equally. Robata-grilled skewers and pristine sushi arrive alongside Japanese whiskeys and cocktails that taste like they were calibrated in a lab.

    Awards
    Address
    1100 15th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    On the Way What's Around

  44. Rank 44. Centrolina

    Italian

    Awards
    Address
    974 Palmer Alley NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  45. Rank 45. PhoXotic

    Noodles

    At this no-frills counter in Bloomingdale, diners order via QR code for spring rolls and pho bowls built from a butcher's precision—brisket, bone-in rib, torched marrow. Chef Hai Le's background in meat work shows in the broth's richness and the care taken across each straightforward, deeply satisfying bowl.

    Awards
    Address
    103 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  46. Rank 46. Gemini × Happy Ice Cream

    Awards
    Address
    1509 17th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  47. Rank 47. The Passenger

    Awards
    Address
    1539 Seventh St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    On the Way What's Around

  48. Rank 48. Ceibo

    Uruguayan

    Awards
    Address
    2106 18th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  49. Rank 49. Call Your Mother

    Jewish American

    Awards
    Address
    1471 P St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  50. Rank 50. The Green Zone

    Middle Eastern

    Awards
    Address
    2226 18th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  51. Rank 51. Chaplin's

    Noodles

    In Shaw, Myo Htun's restaurant trades in conversation-stopping cocktails and ramen that justifies the hype—his hot broth arrives with silken chicken while the cold version snaps with ginger and cucumber. Gyoza and chocolate lava cake round out a menu built on personal technique and genuine pleasure.

    Awards
    Address
    1501 Ninth St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  52. Rank 52. 2fifty

    Awards
    Address
    414 K St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  53. Rank 53. Medina

    Awards
    Address
    1328 Florida Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  54. Rank 54. Maison Bar À Vins

    Awards
    Address
    1834 Columbia Rd NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  55. Rank 55. Bar del Monte

    Italian

    Awards
    Address
    3054 Mt Pleasant St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  56. Rank 56. Family Ethiopian Restaurant

    Ethiopian

    Bright walls hung with art and yellow metal chairs set the stage for serious cooking at this sibling-run Ethiopian kitchen. The family platter samples both vegetarian and meat dishes—spongy injera soaking up gomen and kik alicha, while quanta firfir's tender beef glazed with berbere and clarified butter satisfies heartily. Nostalgia and technique arrive together on every plate.

    Awards
    Address
    1414 Ninth St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  57. Rank 57. Pop FizzBar

    Wine Bar

    Awards
    Address
    2108 Vermont Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  58. Rank 58. minibar by José Andrés

    Contemporary

    A single door opens onto José Andrés's culinary laboratory, where guests perch at a curved counter to watch small plates arrive as puzzles—chicharron masquerading as something else, cauliflower studded with caviar. Whimsy and surprise drive each course toward a finale of fried ice cream donuts, the kind of playful confidence that makes dinner feel like collaborative theater.

    Awards
    Address
    501 Ninth St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  59. Rank 59. CherCher Ethiopian Restaurant

    Ethiopian

    Awards
    Address
    1334 Ninth St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  60. Rank 60. Perry's

    Awards
    Address
    1811 Columbia Rd NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  61. Rank 61. Moon Rabbit

    Modern Vietnamese

    Kevin Tien's Moon Rabbit, now in a sleek F Street space, merges Cajun and Vietnamese traditions through dishes like mochi beignets with eel and quail stuffed with duck sausage over tomato rice. The desserts—particularly a vegan pandan panna cotta with seaweed and chocolate—confirm his instinct for balancing opposing flavors with genuine skill.

    Awards
    Address
    927 F St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  62. Rank 62. Slipstream

    Awards
    Address
    1333 P St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  63. Rank 63. San Lorenzo Ristorante + Bar

    Italian

    Massimo Fabbri's casual Tuscan spot, named for his son and lined with Tuscan photographs, dispenses with the formality of his previous restaurant for something warmer and more intimate. Squash blossoms stuffed with truffled goat cheese and handmade pasta crowned with black truffle announce a kitchen uninterested in restraint.

