hey all!
this has been asked for ~a moment~ here on macarons and must haves. definitely gotten a few requests about this one because of course i post LOTS of food stories on my insta and people always come to me to ask what my favorite places to eat are since i’ve lived in DC for ALMOST 6 MONTHS! there are so many amazing food places to visit and honestly i haven’t even begun to scratch the barrel, i haven’t been to so many classic DC places and there are so many more places i have on my list that i’ve found from some DC food bloggers post about and some other recs from friends and sorority sisters!
with all that being said, i really wanted to do an ‘official’ food post of some of my FAVES that are really amazing go-tos for me! so here we go!
union market
Address: 1309 5th St NE, Washington, DC 20002, a short walk from the NoMa Galludet U metro stop
union market is a super cool food hall in dc with so many amazing local spots. since they rotate out every so often i have in no way been able to try every option but they have some stuff that smells and looks amazing! when i was there i visited DC DOSA and peregrine espresso! its a super fun experience to make the trip with friends because UM is a really cool spot to hang out, take pictures and for each of you guys to try an entirely different type of food! there is all types of food from traditional jewish deli to italian and indian. and they’re all so good!
south block
Locations in Clarendon, Old Town Alexandria, East Falls Church, Vienna, GWU (!!!), Georgetown and Union Market. GWU stop is a few blocks from Foggy Bottom GWU Metro stop.
southblock serves acai bowls, smoothies and avocado toast. i have to say that i am a little biased because i get to have it more freuqently because i have it on my meal plan, but SB is so so so good! it reminds me of acai bowls back at home and i have my favorite, the almond butter bowl which i frequently recreate when i am home for breaks in school. they give you the right amount of smoothie and topping and honestly i just love a good acai bowl.
swings coffee
Locations on 14th & G St, 17th & G St and in Del Ray.
swings is a great coffeee place which is pretty close to me that makes amazing lattes and really great pastries. they’re one of the only coffee shops in DC that serves OAT MILK in their coffee (which i absolutely love, it tastes like real milk) and the savory scones ( with cheddar cheese, bacon and scallions) are super amazing as well as their maple blueberry scones. its an awesome place with great vibes and great coffee!
compass coffee
Locations in Shaw, the Shay, Chinatown, 18th & Eye and 1401 Eye
compass coffee is also an awesome cafe in dc. they have several locations all around the city (seriously you can get compass almost everywhere) and they make killer lattes. they also make killer cookies, their peanut butter cookies are amazing and just make me feel totally nostalgic. their cafes are also AH-MAY-ZING to study or get work done in if thats your thing like it is mine.
bluestone lane
There are two locations in Georgetown, one on the main stretch on M St and the other right outside in the suburban neighborhood.
bluestone is awesome for a quick stop by when you’re in georgetown. they make super good matcha lattes and have awesome milk and beverage options that i would not consider to be on most conventional coffee menus. opposed to compass, they are not really a sit down place but i highly suggest picking one up if you are doing a georgetown trip, running errands or if you need coffee to pair with your georgetown cupcake/baked and wired cupcake/sprinkles cupcake (did i mention that georgetown has three great bakeries if you’re a cupcake fiend?)
red hen
Address: 1822 1st St NW, Washington, DC 20001 and located in the Shaw/Howard U neighborhood, a bit of a walk from the closest metro stop.
the red hen is an AMAZING small italian restuarant in the Shaw neighborhood of DC, the food is great (seriously their pasta is the bomb!) as well as the atmosphere (its so homey its insane, so homey that its actually in a neighborhood!) and its always on the zagat/eater DC list as a top favorite. you cannot go wrong heading to red hen!
le diplomate
Address: 1601 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20009, located in the U St. Corridor neighborhood and suggested to walk or take an uber.
another dc classic and something that so often is at the top of the travel guides – and is actually good. seriously, my dad and i went when i was moving into my dorm at GW. we made the trek out to U st and were not disappointed! what we reccomend? the beouf bouroigon, the mushroom tart and the french onion soup! i’ve also been told that the brunch is absolutely KILLER and honestly the menu and pictures also look amazing! in addition to that, the atmosphere just makes the place. if you visit DC without going to le dip you’re doing it wrong.
daikaya ramen
Address: 705 6th St NW, Washington, DC 20001, a very short walk from the National Portrait Gallery and the Chinatown or Gallery Place Metro stations.
an amazing ramen shop right across from the national portrait gallery. essentially my dad and i “stumbled” (in quotations because we both read about it first) on daikaya because we were visiting the NPG and were desperately hungry for lunch, also it was pouring rain and humid and my dad and i were NOT gonna move while the rain was crazy. anyway, no complaints, the ramen was awesome (definitely like something you’d get in LA) and is perfect for days with ramen weather! (if you eat ramen you undesrstane what i’m talking about)!
north italia
Address: 2112 Pennsylvania Ave NW #102, Washington, DC 20037 located SUPER CLOSE to the Foggy Bottom GWU Metro Stop.
this is NEW restaurant in foggy bottom but is sister restaurants with flower child and true food kitchen. awesome, and amazing italian food – i went this weekend and the bolognese is honestly killer and the truffle bread with ricotta is not only beautiful but tastes so so so good!
founding farmers and farmers fishers & bakers
founding farmer’s address: 1924 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20006 and farmers, fishers and bakers address: 3000 K St NW, Washington, DC 20007 at the Georgetown Waterfront
the founding farmers chain is a series of restaurants owned by farmers and serve only food that was grown or prepared by the owners. not only is the concept super cool but the food is genuinely so good. the location at the georgetown waterfront is beautiful and would highly reccommend for anyone coming to the area.
enjoy!
