It’s hard to remember, but at the beginning of the year, few of us had heard of Initiative 77, lines of bagel-hungry patrons hadn’t stretched out the door of Call Your Mother in Park View, and the pop-up bar people hadn’t made enemies out of the Cartoon Network. Through all the news, there was plenty of new fare to keep us sated in 2018, including new homegrown rum from Potomac Distilling Company, meatballs galore from The Meatball Shop, bún from the family behind Pho Viet, a whole lot of hummus from Little Sesame, and Middle Eastern craft cocktails from The Green Zone. All those new spots made some of the year’s losses a little easier to swallow, including American City Diner, which closed in July after 30 years anchoring Chevy Chase; H Street’s Atlas Arcade; and Ruta Del Vino on Upshur Street.
Our food writers remained hungry for news all year long. In their own words, here were their favorite dishes, moments, and places in 2018’s food scene.
Craft beer continues to get weirder, stretching its anfractuous market tendrils across sour-aged barrels and dry-hop-it-all lactose sugar ales. I love the brave variety. But I also appreciate the beer bars and breweries who also continue to honor brewsy traditions, and I count on them to keep doing so in the inebriated face of this daring new beer world. I can count on a cream ale at Public Option, a warm-ish pour of English bitters on cask at ChurchKey, fresh c-hopped saisons from 3 Stars, and an unfiltered lager from Denizens. Pour on in 2019, please.—Sam Nelson
This year thrust the breakfast sandwich into the spotlight. From Call Your Mother’s candied salmon bagels (no surprise that the Timber Pizza team nailed yet another category of bread) to Mason Dixie Biscuit Co.’s buttermilk and fried chicken classics to Ellē’s smoked brisket and egg, there were so many new reasons to get up in the morning. But I especially loved seeing no-frills Park View cafe Heat da Spot earn some of the attention it has long deserved. The coffee shop’s Ethiopian breakfast with injera bread made People magazine’s popular breakfast list and was one of Washingtonian’s comfort food picks. But I think the real stand-out is their $5 breakfast sandwich—a dependable greasy fry-up of egg, meat, and cheese, best served on a bagel or croissant with a side of the spicy house sauce.—Kate Stoltzfus
I just can’t stop evangelizing about Napoli Pasta Bar, the unassuming pasta place in Park View that opened in March. When it was named to the Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand list this fall, my foodiest friend emailed me with the subject line: “Okay, so maybe you were on to something.” I’m not going to pretend that I don’t enjoy a fancy restaurant (even if I do draw the line at waiting in line for one), but they’re a dime a dozen in D.C. these days. This city is lacking in easygoing establishments that are just as worthwhile as their upscale counterparts. And that’s why Napoli is such a joy. They aren’t trying to put a trendy twist on Neapolitan cuisine; they’re just … making it. And it’s revelatory. If you told me that an Italian grandmother was in the back hunched over the gnocchi sorrentina, I’d believe it in a heartbeat. The O Sole Mio (a slush of Aperol and citrus, topped with prosecco) is the platonic ideal of a summer patio drink. But, really, order whatever you want; you can’t go wrong with their homemade pasta, and the cocktails are $10 (no, that’s not a typo). Just promise me that you’ll get the cannoli. No, really. Do Not Skip The Cannoli.—Rachel Sadon
Of all the bar openings this year, few surprised me as much as Morris American Bar, David Strauss’ pastel-washed cocktail den in Mt. Vernon Square. Look beyond speakeasy tropes like hand-cut ice and a no-standing policy and you’ll find a spot with a knowledge staff that make drinks with remarkable care, consistency, and value at $12. For starters, the drink menu here is concise and balanced. It rotates monthly, but expect everything from boozy sippers to refreshing highballs. And if none of the suggestions strike your fancy (or even if they do), be bold enough to call for a bartender’s choice suited to your taste in liquor and flavor. Each drink arrives in its preferred glass and at just the right temperature. No food is served, so this is a destination best fit for a pre- or post-meal round.—Travis Mitchell
