Spoiler: This is going to be a contentious list. We know there’s no way we’re getting out of the list alive, as most people in this city love brunch and will defend their favorite brunch place to the death. Where is X’s brunch? you’ll think, preparing your fingers to angrily type a response to us. The fact is that there are many great places to get brunch in this city. Below are some DCist writers’ favorite spots. But tomorrow, we’ll publish the ones we missed, according to you, dear reader. So if you don’t see your favorite, tell us about it in the comments and you may see it in a post tomorrow.
Photo by Inspiration D.C.
BELGA CAFE: Barracks Row is packed with places to get brunch, many of them rather good. But Belga Cafe is the place I return to most often for a fairly obvious reason: The food is so delicious. While the mussels are wonderful, I love the Mais Wafels (a cornbread waffle, avocado, pulled pork, fried egg and crème fraîche) and Wafel A La Quiche (puff pastry quiche, ham, cheese, eggs and cream). There are also quite a few vegetarian options, including the lovely Gebakken Burrata Kaas (fried burrata cheese, arugula, pecans, apples, chives and lime-basil pesto). Wash it down with a champagne cocktail or Bloody Mary for an absolutely perfect brunch. Warning: You will need a nap after you eat. — Sarah Anne Hughes
Belga Cafe is located at 514 8th Street SE.
RED DERBY: While the Red Derby, the divey spot in Columbia Heights, is not a fancy place, they have a solidly tasty brunch and cheap drinks. What’s not to like? I’m a big fan of the Derby breakfast bowl, which is tater tots, scrambled eggs, sausage, tomatoes, onions and shredded cheese, all for $8. Other options include a breakfast burrito, salmon and lox on a bagel, BeLT (bacon, egg lettuce and tomato), more sandwiches, omelets and the like. Nothing fancy, but all tasty, filling and cheap, ranging from $6-$11. Along with their normal inexpensive and solid can beer selection and their beer-and-shot specials (which range from $6 for the cheap stuff up to about $12, plus a $10 bartender’s choice option, which is fun) there’s also coffee with free refills for $2 and $3 bloody marys. Can’t beat that. The roofdeck is a nice spot to watch people and eat, and they do have some heaters too, but the inside is always warm and cozy. Friendly bartenders, too. — Andrew Wiseman
Red Derby is located at 3718 14th Street NW.
GRANVILLE MOORE’S: Though it faces plenty of stiff competition among its many foodie-baiting neighbors along H(ype) Street NE, Granville Moore’s deserves the top slot in the brunch category. First, consider the aesthetic appeal: the place is about as unobtrusive as they come, with its low-key entrance and squatter-chic second floor, and the atmosphere is equally unpretentious. The place is nice and dark and filled with booths, excellent enclaves for piecing together the sordid details of the evening before, while a coveted spot by the single window caters to the vacant-stare set. The menu is appropriately decadent and straight-forward. You can soak up your regrets with their own renditions of eggs Benedict and French toast (both available with veggie sausage for veggie-types), their signature moules and frites or the Sunrise Burger—their incredibly satisfying bison burger with a fried egg and bacon on top. —Matt Cragle
Granville Moore’s is located at 1238 H Street NE.
THE ARGONAUT: I’ve already waxed poetic about The Argonaut’s make-your-own Bloody Mary bar in our Bloody Mary Best Of List, thus I feel it necessary to call out their excellent food, which makes this H Street spot one of the most solid brunches in the city. The menu features classic brunch options like Steak & Eggs, French Toast, and a hearty H Street Breakfast platter (two eggs, rosemary potatoes or grits, toast. But I’m a big fan of the Florentine Benedict (nothing fancy going on here, just done really well). If you’re looking for non-breakfast brunch options, the tempeh tacos are also killer. Oh, and sometimes they have a Chorizo Omelette as a special, which is one of the best omelette’s I’ve had in the city. —Matt Cohen
The Argonaut is located at 1433 H Street NE.
ORIENTAL EAST: The Chinese don’t do brunch; they do dim sum, a glorious procession of tapas-sized dumplings, buns, and other sweet and savory snacks. Oriental East draws a crowd that lines up as early as 10 a.m. for a table as this cavernous glass dining hall a few steps from the Silver Spring Metro station. Bring a friend (or five), as you’ll need help eating the dazzling selection of comestibles, served by an army of waitresses pushing carts around the dining room. Some of my favorites include the pork buns, har gow (shrimp dumplings), pai gwat (pork spare ribs with black beans), wu gok (taro balls), and lo bak gaw (radish cake). If you can’t make it to Oriental East, there are a few other dim sum staples in the area, including A&J Restaurant and Hollywood East Café, though nothing in D.C. compares to what you’ll find on the West Coast. —Alicia Mazzara
Oriental East is located at 1312 East West Highway.