    Awards
    Address
    1316 9th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  64. Rank 64. Chiko

    Awards
    Address
    2029 P St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  65. Rank 65. Cranes

    Spanish/Japanese

    Awards
    Address
    724 Ninth St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  66. Rank 66. Seylou Bakery

    Awards
    Address
    926 N St NW, Unit A, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  67. Rank 67. Cucina Morini

    Sicilian Italian

    A lively Sicilian outpost where the crowded bar hums with energy and Chef Matt Adler's kitchen turns out sfincione topped with stracciatella and hand-rolled pastas—thick gramigna noodles with sausage and egg yolk, finished with a whisper of heat—that prove comfort food need not sacrifice skill or care.

    Awards
    Address
    901 Fourth St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  68. Rank 68. El Secreto de Rosita

    Peruvian

    A narrow room lined with smoky mirrors and art creates the intimacy for Peruvian cooking that ranges from coastal tiradito—ahi tuna in passion fruit and orange—to ají de gallina and an arroz chaufa that draws from three continents. The kitchen's creativity extends to dessert, where seasonal flan arrives with genuine charm, while gracious service and a full bar complete the soothing spell.

    Awards
    Address
    1624 U St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  69. Rank 69. All-Purpose

    Italian-American Pizza

    Awards
    Address
    1250 Ninth St NW, Unit 2, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  70. Rank 70. Tiger Fork

    Hong Kong-style Chinese

    A Hong Kong-style den tucked away from the main drag, Tiger Fork wraps you in brick walls painted with dragons, warehouse floors, and a sexy dimness. The cocktails—chartreuse and bergamot, say—matter as much as the food, though cheung fun, spicy wontons, and pork ribs glazed with soy and ginger justify the pilgrimage equally. A place that knows how to have fun without winking at you.

    Awards
    Address
    922 N St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    Resy
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  71. Rank 71. Qui Qui

    Awards
    Address
    1539 Seventh St NW, FL 2, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  72. Rank 72. TallBoy

    Awards
    Address
    1239 Ninth St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  73. Rank 73. Raw Omakase

    Omakase Sushi

    Chef John Yi works a third-floor counter above 14th Street's din, seating fewer than ten guests across two seatings nightly in a progression that moves from pan-seared tomato through torched belly to honeydew-yuzu sorbet. The nigiri articulate restraint—kinmedai kissed with heat, scallop brined in yuzu, each piece a small argument for precision over abundance.

    Awards
    Address
    1326 14th St NW, FL 3, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  74. Rank 74. No Goodbyes

    Awards
    Address
    1770 Euclid St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  75. Rank 75. Supra

    Central Asian

    Georgian cooking executed with genuine care: crusty khachapuri filled with cheese and egg, spreads of tangy cheese and bread, mussels that gleam. The dining room's wood paneling and hanging sheep hats evoke the Caucasus without artifice, and the wine list honors Georgia's ancient traditions.

    Awards
    Address
    1205 11th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  76. Rank 76. Three Fifty Bakery & Coffee Bar

    Awards
    Address
    1641 R St NW Unit B Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  77. Rank 77. The Coffee Bar

    Awards
    Address
    1200 17th St NW, Unit 150, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  78. Rank 78. KAYU

    Awards
    Address
    1633 17th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  79. Rank 79. Purple Patch Food & Drink

    Filipino

    Awards
    Address
    3155 Mount Pleasant St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  80. Rank 80. Lapis

    Afghan Middle Eastern

    Whitewashed walls and Afghan rugs create an intimate setting where husband-and-wife owners Zubair and Shamim Popal cook their native cuisine with restraint and finesse. Split pea soup arrives layered with quiet complexity; chopawn—three grilled lamb chops with cardamom rice—demonstrates a kitchen unafraid of subtlety. Afghan food, here, tastes like discovery.

    Awards
    Address
    1847 Columbia Rd NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    Resy
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  81. Rank 81. Lapis Afghan Bistro

    Afghan

    Awards
    Address
    1847 Columbia Rd NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  82. Rank 82. Baan Siam

    Thai

    Awards
    Address
    425 I St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  83. Rank 83. Hank's Oyster Bar

    Seafood

    A sprawling seafood house where Goldfish crackers precede platters of raw oysters and broiled preparations that glisten under casual fluorescent light. The Salty Wolfe arrives briny and cool; the crab cakes arrive as a memory of better summers, served with the confidence of a place that has long stopped trying.

