This past summer, I spent a month working (and eating a lot) in DC. And after extensive “research,” I’ve concluded that foodwise, DC is a pretty great place. So I thought I’d share my thoughts on all the restaurants I tried in my too short time in DC.

Corner Cafe Bakery

This chain of fast casual bakeries/cafes is perfect for when you want something quick, cheap and tasty for brunch. My friends and I stopped by the location near Union Station. I tried their powerflat, which is ideal if you’re looking for something on the smaller side that’s sort of healthy. It consists of a multigrain flatbread filled with avocado, spinach, egg whites, and parmesan and cheddar cheese and accompanied by a side of salsa. But if you’re here, you must get one of their enormous cinnamon rolls, which I shared with my friend. Seriously, this was probably one of the best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever had. It was perfectly gooey, and cinnamon-y, while not being too sweet, and it had the perfect amount of glaze on top. It was so good, I thought about it for days afterwards.

Belga

If you know me, then you would know one of my favorite desserts in NYC is are the amazing Belgian waffles from the wafels and dinges carts scattered around the city. So I was especially excited when I heard people raving about Belga, a Belgian restaurant near Capitol Hill. If you’re in the mood for something healthy-ish, definitely get the Belgian omelet. It’s generously stuffed with lobster, shrimp, crab, and calamari, and comes with a creamy tomato-bisque sauce, along with a small salad. I’m convinced they whip up the egg whites, as the omelet itself is super fluffy, lightening up this otherwise heavy dish. But if you’re in the mood for something more decadent, get the“speculoosje” waffle. First of all, this isn’t your classic belgian waffle, but rather a liege waffle, which means it’s made of yeasted, brioche-esque dough and has pearls of sugar scattered throughout (and in my opinion, is the best type of waffle). And then, this generously sized waffle is topped with cookie butter(which for someone who’s allergic to nuts, is the best creamy spread out there), crushed spiced specaloos cookies, green apples, and swirls of whipped cream that melt on the still-warm waffle. The whole concoction is sugary and slightly crunchy and soft and amazing and before you know it, you’ll have finished the entire waffle.

bistro cacao

Situated in a cute townhouse on Capitol Hill, this French bistro is a great place to sit outdoors and take in the lovely DC weather while also enjoying classic brunch dishes. My friends and I split a superb pastry basket, which came with warm pastries, including my personal favorite, pain au chocolat, as well as jam, butter, and nutella. I got a pretty good crab and cheddar omelet(trust me on this combination), which came with a side of potatoes and onions, as well as salad and berries. My friends got eggs benedict with smoked salmon, as well as their French toast, both of which looked pretty good(as you can see above).

Le bon cafe

Located also in Capitol Hill(sensing a theme here?), this slightly hard-to-find French cafe is the perfect place for an inexpensive yet tasty breakfast or lunch, as everything hovers near $10. I particularly enjoyed the mushroom and cheese quiche, which had an extremely buttery crust, and went surprisingly well with the refreshing fruit salad. However, the baked egg strata, and oat bran fruit crispy also looked pretty appealing as well.

district taco

This DC-based mini-chain of Mexican restaurants is perfect for a quick, cheap, and filling meal. It’s easily customizable, as you can choose what exactly you want, then a protein, and even what style you want you’re toppings to be. The burritos are especially generously portioned, and sure to satisfy even the hungriest after a long day of seeing the sights of DC.

new big wong

My mom and I stumbled into this sub-terranean Chinese restaurant in while roaming Chinatown, in search of good Chinese food, something I hadn’t had in a month by that point. And honestly, it was lucky we stumbled across this place. Order from the Cantonese specialties section of their mention, specifically get their seafood kan chow yee mian, which are basically the best stir-fried noodles you’ll ever have. These aren’t the noodles you see in your normal chow mein, rather, they’re flat, spaghetti-esque Cantonese egg noodles, and they’re so much better. I promise. Here they’re tossed in a delightfully salt and umami sauce, along with crunchy choy sum, and a generous assortment of seafood. The noodles themselves are slippery and soft, but also hold on to the sauce well. Once you start eating them, you’ll soon find that you’ve suddenly eaten half of the very generous serving will have magically disappeared.

