Michelin recently released their 2020 guide to DC, featuring 18 star restaurants and 44 Bib Gourmands (the list’s version of wallet-savvy menus where diners can have a meal for $40 or less). For a star-studded brunch, head to these dining rooms.
Star Restaurants
Little Pearl (new one star)
921 Pennsylvania Ave., SE
Pineapple and Pearl’s little sister spot is a cafe by day, serving a morning and afternoon menu that’s heavy on vegetarian dishes like elote tostadas, green falafel, and heirloom tomato toast. Head to the coffee bar for a coconut-nutmeg latte.
Tail Up Goat (one star)
1827 Adams Mill Rd., NW
Sunday brunch at the Adams Morgan restaurant includes three courses for $40 per person. The meal starts savory with options like tuna croquettes or brown butter ravioli, and ends on sweet note with basil pastries, peach sorbet, or a balsamic and honey custard.
Bib Gourmand
Ambar
523 8th St., SE
The Balkan restaurant on Capitol Hill serves all-you-can-eat-and-drink brunch for $39 per person. Sample mezze platters, creamy spreads, and mimosas made with sparkling Balkan wine.
American Son (New)
1201 K St., NW
The Eaton DC restaurant from Tim Ma serves soups, salads, and sandwiches like a salmon pastrami BLT and fried chicken sandwich with papaya slaw. Also available: an acai bowl with granola and avocado toast
China Chilcano
418 7th St., NW
Peruvian dishes like poached eggs with chile ají panca paste and braised pork belly buns live at the crossroad of Andean, Japanese, and Chinese flavors. Can’t make it on the weekend? Drop in on a Tuesday for a small dim sum menu of dumplings.
Chloe
1331 4th St., SE
Haidar Karoum’s kitchen serves dishes pulling from his Lebanese heritage and Mid-Atlantic location, like a hero sandwich stuffed with falafel and labne. Brunch drinks can erase a hangover—try the alcohol-free tamarind spritz with aloe vera and ginger beer.
Hazel
808 V St., NW
In addition to a la carte options, the Shaw restaurant offers brunch “bundles.” The $50 per person “hangover cure” has hearty dishes like a chicken sandwich and buttermilk pancakes. Or, go for the $30 per person “Turk-ish breakfast” with sesame coffee cake and Turkish eggs.
Ivy City Smokehouse
1356 Okie St., NE
The low-key seafood spot layers salmon “candy” onto bagels, folds nova into scrambled eggs, and tops Benedicts with house-smoked fish. Biscuits and Belgian waffles are also made in house.
Jaleo
480 7th St., NW
Sip the rotating mimosa flavor of the week while diving into the Spanish menu. You can dine on a la carte dishes or order from two samplings of brunch tapas ($30 per person or $45 per person).
Joselito’s Casa de Comidas
660 Pennsylvania Ave., SE
Capitol Hill’s all-day cafe serves Spanish-style plates like Iberian ham with fried eggs and an pork tenderloin sandwich. For an additional $20, turn brunch into a bottomless affair with mimosas, bellinis, bloody Marys, and sangria.
Lapis
1847 Columbia Rd., NW
Helming the kitchen at the family-owned Afghan bistro is matriarch Shamim Popal, cooking recipes passed through her family. Choose from Benedicts with sumac hollandaise, dumplings paired with garlic yogurt, and cardamom pancakes.
Millie’s
4866 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Live out your beach days at this coastal-inspired spot near American University. We’re fans of dishes like the lobster quesadilla and fish tacos, or go for bright salads like zucchini and shrimp. In nice weather, the patio is the place to be.
Mola
3155 Mount Pleasant St., NW
The neighborhood Spanish cafe features brunch a la carte or a fixed price menu for $22 per person, with ham croquetas and huevos rotos. Go beyond bloody Marys and mimosas (although they have both) with brunch cocktails using spirits from local distiller Capitoline.