    Awards
    Address
    1624 Q St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    Tock
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  84. Rank 84. Mélange

    Awards
    Address
    1819 7th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  85. Rank 85. Silver Lyan

    Awards
    Address
    900 F St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  86. Rank 86. Thip Khao

    Lao

    Seng Luangrath's Columbia Heights dining room has been serving as the city's steadiest interpreter of Laotian cooking since 2014, a place where crispy coconut rice salad and tamarind-salted pig ears share menu space with gentler curries and the essential sticky rice. The kitchen cooks for groups, for sharing, for the kind of dinner where the table fills with dishes and nobody orders alone.

    Awards
    Address
    3462 14th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  87. Rank 87. Karizma

    Modern Indian

    Karizma serves authentic Indian cuisine in Penn Quarter with naan elevated by truffle and paneer lajawab that gleams with restrained richness. The cocktail program matches the kitchen's ambition, pivoting between spirit-forward drinks and inventive alcohol-free options.

    Awards
    Address
    611 I St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  88. Rank 88. La Tejana

    Mexican

    A narrow counter in Mt. Pleasant serves breakfast tacos that arrive wrapped in foil, their superb flour tortillas still steaming. Soft scrambled eggs, creamy beans, queso, bacon, chorizo, brisket—each filling is simple, each bite a small, unhurried satisfaction. No reservations, no ceremony, just the kind of morning rescue that extends into night.

    Awards
    Address
    3211 Mt Pleasant St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  89. Rank 89. DC Vegan

    Awards
    Address
    1633 P St NW Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  90. Rank 90. Amparo Fondita

    Contemporary Mexican

    Chef Christian Irabién's Mexican kitchen sources Oaxacan corn and nixtamalizes it in-house, elevating humble ingredients with precise technique. A fried plantain or papaya dessert reveals layers of flavor that belie their apparent simplicity.

    Awards
    Address
    2002 P St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  91. Rank 91. Sushi Taro

    Sushi

    Awards
    Address
    1503 17th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  92. Rank 92. Ghostburger

    Awards
    Address
    1250 9th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  93. Rank 93. El Sol Restaurante & Tequileria

    Awards
    Address
    1227 11th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  94. Rank 94. Jack Rose Dining Saloon

    Awards
    Address
    2007 18th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  95. Rank 95. Tortino

    Awards
    Address
    1228 11th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  96. Rank 96. Sonny's Pizza

    Awards
    Address
    3120 Georgia Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  97. Rank 97. Dua Coffee

    Indonesian

    Awards
    Address
    923 15th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  98. Rank 98. Call Your Mother

    Jewish American

    Awards
    Address
    3301 Georgia Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  99. Rank 99. Rumi’s Kitchen

    Persian

    A soaring dining room wrapped in earthen and jewel tones frames a display kitchen where a tandoor glows behind the bar. Rumi's Kitchen works through Persian classics with assured technique—green tahini hummus with urfa chili, lamb shank braised in tomato—and closes with rosewater pistachio ice cream or baklava. The space manages grandeur without pretense, a room built for lingering.

    Awards
    Address
    640 L St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  100. Rank 100. Dauphine's

    Cajun & Creole

    A sprawling New Orleans kitchen that hides serious ambition behind a casual façade, serving silky oysters and blackened soft-shell crab with Creole precision. The three-level dining room finds its magic in intimate corners and cocktails that match the food's unhurried confidence.

    Awards
    Address
    1100 15th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

Browse a location

Current Location

Metros

Recents

  • No recent searches yet.

Yumscore

This score is based on the awards it's won and sometimes its proximity to where you're located (if you're doing a location-based search).

    Stayscore

    This score is based on the awards it's won and sometimes its proximity to where you're located (if you're doing a location-based search).

      Doscore

      This score is based on the awards it's won and sometimes its proximity to where you're located (if you're doing a location-based search).

        Best Place Score

        The Best Place Score is the score we give to the place you're searching from, based on how cool we think the area around it is. If it seems unreasonably low, we probably just haven't added a representative amount of awards yet.