Ben's Next Door in Washington DC is the sit-down sister of Ben's Chili Bowl at 1211 U Street, a soul-American kitchen with a cocktail list and the half-smoke from the original menu.
Signature dishes: Buttermilk fried chicken, Half-smoke platter
Must order: The buttermilk fried chicken with mac and collards; the room's most-ordered single dish.
Tip: The bar runs late on weekends and is the better seat for a single diner; brunch fills up by 11:30.
Address: 1211 U St NW, Washington, DC 20009, Washington DC
Matchbox in Washington DC is the original Penn Quarter pizza-and-burger room on H Street since 2003, a wood-fired oven kitchen on Chinatown's western edge with a deep cocktail list.
Signature: Wood-fired pizza, Mini burger trio
Order: The mini burger trio with thin onion rings; the room's most-ordered appetiser.
Tip: The upstairs dining room is quieter than the busy ground-floor bar; ask for it at booking.
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.
Etete in Washington DC is the canonical Little Ethiopia dining room on 9th Street since 2004, with doro wat, vegetarian combos and the spongy injera served on a shared round platter.
Signature: Doro wat, Vegetarian combination
Order: The doro wat with hard-boiled egg, eaten by hand from the shared injera platter.
Tip: Ask for the vegetarian combination if there are non-meat eaters; it is the more visually photographed plate.
Dukem Ethiopian Restaurant in Washington DC is the U Street Ethiopian dining room since 1997, the older sister to Etete and a U Street institution with sidewalk seating and live music.
Signature: Kitfo, Tibs
Order: The kitfo (Ethiopian raw beef tartare) leb leb or rare with mitmita spice; the room's deepest cut.
Tip: Live Ethiopian music plays Friday and Saturday from 21:00; the back booth is the quietest table.
Pizzeria Paradiso Georgetown in Washington DC is the M Street wood-fired pizza sister on the canal, the Georgetown branch of Ruth Gresser's Dupont Circle original with the same wood oven.
Signature: Wood-fired Neapolitan pizza, Atomica
Order: The Genovese with pesto, potatoes and green beans; the Genoese signature of the menu.
Tip: The patio runs from April to October and overlooks the C&O Canal towpath; book a sunset seat.
The Pig in Washington DC is the 14th Street nose-to-tail dining room from EatWell DC, with a menu built end-to-end on heritage pork from local Mid-Atlantic farms and a porchetta plate.
Signature: Pork belly sliders, House charcuterie board
Order: The pork belly sliders on house buns; the room's most-ordered appetiser since opening.
Tip: Brunch on weekends runs a deep boozy menu; the bar counter takes walk-ins on weekdays.
