Washington DC is a truly wonderful destination. I would go back in a heartbeat. In fact, Georgetown was one of those places that I thought, I could really live here. And yes it is a place brimming with political and historical attractions but it is also a culinary capital. We enjoyed excellent food in Washington DC, from cupcakes and donuts to the best beef chilli. So here are my five favourite places to eat in Washington DC, plus a few extra that I have heard good things about, that are on my list for next time. Please leave a comment below with your favourite Washington DC eats!
Ben’s Chilli Bowl
1213 U Street NW Washington DC
Tip: I loved this place! Their chilli was outstanding, so rich and flavourful. Take a seat in one of their vintage booths and order a bowl of their world famous chilli – the recipe has remained unchanged for over 50 years.
Baked and Wired
1052 Thomas Jefferson St NW Washington DC
Tip: Some of the BEST baked goods in America can be found at Baked and Wired in Georgetown. I loved their OMG bar, a caramel smores bars complete with a graham cracker crust and a homemade marshmallow.
Founding Farmers
1924 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington DC
Tip: Specialising in farm to table fare, Founding Farmers is a fabulous restaurant with an extensive menu including breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. I loved their skillet cornbread served with sea salted honey butter. Reservations are recommended.
Good Stuff Eatery
3291 M Street NW Washington DC
Tip: If you are craving a good old fashion American shake, go straight to Good Stuff Eatery in Georgetown. Serving up burgers, fries and handspun shakes, I can still remember swooning over their outrageously good Milky Way Melt Shake.
Astro Chicken and Donuts
1308 G Street NW Washington DC
Tip: Astro Chicken and Donuts is a small hole-in-the-wall joint, serving up fried chicken and donuts. I tried their peanut butter and jelly donut which was fantastic but I couldn’t fit in a taste of their chicken. The girl next to me order a chicken sandwich but beware it was served with a donut as the bun. Not one for the faint-hearted!
On the list for next time:
Golden Brown Delicious
1323 Connecticut Ave NW Washington DC
save this recipe
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Georgetown Cupcakes
3301 M St NW Washington DC
Dangerously Delicious Pies
1339 H Street NE Washington DC
2 Amys Pizzeria
3715 Macomb St NW Washington DC
The Capital Grille
601 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington DC
Pam Koenig says
How could you not include Marcel’s???? Have you never had outstanding food served by the most gracious staff on the planet?
Jessica Holmes says
Ooh, I’m adding it to my list for next time Pam!
Elizabeth says
Love this list! I lived in DC for 2 years and went to these places very often 🙂 Baked & Wired is SO good.
Jessica Holmes says
Aw thanks Elizabeth! I can’t wait to go back one day. Baked and Wired was awesome!!
Medha says
As a DC native, I can agree! I’m headed to Baked & Wired tomorrow 🙂 Dangerously Delicious pies on H Street is awesome and you’ve got to check out Zaytinya or Zengo in Penn Quarter and Chibatown, respectively!
Jessica Holmes says
Oh Medha, I am so jealous! Having Baked and Wired in my reach would be a dangerous thing! Thanks for your recommendations. I am adding them to my list! 🙂
Amy says
Thanks soooo much for the recommendations Jess! I’m getting hungry for our trip now! I cannot wait to try Baked and Wired, and I was just looking at the Founding Farmer’s website yesterday and wondering whether it was any good! Now I have so many places to check out in between museum hopping! I’ve definitely got to take Chris to the Good Stuff Eatery! He’s a milkshake monster!
Jessica Holmes says
I was thinking of you Amy! You are going to have the best time. And with my recommendations and Leah’s local wares, you are going to be full to the brim with good DC eats! Hooray!
Leah says
LOVE this round-up Jess! Makes me sooooo sad to be moving away from my beloved city. I totally agree with you — Georgetown is SO cute (just wish there were homes available here for less than $2million! ha!) and Baked and Wired is MOST DEFINITELY the best baked goods in DC (and maybe even America). Also, their Chai Tea is out of this woooorld!
A few recommendations and tips for next time: Honestly, skip Georgetown Cupcakes. Any DC-er will tell you that this is a tourist trap and will be able to list off 5 places that have better cupcakes off the top of their heads. If you loved Founding Farmers, check out the Saturday&Sunday brunch at Farmers, Fishers, Bakers (in Georgetown – owned by the Founding Farmers people). Rasika (Indian) is one of our absolute favorites in DC, but be warned that you need to make reservations at least 2-3 months in advance if you want to eat at a normal time. Ted’s Bulletin in Eastern Market is also a HUGE local favorite (two words: homemade pop-tarts!) I could go ON and ON but I will leave it at that. Let me know before you make your next trek to DC and I’ll give you even more local insight 🙂
Jessica Holmes says
Oh thanks for joining the conversation Leah – there is nothing like a local’s knowledge! Yes Baked and Wired was one of the highlights of our entire trip, I am so glad we found out about it before we went. Oh your recommendations sound fantastic, I love Indian food! This makes me want to go back so much! And homemade pop tarts? Waah! I miss you Washington DC!