The Best Eats in Washington, DC in One Weekend!

We recently went to Washington DC to go watch a concert by Joe Hisaishi! While there we decided to try some of the best food the city has to offer! Read on for more!

Here is the map

Thip Khao

Duck Laab to right

Piing (Marinated Pork Shoulder or Chicken Skewers)

dessert

Naem Khao Huu Muu (Crispy Coconut Rice Salad with Pork, Sour Pork, Pig Ears, Lime

Thip Khao is arguably one of the best meals I've ever had in my life. Prior to Thip Khao I thought maybe I wasn't into Lao food. Thip Khao has won multiple rewards in DC and is known to have the best Lao cusine. If you've never had Lao food, it's really similar to Thai food but i feel like it has more acidity. We made reservations and when our flight was delayed, I ran to my reservation.

The food here was phenomenal. We ordered the Naem Khao Huu Muu (Crispy Coconut Rice Salad, Peanut, SourPork, Pig Ears, Lime, Scallion, Cilantro, GreenLettuce Wraps), the Piing (Pork Shoulder or Chicken Skewers Marinated and Grilled with Lemongrass, Ginger,Fermented Fish, Spicy Toasted Rice Sauce), Duck Laab (Minced Salad, Toasted Rice, Chili, Lemongrass, Galangal, Cilantro, mint), Sai Oua (Spicy Herbal Pork Sausage, Charred GreenChili Sauce, Cucumber), and the Khao Niew Met Nga (Black Sesame Coconut Sticky Rice, White Rabbit Candy Gelato, Sesame Seeds).

The crispy rice was insane, I think i'll dream about the crispy coconut rice with the crispy pig ears. The Piing was tasty and flavored so well. The Duck Laab was the best Laab I've ever had and I was obsessed with the crispy duck chunks. The only dish I may not get again is the Lao sausage as it was kinda falling apart. The total for 2 was around 120 dollars but i think it's a good price for the quality of food we got!

Here is their website

Address: 3462 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20010

Zaytinya

HOMMUS MA LAHM

HALLOUMI PIDE

KEBAB PLATTER

Jose Andres has a bunch of amazing restaurants throughout DC, and Zaytinya is one of his most popular spots. They focus on Eastern Mediterranean small plates with dishes inspired by different regions, along with a great selection of wines.

Getting a reservation was surprisingly easy. We booked the day before and were even able to adjust our reservation the morning of without any issues.

The best part about Zaytinya is that everything is served tapas style, so you can order a bunch of different dishes to share. And yes, you heard that right, they also give you unlimited fresh bread.

We went all out and ordered a bunch of dishes, including the Kebab Platter, Halloumi Pide, and the Hommus Ma Lahm, which is hummus topped with spiced ground lamb.

If you are feeling hungry, I recommend ordering around 4 to 5 tapas style dishes, or you can do what we did and go straight for the kebab platter. Overall, the food was really solid, and I can totally understand why Zaytinya is such a popular spot.

When it comes to value, I actually think it is much more affordable compared to some of the Mediterranean restaurants in Austin, like ABA. But beyond the price, I think the flavors here are on another level and really showcase the quality of Eastern Mediterranean cuisine.

So yeah, I'd totally swing by Zaytinya again, though I won't claim it's the absolute best Mediterranean grub you'll ever eat.

Here is their website

Address: 701 9th St NW, Washington, DC 20001

Ben's Chili Bowl

Ben's Chili Bowl is an institution here in DC. There's multiple locations and they're open late night. We went to their original location during a police raid which apparently is common around this location. We walked in and order and waited about 15 minutes for our food. We got their half smoke without cheese and an order of their fries. I have to admit, the chili here was pretty bad and I found it drastically watered down compared to other chili i've had before. The bread tasted artificial and overall it wasn't a very good meal. I'd say come here if you want to go somewhere touristy or you're drunk and you don't mind the taste of the food.

Here is their Website

Address: 1213 U St NW, Washington, DC 20009

Rasika

Palak Chaat

Biryani and naan

Black Cod and chicken tikka masala

So, everyone told me about Rasika online. I snagged a resy, and when we walked in, it wasn't busy since they'd just opened. We went all out with our picks: Palak Chaat (Crispy Baby Spinach with Sweet Yogurt, Tamarind, and Date Chutney), Lamb Biryani, Black Cod, Chicken Tikka Masala, Samosas, and a double dose of garlic and regular naan.

Now, let's talk about that Palak Chaat. Seriously, one of the best things I've had, and trust me, I don't throw that around. I'm seriously considering hopping back to DC just for a triple helping of those bowls. And the Black Cod was delicious too!

As for the vibe, the other dishes were solid but didn't exactly blow my mind. Overall, a seriously memorable food adventure.

Here is their website

Address: 633 D St NW, Washington, DC 20004

Mangialardo's

Italian Sub with no mayo, only salt and vinegar
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So, thanks to a flight delay, we ended up hitting Mangialardos, a joint that had the internet buzzing about their authentic Italian Sub. I went for the Gman sub on a soft roll, but I asked for no mayo.

The subs were good but nothing worth raving about

Would I drop by again if I'm around? Yeah, sure. But am I gonna make a special trip? Probably not. It's a solid spot!

Here is the website

Address: 1317 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, Washington, DC 20003

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