DCGuide
Where To Eat & Drink In Adams Morgan
photo credit: Nina Palazzolo
Ah, Adams Morgan, one of the rare spots in the city where starched diplomats collide with partygoers darting like caffeinated squirrels. No matter where you fall on that scale, when your stomach is rumbling and your throat is parched, here are the spots that will get you right.
THE SPOTS
Eating at Lapis, like a 3am jumbo slice, is an Adams Morgan rite of passage. The Afghan restaurant is the ultimate breakfast hotspot thanks to their one-of-a-kind smoky and sweet rose-cardamom pancakes and killer '70s jazz and R&B playlist. For dinner, we recommend going family style so that you can sample as much of the menu as possible. Because why choose between the leek dumplings on a bed of saffron and garlic cream sauce and the tender lamb shank drenched in smoky tomato stew if you don’t have to?
Green Zone is the best bar in Adams Morgan, without question. Get there early so you can grab a seat at either the upstairs or downstairs bar before the crowd arrives. Named after an area in Baghdad, this Middle Eastern bar serves a bunch of craft cocktails featuring ingredients from that part of the world, like the Women. Life. Freedom, a vodka-based drink with cardamom and rose. The bar has strong political stances—one of the drinks is called the F*ck Trump punch—so do with that what you will. But the drinks will get you right, the bartenders are fun, and the music is bumping long into the night.
Salvadoran food is a DC staple, and Adams Morgan is home to DC’s oldest Salvadoran restaurant—which is also one of our favorites. Grab pupusas, tamales, and yuca con chicharron at the barn-house style restaurant at the foot of 18th Street. It’s a quiet laid back affair with groups scattered like confetti, keeping mostly to themselves while listening to a blend of American and Latin Top 40 hits. The menu is a Salvadoran-Mexican mix, so along with cheesy pupusas and sweet plantains you’ll find tacos, burritos, and fajitas. Pair them with a mangonada, mango slushie with spicy chamoy, tamarind, and lime. Or toss back $4 modelos and citrusy sangria during all-day Happy Hour at the bar.
Hilo Poké and Sush is where you’ll find some of the city’s best sushi for under $20. The animated koi fish and mismatched hanging lanterns are over-the-top in a charming way. The fish here is super fresh, beautifully sliced, and exactly what you need when you're craving maguro on a Monday.
There are as many Italian restaurants as there are pasta shapes in Adams Morgan. If you want a reliable spot for casual weeknight dinners, Osterio al Volo is it. The kitchen sits in the center of the room and acts like one giant diffuser, filling the space with the scent of freshly baked garlic bread, short rib, and ravioli. The standing menu is full of classics like cacio e pepe and spaghetti carbonara, but it’s the restaurant’s weekly specials like their saucy and tenderly braised duck ragu that keep us coming back.
If your Italian needs are a little fancier, hit up Retrobottega. Cozy up in the restaurant’s snug dining nook where you can impress your date front-row seats into the open kitchen. And if you really want to show off, order the charred octopus as an appetizer—it’s got this incredible smoky flavor—and the oxtail lasagna because it’s oxtail lasagna (and also really good).
When "working from home" translates to catching up with friends while casually monitoring Slack, Tryst is your spot. The popular cafe feels more like a scene from Lady Bird than a real life coffee shop thanks to their chipped wooden tables and mismatched ceramic mugs that feel both random and purposefully curated. After 10pm, the cafe transforms into a strictly grown-up affair where shots of whisky, vodka, and tequila (ah yes, the holy trinity) will only run you $5. It’s the perfect pregame spot before hitting the club—or your couch.
With so many choices along the 18th Street Corridor, it's easy to miss Himalayan Heritage tucked at the end near Kalorama—don’t. The curries at the Nepali and Indian restaurant are packed with bold and peppery flavors that'll have you doing somersaults to keep the restaurant’s pristine white tablecloths clean (a game you’ll lose). It’s one of the few non-cafes on the strip open for lunch. So it’s an excellent option for a solo break from work and into the arms of sweet butter chicken and an endless stream of garlicky naan.
Tsehay Restaurant & Bar is a solid option for Ethiopian food in the neighborhood. The restaurant, originally a beloved staple in Parkview, reopened in Adams Morgan to the delight of pretty much everyone. The absolute best thing here, hands down, is their shiro. It's made with a special blend that's thicker and more flavorful than other chickpea stews we’ve had. If you're dining with a big group, start with the $25 Vegan sampler. But consider treating yourself to extra shiro on the side and bypass the finger fights for the last bite.
photo credit: Chris Prosser
For fancy dates or just treating yourself, hit up Tail Up Goat. You've got two choices here: the à la carte menu at the bar or the $130 tasting menu in the sandalwood-lit dining room (get the tasting menu). The Mediterranean-Caribbean spot serves things like cheese and sorrel brioche buns that taste like the best bread and jam life has to offer, and charred gem lettuce that cuts like butter. The restaurant's neo-soul playlist is the cherry on top, coupled with the incredibly friendly wait staff, and you’re in for an unforgettable night.
