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Food

27 DC-Area Restaurant Trends We Love

Written by Ann Limpert
, Anna Spiegel
and Jessica Sidman
| Published on February 9, 2017
Tweet Share
We can't get enough of Whaley's seafood towers. Photo by Scott Suchman

1. Seafood towers

2. Ribs beyond pork (goat, lamb)

3. Mocktails that are better than cocktails

4. Reservations

5. The $45 tasting menu

Related
22 DC-Area Restaurant Trends We’re Sick Of

6. Breakfast-for-dinner (i.e. savory waffles)

7. More $10 cocktails

8. Amaro and vermouth menus

9. Bars built for dining

10. Local chef collaborations (Buttercream at All-Purpose, Erik Bruner-Yang at Sweetgreen)

11. Free house-filtered sparkling

12. Better delivery options

13. Crispy chicken skins

14. Dishes topped with fancy breadcrumbs (see The Red Hen, Tail Up Goat)

15. Japanese food that’s not just sushi and ramen

16. Comfortable dining chairs (see ya, industrial-chic)

17. Weekend happy hours

18. Cool custom serving ware

19. Chesapeake bycatch as a centerpiece (pufferfish, sugar toads)

20. Boozy desserts

21. Vegetarian sandwiches

22. Funky ciders

23. Gourmet corner stores

24. Alcohol sales at farmers markets

25. Tiki

26. All-day cafes/cocktail bars

27. Single occupancy unisex bathrooms

This article originally appeared in the February 2017 issue of Washingtonian.

More: All-Purpose PizzeriaDC RestaurantsFood TrendsSweetgreenTail Up Goatthe Red Hen
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Ann Limpert
Ann Limpert
Executive Food Editor/Critic

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.

Anna Spiegel
Food Editor

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.

Jessica Sidman
Jessica Sidman
Food Editor

Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.

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