Eat well in Washington DC for under €15 a plate: the locals'-budget edition.
Eat well in Washington DC for under €15 a plate: the places locals on a budget actually use.
Ben's Chili Bowl in Washington DC is the U Street half-smoke counter since 1958, the city's defining cheap-eat with the chili half-smoke at $7.95 and a fountain drink for $4 more.
Try: Chili half-smoke ($7.95)
Tip: Pair a chili half-smoke with the chili cheese fries to share; $20 covers two people including drinks.
Pho 14 Columbia Heights in Washington DC is the Park Road Vietnamese counter with pho served from a 14-hour broth, a six-item menu and bowls under $16 across the board.
Try: Pho bowl ($12-16)
Tip: The pho dac biet (special) at $14 feeds two if you order extra noodles; the spring rolls are the value side.
Amsterdam Falafelshop in Washington DC is the Adams Morgan 18th Street falafel counter with the self-serve topping bar that brings every sandwich to under $9 including 21 toppings.
Try: Falafel sandwich with toppings ($9)
Tip: Sandwich plus a side of frites stays under $13; pile the toppings and the sandwich becomes a full meal.
Tortilla Cafe Eastern Market in Washington DC is the Capitol Hill 7th Street Salvadoran-Mexican counter with three-pupusa plates under $12 and Salvadoran tamales served from a tight kitchen.
Try: Three pupusas plate ($11)
Tip: The combo platter of three pupusas with rice and beans is $11 and feeds one large appetite; share for $7 each.
Toki Underground in Washington DC is the H Street NE upstairs ramen and dumpling room from Erik Bruner-Yang, the city's anchor ramen shop with bowls under $18 and a tight 30-seat dining room.
Try: Ramen bowl ($14-17)
Tip: Lunch on weekdays is the quickest seat; the dumpling combo with a half-bowl of ramen is the value play.
Florida Avenue Grill in Washington DC is the LeDroit Park 1944 diner with breakfast all day, the city's cheapest soul food sit-down with eggs-grits-biscuit plates under $15.
Try: Breakfast plate with eggs, grits, biscuit ($13)
Tip: Breakfast runs all day; the half-smoke breakfast plate at $13 is the editorial value meal of the menu.
Halal Guys Farragut in Washington DC is the K Street halal cart-format dining room with chicken-and-rice platters at $12 each, the city's lunchtime federal-worker staple under $15.
Try: Chicken and rice platter ($12)
Tip: Lunch line moves fast 12:30 to 13:30; ask for both the white and the hot sauce on the side for the canonical setup.
Purple Patch in Washington DC is Patrice Cleary's Mount Pleasant Street Filipino dining room since 2014, with lumpia, pancit and an adobo plate that all run under $18 a head.
Try: Filipino lumpia and pancit ($14)
Tip: The lunch combo of lumpia, half a pancit and an adobo is the editorial value at under $16; the brunch tocino at weekends is similar.
Shouk Mount Vernon in Washington DC is the K Street plant-based Middle Eastern counter, with mushroom-chickpea shouk burgers under $13 and tahini-heavy bowls under $14 a head.
Try: Plant-based shouk burger ($12)
Tip: The bowl format is the most filling per dollar; double the falafel for $4 to push it to a full evening meal.
Dukem in Washington DC runs a $16 vegetarian combination platter at the U Street Ethiopian dining room, a round of injera with misir, shiro, gomen and beet that feeds two with extra naan.
Try: Vegetarian combination ($16)
Tip: The veg combo for two with extra injera at $4 is the city's best Ethiopian value at under $25 for the table.
Peak food season in Washington DC is year-round.
Local dining hours: lunch around 12:30, dinner from 19:30.
service is typically included; small extra is welcome but not expected.
Ask the next local you meet what they would order. Washington DC rewards trust.