kafe leopold

If you’re in Georgetown and looking for somewhere quick and cheap to grab a meal, definitely stop by Kafe Leopold. Try Leopold’s brunch spätzle, which was perfectly rich and filling and consisted of bratwurst, mushrooms, gruyere, and was topped with two over-easy eggs . And if you’re in the mood for something sweet afterwards, don’t forget to check out their pastry case filled with delicious-looking treats.

farmers fishers bakers

Perfect for large groups of indecisive people, this sustainable restaurant owned by farmers is sure to have something for even the pickiest eater. I really enjoyed the fried brussels sprouts and blue cheese salad, as the crispy sprouts and wontons contrasted well with the strong, soft blue cheese and creamy dressing. However, the chips and guac, which came with sour cream, salsa, and strangely enough, pimento cheese, was less exciting, as the guac seemed to be purely unseasoned mashed avocado, and the assortment of dips was honestly kind of weird and overall underwhelming. My friend’s burrata pizza, on the other hand, was amazing. The combination of of burrata, parmesan and asiago cheese, along with the crisp yet tender crust makes an ideal pizza that might give New York’s pizza a run for its money.

the hamilton

When you’re in the mood for something slightly fancy but also can’t decide what you want to eat, go to the Hamilton. You’re sure to find something you like, as they have menu choices as far ranging as sandwiches to sushi, and everything in between. If you want something healthy-ish that still tastes good, get their summer rice bowl, as the combination of grilled chicken, roasted tomatoes, farro, grilled corn, avocado, scallions, and cilantro- lime vinegrette. The only thing I will warn you against is the skillet mac and cheese, as it comes out lukewarm, with untoasted breacrumbs, along with grainy and not very cheesy sauce that does a poor job of coating the almost t-oo-large pasta. Instead, the real move here is to get their house-made pesto garganelle, in which fresh penne-esque pasta is tossed with zucchini, Gold Bar squash, cherry tomatoes, and grana padana cheese, and then coated in a generous serving of pesto sauce. The pasta was perfectly cooked, and was the perfect vehicle for the herby, creamy and cheesy pesto sauce. I’ve been trying to recreate this one pasta dish ever since I had it here, to no avail. That’s how good it is. But also, don’t miss out on their many thick, refreshing creative milkshakes, specifically their bananas foster milkshake.

momofuku ccdc

I have a passionate love for Momofuku restaurants in general, so I was super excited to have accidentally come across this place while wandering around, shopping with my friends one weekend. Eventually, I dragged my parents back here to have dinner one day, and honestly, worth it. If you’re here, might as well go all out and order the family-style tasting menu, which runs $49 per person, and gets you bread with dips, appetizers, some sort of carb, a protein, and dessert. I have so much to say about this place, that a full-length review should be up soon.

dolcezza

This DC-based chain of gelato/coffee shops is so good, they sell it in the Capitol cafeteria. Trust me on this. In general, DC just seems to have more really good gelato places than NYC, and honestly, I’m living for it. I especially appreciate dolcezza’s unique flavors that truly their gelato that extra bit more special. I’ve tried the berries and marscapone, golden milk(a riff kind of on turmeric lattes), as well as the blueberry lemon thyme and orange honey cardamom sorbets, and honestly, you really can’t go wrong here.

pitango gelato

I did warn you I thought DC had an unusually high concentration of excellent gelato places. Pitango further proof of my conclusion, as this DC-based mini-chain of gelato shops is another great place to grab a refreshing treat, especially during those DC summers.(Seriously. And I thought New York was bad in July!). I especially enjoyed the subtly flavored black tea gelato and the slightly sweet, minty mojito sorbet that conjured up memories of sitting on a beach on a Caribbean island somewhere.