Unique Restaurants in DC

The DC dining scene has really exploded in the past couple of years and it has something for everyone. Over the years I’ve collected my favorite unique restaurants in DC into this guide. These are truly my personal go-to recommendations throughout the year. The take-out is just as good as dining in too! I’ve attempted to organize by cuisine and I’m taking big liberties with the grouping. All of the recommendations are vegetarian-friendly. I will update this list continuously (for years to come!)

Asian

Looking for sushi? Check out my dedicated sushi restaurant suggestions for DC.

Maketto

Maketto is at the far end of H Street. It’s a hybrid restaurant, café, and fashion shop- making it one of the most unique restaurants in DC.

On our last night in DC, before we moved to South Africa, we ordered from Maketto. That’s how amazing it is. The Cambodian fusion menu puts it at the top of the list of unique restaurants in DC. You’ll have to go at least twice: once for brunch and once for dinner. For brunch, Maketto serves dim sum.

Some of the dishes will overlap for dinner, but not all! This is why you have to go again to order the absolute best dishes: strange flavor eggplant, spicy cauliflower, tofu & spicy basil sauce, and wok-fried rice noodles. HEAVEN.

Strange flavor eggplant and spicy cauliflower

The space has two levels and an outside garden/terrace. Make reservations to avoid disappointment because the place can fill up.

Wok-fried rice noodles

I went back again for DC Restaurant Week in 2024 and I confirm that all these dishes are still amazing.

Cheers with Wilhelm, my mom (Tanya), and brother (Jafar)

Other excellent dishes were the veg bao buns, fish curry, and shrimp dumplings.

I found the scallion pancake underwhelming and my brother thought his soup dumplings were just okay compared to the rest of the dishes. The green curry-encrusted brisket was good but there was more of a charred flavor than anything green curry. On a regular day, personally, I’d opt to skip dessert.

Tiger Fork

Tiger Fork is a Hong Kong eatery located in Blagden Alley. If you haven’t gone to Blagden Alley, make it your next dinner spot for the cool street art and hip spots hidden away there.

The vibe is cool, the food is amazing, the drinks are amazing. I wish I had gone more while I was living in DC. Go for brunch or dinner. Some of my favorite dishes are smashed cucumber salad, mushroom & broccoli dumplings, Jah Leung,  and eggplant Mapo tofu.

Beau Thai

Beau Thai has two locations in DC (Shaw and Mount Pleasant). The Thai food served here is so good. My undying love for drunken noodles began at Beau Thai. It’s perfect for dining in and for take-out/delivery. The Mount Pleasant location is really nice and there are also great drinks.

My favorite dishes are obviously drunken noodles, Panang curry, green curry, pad thai, and the stir fry eggplant.

Doi Moi

Doi Moi is a Vietnamese street-food-style restaurant on 14^th St. It’s great because it works both as a brunch, casual lunch, nice dinner, and late-night food. I’ve just been for lunch and dinner. There is fresh juice and cool cocktails. The Bahn Mi here is super good as are all the street plates, and curries. Try it for yourself!

Lapis

Lapis is an Afghani restaurant. The vibes are eastern-classy and the food is excellent. Make a reservation and look forward to this meal! You can go for brunch or lunch/dinner. I prefer the dinner vibe because of the dim lighting ambiance.

Thai X-ing

I had a really fun dining experience at Thai X-ing, which qualifies it as a unique restaurant in DC. The chef serves homestyle Thai food in an eclectic setting. The menu has all the classics like pad thai, pad see ew, and drunken noodles but also has some fun additions like pumpkin in red curry and eggplant basil.

Makan

Makan is located in Columbia Heights and is featured in the Bib Gourmand Guide (which must have an “outstanding price/quality ratio”). The food comes out within 10-15 minutes and is best to share plates for the table so you can get a little bit of everything. The service was excellent too. To top it off, you get unlimited rice as well. My favorite dishes were the Spicy Hakka Noodles and the Eggplant.

The Beef Rendang is a Malaysian specialty. Although it was fun to try, I’d opt to try more noodle dishes next time. Some dishes can be made without meat (like the Spicy Hakka Noodles) because their ingredients are added individually to the dish. As we were celebrating Wilhelm’s birthday with my parents, we also got a unique tapioca dessert served with molasses.

Beef Rendang and Spicy Hakka Noodles

For 4 people, two drinks, and several dishes, we spent $170. The service tip was included.

Caribbean

Most known Caribbean restaurants have some involvement with brother-sister duo Peter and Jeanine Prime (either together or individually). They’ve been involved with Cane, St. James, Bammy’s, and (the since closed down) Spark at Engine Company. The menu items across these restaurants are same-same but different. The consistent quality of their caribbean food puts them on this unique restaurants in DC list.

Cane

Cane is on H Street. It is a small Caribbean-style eatery that specializes in food from Trinidad and Tobago. It’s amazing. It replaced Spark at Engine Company.

The best option here is to get one of the Paratha Tiffin Boxes. This is a combo of different dishes served in little metal tiffin boxes. We usually get the Herbivore and it will serve about 4 people if you also add on the doubles. Get the extra chutneys and a glass of house-made fruit juice.  The drinks are great here as well.

Make reservations to avoid disappointment.  Sometimes the food runs out on Uber-eats so order early if you’re just in the mood for Cane.

St. James

I’m adding St. James because even though I personally didn’t have a good dining experience (consistently bad service), the food was good. The crab dumpling was a super interesting dish that put St. James on the map as a unique restaurant in DC. It’s kinda like a creamy curry with flat, circular noodles (which I guess are “dumplings” in Caribbean cuisine).

