Best Restaurants Near DC’s Convention Center
Check out these top restaurants near DC's Convention Center.
By:
Nevin Martell
Want more info about The Capital City? See Travel Channel's Guide to Washington, DC.
Under A Bushel.com
Boost your bowl with braised pork belly, marinated bamboo, seaweed or a nitamago (soft-boiled egg). If you’d rather enjoy cocktails and small plates instead, climb the stairs to the dimly lit, dark wood-lined second level. For a quick fix, order up and slam down a round of Dai-drops -- sake spheres sunken in Sapporo beers. When it comes to dining, grilled oysters dressed with sake, skewers of fried pork and Brussels sprouts and miso-braised mackerel are all good choices.
Bossi, flickr
Breakfast-all-day options are worth enjoying at any time, especially the Oslo (smoked salmon, cream cheese, capers) and the Mexico City (ham, avocado, eggs and a smoky, spicy chipotle butter). All of them are served on crusty golden baguettes with soft, spongy cores. The bread ends make perfect scoops for the garlicky house-made tzatziki and smooth hummus. Save a little room for dessert, so you can relive your childhood with a whoopie pie (or two).
Greg Powers & Audrey Crewe
A selection of spreads, such as za’atar-spiced tangy Lebanese yogurt and smoky baba ghanoush, always go over well. This is tapas-style dining, so mix your order up with a few favorites and a couple of choices that might be outside your comfort zone. Delicate grilled octopus, veal sweetbreads dressed with cumin and sumac, and potato-crusted snails are all worth exploring.
Greg Powers
The Jersey Shore -- flash-fried calamari dressed with cherry pepper aioli -- is always a good bet, as is the Countryman -- black truffle paste topped off with blobs of melted fontina cheese and a gloriously golden sunny-side-up egg. Most of the small plates menu changes seasonally, including the freshly made pastas. During the summer, the sweet corn agnolotti is an absolute must, while the comforting potato gnocchi should be your focus when temperatures are colder.
Greg Powers of Greg Powers Photography
If you have the 3 hours or more required to go all the way -- do it. Tattooed chef-owner RJ Cooper presides over the open kitchen at the center of the exposed brick dining like a pirate captain commanding a galleon. The James Beard Award winner revels in defying convention and expectation. A sweet- looking macaron might hide a savory filling, while a garden bed of dirt might turn out to be a dessert composed of ground coffee and cacao nibs. Make sure to try some of “chef-tender” Bryan Tetorakis’ cocktails, which blend classical elements with inventive molecular gastronomy.
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