Embassy Row tree-lined streets around the fountain. Sunday FreshFarm market, Komi, Annabelle, Pizzeria Paradiso and the city's bookshop-cafe density.
Komi in Washington DC is Johnny Monis's Dupont Circle Greek-Italian tasting-menu room on 17th Street, a 36-seat dining room with a single-format menu and a mezedhes opener.
Signature: Mezedhes platter, Whole roasted suckling pig
Order: The mezedhes parade; it has been the opening sequence since 2003 and is the menu's editorial spine.
Tip: The Sunday family-style suckling-pig dinner is the most generous-feeling slot; book 4 weeks out.
Annabelle in Washington DC is Frank Ruta's elegant Dupont Circle dining room on Florida Avenue, the Knightsbridge Group's most polished kitchen with a French foundation and a market focus.
Signature: Wagyu tartare, Whole roasted duck for two
Order: The whole roasted duck for two, carved tableside; pre-order on the booking page.
Tip: The chef's counter overlooks the kitchen pass and is the better booking for the food show; book at lunch for a calmer pace.
Pizzeria Paradiso in Washington DC is Ruth Gresser's Dupont Circle wood-fired pizza room on P Street since 1991, a thin-crust Italian pizzeria with a Birreria beer cellar downstairs.
Signature: Margherita pizza, Atomica with salami and pepper
Order: The Atomica with hot salami, black olives and red pepper flakes; the menu since 1991.
Tip: The Birreria downstairs runs over 150 beers; ask for the Italian craft tasting flight at the bar.
Bub and Pop's in Washington DC is the M Street Philadelphia-style hoagie shop in Dupont Circle from Jonathan and Arlene Taub, with sandwich rolls baked in-house every morning.
Signature: Italian hoagie, Reuben
Order: The Italian hoagie with hot peppers; the menu's most-ordered sandwich.
Tip: Lunch line stacks up at 12:30; order ahead via the website to skip the wait. Cash and card both accepted.