When 2020 began, DCist food writers wrote that they hoped the year would bring more zero-proof drinks, Korean restaurants, and variety in the ingredients on our grocery shelves. Instead … well, we all know what 2020 brought the restaurant scene. Local chefs and employees quickly turned their sit-down restaurants into takeout factories; restaurateurs opened up community kitchens and free food fridges to feed vulnerable residents. All the while, locals in the industry worried about how they would survive a tough winter with dwindling resources. During the hardest year on record for local restaurants, there were still of moments of strength, feats of creativity, and perfect bites to celebrate in 2020. Here’s what we loved in local food this year.

A KNOCKOUT BURGER: I rarely left my self-imposed bubble between NoMa and Ivy City, but when I did, a lot of times it was to hit up Mélange, a new burger joint that opened in 2020 where Ray’s Hell Burger used to be in Mount Vernon Square. I’m absolutely addicted to chef-owner Elias Taddesse’s succulent burgers — I’ve already had three this month. It just tickles me that he’s French trained and is cutting his teeth in D.C. by flipping burgers. Eagerly waiting to see what he does next! —Lenore T. Adkins

TASTES LIKE HOME: Los Hermanos in Columbia Heights has been a foundation for me since I moved to the neighborhood in September. Their homestyle Dominican platters with arroz moro, pernil, platanos and the occasional tres leches cake bring back the flavors of home. I’ve been surrounded by Hispanic food my whole life — for me, home is where the rice is. When I relocated to D.C. from New Jersey in 2018, there wasn’t much Spanish food around me. Los Hermanos isn’t just a connection to my culture: It’s a reminder that where I am now feels and tastes like home. —Christian Zapata

CHEERS TO CATHEDRAL HEIGHTS: In a year where many months required staying close to home, the 3300 block of Wisconsin Avenue NW became a go-to destination. My neighborhood rallied behind its restaurants from the start. Tex-Mex favorite Cactus Cantina packaged up margaritas and fish tacos with a smile, and its complimentary salsa only gets better after a day in the fridge. I exhaled in September when 2Amys pizzeria returned following an ambitious transformation to carryout-only service. I’ve also filled up regularly at Heritage India, where the lunch platters (my order is the coconut-based Goa curry) are a fantastic, filling value. —Travis Mitchell

A SWEET MEMORY: Whenever I needed salve for my soul — usually at least twice a day — I always turned to the pastry case, often for something that triggered soothing nostalgia. Paola Velez from La Bodega at Compass Rose evoked childhood trips to the tropics with her cake jar packed with sticky sweet pineapple, pound cake, and fluffy marshmallow. A tantalizingly tangy lemon meringue tart from Un Je Ne Sais Quoi reminded me why I fell in love with lemony treats as a kid. And I pregamed Thanksgiving with a totally traditional pecan pie from Café Riggs, just like the one my grandmother made. Escapism never tasted so good. —Nevin Martell

NEW VOCABULARY WORDS: Diners, meet the pivot. A word more often used in reference to Excel, pivot has taken on an entirely new meaning for our dining scene as restaurateurs were forced to close their doors this spring, and again this winter. Many first turned from indoor dining to delivery and takeout, like standout sushi spot Sushi Taro. Big names like José Andrés turned restaurants into community kitchens to feed industry staff in need. Others started online cooking or cocktail classes, including Carlie Steiner of Pom Pom. Still others turned underutilized kitchen space into ghost kitchens, churning out meal kits or an entirely different menu (see: Espita flipping burgers). If it was anything, the innovative pivot saved many a struggling DC restaurant. —Evan Caplan

WHAT’S IN THE FRIDGE? I loved watching Medium Rare step up to support the seniors in our area with hot meals. They began delivering restaurant-quality meals at the start of the pandemic — just when it became evident that older people might not be able to leave their homes — and haven’t stopped. The way COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted seniors has been heartbreaking and a reminder of how elderly populations are sometimes left behind in the U.S. So it’s powerful to see a restaurant in our area keeping our local seniors in their thoughts, but more importantly safe and well-fed. —Chelsea Cirruzzo 

