Mother’s Day falls on a Sunday (May 8), which means you have an overwhelming number of options for brunch. Where to start? Here’s what places in the top 20 of our 100 Very Best Restaurants list have planned.
3100 K St., NW
Make mom feel like #1 at our top-ranked restaurant in Washington this year, where you can brunch with bellinis by the Potomac River. An added perk—afternoon prices are gentler than dinner, and dishes like house-made pastas or an Italian riff on shrimp and grits are just as delicious.
801 O St., NW
Cinnamon buns, a full English breakfast, and French onion soup are among the brunch comfort dishes at chef Frederic Maupillier’s French-American bistro in Shaw. And yes, a version of the famous fried chicken is an option.
1190 New Hampshire Ave., NW
Chef Vikram Sunderam whips up a special menu for Mother’s Day brunch at the West End location of the ever-popular eatery, featuring three courses like crispy spinach palak chaat and anise-glazed black cod for $50 per person.
1200 16th St., NW
This luxe Jefferson Hotel restaurant pulls out the stops for Mother’s Day, serving a multi-course brunch with dishes like French toast decked out with foie gras, crab cakes, and more ($98 per adult; $45 per child). Seatings run from 10 to 2:45.
1099 New York Ave., NW
The more casual sister osteria to Fiola Mare serves an equally tasty brunch, boasting creative dishes such as a crispy soft-shell crab sandwich on grilled crescia flatbread and rabbit tonnato. Guests can opt for bottomless mimosas or “gazapacho” Marys for $14, or opt for a two-course menu with unlimited drinks for $38.
575 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Chef Scott Drewno prepares a special Mother’s Day dim sum brunch at this downtown Wolfgang Puck restaurant, with five tastes for $45 and eight for $60. Expect a mix of dumplings, buns, and other Chinese-inspired treats.
524 Eighth St., SE
Treat mom to delicious poppyseed gougères, duck sausage-and-biscuits, or lemon-ricotta pancakes at chef Rob Weland’s cozy Capitol Hill restaurant, which draws from local farms for its seasonal menu. And because it’s a holiday, a “breakfast old fashioned” cocktail is in order.
1351 H St., NE
Hip moms can head to chef Erik Bruner-Yang’s H Street restaurant for the delicious dim sum brunch, which includes a parade of dishes includes salt-and-pepper oysters, stuffed rice noodle crepes, Taiwanese fried chicken, and much more.
1201 24th St., NW
Mother’s Day brunch at this airy Park Hyatt restaurant is already booked, though you could always opt for Mother’s Day dinner instead (the delicious crab cakes still make an appearance).
15 E St., NW
Brunch at this buzzy bistro near Union Station can mean a feast of classics—French onion soup, garlicky escargots—or indulgent dishes such as seared foie gras with apple pain perdu.
1001 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Chef Michel Richard’s sleek downtown bistro offers a three-course brunch for the holiday, including classics warm weather favorites like gazpacho with burrata and a crab cake Benedict ($45 per person; no a la carte available).
2401 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Chef Robert Wiedmaier’s elegant Belgian launched a la carte Sunday brunch for the first time at the end of last year, so you can treat mom to dishes like asparagus soup with smoked scallops, lobster papardelle, and eight-layer lemon-blueberry cake.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