My mom is vegan and I am nice, which means that I’ve sampled plenty of D.C.’s vegan—ahem, plant-based—offerings. Whenever we get together for dinner, we unfortunately still have a fairly short list of restaurants in the District to choose from. Then came Fancy Radish, a D.C. branch of a Philadelphia-based vegan food empire, which opened on H Street in March. Blessedly free of rubbery meat approximations, this spot focuses on the, well, vegetable part of vegetarian dining. I never would have guessed that a fondue made of rutabaga with warm pretzel bread would be my favorite (almost) cheese dish of 2018, nor that a plant-based banoffee ice cream with sticky toffee pudding would be my favorite dessert. (And lest you think that my mom and the Fancy Radish people have converted me to a life of vegan menus, just know that my first runner-up here was the lamb kebab with dollops of garlicky toum and tomato jam at Maydan)—Lori McCue
New Jerseyites like myself know from good breakfast sandwiches. None of this egg white wrap nonsense. Bring on the carbs, eggs, and mystery pork. Glue the whole shebang together with melty cheese. It’s not hoity-toity. But then, neither is neighborhood spot extraordinaire Ellē. I devoured the PoPville-endorsed sandwich at Ellē’s windowside seating one sunny Saturday. It jolted me with flavor. I blame the house-smoked brisket; the egg and cheese are savory supporting cast members. As for the sesame- and poppy-flecked bun? So light, I forgot my sworn loyalty to the everything bagel.—Carmen Drahl
Takoma Bev Co has been my significantly-more-stylish second home since its opening in summer ’17 (it’s the perfect place to sit, write and people watch), but in 2018 it doubled its space and added second bar where the owners plan to hold community classes in all things beverage-related. My favorite moments were whiled away on owners’ Chris Brown and Seth Cook’s couch there, a cocktail in hand allowing me to feel classy—even in sweatpants, surrounded by my neighbors, at 11 a.m. on a weekday.—Helen Lyons
Food activism in 2018 was stronger than ever. There is a renewed focus on food justice within D.C. and abroad, critical in a time that our neighbor up Pennsylvania has gone the other direction. José Andrés has elevated his activism to another level, rightly earning that Nobel Peace Prize nom. More locally, the Initiative 77 debate opened diners’ eyes to struggles of back-of-house workers we rarely see, while allowing constructive debate among industry, owners, and staff. D.C. also had its own culinary #metoo movement that toppled a Top Chef. Here’s to hoping 2019 brings a renewed focus on justice, whether fresh goods at the corner store or making sure Trader Joe’s never runs out of samples.—Evan Caplan
The exuberant block party for Ben’s Chili Bowl’s 60th birthday that drew at least 500 revelers became my favorite moment on the D.C. food scene in 2018. It was incredible seeing customers, long-time employees, residents, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, and others celebrate the iconic eatery’s 85-year-old owner Virginia Ali, her late husband Ben Ali, and their sons, Nizam, Kamal, and Haidar, who control the family empire. The business not only weathered many obstacles over the years, including the 1968 uprisings, the crack cocaine epidemic, and gentrification, but it also spawned several more locations and two spinoffs. Here’s to another 60!—Lenore T. Adkins
There are a lot of great D.C. restaurants for dining but please hear me out here—what about not going to them? This doesn’t necessarily mean subjecting yourself to the whims of your own cooking (though it can—cooking rules!). When you’re too lazy to whip something up and not quite in the mood to interact with strangers, might I recommend ordering some food for delivery? Now more than ever before, local restaurants are offering take-out services. Mainly, this happens through third-party apps (many of which chafe restaurant owners), though I greatly prefer ordering from places like Salt and Pepper Grill, which do their own delivery. One positive trend in 2018 was that, after increased scrutiny of the lack of food delivery options in wards 7 and 8 (though DCist has been on the case for years), some of the major delivery services have finally expanded their coverage areas to include locations east of the river. An important reminder: Whoever you’re ordering from, for the love of all that is holy, please tip your delivery person amply, preferably in cash.—Rachel Kurzius
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