18 mid-range rooms in Washington DC, editor-picked. the comfortable everyday-good rooms in Washington DC — no surprise on the bill, real cooking. All Washington DC food.
Etete ★ 4.6
shaw · 1942 9th St NW, Washington, DC 20001
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.
Tip: Ask for the vegetarian combination if there are non-meat eaters; it is the more visually photographed plate.
Thip Khao ★ 4.5
columbia-heights · 3462 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20010
Thip Khao in Washington DC is Seng Luangrath's Columbia Heights Laotian dining room on 14th Street, the city's anchor Laotian kitchen with a separate spicy-jungle-menu insert.
Tip: The crispy rice salad and Lao sausage are the second-meal must-orders; bring a wine you don't mind opening (BYO).
Thip Khao ★ 4.5
columbia-heights · 3462 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20010
Thip Khao in Washington DC is Seng Luangrath's Columbia Heights Laotian dining room on 14th Street, a casual room with a separate spicy-jungle-menu insert and BYO wine policy.
Tip: Ask for the off-menu jungle insert by name; the larb on it is far hotter than the standard menu.
Daru ★ 4.5
h-street · 1451 Maryland Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002
Daru in Washington DC is Suresh Sundas's H Street modern Indian dining room on Maryland Avenue NE, a hand-built kitchen with regional Indian street food and a deep gin-and-bitters bar.
Tip: The chef's counter is the best seat for the kitchen show; the patio runs to October.
Maketto ★ 4.4
h-street · 1351 H St NE, Washington, DC 20002
Maketto in Washington DC is Erik Bruner-Yang's H Street Cambodian-Taiwanese cafe and dining room, with a sneaker boutique on the ground floor and a courtyard room beyond the kitchen.
Tip: Brunch service runs Cambodian breakfast plates that the dinner menu skips; the courtyard bar is the local move.
Dukem Ethiopian Restaurant ★ 4.4
shaw · 1114 U St NW, Washington, DC 20009
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.
Tip: Live Ethiopian music plays Friday and Saturday from 21:00; the back booth is the quietest table.
Menomale ★ 4.4
brookland · 2711 12th St NE, Washington, DC 20018
Menomale in Washington DC is Ettore Rusciano's Brookland Naples-style pizzeria on 12th Street NE, with VPN-certified Neapolitan pies and a dough proofed for 36 hours.
Tip: The patio runs through October; cash, card, and same-day delivery are all accepted.
Lapis ★ 4.4
adams-morgan · 1847 Columbia Rd NW, Washington, DC 20009
Lapis in Washington DC is Shamim Popal's Adams Morgan Afghan dining room on Columbia Road, a family-run kitchen with mantu dumplings and the Kabuli pulao national dish.
Tip: The brunch buffet on Saturday and Sunday is the city's best Afghan-food deal at under $25 a head.
Doi Moi ★ 4.3
logan-circle · 1800 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20009
Doi Moi in Washington DC is the 14th Street Southeast Asian dining room from the Eat Group, a Thai-Vietnamese-Lao kitchen with an outdoor patio and a deep low-intervention wine list.
Tip: The patio runs from April to October and is the better seat at sunset; the bar takes walk-ups.
Sweet Home Cafe ★ 4.3
downtown · 1400 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20560
Sweet Home Cafe in Washington DC is the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture cafeteria on Constitution Avenue, a museum-led Black-Southern food survey.
Tip: Museum admission is free but requires a timed-entry pass; eat after 14:00 to skip the queue.
Founding Farmers DC ★ 4.2
foggy-bottom · 1924 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20006
Founding Farmers DC in Washington DC is the Pennsylvania Avenue farmer-owned cooperative dining room near the IMF and World Bank, an all-day American kitchen with a strict farm-source list.
Tip: Reservations book out for brunch a week ahead; weekday breakfast and the bar take walk-ins.
Ben's Next Door ★ 4.2
u-street · 1211 U St NW, Washington, DC 20009
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.
Tip: The bar runs late on weekends and is the better seat for a single diner; brunch fills up by 11:30.
Pizzeria Paradiso ★ 4.2
dupont-circle · 2003 P St NW, Washington, DC 20036
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.
Tip: The Birreria downstairs runs over 150 beers; ask for the Italian craft tasting flight at the bar.
The Pig ★ 4.2
logan-circle · 1320 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20005
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.
Tip: Brunch on weekends runs a deep boozy menu; the bar counter takes walk-ins on weekdays.
Pizzeria Paradiso Georgetown ★ 4.1
georgetown · 3282 M St NW, Washington, DC 20007
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.
Tip: The patio runs from April to October and overlooks the C&O Canal towpath; book a sunset seat.
Ghibellina ★ 4.1
logan-circle · 1610 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20009
Ghibellina in Washington DC is the 14th Street Tuscan dining room next to Le Diplomate, a casual high-ceiling Italian room with pinsa Roman flatbread and the bistecca cut for two.
Tip: The patio runs to October; the back room is quieter than the front bar on Saturday nights.
Matchbox ★ 4.0
penn-quarter · 713 H St NW, Washington, DC 20001
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.
Tip: The upstairs dining room is quieter than the busy ground-floor bar; ask for it at booking.
Ted's Bulletin ★ 4.0
logan-circle · 1818 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20009
Ted's Bulletin in Washington DC is the 14th Street art-deco American diner from the Matchbox group, an all-day breakfast room with the in-house adult pop-tart line as the signature.
Tip: Weekend brunch fills up by 11:00; the original Barracks Row Ted's takes walk-ins on weekday mornings.