Alfresco Tap and Grill
2009 18th St., NW
The spacious new indoor-outdoor bistro in Adams Morgan—from the owners of similarly cavernous Cactus Cantina and Lauriol Plaza—is now serving brunch. The offerings are as classic as they come: French toast, eggs benedict, and avocado toast can be washed down with Bloody Marys, mimosas, frozen margaritas, and negronis on the more-than-200-seat patio.
Any Day Now
2 I St., SE
Crispy scallion pancakes are the big draw at chef Tim Ma’s new eatery in the northern corner of Navy Yard. The all-day cafe, in the space that once housed ABC Pony, is open all morning and afternoon, seven days a week (it will debut dinner service in mid-July).
Caruso’s Grocery at Pike & Rose
11820 Trade St., North Bethesda
The suburban outpost of this handsome, nostalgic Italian-American restaurant from Neighborhood Restaurant Group launched Sunday brunch service in June. You can share lemon-ricotta donuts or chicken parm’ sliders, or go for pecorino-and-buttermilk biscuits with eggs and fennel-sausage gravy. Italian-inspired daytime cocktails play a part, too: a with Aperol and passionfruit, an espresso martini, and an “antipasti” Bloody Mary with tomato and parmesan-infused vodka.
Ellie Bird
125 Founder’s Ave., Falls Church
The family-friendly neighborhood restaurant from Rooster & Owl owners Yuan and Carey Tang offers an inventive weekend menu with Asian comfort food touches. You might try a mochi waffle with a fermented banana topping, a pho-adjacent Vietnamese/French onion soup, or a halo halo smoothie bowl with granola and tropical fruit. The pastry basket includes a sesame egg tart, and spam makes multiple menu appearances.
Milk & Honey at the Wharf
676 Maine Ave., SW
“We didn’t invent brunch,” the soul food chain’s site proclaims. “We just perfected it.” The DC area brunch titan opened its tenth, and largest, location at The Wharf in May, bringing fried chicken and Biscoff waffles and shrimp n’ grits with turkey sausage to Southwest DC.
Ruta
327 7th St., SE
DC’s first full-service Ukrainian restaurant has been serving Sunday brunch since May, with Saturdays added last month. Borscht and varenyky (Ukrainian pierogi) appear from the dinner menu, but the rest of the brunch offerings are unique. Favorites include savory blintzes stuffed with mushrooms and onions; sweet ones with cheese, sour cherries, and poppy seed butter; sernyky (mini farmer’s cheese cakes), and eggs benedict with smoked salmon on potato pancakes. Brunch cocktails are classics like mimosas and Aperol spritzes.
