Bar Ivy
3033 Wilson Blvd., Arlington
Clarendon’s hyper-seasonal, garden-esque restaurant is a pretty spot for brunch—especially if you’re sipping a peach liqueur-infused bellini or a michelada verde spiced up with tomatillos and poblano chilies. Chef Jonathan Till draws from the nearby farmer’s market for egg dishes and harvest bowls, in addition to comforting plates like an avocado BLT with house-cured pork belly or farro pancakes with apple crème anglaise.
District Winery
385 Water St., SE
The grape-to-glass waterfront winery in Navy Yard has two new chefs at the helm: Austrian-born Christian Fischhuber, a recent alum of at Le Cirque New York, and Nicholas Fulginiti, formerly of the Duck and the Peach. The duo have imbued the restaurant’s menus with European touches, including at brunch, where diners can dig into a unique “Austrian Breakfast of Champions” with fried eggs, leberkase (an Austrian specialty made with corned beef, pork, and bacon), potato rösti, and creamed spinach.
Opal
5534 Connecticut Ave., NW
Nina May’s owners recently expanded to Chevy Chase DC with a wood-fired, coastal American restaurant. Chef Colin McClimans turns out homemade pastries like brioche apple cider doughnuts, brunch dishes like a short-rib-and-sweet-potato hash, and simple wood-grilled meats and fish that can be added to salads or matched with seasonal vegetables. In your glass: mimosas with a choice of orange juice, berry/basil, or grapefruit/thyme.
Hanumanh
1604 Seventh St., NW
Thip Khao chef Seng Luangrath recently added weekend daytime hours at her Laotian spot in Shaw. Look for warming dishes like khao piak khao, a Lao version of congee (rice porridge) offered with shrimp, scallops, or pork ribs—plus a Chinese doughnut. Also on tap: skewers of grilled lemongrass chicken; vermicelli bowls; banana-infused bourbon cocktails; and Thai boba ice tea.
Cafe Unido
901 W St., NW
Cocktail and caffeine fiends can get their kicks at Café Unido, a new Panamanian coffee shop, cafe, and bar in Shaw. The 69-seat cafe runs morning through night with an all-day menu of dishes like zapallo (sweet squash) pancakes with butternut syrup, or a riff on eggs Benedict with sofrito hollandaise and, in lieu of English muffins, yucca patties. The bar is stocked with local beers, natural wines, and coffee-infused cocktails, and coffee nerds can go for a “coffee omakase” tasting.
Joy by Seven Reasons
5471 Wisconsin Ave, Chevy Chase, MD
The new pan-Latin restaurant near Friendship Heights from the Seven Reasons crew is their most “casual” yet (a $65 sandwich aside). Chef Enrique Limardo dishes up brunch with families in mind with dishes like fries-and-eggs with Melitón cheddar, a Benedict with house-made arepas, and a cachapa, a Venezuelan corn pancake with Guayanés cheese and butter.
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.
