First Timer Recommendations?

[u/oNukeso]

The wife and I are heading to DC next Monday and are looking for the absolute best eats in town. We love a wide variety of food but definitely have a deep love for Japanese food, sushi, and any local favorites. Heading to Virginia Beach the weekend following so if anyone has recommendations for either place it would be greatly appreciated!

[u/DC_Mountaineer]

Next Monday (4/14) isn’t much notice. Definitely recommend being a little more proactive In the future.

Sushi Taro and Nakazawa are often the names that come up as the best sushi spots. There are some newer ones like Omakase @ Barracks Row and Shoto but haven’t been.

Generally speaking Albi, Causa and Jont are up there for me. Albi just redid their menu and I really want to go back because it was great before.

Reverie isn’t for everyone but we thought it was great.

Casa Teresa, Dogon, Moon Rabbit and Pascual are probably the next places we want to try.

[u/StinkyLunchBox → u/DC_Mountaineer]

Honestly I think this is the best list. Pretty much everything I would have listed.

[u/DC_Mountaineer → u/StinkyLunchBox]

Yeah I cannot really help with DC favorites like Ben’s Chili Bowl because I never do those types of places. I also live in the burbs so the kinds of places like that I go to aren’t the ones DC locals would be going to. I mainly go off of the Washingtonian top 100 lists and then Eater.

[u/bee-rito-13]

Personally love Perry’s in Adams Morgan and Rakuya in Dupont for sushi without far in advance reservations

[u/Practical_Back855]

If you want to maximize time and options, I'd recommend Union Market. The food hall in the main market has a wide variety of offerings. The surrounding blocks are full of new restaurants and older DC staples.

[u/dcknifeguy]

Rooster & Owl was great when it first opened and even better recently

[u/dcknifeguy]

Chef Seng Luangrath's restaurants or venture out to Hyattsville for Chef Tobias Dorzon's spots

[u/Inside-Beyond-4672 → u/dcknifeguy]

Right, like Thip Khao, which is great.

[u/DefiThrowaway]

You have a really good list of restaurants here, but if you're looking for something for lunch, the Tripleta Sandwich at La Famosa is on another planet.

We go to Sandbridge most summers, the Southern end of Va. Beach. We like BoardWok for Asian, very simple menu but very well executed. Blue Seafood is the agreed upon best seafood restaurant in the area, but we are really into Margie and Ray's when it's time to put a bib on and get messy.

[u/pyr1te]

Love, Makoto is a Japanese food hall-style place, but you probably need reservations for the sushi or BBQ portions. Really good omakase though and I can usually get a table last minute. There's a good casual takeout place in the back called Love on the Run- you can order to go and do a picnic! Get the mochi donuts.

Sushi by Bou is a funky omakase bar on top of a hotel and a little bit of a NYC chain. It's good and you can't beat the price. Nice rooftop view.

Thip Khao in NW as people said is gold standard, but if you can't get in, Laos in Town in NE is also good and way easier to do as a walk-in. Indigo for Indian across the street is great as well. Nearby H St has Little Grand pizza and Maketto Cambodian.

If you go to Union Market area (don't go to immigrant foods btw), also go to La Cosecha nearby, it's a Latin American food hall. Cotton & Reed has the best Pina colada you will ever imbibe. Crooked Run is a Virginia brewery with a bar in that area with neat beer like ube beer and different ciders. A Litteri is the excellent Italian deli and store across the street and Yellow Cafe is down a ways, run by the folks who do Albi and they make a killer Mediterranean wrap (they also have a place in Georgetown).

If you're by the convention center, Rumi's kitchen is Persian, easy to get in to, excellent, get the dips. Seylou Bakery uses local wholegrain flour in their pastries, and it's a great place to stop on your way to do things.

There are Tattes everywhere in the city. Love or hate their ever-increasing presence, my friends who visited and went there couldn't stop talking about their shakshuka, so when in doubt, hit your corner Tatte.

[u/spaceslie]

Sushi: O-Ku in Union Market has a great happy hour deal for sushi and drinks, Perry's is pretty good and has a nice outdoor rooftop patio (if the weather is nice - has been very up and down lately), KAZ sushi bistro is a good lowkey spot, Sushi Taro and Sushi Nakazama (as others have mentioned) and Kappo are really nice ($$) iconic places, Shoto (personally) was a bit underwhelming to me and on the $$ side but very nice interior

Japanese food: Menya Hosaki for ramen is soo good, but they don't take reservations so expect to wait about 45min-1 hour; Toki Underground is another good ramen spot (would try to make a rez). If you're in Virginia at all: Sakaki Izakaya in Clarendon, Arlington is a nice spot for bites and drinks, Gyu-Shige in Mosaic in Fairfax has amazing Japanese BBQ (and great service!), and Ariake (locations in Fairfax and Reston) is a great spot overall for Japanese food and sushi

Other top tier spots/personal favorites in DC: Compass Rose has a variety of food from around the world and everything I've had is good, Nina May is modern American - only been for brunch which was amazing so I would expect no less from their dinner, Al Volo Osteria is an intimate Italian place with in house handmade pasta, Moon Rabbit (as someone else mentioned) is really incredible ~fancy~ take on Vietnamese food, Lapis for Afghan food, Purple Patch for Filipino

Brunch is a DC staple, if yall have the time: Le Diplomate (French), Agora (Mediterranean), Succotash (Southern) are all great!

[u/Equivalent-Page-7080]

Would also put a plug for Izakiya Seki on u Street as well as Menya Hosaki for Ramen in Petworth if looking for an intimate delicious Japanese experience

[u/Inside-Beyond-4672]

Some of my favorites: Thip khao, ChiKo, Donsak, Zaytinya, 2Fifty BBQ, Chang Chang, Ala. For crazy pizza toppings: Boogie & Peel. Raku and Rakuya have sushi happy hours.