The hotel, housed in an early 1900s building that overlooks the White House, is old-world luxury incarnate, from the gilded jacquard drapes in each room to the candelabras illuminating mahogany paneling in the lobby. This is where you go to hobnob with power brokers and indulge in the kind of perks reserved for celebrities and high-ranking government officials.
Why there aren’t more impeccably curated wine stores with built-in charcuterie and cheese counters? We honestly couldn’t tell you. We’re just delighted that there’s at least one, and it’s located on the 14th Street Corridor, across the street from its sister wine bar of the same name.
There are a lot of reasons you might find yourself in Bread Furst: Maybe you need a sandwich for lunch (hope for the olive-laden muffuletta if you show up during the weekend). Maybe you’ve been invited to a cocktail party and could stand to bring some prosciutto, white anchovies, and fancy peanut butter (not served together, clearly). Or a salad and some veg for the trip home.
With beans from New York’s Parlor Coffee in the hopper and a small but mighty menu of sandwiches and heavenly buns (get the signature Pineapple and Pearls and the Mexican Hot Chocolate buns, if you can), the charming coffee shop holds its own against any shrine to coffee. Wait, you can get pistachio milk in your coffee?!
Inspired by their experiences of coming together with fellow Marines over coffee during the Afghanistan war, two young vets decided to open a third-wave coffee shop and roastery. Now the industrial-chic Shaw café is the place to score a creative coffee drink in the capital.
This oyster bar and restaurant, located right by the National Mall, is iconic for a reason. But you know how to beat the crowds—after a long day at museums, pass right by the hostess stand and take a seat at the bar for happy hour: no wait, no fuss, more discounted oysters, clams on the half shell, and chilled crab claws and lobster tails than you know what to do with.
When the Saturday sun sets on D.C., the youngs who need to blow off steam flock to the 14th Street Corridor. If your mood is somewhere between needing to do just that and wishing you went somewhere a little quieter, the Left Door will be your happy home for the evening.
The lofty Santorini-inspired dining room, draped in contrasting hues of clean white and rich sapphire, is still packed nightly...Definitely don’t miss the hünkar beğendi, a hearty dish of falling-off-the-bone-tender lamb shank served atop a velvety eggplant-enriched béchamel in a shiny Turkish copper pot.
Chef and owner Nicholas Stefanelli serves traditionally inspired, impeccably modern Italian dishes with a garnish of whimsy: Breads arrive in treasure chests and are ringed around porcelain octopus tentacles...Come for the linguine with XO sauce, stay for the buttery branzino—or really, any of the seafood dishes. Ambitious stomachs should go for the five-course option with wine pairings, but with the surprises that pop up in between courses, you’ll be more than full.
The gluten-free, vegan-friendly menu is short and sweet: just five tacos to choose from, all topped with microgreens, naturally. Whatever you do, make sure the creamy kale and potato taco is in your order. And because you’re already living your best “healthy-ish” life, you probably want to drink a seasonal shrub as well.
Yes, the palak chaat really is that good. Good enough that the crispy spinach-yogurt-chutney combo not only meets the hype but actually exceeds it. Go ahead and get two orders, but make sure you still have space for the inventive curries and side dishes that grace the expansive menu. In fact, everything about this place is expansive: the size of the dining room, the volume of options, and the breadth of Indian flavors.
There is a lot that sets it apart, starting with the warm farmhouse-style dining room, kitchen-counter seating, and atrium glowing with string lights. There is the knowledgeable and friendly service. And, of course, the eclectic menu: Southern comfort food threaded with globe-trotting ingredients and ideas from Southeast Asia, Mexico, Italy, and France.
Do you know where you are? You’re in the jungle, baby. Really, that’s an actual section of the menu, and you’d be right to start with it (don’t fear—there’s no Guns N’ Roses cover band in sight). Be warned though: “extremely spicy” does in fact mean “extremely spicy.” One bite of the pho noodle salad and you’ll be shedding happy tears. That’s thanks to chef Seng Luangrath, who cooked Thai food for many years before opening Thip Khao, a 100 percent Laotian establishment and one of our Top 50 Best New Restaurants of 2015.
First order of business: drinks. You can tell someone had a fun time assembling this wine list (you’ll find us in the “Old Wine Out of Big Bottles” section). Then start your meal with the salt-crusted sardine smørrebrød on charred chocolate rye bread (sounds weird; tastes sweet, salty, and amazing), and do not pass up the dukkah-spiced lamb ribs, slow-cooked then grilled, yielding charred, barky bits on the outside.
Chef Langhorne combines these old-world techniques with a modern chef’s outlook, turning out dishes like grilled chicken wings with fish sauce, duck with kimchi purée, and individual portions of cast-iron–baked cornbread. Langhorne even has a way with breads: The sweet potato rolls with sorghum and brown butter taste like the best Parker House rolls of all time. This historically minded cooking feels at home among the Dabney’s farmhouse vibe, complete with exposed-brick floor and walls, antique mirrors, and paintings of hunting dogs.
Maketto is a sleekly designed restaurant, coffee bar, and boutique, all in one multilevel spot. If it sounds like it’s overreaching, well, it’s not, because everything is so well curated—from the menus to the clothes. It’s like a little bit of Tokyo landed on H Street. Browse the shop while you wait for your table (the selection of designer and underground sneaks is actually appetizing—especially those gold Stan Smiths by Raf Simons), or just grab a cup of coffee made from house-roasted beans on the second floor.