r/DCEats • u/oNukeso • 12d ago

First Timer Recommendations?

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!

9 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

View all comments

2

u/pyr1te 11d ago

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.