Ottoman Taverna
425 I St., NW
Dive into egg dishes, salads, spreads, and kebab plates during the four course, Turkish feast ($34.95 per person). The brunch deal at the Ottoman-inspired dining room also includes bottomless mimosas, bloody Marys, coffee, and Turkish tea.
Oyamel
401 7th St., NW
José Andrés’ butterfly-laden dining room features handmade tortillas with corn ground in-house. Try them in fried mahi mahi taco, or bravely sample the Oaxacan signature: crispy grasshopper.
Pearl Dive Oyster Palace
1612 14th St., NW
The 14th Street oyster haven serves hot plates like oysters Rockefeller and grilled oysters wrapped in bacon. There are also plenty of baked goods, like ricotta beignets, pull apart breakfast rolls, and pecan sticky buns.
Primrose (New)
3000 12th St., NE
Start the day underneath the Brookland natural wine bar’s plumed chandeliers. Order French plates like an egg-topped croque madame and French onion soup — or, not-so-French French toast.
The Royal
501 Florida Ave., NW
Early birds get the fried chicken biscuit at this all-day cafe, which opens at 8 AM. Snag a cappuccino and wake up with South American-influenced dishes like cheesy arepas topped with avocado and eggs. Good news for late-risers: happy hour starts at 3 PM.
Sababa
3311 Connecticut Ave., NW
Cleveland Park’s Israeli restaurant offers a two course fixed price brunch, with bottomless bubbly ($36 per person) or without ($22 per person). Middle Eastern ingredients take center stage in dishes like roasted halumi, harissa-marinated kebabs, and shakshuka.
Sfoglina
4445 Connecticut Ave., NW
This pasta house only offers brunch at its Van Ness location. Dishes like a toasted croissant BLT lean more towards the morning meal while the bountiful pasta menu can satisfy lunch cravings.
Stellina (New)
399 Morse St., NE
The restaurant from Lupo group alums Antonio Matarazzo and Matteo Venini pulls from the food of southern Italy. Coffee-soaked brioche bread with tiramisu cream will satisfy a sweet tooth alongside savory dishes like cacio e pepe (pizza or pasta version) and house-made porchetta.
Succotash
915 F St., NW; 186 Waterfront St., National Harbor
While the menu has plenty of a la carte Southern fare, tables can go for a Taste of the South brunch ($25 for adults; $13 for children 12 and under). The shared meal includes sticky buns, collard greens with kimchi, fried chicken, biscuits, and more.
Supra
1205 11th St., NW
Georgian fare like khachapuri, a bread of cheese and egg, is on the Shaw restaurant’s brunch menu. The Instagrammable dish gets hearty additions like potato, pork, and beef.
Tiger Fork
922 N St., NW
Head to the colorful Blagden Alley dining room for weekend dim sum-style brunch and Hong Kong milk tea. Congee with poached eggs has a choose-your-own-adventure twist: diners can select toppings like sesame and chili oil from a cart.
Timber Pizza
809 Upshur St., NW
For Call Your Mother bagels minus the line, head to the Petworth pizza joint. Pastries and biscuits are baked in the same wood-fired oven as the pizzas, with sprinklings of za’atar and sea salt.
Unconventional Diner
1207 9th St., NW
Comfort food favorites are remixed at David Deshaies‘ Shaw diner. Shrimp and grits are dressed up with andouille, plantains, and pineapple, while Lebanese fried rice is mixed with lentils and yogurt.
Whaley’s
301 Water St., SE
The waterfront oyster joint serves seafood towers and fresh oysters on it’s all-day menu. Weekend brunch specials feature buttermilk pancakes, frittatas, and a zippy cold brew cocktail.
Zaytinya
701 9th St., NW
José Andrés’s Mediterranean restaurant serves dishes pulling from Turkey, Greece, and Lebanon. For brunch, that means a lamb bacon “LBLT” and Turkish scrambled eggs washed down with a harissa bloody Mary.
Daniella Byck joined Washingtonian in 2022. She was previously with Outside Magazine and lives in Northeast DC.
