Mimosas on a Monday? Dim sum instead of a sad desk smoothie bowl? You only live once. Here’s where you can satisfy brunch cravings all week long.
A&J Restaurant
1319 Rockville Pike, Rockville; 4316 Markham St., Annandale
Housemade noodles and pork potstickers star at these dim sum houses, open daily from 11:30 AM to 9 PM. Opt for the wide ribbons slicked in a hot-and-sour or spicy sesame sauce, then crowd your table with other favorites such as the thousand-layer pancake, wontons in chili oil, braised pork on rice, and pickled cabbage.
Café Unido
908 W St., NW
This Panamanian cafe might seem to be just a coffee destination, given its emphasis on geisha pour-overs and single-origin cold-brews. But breakfast and brunch at the Shaw location is as thoughtful as the beans. Don’t sleep on the vanilla-bean/coffee pancakes or the breakfast sandwich with crispy mozzarella, fried egg, and bacon on a four-pack of pillowy rolls. During the week doors open extra-early at 7 AM.
Cracked Eggery
3420 Connecticut Ave., NW; 1921 Eighth St., NW; 1671 Crystal Dr., Arlington
What was once a farmers-market stand—then a food truck—now three spiffy destinations for creative fried-egg sandwiches served on challah rolls. The Southern Charm includes a thick fried green tomato, bacon, pimiento cheese, and lemony aïoli, while the Paulie Cicero adds layers of prosciutto, ricotta, and sun-dried tomato. The straightforward bacon-egg-and-cheese is just as good, thanks to sweetly glazed bacon and soft scrambled eggs. All locations open daily at 7 AM.
Desi Breakfast Club
3065-G Centreville Rd., Herndon
There’s been a wave of all-day, everyday breakfast-and-brunch spots over the past couple years. But only this strip-mall halal dining room focuses on the morning meals of India and Pakistan. The star of the menu is the paratha, a flaky, floppy round of warm bread served with everything from a terrific chicken kebab to fried eggs to ghee and sugar. Another can’t-miss: the assertively spiced chai.
Gourmet Inspirations
2646 University Blvd. W., Silver Spring
If you love the happy chaos of flagging down some shu mai as they roll out of the kitchen, this roomy dining room is our go-to for cart-style dim sum. Expect all the classics, including popular shrimp dumplings, barbecue-pork buns, and chicken feet with chili/black-bean sauce.
Han Palace
2649 Connecticut Ave., NW; 522 Eighth St., SE; 1728 Wisconsin Ave., NW
Get dim sum every day at this trio of Cantonese restaurants. Check out the Barracks Row location for an unlimited deal ($38 a person, $18 for ages five to 12), which includes eight types of dumplings plus small versions of noodle and rice entrées. Purple golden yolk buns are a signature sweet.
Heat Da Spot Cafe
3213 Georgia Ave., NW
This homey Park View cafe has breakfast sandwiches covered, including versions made with French toast or waffles. But we’re here for the Ethiopian-style breakfast: scrambled eggs, onions, and peppers mixed with niter kibbeh (spiced clarified butter) and berbere seasoning. It’s perfect for scooping with injera, and a bonus veggie sambusa comes on the side.
I Egg You
517 Eighth St., SE
Our blue ribbon for best pandemic pop-up goes to this egg-sandwich operation from Chiko and Anju owners Danny Lee and Scott Drewno. Finally, it has a space of its own on Barracks Row, which opens daily at 8 AM. Besides its beloved breakfast sandwiches, there is a selection of toasts, a riff on toad in the hole with caviar, Dalgona coffee, and a whole slew of brunch-y cocktails. Nice touch: there’s Pedialyte, several bartenders’ hangover cure of choice, on the menu.
The Market Lunch
225 Seventh St., SE
Before there were food halls in seemingly every neighborhood in DC, there was Eastern Market. And for the last 45 years, the best reason to visit has been this bustling short-order spot. Line up for pancakes (regular or blueberry buckwheat), or the Brick, a warm egg sandwich laden with bacon and potatoes. Crab cakes, for good reason, fly out of the kitchen at lunch, but they’re also delicious paired with eggs at breakfast.
Matt and Tony’s
1501 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria
This family-friendly Del Ray joint with a dog-friendly patio offers slightly cheffed-up versions of brunch classics all day long. Crisp-edged masa pancakes come with a mole syrup, and scallion-cheddar biscuits are smothered in chicken-chorizo gravy. Bloody Marys are available three ways, including a green version with poblano-infused tequila and wasabi.
Okaeri Japanese Cafe
14215 Centreville Sq., Centreville
This Japanese cafe is one of the region’s few destinations for super-light, jiggly soufflé pancakes—a once-viral internet sensation actually worth the hype. We’re fans of the matcha and strawberry versions as well as the shop’s fruit-and-whipped-cream sandwiches, onigiri, and extensive green-tea menu.
Petite Cerise
1027 Seventh St., NW
Dabney chef/owner Jeremiah Langhorne’s all-day Shaw cafe is at its prettiest on sunny mornings. During the week, a coffee counter doles out fanciful homemade croissants, pastries, and breakfast sandwiches. And there’s plenty of crossover between the weekday lunch and weekend brunch menus. Our pick: a crepe oozing with goat cheese and salami.
The Royal
501 Florida Ave., NW
PSL fans, it’s time to level up: Head to this slender LeDroit Park cafe, open every morning, for a more creative dose of caffeine, such as a cold-brew with salted vanilla cream or a latte sweetened with dulce de leche. Then either grab a guava pastry and dash off or settle in for the terrific breakfast arepa, a warm masa pocket holding avocado, cotija cheese, and a runny fried egg.
Spanish Diner
7271 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda
The main food groups at José Andrés’s Bethesda dining room (formerly Jaleo): potatoes, sausages, and eggs. You can get straightforward plates of eggs with morcilla or jamón, have eggs fried over a zucchini-and-eggplant stew, or order them in a crispy breakfast sandwich. We like to accessorize with lighter, brighter fare: shrimp in garlicky olive oil, tangy gazpacho, avocado salad, and a drink that tastes like a hybrid of a Bloody Mary and a dirty martini.
Uncommon Luncheonette
1028 N. Garfield St., Arlington
Former 2941 chef Jon Mathieson cofounded this Clarendon neo-diner, which, starting at 7 AM, slings nap-inducers like sausage-gravy-topped poutine; Nashville hot chicken and waffles; and egg sandwiches. Cream-of-mushroom soup sounds simple but shows off the kitchen’s fine-dining training: It’s one of the best soups we’ve had all year.
Unconventional Diner
1207 Ninth St., NW
Brunch is served every day of the week until 3:45 at this eclectic Shaw spot. David Deshaies’s menu is grounded in American flavors—avocado toast, a riff on an everything bagel with lox, a double cheeseburger, and fried chicken and waffles are top-notch—but flies off in plenty of other directions. Warming sweet-potato shakshuka nods to North Africa, while shrimp and grits gets a pineapple-y Caribbean spin.
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 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.
