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We’re really craving a great French dip sandwich these days. Blame the weather (cold-ish) and the pandemic (not over-ish). The original soup-and-sandwich combo—typically warm, thin-sliced roast beef on a toasty roll with a side of beef jus for dunking— is the perfect dish for these between times. Here’s where to get dipping.
Annie’s Paramount Steakhouse
1609 17th St., NW
A worthy classic for a classic neighborhood restaurant: Annie’s sliced prime rib au jus sandwich with horseradish cream sauce on a French roll, rounded out with slaw and fries.
Bub and Pop’s
1815 M St., NW
Pop’s beef brisket is for serious fans. Chef John Taub layers slow-braised brisket into a hoagie roll with horseradish and sharp provolone, and serves it with a cup of veal jus for dunking. If you’re a one-meal-a-day kind of person, the whole will more than do (otherwise go half).
Founding Farmers
1924 Pennsylvania Ave., NW; 12505 Park Potomac Ave., Potomac; 1904 Reston Metro Plz., Reston; 1800 Tysons Blvd., Tysons
Like the mammoth menus at this farm-to-table restaurant group, the prime-rib dip—stacked with onions and melty cheese—is a beast.
Jetties
Multiple DC locations
The local sandwich chain goes tasty and no-frills with the Monomoy: roast beef and provolone on a toasty roll with dipping jus.
Joe’s Seafood Prime Steak & Stone Crab
750 15th St., NW
The downtown DC steakhouse puts together a prime sandwich: dry-aged ribeye with mushrooms and onions with beefy au jus and fries.
Little Miner Taco
3809 Rhode Island Ave, Brentwood; 967 Rose Ave., North Bethesda
Think of this birria sandwich as the French dip’s Mexican cousin: slow-braised beef is loaded into a roll with melty jack cheese, cilantro, onion, and chipotle aioli, and served with a cup of consommé.
MGM Roast Beef
905 Brentwood Rd., NE
It should be no surprise that MGM’s French dip is among the best. Tender top round is layered with sautéed onions and provolone on a toasted onion roll, then served with the house jus alongside.
Randy’s Prime Seafood & Steak
8051 Leesburg Pk., Vienna
If you’re looking for the Cadillac of dips, Randy’s has you covered: thinly sliced prime rib on buttery roll from sister bakery Best Buns with gruyere cheese, caramelized onions, truffled béarnaise aioli, and dipping jus. The sandwich comes with (what else?) hand-cut duck fat fries.
Right Proper Brewpub
624 T St., NW
The sourdough dip here gets as creative as the house beers. The sandwich swaps in tender lamb for beef, and adds a mustard-gruyere spread and a side of lamb jus.
Stachowski’s
1425 28th St NW
Leave it to butcher Jamie Stachowski to create one of the meatiest dips in town. You don’t need a side of jus here: juicy, hot roast beef is piled high on a toasty roll with provolone and hot and sweet peppers ($14.99).
Woodmont Grill
7715 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda
The “famous French dip au jus” is a star sandwich for a reason: house-roasted prime rib is piled high on a soft roll with mayonnaise (pro tip: ask for the off-menu horseradish sauce).
And when you’ve tried allllll the sandwiches:
Unconventional Diner
1207 9th St., NW
The “French dip pappardelle” reimagines the sandwich as a comforting bowl of pasta with flank steak, mushrooms, crispy garlic chips, and horseradish cream swimming in jus.
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.
