Our Washingtonian Recommends lists bring you the best places to eat, drink, and be entertained—all selected by Washingtonian editors.
It’s always a great time for breakfast or brunch. Check out these diners—classic and modern—cafes, and restaurants for your egg fix at any hour, any day of the week.
A Baked Joint
430 K St., NW
You can get a delicious carb fix at Mt. Vernon Triangle’s bakery, which serves a delicious array of croissants, cinnamon rolls, and biscuits. We’re fans of the all-day breakfast sandwiches on buttery biscuits with organic eggs, and customizable toasts spread with Nutella, capped with avocado, or our favorite: peanut butter with Sriracha and cilantro.
All Day by Kramers
1517 Connecticut Ave., NW
Dupont Circle’s recently revamped Kramerbooks (now just called Kramers) is a great stop for both books and all-day breakfast. Chef Vincent Griffith, who recently worked at Ballston bakery Sidekick, is behind the wide-ranging bistro menu. Brunch runs long—from 8 AM to 4 PM—with a varied menu: egg dishes, lunch salads, vegan options, and more.
Baker’s Daughter
1402 Okie St., NE; 675 I St., NW; 1201 K St., NW
Michelin-starred Gravitas chef Matt Baker’s all-day cafes and gourmet markets run morning to early evening. Swing by for sweet and savory pastries, fresh-pressed juices, coffee drinks, and dishes that run the gamut from just-worked-out (acai bowls, avocado toast) to decadent—think short rib bowls and burrito-size breakfast tacos.
Bluestone Lane
Logan Circle, West End, Dupont Circle, and Navy Yard locations
Australia’s Insta-worthy, health-centric cafe chain now has several DC-area locations, many serving “brekkie all day.” Fuel up before or after a workout with fresh-pressed juices, turmeric lattes, grain bowls, avocado smashes, and shakshuka-style green baked eggs.
Butter Me Up
651 Florida Ave., NW
Michelle Andrade’s breakfast sandwich pop-up inside HalfSmoke in Shaw delivers pure comfort. A variety of egg sandwiches can be ordered on biscuits, muffins, or if you’re an indulgent mood, maple pancake buns. Try a “Staycation” with organic soft scrambled eggs, smoked cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, avocado, and sriracha mayo.
Busboys and Poets
Multiple area locations
Restaurateur Andy Shallal’s artful cafes, now with seven DC-area locations, all serve brunch daily until 3 PM. There are plenty of vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options alongside more traditional Benedicts and pancakes. A few of the morning items carry on into dinner such as sweet potato hash with poached eggs.
Cracked Eggery
3420 Connecticut Ave., NW
Don’t call them breakfast sandwiches—it’s eggs all day at this cafe from a former food truck. The menu is stuffed with decadent sammies—take one stacked with fried green tomato, egg, bacon, and pimiento cheese—as well as burgers and bowls. A Shaw location opens this fall with 24-hour service on weekends.
Desi Breakfast Club
3065 Centerville Rd., Herndon
This Pakistani restaurant from the family that runs Chantilly’s Charcoal Chicken is all about breakfast—all day, every day, except Monday (note: reservations are required on weekends). Try South Asian specialties like halwa puri, flaky fried breads with chickpea stew and spiced potatoes, paratha crepes, or dahi bhalla (lentil fritters in yogurt with a variety of chutneys). To drink: lassis and spiced Kashmiri chai.
Fare Well
406 H St., NE
Love a good all-day breakfast plate but not eggs and bacon? Vegan restaurateur Doron Petersan’s diner fits the bill. Classics like blueberry pancakes, burgers, and shakes are reimagined without any animal products so you can down a tofu scramble with a side of seitan sausage.
Florida Avenue Grill
1100 Florida Ave., NW
Not much has changed at this DC institution over the decades, and regulars like it that way. Egg platters and stacks of hot cakes are served through dinner, and local flavor is dished up in the form of griddled half-smokes and eggs or crispy croaker and grits.
Gatsby
1201 Half St., SE
This glam, Art Deco-inspired diner in Navy Yard serves a wide-ranging menu that ranges from shakes and salads to ribeye steaks and pricey Champagne. Of course, being a diner at heart, there’s also all-day breakfast in the form of hearty plates like pastrami hash with poached eggs or an egg platter with bacon, pancakes, and home fries. Adjoining bakery Mah-Ze-Dahr serves coffee, pastries, and more.
Northside Social
3211 Wilson Blvd., Arlington; 205 Park Ave., Falls Church
These locavore all-day cafes are tasty stops for coffee and pastries in the morning, wine and cheeseboards in the evening, and egg sandwiches at any hour (we’re fans of poached eggs and Edward’s country ham on a biscuit, or house-smoked salmon and eggs on a fresh-baked IPA roll). Both also have nice outdoor patios for whiling away a few hours.
Silver Diner and Silver
Multiple VA and MD locations, plus Silver in DC
The homegrown diner chain and its dressier American brasserie spinoff, Silver, both offer all-day options. The casual diner hits all the classics—pancakes, egg platters, etc—while the brasserie serves daily brunch with plates like roasted veggie huevos rancheros and the yogurt “banana split” parfaits. Good for those with dietary restrictions: menus at both are labeled with icons for dishes that are gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, low-fat, and low-cholesterol.
Taco Bamba
Falls Church, Vienna, Fairfax, Springfield, and Ballston locations
Looking for a breakfast taco fix—and not necessarily at breakfast? Chef Victor Albisu’s taqueria chain serves all-day egg-chorizo tacos alongside other dishes like chilaquiles, huevos rancheros, and fried egg sopes.
Tatte
Locations in West End, Dupont Circle, Bethesda, and Clarendon
This popular Boston-based chain is quickly growing in DC in both size and popularity (cue the weekend lines). The appeal: Israeli-inspired pastries, all-day breakfast, and brunch designed by chef/owner Tzurit Or in pretty, airy dining rooms. Egg dishes abound, whether in sandwiches made with homemade croissants or in breads, tartines, and shakshuka.
Ted’s Bulletin
Logan Circle, Capitol Hill, Gaithersburg, Ballston, Reston, and Fairfax locations
One of DC’s pioneering “modern” diner chains is still a crowd-pleaser for families and adults craving boozy milkshakes and homemade pop-tarts alike. The all-day breakfast menu hits any craving, from indulgent stacks of pancakes, stuffed breakfast burritos, and fried chicken to simple omelettes and healthy grain bowls.
Tryst, the Coupe, the Diner, Open City
Adams Morgan, Columbia Heights, and Woodley Park locations
The Tryst restaurant group is all about the all-day breakfast and brunch game. The classics are all available on crowd-pleasing menus: omelettes, hashes, breakfast burritos, bagels, and scrambles. There are vegan options, as well, like tofu tostadas.
Unconventional Diner
1207 9th St., NW
Weekend brunch is an everyday thing until 4 PM at chef David Deshaies creative Shaw diner. We’re big fans of the egg sandwiches with bacon, cheddar, scallions, and “s’eggsy sauce” as well as blueberry-ginger pancakes or Caribbean-style shrimp n’ grits. A few of the items linger on through dinner like avocado toast or a lox bagel reimagined in appetizer form.
*This post has been updated from an earlier version.
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.
