Why go: Rod and Sherrie O’Savio’s DayGlo-colored cafe pumps out more than deafening dancehall; it pumps out some of the area’s most electric island cooking. The muffins account for the long lines at the morning and evening rush hours—more than two dozen varieties, baked daily, are arrayed in the lighted case.
What to get: Goat roti, an enormous, rib-sticking wrap; piquant renditions of jerk shrimp and jerk chicken; sweet and spicy “Ziggy’s wings”; crab-stuffed jumbo shrimp with fries and coleslaw; carrot-cake, cranberry, and rum-raisin muffins.
Best for: The muffins are ideal for an office party, while the island cooking lends itself to carryout for a picnic.
Insider tip: The carrot-cake muffins are the best—and best-selling—of the muffins. They’re often gone by lunch; go early to make sure you get them.
Open Monday through Saturday for lunch and dinner.
>> See all 2009 Cheap Eats restaurants here
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.