COMFORT FOOD: Albi was my D.C. food favorite for complex reasons. Beyond the outstanding food and service, Albi provided an escape during some of 2020’s darkest moments. I would pop in frequently to reminisce about my time spent living in the Middle East through hints of old flavors and familiar textures. When this year brought isolation, protest, and more Black deaths, I leaned into memories of experiencing my Blackness differently, less painfully while in the Levant. My life there was not perfect, but bite by bite Albi allowed me to hold onto memories filled with joy, family, and a sense of freedom. —Anela Malik

A CUT ABOVE: This was the first year in a while that I had an outdoor dining table! It brought so, so many good times to our house in a year where we felt disconnected from our city. My favorite dinner on our patio centered around the most incredible lamb shoulder from the Butcher’s Market in Mt. Pleasant. They graciously hunted down the cut I was looking for, and the labor paid off. I made a lamb shawarma dinner that was truly one for the books. —Alexya Brown

SIP FOR A GOOD CAUSE: In May, it was clear the service industry would be in for a long, hard year. Purcellville, Va., distillery Catoctin Creek responded by creating a custom-blended “infinity barrel” made of whiskey its local restaurant partners weren’t able to sell because of the pandemic. The 80-proof bottles were a huge success (and sold out by the time I visited the distillery in October). I picked up a bottle of their Roundstone Rye, a pre-Prohibition style whisky and their most popular product. After one taste, I understood why critics have raved about it for years. —Elliot C. Williams

SWIPE FOR A SNACK: There have been a few times when I’ve seen a dish on Purple Patch’s Instagram and made plans to order it from the Mount Pleasant Filipino restaurant soon. But never has the time between seeing a post and eating a dish been shorter than when I saw the mango float. Each square is a creamy cold delight that reminds me of the summer’s dream ice cream bars I used to eat as a kid, but with a powerful mango flavor. Every time I get it, I try and save a little bit in the fridge for another day. I have yet to succeed. —Gabe Bullard

TACO TAKEDOWN: This now seems like it took place in another universe entirely, but I look back so fondly on the Taco Bell Cantina Twitter Discourse™, which — if you can believe it — took place in February 2020. The central question was a simple one: Is the opening of a Taco Bell Cantina in Columbia Heights capital-G Good? The issue divided local food Twitter like few things before or since. On one side of the aisle were those that asked themselves, “What, pray tell, could possibly be wrong with the debut of a giant Taco Bell that serves alcoholic beverages?” On the other side were those that (wrongly) compared Taco Bell to the plethora of delicious Mexican joints in the neighborhood. I loved fighting about this in February and I love fighting about it now. Bring me all your takes about the Taco Bell Cantina. —Natalie Delgadillo

BUYING SPREE: Back in March, when social distancing was still new and restaurants didn’t know how long they would remain dark, I really took one for the team and supported my favorite local businesses with a lot of online shopping. Buying merch felt like a stylish and low-lift way to support the restaurants and bars that make me love D.C. Now I’m the owner of an extremely cool sweatshirt from Meats & Foods, two (!) jigsaw puzzles and a t-shirt from All Souls, and — my favorite thing — a travel mug with the image of a scowling cat from Elle. I’ve gotten compliments every time I’ve taken him to the farmers market (for post-shopping, lifted-mask sips only!), from folks who recognize that sourpuss as the mascot of a beloved neighborhood joint. My mug appears to no longer be available on Elle’s site, but I think I may need to make room in my closet for the crewneck emblazoned with cat butts. Anything to show my restaurant love. —Lori McCue

A BRUSSELS CONVERT: I did not imagine 2020 would be the year I fell for Brussels sprouts – but then, who saw any of it coming? I didn’t dislike the orb-like cabbages, but I was certainly neutral. On a whim in early February, I ordered the yuzu Brussels sprouts at Flower Child, a healthy fast-casual restaurant that has multiple locations in the Washington region. (It’s amazing, and will be my lunch go-to when office life resumes.) Their sprouts are made with charred onion, savoy cabbage, and golden miso, and they are heavenly – like an indulgent dessert. Seriously. I returned over and over again for another order, and started eating Brussels sprouts at home a few times weekly. The dish is for sure my favorite food discovery of the year. —Angela Haupt

NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: This was a tough year for restaurants, to put it mildly. What struck me was the creativity and generosity of so many folks in food, even as the pandemic decimated the industry and forced change after change. They fed protesters at Black Lives Matter plaza and seeded bake sales against racism. They kept houseless Washingtonians fed. They adapted by starting ghost kitchens and creating virtual cooking and cocktail classes and meal kits for mastering chef secrets at home. The list goes on. We owe it to everyone who feeds D.C. to listen to what creativity, generosity, and change they’ll need from diners to recover post-pandemic and support more equitable, sustainable models in 2021. —Kate Stoltzfus

ALL THAT SIMMERS IS GOLD: Ah, curry. It’s a spicy cozy sweater in a bowl, and I can never get enough. I’ve made some tasty curries, but no matter how much labor and love I pour into them, they’re always still lacking. Enter Rasika’s simmer sauces, which restaurateur Ashok Bajaj and executive chef Vikram Sunderam started cooking up this summer. I’ll never be able to replicate the Rasika experience (especially the palak chaat!) at home, but those charming 16-ounce pots of korma, makhani, and vindaloo have significantly elevated my curry game. Now if only I could nail homemade naan. —Morgan Voigt

MAIL TIME: The surprises we’ve gotten in 2020 have mostly been horrible, but for me, there’s one notable exception — my “CALA-Box.” I ordered a monthly subscription from Calabash Tea, one of my favorite gathering places pre-pandemic. That means each month, I get an incredible present in the mail. It’s filled with tea, of course, along with other carefully curated goodies that change each time. I get to provide steady funds to a business I care about AND I receive thoughtful treats. It’s all upsides! —Rachel Kurzius

FINDING ‘OUR PLACE’: In the antepandemic period 100 years ago, I was a newlywed living in Colonial Village. The only overlapping free time Husband and I had was late at night, so we’d go for long walks in Arlington. We ended up at Rhodeside Grill more times than I can count thanks to its reliability and late hours. The people-watching and solid food made the early months more comfortable: having a shared neighborhood hangout, Being Together Forever. It was a comfort we didn’t even know we needed. We’re still definitely together, but we live in Richmond now. Miss you, Rhodeside. — Dawnthea Price Lisco

REMEMBER DINNER PARTIES? My favorite food memory of 2020 is the last time I went to a big group dinner. It was in February at Kao Sarn at Eden Center in Falls Church, where eight of us crammed together at a tiny table in their small indoor dining space. Of course, everything changed a few weeks later. Kao Sarn closed down in March but reopened in September for takeout. We now get it every few weeks. While we may not have that big group dinner for a long time, at least we can still eat our favorite panang curry at home. —Matt Blitz

MEET YOU AT THE MARKET: After more than 15 years in D.C., I finally visited the Dupont Circle Farmers Market for the first time this spring. I know! I know! But there are several others that are closer to me! Anyway, I fell head over heels and promptly made up for lost time. I went week after week, temporarily forgetting the pandemic as my eyes grew big at the delicious things you can’t find in the supermarket and the promise of all sorts of ambitious cooking projects. (I’m looking at you, nettle pasta!) I had the best strawberries and peas of my life in the spring, lost my mind over summertime figs, and bought my first batch of paw paws in the fall. But more than anything, it was nice to remember that there are still things in D.C. to fall hard in love with, even after all this time. —Rachel Sadon

NOODIST VENTURES: In a year that required more comfort food than expected, my partner and I continued our years-long goal of ordering noodles from every ramen spot in the District. We try not to repeat noods too often — but one restaurant that I admittedly doubled-dipped from this year was the classic Toki Underground in the H Street Corridor. It might be a while until we can all cram into crowded ramen shops, maskless and slurping with abandon, but eating local noodle/broth pairings from the couch offered a certain comfort that only 2020 could deliver. —Mikka Kei Macdonald