Our Washingtonian Recommends lists bring you the best places to eat, drink, and be entertained—all selected by Washingtonian editors.
This leafy neighborhood in Northwest DC has a thriving restaurant scene—including cozy bistros, a modern-Indian destination, and the area’s best Neapolitan pizza shop.
1) Ripple
A cozy, gently trendy bistro where the emphasis is on great wine, nicely curated cheese boards, and chef Marjorie Meek-Bradley’s creative, playful spins on seasonal ingredients.
What to get: Bacon-roasted pecans; rabbit cassoulet; butterscotch pot de creme; baked-to-order chocolate-chip cookies.
2) Indique
We’ve long been fans of this prettily latticed Indian restaurant, where thick, aromatic curries share the menu with modernized creations such as mini-dosas and tandoori quail.
What to get: Chaat papri (a salad of potatoes, chickpeas, yogurt, and tamarind chutney); salmon sliders; Malabar shrimp curry; chicken chettinad; tandoori lamb chops.
3) Medium Rare
At this popular, Paris-inspired bistro crammed with butcher-papered tables, $19.75 buys you a set menu—a simple green salad and steak frites, with free second helpings of the dry-aged sirloin cap and skinny fries.
What to get: Hot fudge sundae with rainbow sprinkles.
4) Vace
This old-school, grab-and-go Italian deli is most famous for its excellent sauce-on-top-of-cheese pizza, available by the pie or slice.
What to get: Onion white pizza; pepperoni pizza; Italian sub; filled-to-order cannoli.
5) 2 Amys
In the shadow of the Cathedral, Peter Pastan’s clanging pizzeria turns out superlative small plates and salads and puffy-crusted Neapolitan pies.
What to get: Deviled eggs; charcuterie and cheese; Margherita Extra, Norcia, and Vongole pizzas; cannoli; ice cream.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
