Eating in DC

Now that I am in DC and have my parking situation semi-resolved, I need to find good places to eat. I don't want and can't afford anything fancy right now, i.e. Morton's or Capital Grille. However, I do want to have good food and believe that there's plenty in DC. Tell me where I need to go, please. BTW, I live in the Foggy Bottom area and have already been to a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown (can't remember which, it was a foggy evening).

haha I just wrote all this crap and xed out the window by mistake....

Foggy Bottom area generally sucks for food. I wouldnt waste my time at Froggy Bottom Pub, Panda Cafe, Thai Place, and Mehreen as all the food isnt all that great and the serive sucks and they hav eall been shut down.

Past the white house there is this sea food place called Old Ebbits and it is really good. About 20-30 dollars for a meal but after 11 pm every night its happy hour and the raw bar is half price. They have really good jumbo cocktail shrimp and losbster at half the price. 1.25 and 15 dollars respectively. The oysters and clams are also half price.

Fogo De Chao is a Brazizlian Guacho style resteraunt. Its all you can eat. The servers come around with different cuts of meat. I know its all you can eat but this is not a cheap resteraunt with bad self service. The service is extremely good. Much better then anywhere else in DC and Ive been to a lot of places. Its 50 for dinner and 30 for lunch. I would go for lunch at least once. Get the Gauarana soda but its 3.50 a can but so is the rest of their soda...

If you want Indian food I would not listen to most people when they mention Taj or Bombay Grill or some crap because those places arent that great in my opinion. Rasika is a really good Indian resteraunt and is about 20-25 a person. Look up the address

Georgetown:
Clydes is decent and not bad. 10-15 bucks and a lot of tourists like it but you should go there at least once. Its on M street

Bangkok Joes near the water front on K street is really good for Thai food. Dont waste yoru time at any of the other resteraunts on the water front because they are overpriced and suck. This place is good food and service for 15 bucks.

Filamena is really good but a bit expensive (30-40 for dinner) Prices arent bad for lunch though and I would go there. Its on Winsconsin Ave. Italian Food

On M street (near Penn Ave where it turns in M) is Cafe Tu-O-Tu. It has really good sandwhiches and food for less then 8 bucks...

I would also go to Moby Dick for some Persian Kebobs (around ten dollars) It is right off M street and really good. ****** location and look slike a **** hole but its good....there also a location in Dupont but id rather jsut go to this one....

Cafe La Rouche is down the street from Moby Dick. Good food for about 30 dollars. French

Dolcezzz has decent gelato and good cafe latte up Winsconsin Ave.

Thomas Sweet on Winsconsin- A lot of poeple like it. i think the locations in Princeton and New Brunswick NJ are much better and this one is overrated but you might like it. It has homemade ice cream and sweet stuff....

On Prospect street of Winsconsin ( block up from M street on Winsconsin) ---

All right next to eacother---
Peacock cafe-- a lot of poeple likt it but I dont. American food..decent setting aroudn 20-30 bucks a person

Bangkok Bistro- Good food and good service( 20 bucks)

Cafe Milano- Good italian and a bit expensive (30-40)



Really far up Winsconsin (youll need a taxi but you should try this) Really good and famous Neopleation pizza place (they follow some law in italy to make the pizza)
Its called 2 Amy's and is the best pizza place in DC or a 100 mile radius probably
15 bucks a person

Five guys isnt too bad for burgers (7 bucks) Its on Winsconsin Ave. Its probably the best in DC besides Bens Chili Bowl

I dont like Old Glory for burgers or BBQ but a lot of poeple like it for the BBQ and its on M street... 20 bucks a person


Kinkeads is expensive but good. Its on GWs campus on Foggy Bottom. Youll find it and its about 50 a person. possibly the best resteraunt in DC....

On U street:
Bens Chili Bowl. Its got great chili, its pretty famous, and awesome chili dogs and burgers. Ten bucks. I get the chili cheese dog and chili cheese fries whenever i go...

Love Cafe--really overrated but maybe u want to try it.....