Bammy’s

Bammy’s is (still) closed in March 2024 but I read about plans to reopen the restaurant so I’ve kept the review for now…

Bammy’s in Navy Yard has Caribbean-style food (and drinks) with a view! Get a table outside for a view of the Anacostia River.  The rum punch is as good as you’ll get on the beach. Get a bunch of snacks and sides for dinner. The portions are large! My suggestions are vegetable curry, corn fritters, plantains, chana, festival, collards, and bammy.

African

Chercher

Chercher is my favorite Ethiopian restaurants in DC. I don’t know how I found it (probably in 2015), but ever since I did I have gone countless times. The veggie platter is the absolute best. I love taking larger groups of people here because with 2 platters (for both veg and non-veg peeps), some beer, and tej everyone will be full and the bill is still pretty low. Tej is Ethiopian honey wine and not that many places sell it. I first had it while in Ethiopia and the sweetness of the wine really goes well with the Ethiopian spices.

Ethiopic

Ethiopic is great for lunch or dinner on H Street. This upscale restaurant serves all the classic Ethiopian dishes and good coffee. The vegetarian platter will make for a delicious meal.

Appioo African Bar & Grill

Appio is a unique Ghanian restaurant. It’s in a classic Shaw basement. The projector plays music videos of popular West African artists. Get the red red (black-eyed pea dish), Jollof rice, or fufu. The Appioo platter for $20 (with the choice of 4 items) is a great deal too. Go for a late dinner.

European

Supra

Supra is a Georgian eatery with classic and modern dishes in Mount Vernon. Try the Ajaruli: a boat-shaped cheese bread with a raw, organic egg, which puts this spot on the unique restaurants in DC list. When it arrives on your plate, you swirl the egg around into the cheese. I’d suggest going for dinner.

Al Volo Osteria

After going to Italy, Al Volo Osteria is the only Italian restaurant that measures up to the real deal. The homemade pasta is delicious, and the vibe is cozy.  Some favorite pasta dishes are: burrata ravioli, spinach and ricotta ravioli, and the pappardelle funghi. You can also do a “make your own” pasta by choosing your fresh pasta or ravioli and your sauce.

Barcelona Wine Bar

Barcelona Wine Bar is perfect for drinks and tapas. Go for happy hour or dinner. For the most fun, head to the 14^th Street location.

Bodega

Bodega is a Spanish tapas spot in Georgetown. I don’t usually like going to Georgetown, especially in the summer because it’s always crowded and there are so many cars for no reason. (Yes, I know the reason is the bridge, but still). When taking visitors around, a stop at Bodega is nice though. The drinks are fun and the food is good for sharing. 

Masseria

Masseria is a Puglian restaurant with a fixed-price menu. The restaurant is hidden behind a large wooden gate during the day and opens up at 6 pm. The vibe is country-chic and the food will have you thinking you’re in Puglia.

Latin American

Oyamel

Chef José Andrés has taken over Chinatown dining and I can’t say I’m mad about it. His restaurants are consistently delicious. If you’re heading to a show at the National Theatre or the Capital One Arena, then make a reservation to dine at Oyamel beforehand. The first round of chips and salsa is free and the food came out pretty quickly considering the restaurant can get packed even on a Sunday evening. Be sure to try the huitlacoche (Mexican corn truffle) dishes and the grasshopper stuffed taco, which immediately qualifies Oyamel for this list of unique restaurants in DC.

Taqueria Habanero

Get a taste of authentic Mexican food from the owners at Taqueria Habanero. They bring the flavors of their hometown of Puebla to 14^th St. Head there for a huge range of tacos (and a lot more). They also serve grasshopper tacos!

Paraiso

Paraiso is a perfect all-day dining spot for Mexican-inspired dishes. I loved my taco combo platter. Hot sauce costs extra but it’s made in-house.

La Famosa

I was super impressed by the variety of dishes at La Famosa, a unique Puerto Rican eatery in Navy Yard. Order via the QR code on your table and your food and drinks will appear out of nowhere (or so it seems). The service is fast and friendly. There are unique coffee dishes as well as food. My favorite was the Mofongo, a mashed of fried plantains topped with a protein choice.

Middle Eastern

Ilili

Located on the Wharf, Ilili puts a modern twist on Lebanese food and totally delivers as a unique restaurant in DC. I loved the beet dish and the roasted carrots omg. Wilhelm and I shared 5 dishes and were stuffed, we even brought some of the carrots home with us. I highly recommend this for a special dinner. We spent around $120 for 2 people with tip and 2 drinks (not the cocktails tho omg, they are $19).

Maydan

PLAN. And refresh the reservation page often. Getting a reservation at Maydan requires you to actually be online at 10am 21 days in advance when reservations open on Resy. The food is excellent, and the vibe is super cool. There is a fire pit in the center of the restaurant for grilling meat.

Mama Ayesha’s

You may know Mama Ayesha’s for the large Presidential Mural that is painted on the outside of the building. In the mural, Mama Ayesha stands with 11 presidents. It’s an iconic DC photo spot. But don’t just stop for the picture. Mama Ayesha came to the US in the 1940s and worked as a chef at the Syrian Embassy. She eventually opened her cafe and it was renamed to Mama Ayseha’s after she died in 1994. Make a reservation in advance for one of the original unique restaurants in DC.

New American

Tabard Inn

Tabard Inn is a historic row house turned hotel. The brunch here is excellent and a classy spot to take your out-of-town visitors. The donuts are famous and you can get classic brunch options like shrimp and grits, eggs benedict, an omelet, waffles, and pancakes. This is a classic unique restaurant in DC.

Ivy City Smokehouse

Get your fill of local seafood at Ivy City Smokehouse. The smoked fish is great to enjoy out on the patio.