Photo by Maryland Route 5
TABARD INN: For a classic D.C. brunch, the Tabard is the place to be. For a simple brunch, just get some cinnamon sugar doughnuts and a cup of coffee. If you require something more substantial, try the buttermilk fried chicken biscuit sandwich. Make sure to snag a reservation by calling 202.331.8528. — Sarah Anne Hughes
Tabard Inn is located at 1739 N Street NW.
SAINT-EX: I’m not going to lie, even if their food was terrible, I’d still include Saint-Ex’s brunch on this list simply because they have Millenium Falcon toast. Yes, that’s right, toast shaped like the Millenium Falcon. Nerdgasm. Fortunately, their brunch menu is also quite good, and given the ever-evolving status of 14th Street NW, you never really have to wait long for a table during the coveted brunch hour (thanks, Ted’s Bulletin!). Saint-Ex’s brunch perfectly straddles the line between artisanal and hearty, with creative takes on classic dishes like the Fried Green Tomato Benedict, Slow Roasted Pork Belly with poached eggs over tomato garlic grits, and the house scrapple, served with scrambled eggs and, yes, Millenium Falcon toast. —Matt Cohen
Saint-Ex is located at 1847 14th Street NW.
BIRCH AND BARLEY: I imagine that eating Sunday brunch at Birch and Barley is kind of like stepping onto the set of a shoot for Food & Wine magazine. The interior is modern and gorgeous, and so is the food. Everything is familiar, but better. Take the corned beef hash, with house-made corned beef and topped with a duck egg, because chicken eggs are for suckers. Thick-cut French toast and quiche flavors rotate depending on the season; right now you can expect fall favorites like honeycrisp apple and pumpkin. And don’t forget to order the house-fried donuts or sticky buns for the table. If you’re more in the mood for lunch, Birch and Barley also offers a number of flatbreads and entrees off their regular menu as well. —Alicia Mazzara
Birch and Barley is located at 1337 14th Street NW.
CASHION’S EAT PLACE: Both your stomach and your conscious will leave Cashion’s brunch fully satisfied. The seasonal brunch menu always features a heavy selection of fresh, locally-sourced meats, dairy, poultry, and produce. Rest assured, the crab on in the eggs benedict is actually from Maryland; the shrimp in the shrimp and grits is not from Vietnam; and that the pig in the pork hash was pasture raised a few miles away. But even if none of that matters to you, Cashion’s brunch is still delicious thanks to the high-quality ingredients and meticulous preparation. —Alicia Mazzara
Cashion’s Eat Place is located at 1819 Columbia Road NW.
KANGAROO BOXING CLUB: Fair warning: You may want to clear your schedule for the next few hours after brunching at KBC. The Columbia Heights barbecue-themed spot features a heavy brunch menu that will certainly leave you needing a nap. And what sort of brunch options can do this, you may be asking? How about the Pastrami Smashed Potatoes, or the ‘Merikan Breakfast platter, or the quite ominous-sounding Four Horsemen of the Aporcalypse, which combines four different kinds of meat and a fried egg. Oh, and there’s the Stuffed French Toast, which is stuffed with vanilla cream cheese and fruit, and encrusted in caramelized frosted flakes (I once asked a waitress about that mad concoction and she said the chef came up with the idea while stoned). You’ve been warned. —Matt Cohen
KBC is located at 3410 11th Street NW.
FARMERS FISHERS BAKERS: If your ultimate brunch dreams involve an all-you-can-eat buffet, look no further than Farmers Fishers Bakers. The expansive Georgetown restaurant is routinely mobbed on the weekend as diners load up their plates with everything from traditional brunch items to fried chicken, tacos, and sushi. There’s even an entire station devoted to dessert, along with roving trays of hot biscuits, gooey cinnamon rolls, eggs Benedict, and sushi. FFB also has some top notch cocktails, from a refreshing Pimm’s Cup to rotating punch specials. The buffet will set you back $30 for unlimited food; drinks are extra. —Alicia Mazzara
Farmers Fishers Bakers is located at 3000 K Street NW.
MASA 14:There is an age-old brunch dilemma, and it is the question of whether to order something sweet or savory. Luckily, at Masa 14, you don’t have to choose—literally. The restaurant’s $35 pre fixe brunch special will net you unlimited tapas and brunch cocktails, so you can eat and drink yourself into a coma by trying everything on the menu. Expect Masa 14’s signature Asian-Latin twist on brunch dishes, like lychee bellinis, bacon fried rice with kimchi, breakfast tacos, and chilaquiles. —Alicia Mazzara
Masa 14 is located at 1825 14th Street NW.
PERRY’S: Who doesn’t love a drag performance with a side of eggs? Perry’s hosts an ever-popular drag queen brunch every Sunday. For $25 you get unlimited trips to a brunch buffet, but the main event is the drag show. If you want a chance to be serenaded ladies (gentleman?) in sparkly dresses while sipping your mimosa, be sure to line up early to snag a coveted table. The small dining room makes for relatively cramped quarters for the performance, so expect things to get interactive in the most entertaining way possible. —Alicia Mazzara
Perry’s is located at 1811 Columbia Rd NW.
