The 5 Best Restaurants in Washington D.C.

Captain White’s Seafood City

Captain White’s Seafood City is a fish market that offers the spoils of the Chesapeake Bay both raw and for immediate consumption. Fresh seafood is a must-eat for any visitor along the Atlantic seaboard, and Washington D.C. is no exception. Captain White’s Seafood City is located on Potomac in south D.C., just across the water from East Potomac Park.

The menu at this Washington D.C. restaurant is basic, offering crabs, crab cakes, oysters, shrimps, chowder, gumbo, soup, and fresh fish, served either as a sandwich or as a dinner with French fries or onion rings and sweet corn. Simplicity at Captain White’s allows for perfection, clearly making it one of the best restaurants in Washington D.C.

Amsterdam Falafelshop

Go Dutch, Middle-Eastern, or both, at one of the most-quirky and best restaurants in Washington D.C. The Amsterdam Falafelshop carved a little corner of Washington D.C. for Amsterdam in a brownstone on D.C.’s 18^th Street, about a mile north of Dupont Circle. The kitschy falafel shop offers both traditional falafel-ball pita sandwiches made to order along with a massive bar of toppings to complete the meal that encompass both Dutch and Middle-Eastern tastes.

Hot fries are served Amsterdam-style, ala paper cone cups with mayo or peanut sauce to top them off. Eat inside the Amsterdam-themed restaurant or outside on the sidewalk, bistro style. This place is so European they accept the Euro in lieu of dollars.

Ella’s Wood Fired Pizza

Tired of compromising with everyone else when ordering pizza? Ella’s serves personal-sized, handcrafted pizzas in abundant variety. Toppings at this Washington D.C. restaurant include the basics—such as pepperoni, sweet Italian sausage—and vegetables, as well as prosciutto, fresh arugula, goat cheese, and pine nuts.

Ella’s offers both gluten-free and dairy-free options, making it one of the best restaurants in Washington D.C. Each pizza is cooked until perfect in a wood-burning, brick fire oven. In addition to pizza, the restaurant serves a full appetizer menu, pasta and salad entrees, and a solid selection of complementary wines. Ella’s is located within a comfortable walk from the mall in Chinatown.

The Capital Grille

The Capital Grille Restaurant demonstrates that using quality, fresh ingredients can shoot you to the top of the lists of best restaurants in Washington D.C. This fine-dining restaurant seeks to give its guests an exquisite experience that is not just about the food, but also about the atmosphere.

Samplings from the dinner menu include dry-aged Porterhouse steak, grilled swordfish, and broiled fresh lobster. The extensive wine list offers over 350 bottles that pair nicely with menu items. The Capital Grille is located right off the mall, just one block north of the National Gallery of Art.

Georgia Brown’s Low Country Cuisine

Located on the west side of McPherson Square, Georgia Brown’s serves down-home southern favorites within a refined atmosphere. Enjoy bbq black-eyed peas, jalapeno cheddar corn pudding and dirty rice alongside entrees such as, Jambalaya, sticky chicken, gumbo, jerked catfish, and authentic southern fried chicken.

Dine inside or out. Georgia Brown’s offers a “southern comfort” drink specials hour daily and live Jazz entertainment with a special menu that includes specialty cocktails. Washington D.C. is south of the Mason-Dixon Line ya’ll, it would be wrong not to give some good ole’ southern food from one of the best restaurants in Washington D.C.

If you want to go hyper-local, check out the 5 best restaurants in Georgetown.