Neil’s guidebook for DC Stay
Food scene
Since it was restored and reopened in 2012, the industrial-cool space has grown to include 40-plus vendors, from pop-up dumpling stands to permanent fixtures like Buffalo & Bergen, a throwback, Brooklyn diner-inspired spot where you can munch bagels and slurp egg creams at a long bar. Other businesses offer takeout to eat at indoor or outdoor tables.
Adjacent to the market, other similarly taste-obsessed businesses thrive. Slick, dinner-only Michelin-starred Italian restaurant Masseria plates fixed-price menus dreamed up by star chef Nicholas Stefanelli – think porcini mushroom and parmigiano risotto or a caviar-accented burrata appetizer. The Puglia-inspired digs include a buzzy outdoor patio area with firepits and colorful tiled floors and a glowing indoor dining room with a wall of wine. New to the area is O-Ku, where you’ll be able to enjoy traditional sushi styles such as nigiri or inventive dishes like Tasmanian king salmon with golden tomato confit.
906 locals recommend
Union Market
1309 5th St NESince it was restored and reopened in 2012, the industrial-cool space has grown to include 40-plus vendors, from pop-up dumpling stands to permanent fixtures like Buffalo & Bergen, a throwback, Brooklyn diner-inspired spot where you can munch bagels and slurp egg creams at a long bar. Other businesses offer takeout to eat at indoor or outdoor tables.
Adjacent to the market, other similarly taste-obsessed businesses thrive. Slick, dinner-only Michelin-starred Italian restaurant Masseria plates fixed-price menus dreamed up by star chef Nicholas Stefanelli – think porcini mushroom and parmigiano risotto or a caviar-accented burrata appetizer. The Puglia-inspired digs include a buzzy outdoor patio area with firepits and colorful tiled floors and a glowing indoor dining room with a wall of wine. New to the area is O-Ku, where you’ll be able to enjoy traditional sushi styles such as nigiri or inventive dishes like Tasmanian king salmon with golden tomato confit.
Make sure to check it out! It is right next door. Great morning coffee and breakfast tacos or evening margaritas and fajitas.
11 locals recommend
Republic Cantina
43 N St NWMake sure to check it out! It is right next door. Great morning coffee and breakfast tacos or evening margaritas and fajitas.
Coffee and tea spot with a really cool outdoor space. Very local to the house.
354 locals recommend
Big Bear Cafe
1700 R St NWCoffee and tea spot with a really cool outdoor space. Very local to the house.
If you like Cider then you must go here. Otherwise it also has amazing food. Very close and walk-able.
78 locals recommend
ANXO Cidery & Pintxos Bar
711 Kennedy Street NorthwestIf you like Cider then you must go here. Otherwise it also has amazing food. Very close and walk-able.
The Dabney
122 Blagden Alley NWAmazing food and cool atmosphere. Hard to get a table!
The menu is seasonal. Amazing food. Cool atmosphere. Very close to the house.
359 locals recommend
The Red Hen
1822 1st St NWThe menu is seasonal. Amazing food. Cool atmosphere. Very close to the house.
The Peruvian gem in tastemaker José Andrés’ collection of globe-spanning restaurants offers a window into the fusion of the country’s Spanish and West African roots with influential Chinese and Japanese cuisines. Patrons can find citrus-splashed ceviches, meaty dumplings, elaborate stir-frys, and, of course, boozy pisco drinks.
33 locals recommend
China Chilcano
418 7th St NWThe Peruvian gem in tastemaker José Andrés’ collection of globe-spanning restaurants offers a window into the fusion of the country’s Spanish and West African roots with influential Chinese and Japanese cuisines. Patrons can find citrus-splashed ceviches, meaty dumplings, elaborate stir-frys, and, of course, boozy pisco drinks.
Neighborhoods
Shaw is one of the city’s hippest enclaves, with craft cocktail bars, beer gardens, indie clothing boutiques and trendy global restaurants. This historically African-American neighborhood is home to the 1910 Howard Theatre, where jazz greats like Ella Fitzgerald and D.C. local Duke Ellington once performed. Today the venue hosts all sorts of music concerts and other events
32 locals recommend
Shaw
Shaw is one of the city’s hippest enclaves, with craft cocktail bars, beer gardens, indie clothing boutiques and trendy global restaurants. This historically African-American neighborhood is home to the 1910 Howard Theatre, where jazz greats like Ella Fitzgerald and D.C. local Duke Ellington once performed. Today the venue hosts all sorts of music concerts and other events
Georgetown
Wharf Street Southwest
Wharf Street SouthwestChinatown is located north of the National Mall and is home to the National Portrait Gallery and the International Spy Museum, as well as the Capital One Arena and the Convention Center. There’s a lot going on here and is another tourist hotspot, but it has a distinctly more local vibe than the areas closer to the city center.
107 locals recommend
Chinatown
604 H St NWChinatown is located north of the National Mall and is home to the National Portrait Gallery and the International Spy Museum, as well as the Capital One Arena and the Convention Center. There’s a lot going on here and is another tourist hotspot, but it has a distinctly more local vibe than the areas closer to the city center.
Sightseeing
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NorthwestSmithsonian National Museum of Natural History
10th St. & Constitution Ave. NWNewseum
565 Pennsylvania Avenue NWBuilt in 1915, this is a beautiful, columned memorial dedicated to Abraham Lincoln. It’s situated at the end of a large reflecting pool that overlooks the WWII Memorial and the Washington Monument.
697 locals recommend
Lincoln Memorial
2 Lincoln Memorial Cir NWBuilt in 1915, this is a beautiful, columned memorial dedicated to Abraham Lincoln. It’s situated at the end of a large reflecting pool that overlooks the WWII Memorial and the Washington Monument.
Visitors to Washington DC can see the building which houses the activities of the United States Congress. The Capitol Building offers free tours and special exhibits throughout the year.
670 locals recommend
United States Capitol
First Street Southeast Visitors to Washington DC can see the building which houses the activities of the United States Congress. The Capitol Building offers free tours and special exhibits throughout the year.
This is DC’s iconic pointy-tipped monument that stands at the edge of the grassy National Mall.
790 locals recommend
Washington Monument
2 15th St NW This is DC’s iconic pointy-tipped monument that stands at the edge of the grassy National Mall.
The serene WWII Memorial is a tribute to all who served and died fighting in WWII. A beautiful testament to those who worked to protect our country, the memorial is located across the reflecting pool from the Lincoln Memorial.
104 locals recommend
World War II Memorial
1750 Independence Ave SWThe serene WWII Memorial is a tribute to all who served and died fighting in WWII. A beautiful testament to those who worked to protect our country, the memorial is located across the reflecting pool from the Lincoln Memorial.
The National Mall is basically Washington DC’s backyard – it’s a grassy lawn where visitors and locals hang out on sunny days. Full of world-class museums (we’ll get to this later) and fun festivals, the National Mall is the center of many activities in the city.
1111 locals recommend
National Mall
The National Mall is basically Washington DC’s backyard – it’s a grassy lawn where visitors and locals hang out on sunny days. Full of world-class museums (we’ll get to this later) and fun festivals, the National Mall is the center of many activities in the city.
Library of Congress
101 Independence Avenue SoutheastUnited States National Arboretum
3501 New York Ave NE