The problem with the brunch scene is that it can kind of be, well, a scene, but we’ve come up with a few options if you need help breaking out of your brunch rut. We’ve picked out places that veer from the traditional American brunch playbook, places you might not usually think about visiting quite so early or that are quite literally off the beaten path. For our previous contentious posts about best brunch, see here and here.
Via Umbria (Photo by Via Umbria)
VIA UMBRIA: Hidden away in Georgetown the “laboratorio” of Via Umbria, a boutique market that features wonderful Italian ceramics, wine, cold cuts, and food products of Italy, is one of the best brunch deals in the city. For $35 you can eat at a communal table on alternate Sundays for their “Bottomless Bellini” Brunch. This is no ordinary meal. It includes traditional antipasti, an assortment of egg and pasta dishes, sides like a fall salad and roasted vegetables, and of course, sweets for a great send-off. This month’s brunch on October 30th will feature Chestnut Apple Fritters and Castagnole. Check the website for reservations. Well worth a trip to Wisconsin Avenue to get a genuine taste of Italy. And if you cannot make if for the 1 p.m. brunch they are open daily for excellent coffee, Italian pastries, and other delicacies you can eat on the fly. —Johanna Mendelson Forman
Via Umbria is located at 1525 Wisconsin Avenue NW
Migas with salsa verde (Photo by Jose V./Yelp)
DON JAIME’S: Restaurants serving brunch have taken to mining other culture’s breakfast options and fancying them up. Fuck that; shakshuka doesn’t need meddling. The same goes for migas and huevos rancheros, which should be plentiful and uncomplicated. Mount Pleasant’s Don Jaime’s doesn’t disappoint; there aren’t any frills and I don’t miss them. Even better, the heaping Mexican dishes come at some of the city’s most reasonable brunch prices. — Rachel Sadon
Don Jaime’s is located at 3209 Mt Pleasant Street NW
(Photo by pixelant)
BOMBAY CLUB: The Sunday buffet brunch is an elegant twist on a champagne brunch. You can enjoy a buffet of fantastic, traditional Indian cooking with meat, fish, chicken and vegetable dishes all served with warm naan and rice. Live piano plays in the background, making it a classy affair. The buffet is $24, but you can upgrade to unlimited champagne for $35, still a relative bargain in D.C. The brunch lasts from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and reservations are highly recommended.
Bombay Club is located at 815 Connecticut Avenue NW
Scarlet Oak (Photo by Scarlet Oak)
SCARLET OAK: Scarlet Oak understands what people love about brunch. The Navy Yard restaurant is easy, casual, and friendly. It serves up its bottomless mimosas ($16 per person) by the carafe, which cuts back on the need to constantly flag down a server for refills. Highlights of the Southern-inspired menu include the fried chicken and crab cake Benedicts. You’ll also find plenty of other breakfast staples along with salads, pizzas, and sandwiches. Scarlet Oak has outside seating and is a quick walk from Nationals Park and Yards Park.—Travis Mitchell
Scarlet Oak is located at 909 New Jersey Avenue SE
A brunch dish at Boqueria (Photo by Boqueria)
BOQUERIA: Calling it underrated might be a stretch, considering it’s often packed. But enjoying tapas as your first meal of the day is something special. For $39, you get all the tapas, all of the booze, and all of the dessert. The standouts are the three flavors of sangria and churros filled with nutella. There are also the Spanish classics with a brunchy twist, like a Spanish omelet, chorizo and eggs, fried potatoes, and even mussels and lamb meatballs. The whole table has to go for the deal, and there’s a 2.5-hour time limit. Brunch is served from 10:30 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Boqueria is located at 1837 M Street NW
Waffles smothered with ube ice cream (Photo by Purple Patch)