Busboys and Poet-- decent food and nice place to relax....15 bucks a person (14 and U street)



Arcadania is also a good cajun food resteraunt in DC. Look up the address. Ive been there once and I loved it (25 bucks )


Overall the must try at least once places id have to say are:

Fogo De Chao
2 Amy's Pizza
Old Ebbits during happy hour
Bens Chili Bowl
Kinkeads
Moby Dicks

if you want to order:
Dominios is always 8 bucks for students. Just tell them you are one and since your living on GW campus ull be fine but theyll add on some heavy delivery charge for abotu 2 dollars so its really just a rip off

Manny and Olgas pizza sucks. They take two hours to deliver 80 percen tof the time. Their pizza is only good tuesdays though and its like 7 bucks. Mention crazy tuesdays otherwise never order from them EVER

Pizza Movers has good pizza and cheesesteaks

Quick Pita has good middle eastern pitas and sandwhcihes (abou 4-5 dollars each)

go to: http://www.dcmenus.com
for all places that delvier to Foggy bottom and the menus....

Thanks dude, I appreciate all the info. I was at a local pub tonight and talked to one of the door guys. He suggested some of the places you listed. He also said I should make it down to the Fish Market by the waterfront. I'm not entirely clear where this place is exactly, but will probably look it up on the web. If it does exist, I'm really excited about this place. In any case, I'm excited about the food scene here. Edit: after some digging, I found some info on this place (link). I'll definitely stop by this weekend. Crabs, here I come!

A couple of non-pricey (entrees under $20), yet tasty suggestions:

Indian -- Jyoti in Adams-Morgan. As good as most of the Indian you'll find in this town (can't speak for Rasika, yet). The Kabob House on K Street. Great lunch place.

Chinese, carryout -- North Sea in Adams-Morgan. You'll never be unhappy.

French Bisto -- Bistrot do Coin in DuPont Circle. Great mussles and pomme frites, properly surly staff. You'll feel as if people really like being there and not just there for show.

Middle Eastern -- Lebanese Taverna in Woodley Park. Not the place it used to be but it's pretty good and with Bacchus gone, one of the few in town. Zatinya in Gallery Place is good Turkish mezzes (tapas, basically) with a nice wine list of new (to us) wines. And yes, I'm counting Turkey in the Middle East, despite its EU card.

Japanese -- Sushi Tono in Woodley Park. They do a sushi happy hour M-F and it's very good.

Caribbean -- Sweet Mango Cafe in Petworth (Georgia Avenue). You have to have the ox tails, if they are running them, and cocoa bread.

Let me know what you think, should you try them.

Fogo De Chao
2 Amy's Pizza
Old Ebbits during happy hour
Bens Chili Bowl
Kinkeads
Moby Dicks

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2 Amys is great and you can't live in DC and not try Ben's half smokes.

Bistrot do Coin in DuPont Circle

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Bistro du Coin is a little disney-fied, but the food is good to great and it's almost always hoppin. Good wine specials sometimes, reasonably priced kronenbourg, and yes, the moules frites are not to be missed.

If you like beer, check out downstairs at Pizzeria Paradiso in georgetown. Great draft beer selection. Pizza is great, too. You often have to wait, esp. on nice weekends. Matchbox near the Verizon center is also good for pizza.

For cheap eats, I'd add Dukem and Etete (sp?), ethiopian joints up by the U St./Cardozo metro stop. While you're in that area, Simply Home is a neat space and alright for Thai-ish food, Cafe St. Ex and Bar Pilar for good food and Viking Beer (St. Ex was really scene-y for awhile, but I think it's calmed down).

If you want to nerd out, donrockwell.com is a message board for DC food types. washingtonpost.com's city guide is pretty useful, as well.

If you want bar and music recs, hit us up; there's a lot of DC peeps on styleforum.

You can't go wrong with any of the tapas restaurants associated with Jose Andres -- Jaleo (Spanish), Zaytinya (Mediterranean/Greek), and Oyamel (Mexican). All in the Penn Quarter/Gallery Place area of DC. Cafe Atlantico, also associated with Andres, is a bit on the pricier side.

Bourbon in Glover Park and Adams Morgan is great for comfort food (meat loaf, mac & cheese, etc.). Tryst, also in Adams Morgan, is great for that as well.

I recommend Pizza Paradiso as well. I haven't been to Two Amys, so I can't compare the two. The location in Dupont Circle is better than the one in Georgetown.

