Embassy Row tree-lined streets around the fountain. Sunday FreshFarm market, Komi, Annabelle, Pizzeria Paradiso and the city's bookshop-cafe density.
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.
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.
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.
Decades on Connecticut Avenue runs across five floors of retro themes: each level cycles a different era of hip-hop, pop and dance, with eight bars and five DJs spinning at once.
Tip: Each floor sets its own decade; the 90s and 2000s rooms fill first on weekends. Reserve a bottle for guaranteed entry past 23:00.
Quill at The Jefferson is the literary cocktail lounge with parquet floors patterned on Monticello and 18th-century maps of Jefferson's wine routes on the walls, walk-in only.
Tip: First-come, first-served seating, no reservations. Bar runs 11:30 to midnight; the kitchen closes 23:00 weekdays.
JR's on 17th Street has anchored the Dupont LGBTQ block since 1986, a video bar that runs Showtune Sundays, Wednesday karaoke and 4-9 happy hour every day of the week.
Tip: Happy hour runs 16:00-21:00 every night, the busiest in Dupont. Wednesday karaoke is the standing tradition; arrive before 21:00 for a seat.
Annie's on 17th Street has welcomed Dupont's LGBTQ community since 1948, the James Beard America's Classics 2019 awardee that became a queer gathering place before there were gay bars.
Tip: Open 363 days a year for brunch, lunch and dinner. Reserve for parties of six or more; the bar walks in any hour the kitchen serves.