Just as the faces in government change with every election,
so too do restaurants come and go more quickly in Washington
DC than just about anywhere else in the US. Within this
constant flux a few long-standing favorites endure;
and certain neighborhoods - Connecticut Avenue around
Dupont Circle, 18th Street and Columbia Road in Adams-Morgan,
M Street in Georgetown, and the city's sketchy Chinatown
- always seem to hold a good range of dining options.
Meskerem, 2434 18th
St NW (202/462-4100).
The district's favorite Ethiopian
hangout - the messob platter gives you a taste of everything.
Mixtec, 1792 Columbia
Rd NW (202/332-1011).
Great-tasting, low-priced Mexican
food. Superb tacos and tortillas, plus spit-roasted
chicken, mussels steamed with chiles, and a soothing
menudo.
Peyote Cafe, 2319
18th St NW (202/462-8830).
Lively basement Southwestern
bar and grill; the pricier Roxanne's upstairs is a bit
more adventurous and has a roof terrace.
Red Sea, 2463 18th
St NW (202/483-5000).
Inexpensive and plentiful portions
of spicy food at the oldest Ethiopian place in town.
Dean & Deluca,
3276 M St NW (202/342-2500).
Conservatory-style cafe
and attached deli-market in one of Georgetown's handsomest
red-brick buildings; open until 8pm (weekends until
10pm).
J Paul's, 3218 M St
NW (202/333-3450).
The best of Georgetown's saloons
- not cheap, but worth it for the famous crab cakes
and own-brewed Amber Ale.
Old Glory, 3139 M
St NW (202/337-3406).
Rollicking barbecue restaurant
with hickory smoke rising in earnest from the kitchen
- a good-time place with live R&B bands three nights
a week.
Pizzeria Paradiso,
2029 P St NW (202/223-1245).
Arguably DC's best pizzeria
- certainly the most fun, though you can expect to wait
in line.
The Pop Stop, 1513,
17th St NW (202/328-0880).
Funky, gay-friendly, late-opening
(until 2am, later at weekends) coffee-and-tea house,
with patio seating; one of several similar places in
the neighborhood.
Il Radicchio, 1509
17th St NW (202/986-2627).
Designer-rustic pizza-and-pasta
emporium, tossing out superb wood-fired pizzas (under
$10) or all the spaghetti you can eat, dressed with
one of twenty sauces.
Straits of Malaya,
1836 18th St NW (202/483-1483).
Neighborhood Southeast
Asian restaurant; great noodles and seafood.
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