I love La Madeleine for basic French food. Locations in Georgetown on M Street and Bethesda.

If you like beer, try the Brickskellar in Dupont Circle. Obviously, the beer is the main attraction, but the pizza is surprisingly good. I find myself dining at its sister restaurant, R.F.D. in Penn Quarter, quite frequently.

You should definitely make a trip to Ben's, but you'll probably find eating there once every three months to be sufficient.

Wok & Roll - in Chinatown, a bit dingy but have $.99 Sushi Happy hour and good food (and I like the name)
Matchbox - H Street (Galleryplace/Chinatown), great food I hear, pretty good night time scene)
Central Michel Richard - Pennsylvania Ave (forget the cross street), great food a bit pricey for casual fair but worth a trip
Fogo De Chao - Pennsylvania Ave, Just awesome. Servers come to your table with large skewers of meat and you choose what you like and it never stops until you're full. Lunch - $30, Dinner - $50. Oh and there's a good salad bar too
Clyde's - Chinatown, isn't really expensive
My Brothers Place (MBP) - Capitol Hill/Judiciary Square (2nd St & Constitution) - Lunch service is pretty bad but the happy hour is great. They have a "beat the clock" program with pints (of miller light) $1.25 and going up by a quarter every hour until 10pm. I go there periodically for happy hour (I work right next to it) or to Hamilton's right next door.

2 Amy's is a must - and the best pizza in at least a 100 mile radius Ben's Chili Bowl is a DC institution - you have to go and the food is good - but I'd hardly say they are a culinary delight Old Glory for BBQ - is fantastic IMO Pizza Paradiso - DuPont location is much, much better than the Georgetown one On Connecticut - also by DuPont Circle (and 1 block up from Felines Basement) - Julia's Empanadas - no place to sit but absolutely fantastic empanadas - blink and you'll miss it - it is so small - $5 to $10 depending on how hungry you are A few blocks down from DuPont on 19th Street - the Greek Deli - if you can get there for a week day lunch - do - another DC institution - but this one lives up to the culinary delight you'd expect - you can get a lunch that will last you days for under $10 Lots of great recommendations from everyone that has posted - have fun exploring your new location and welcome to the area!

Originally Posted by ghulkhan

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Past the white house there is this sea food place called Old Ebbits and it is really good.

You should be very careful taking advice from someone who expresses this opinion, particularly when it's followed up by:

Originally Posted by ghulkhan

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Kinkeads is ... possibly the best resteraunt in DC....

Having said that, the previous posters were spot on with a bunch of suggestions, including some of my favorites: Two Amy's, Pizza Paradiso, Bistro du Coin, Matchbox, Jaleo, Tryst, and Cafe St. Ex.

I'd add New Orleans Cafe in Adams Morgan. It's small, but the food is inexpensive and good.

Also, Breadline for lunch if you're up for quick takeout. I haven't been in a couple of years, but it was always packed and good when I worked down there.

Cactus Cantina on Wisconsin and Loriel Plaza in Adams Morgan (same ownership) are solid picks for Mexican.

If you're looking for something more expensive, Cashion's is a good value in its price range.

Washingtonian Cheap Eats

From this list, I can recommend Cafe Divan, Leopold's, Malaysia Kopitiam, Moby Dick, and Raku.

Pasta Mia in Adams Morgan is a DC institution -- haphazard operating hours, a proprietor like the Soup Nazi, and lines down the block.

has anyone tried Nooshi or Famous Luigis? They both have good food...both right by 19th and M (on 19th street)...not too expensive either

+1 on bens chilli bowl man...it just has to be done!

I dont liek nooshi
its ok

i liked cactus cantina and matchbox the last time i was there. lauriol plaza is blah, and the server spilled hot water or oil on my friend's back once. there was a cuban place that was so-so in the eastern market area, but i can't remember the name.

i mostly eat out in old town and arlington, though.

I went to the Moby Dick in Georgetown tonight. The place is truly a hole in the wall type joint, but the food is awesome. I had the ground beef and the sirloin with rice, and my gf the chicken with rice. The meat is simple and tasty, and the rice is cooked just right. It's a bit of a walk from my place, but totally worth it. Now, I need to find that shuttle from Foggy Bottom and Georgetown!