PURPLE PATCH: The centerpiece of Purple Patch’s brunch menu proved so popular that they made it available for dinner. Originating from the Pampanga region of the Philippines, Northwest of Manila, sisig is Filipino comfort food, a huge portion of pork belly and shoulder served on a sizzling fajita-sized plate with rice topped with a fried egg that cooks before your eyes. Filipino breakfast means eggs and rice, and Purple Patch serves this with a variety of delicious traditional toppings. Tapsilog features slices of marinated, cured beef, while Longsilog adds longanisa, a tasty, garlic-heavy Filipino sausage. Finally, Purple Patch puts a Filipino twist on an American brunch staple: their chicken and waffles come with a scoop of purple ice cream flavored with ube, the yam that gives the restaurant its name. And since it’s not brunch without mimosas—I highly recommend the spicy ginger lemon variety. —Pat Padua
Purple Patch is located at 3155 Mount Pleasant Street NW. Brunch is served Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
A very hearty brunch (Photo by Granville Moore’s)
GRANVILLE MOORE’S: Granville is known for their mussels, and you can find two kinds on their brunch menu (a classic white wine and garlic version and a more decadent one with blue cheese and pork belly). They’ve got a lot of stick-to-your-ribs Southern-tinged fare like fried chicken and biscuits and confit pork belly and grits. A popular option is the bison burger, which comes with a fried egg. A standout is the The Good Doctor, which is scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, avocado, chipotle mayo on potato kaiser roll. Vegetarians take note: we’ve long been a fan of their veggie sausage since they began serving brunch. There are no bottomless specials, but they’ve got a full selection of brunch beers and brunch cocktails.
Dr. Granville Moore’s is located at 1238 H Street NE
WONDERLAND BALLROOM: If the idea of returning to the scene (a bar) of the crime (drinking way too much) seems wrong, then I invite you to the dark cave that is Wonderland Ballroom on a weekend morning to be proven pleasurably guilty. I don’t go for hair of the dog—though I’m told Wonderland’s Bloody Marys are wonderfully restorative if you do. Rather, my first thought upon blinking my eyes open through a hangover (or honestly, often just when I wake up hungry) is how to get myself a heaping pile of eggs and potatoes. And man does Wonderland deliver. All of their skillets come with grilled peppers, onions, cherry tomatoes, cheddar cheese, and home fries, so it is really just a matter of what other things you want in there. I’m partial to the Hollywood (which also comes with veggie sausage, avocado, and two eggs) while my partner prefers The Cure (chili, an omelet, sour cream, and avocado). In addition to pretty standard brunch fare, the menu also boasts challah french toast and mac-n-cheese pancakes. One note of caution: the coffee is about on par with Exxon’s. Consider going to Paisley Fig or the Coupe, both up the street, for caffeination instead. — Rachel Sadon
Wonderland Ballroom is located at 1101 Kenyon St NW
A bowl of ful with eggs (Photo by Kay C./Yelp)
KEREN: I’m sticking to ful at Keren, the Eritrean restaurant at the nexus of 18th, Florida, and U. Not only does it serve breakfast all day, but the morning-meal star is that magical, energizing bowl of ful. Their ful is a full-bodied fava bean stew enlivened by spices like cumin and berbere, and topped by herbs and veggies. You can get it with eggs and a roll on the side, but it’s customizable in about a dozen ways. Get a dash of cooling yogurt and a steaming cup of coffee—roasted on site—and it’s the best brunch you’ve never heard of. —Evan Caplan
Keren is located at 1780 Florida Ave NW
Brunch at Art-Drenaline 365 Cafe (Photo via Facebook)
ART-DRENALINE 365 CAFE: This art-focused restaurant, located inside the Anacostia Arts Center, lays out a one-of-a-kind spread in a neighborhood that’s often lamented for its lack of quality food options. On Sundays, customers come for a buffet brunch of fresh fruit, salads, and pastas, as well as waffles, made-to-order omelets, breakfast potatoes, and some of the best hibiscus iced tea I’ve ever tasted, among other options, for just $21.95. A restaurant on a mission, Art-Drenaline also trains budding chefs to cook its farm-to-table food.—Christina Sturdivant
Art-Drenaline 365 Cafe is located at 1231 Good Hope Roard SE
