31. Spices Asian Restaurant & Sushi Bar
City: Washington, DC
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (202) 686-3833
Description: Spices is a real crowd pleaser—especially if your crowd is looking for quality sushi, tasty pad Thai, and classic Chinese selections in the same place. Although the chic restaurant looks like it would come with a pricey menu, you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Make this your stop if you’re catching a movie at the Uptown Theatre or if you’re looking for a place to recharge after a visit to the National Zoo. It’s open for lunch and dinner daily.
32. Sushi-Ko
City: Washington, DC
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (202) 333-4187
Address: 2309 Wisconsin Avenue NW
Description: As the name implies, sushi is the word at Sushi-Ko, and few in town do it better: eel, toro, sea urchin, shrimp, salmon, quail eggs, flying-fish roe, and even monkfish liver. In fact, when Japanese dignitaries come to Washington for official visits, Sushi-Ko does the catering. Although many people have been converted by the “Try it, you’ll like it” urging of their fellow diners, not everyone has embraced the sushi phenomenon. Not to worry—Sushi-Ko also offers decidedly tasty non-sushi creations, many of which are the chefs’ own fusions of Japanese and American cooking styles and ingredients. This is a cramped, no-frills place, but it’s always packed with people who know Japanese cuisine. Sushi-Ko is open for lunch Tuesday through Friday and dinner nightly.
33. Tony Cheng’S Mongolian Barbecue
City: Washington, DC
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (202) 842-8669
Address: 619 H Street NW
Description: To be certain, there’s no shortage of barbecue joints in Metro Washington, but you’ll be hard pressed to find the Mongolian style (yes, Mongolian) offered anywhere but Tony Cheng’s. Here’s how it works: You fill your plate with the raw ingredients of your choice from a buffet, then you take it to the chef who grills it. It’s as good as it is different, but don’t just take our word as gospel. Tasting is believing. Expect generous offerings of meat, vegetables, and tangy sauces, and if you have trouble deciding, opt for the all-you-can-eat deal. Tony Cheng’s is open for lunch Monday through Saturday, dinner nightly, and Sunday dim sum (Chinese dumplings filled with a variety of delectable meats and vegetables), served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
34. Vietnam-Georgetown
City: Washington, DC
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (202) 337-4536
Address: 2934 M Street NW
Description: This was one of the first Vietnamese restaurants in Washington, and it remains popular, perhaps in part because of the appealing garden in back that, on summer evenings, is strung with fairy lights. The food is quite tasty—the usual Vietnamese restaurant fare of spring rolls and sweet and sour dishes and fresh grilled seafood. If you enjoy Southeast Asian food and the bustle of downtown Washington, then you won’t be disappointed. It is open daily for lunch and dinner.
35. La Chaumiére
City: Washington, DC
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (202) 338-1784
Address: 2813 M Street NW
Description: This country inn/bistro in the heart of Georgetown is a perennial favorite in the competitive, come-and-go world of French restaurants. With its midroom fireplace and its walls decorated with antique farm tools and copper molds, this is the perfect spot to come in out of the cold. Expect attentive and warm service, and hearty and reliable French peasant fare like cassoulet and couscous, tripe, quenelles of pike, and choucroute garnie. If these earthy offerings don’t tempt, there is more conventional fare, often rich with garlic, butter, and other delicious staples of French country cooking. Lunch is served weekdays, dinner is served Monday through Saturday. La Chaumiére is closed on Sunday.
36. La Fourchette
City: Washington, DC
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (202) 332-3077
Address: 2429 18th Street NW
Description: You’ll think you’re in Montmartre at this quaint little spot in Adams Morgan. Walk past the entrance and the garlic wafts out, inviting you in. As befits a French restaurant, there are tables outside where you can watch the wide cross-section of humanity on busy 18th Street. Inside, murals of cafe scenes dominate the walls. The tables are tiny and the chairs are the kind you’d find in a Paris bistro. The menu, too, looks like it came straight from Paris: cheese-filled onion soup, crepes, bouillabaisse, escargots, and pâtés. You can’t go wrong. La Fourchette is open for lunch weekdays and dinner nightly.
37. Marcel’S
City: Washington, DC
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (202) 296-1166
Address: 2401 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Description: Marcel’s promises “French cuisine with a Flemish flair,” and chef/owner Robert Wiedmaier certainly delivers. Start your meal with boudin blanc, a classic Flemish sausage dish served here with celery root puree, truffle, and red wine essence. For the main course, try the veal osso bucco, accompanied by wild forest mushrooms and Yukon Gold potatoes, or opt for the rack of lamb, paired with lamb sausage and chive potato puree. The Foggy Bottom location makes this a good choice for dinner if you’re off to the Kennedy Center, and there’s an excellent three-course menu developed for the purpose. Priced at $48 per person, the menu also includes sedan service to the Kennedy Center.
