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50 Ways to Do Brunch Around DC

Here’s where to go for hangover-soothing breakfast sandwiches, flaky pastries, and the best Bloodies and Benedicts. Plus, brunch horror stories and the families behind beloved DC diners.

Written by Ann Limpert
, Jessica Sidman
, Nevin Martell
and Ike Allen
| Published on October 17, 2023
Tweet Share
One of the best things about Unconventional Diner’s daily brunch: sweet-potato shakshuka Photograph by David Deshaies.

50 Ways to Do Brunch Around DC

Here’s where to go for hangover-soothing breakfast sandwiches, flaky pastries, and the best Bloodies and Benedicts. Plus, brunch horror stories and the families behind beloved DC diners.

Written by Ann Limpert
, Jessica Sidman
, Nevin Martell
and Ike Allen
| Published on October 17, 2023
Tweet Share
Contents
  1. Need A New Brunch Spot? Here Are the 29 Best Brunches in the DC Area
  2. Sashay Your Way to These Drag Brunches Around DC
  3. Get Your Pastry Fix at These Local Bakeries and Cafes
  4. 3 Families Operating Classic DC Area Diners
  5. Brunchers Behaving Badly: Rowdy Crowds, Lousy Tips, and Angry Bartenders
  6. 6 Brunch Spots Around DC to Build Your Own Drinks and Dishes

Need A New Brunch Spot? Here Are the 29 Best Brunches in the DC Area

Fluffy pancakes, perfect omelets, and hangover-soothing breakfast sandwiches.

 


Back to Top

Sashay Your Way to These Drag Brunches Around DC

Looking for a party? Check out a drag brunch.

 


Back to Top

Get Your Pastry Fix at These Local Bakeries and Cafes

Our favorite places to pick up morning treats.

 


Back to Top

3 Families Operating Classic DC Area Diners

Meet the families behind some of Washington’s most beloved greasy spoons

 


Back to Top

Brunchers Behaving Badly: Rowdy Crowds, Lousy Tips, and Angry Bartenders

Servers share horror stories from mimosa-soaked mornings.

 


Back to Top

6 Brunch Spots Around DC to Build Your Own Drinks and Dishes

Liven up brunch with these DIY offerings.

Illustrations by Connie Zheng.
This article appears in the October 2023 issue of Washingtonian.

More: FeaturesDC brunch
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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.

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.

Nevin Martell
Parenting writer

Nevin Martell is a parenting, food, and travel writer whose work has appeared in the Washington Post, New York Times, Saveur, Men’s Journal, Fortune, Travel + Leisure, Runner’s World, and many other publications. He is author of eight books, including It’s So Good: 100 Real Food Recipes for Kids, Red Truck Bakery Cookbook: Gold-Standard Recipes from America’s Favorite Rural Bakery, and the small-press smash Looking for Calvin and Hobbes: The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson and His Revolutionary Comic Strip. When he isn’t working, he loves spending time with his wife and their six-year-old son, who already runs faster than he does.

Ike Allen
Ike Allen
Assistant Editor

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