38. Montmartre
City: Washington, DC
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (202) 544-1244
Address: 2002 P Street NW
Description: Capitol Hill residents were saddened when Montmartre left its location near Eastern Market for its new home in Dupont Circle. After all, it was the most sought-after Saturday night reservation in the neighborhood. Dupont Circle residents are now discovering Montmartre’s French bistro classics like duck confit with white beans, hangar steak, and pommes frites cooked to a perfect crisp.
39. Old Europe
City: Washington, DC
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (202) 333-7600
Address: 2434 Wisconsin Avenue NW
Description: Praise and popularity are old hat for Old Europe, unwavering in its appeal, at the same spot for more than half a century in upper Georgetown. This place, some will contend, embodies all that an Old World German restaurant should be, except maybe for the American locale. Just use your imagination, though, and enjoy various wursts, schnitzel, dumplings, pork, and other filling creations, not to mention the homemade pastries and an extensive wine and beer list. And we can’t forget the lively, infectious music. Lunch and dinner are served nightly at Old Europe.
40. Cafe Atlantico
City: Washington, DC
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (202) 393-0812
Address: 405 8th Street NW
Description: If you’re looking for creative Central and South American cuisine, look no further. You can tell that Chef Katsuya Fukushima has a sense of adventure. Bite into the Dominican conch fritters and let the warm, liquid center explode in your mouth. The classic Brazilian dish feijao is on the menu as well, but it’s broken down into its basic components: black beans and pork, white rice, oranges, and sautéed collard greens, served with chicken or pork belly. The cocktail menu also meanders off the beaten path, tossing crushed pineapple into its caipirinhas and topping its margaritas with a salty emulsion.
41. California Tortilla
City: Washington, DC
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (202) 638-2233
Address: 728 7th Street NW
Description: There’s a lot of personality at this local chain, known for its generously stuffed burrito, tacos, and fresh salads. The self-proclaimed “spunky” owners are known to woo customers with gimmicks like free frozen treats during the summer and free chips and salsa if you make an animal sound or deliver a secret password at the cash register. Favorites here include the grilled chicken Caesar burrito and the southwestern chicken salad.
42. Ceiba
City: Washington, DC
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (202) 393-3983
Address: 701 14th Street NW
Description: Ceiba takes its name from a tree native to South America, purported to have magical powers. True to its name, many of the dishes seem purely magical. The queso fundido arrives at the table in a sizzling skillet with the zesty aroma of poblano peppers. Empanadas are perfectly crispy, stuffed with succulent beef, and the sampler of ceviches is light and refreshing. Grilled shrimp is brought to the table on sugarcane skewers. Fish lovers will delight in the whole red snapper, served with tomatoes, olives, peppers, and pickled jalapeño. Save room for sunny desserts like key lime tart and guava cheesecake.
43. Rosa Mexicano
City: Washington, DC
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (202) 783-5522
Address: 575 7th Street NW
Description: A transplant from New York, Rosa Mexicano has built a large fan base in D.C., thanks to its savory upscale Mexican cuisine, fresh guacamole prepared tableside, and pomegranate margaritas. Basic dishes like chicken and steak tacos come served in a skillet with bubbling hot cheese, served with a stack of tortillas. Tortilla soup is thick and pleasing. A grilled fillet is doused in heavenly mushroom tequila cream sauce. The restaurant itself is a sight to behold, decked out in vibrant shades of blue, red, orange, and yellow with elements of running water. It’s located across the street from the Verizon Center, and the joint’s bound to be jumping if there’s a game or concert.
44. Taqueriz Distrito Federal
City: Washington, DC
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (202) 276-7331
Address: 3463 14th Street NW
Description: Columbia Heights is the historic center for the Latino community in Washington, D.C. Though the neighborhood’s face has changed, you can still taste its heritage in some of the neighborhood eateries. Come here for a tasty taco, burrito, or tostada, served with beef, pork, and spicy chorizo and all the fixings and chased with a tasty horchata, a cold cinnamon rice milk drink.
45. Indebleu
City: Washington, DC
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (202) 333-2538
Address: 707 G Street NW
Description: Downtown hot spot IndeBleu is sleek and stylish, with a pulsing downstairs lounge scene and an elegant upstairs dining room. Chef Vikram Garg serves elegant, contemporary Indian fare with French accents. Whether it’s French, Indian, or a combination you’re craving, the menu can take you in many directions. Appetizers include a lobster and shrimp tower dressed with mango or a wild mushroom dosa. Follow it up with braised veal shanks with kumquat chutney and garlic mashed potatoes or seared striped bass with cornbread and a mussel bouillabaisse. Stick around after dinner to be a part of the lounge scene. Cocktails are pricey, but deliciously creative. We recommend the blackberry mojitos. Connected to this establishment is the Stir Lounge (a popular nightspot).