Two Weeks in Adams Morgan with my Wife - Coming from Chicago, Need Various Things

[whoiswoland]

My wife and I will be in Adams Morgan for the first two weeks of April (course for her job).

We're hoping to get suggestions on local spots.

Some notes which I hope help give useful advice.

• We'd prefer only one or two fancier meals...more hole in the wall, ethnic gems preferred.
• We're in our early 30s and have no eating restrictions.
• We're coming from Chicago (so we have great Mexican, Central Asian and Thai where we live currently).
• Willing to travel anywhere that public transportation goes within 50 minutes.
• Willing to travel for great croissants and baguettes.  

Thanks in advance!

[funkyfood]

So many options that I'll let others fill in the blank, but you should have Ethiopian food while you're here.  It's delicious and different.  My favorite place is actually an Eritrean place (but the differences are negligible) and happens to be in Adams Morgan.  Check out Keren at the corner of U, 18th and Florida Ave.  Get the Keren Special and enjoy.

The best bread I've had in the city (others may disagree) is at the trendy, huge Le Diplomate.  Their complimentary bread basket is outstanding (all made in-house daily, baguette included) and so is the rest of the food.  Very busy usually, but it's so big you should be able to get in for two.  At the corners of 14th and S NW--smack in the middle of the 14th Street Corridor, which has lots of swanky restaurants but not many great ones.

[Ericandblueboy]

Good ethnic Asian in DC include Bad Saint (Filipino), Thip Khao (Lao), Little Serow (northern Thai), Maketto (hipster Taiwanese, Chinese brunch), Daikaya and Toki Underground for ramen, and Izakaya Seki for Japanese pub food. None of them qualify as dives, nor are they cheap. They're just not super expensive.

Middle eastern cuisine is well represented in DC but I can't come up with a go to place (they all seem somewhat the same to me).

[Pat]

For a bakery, BreadFurst  -- not too far away on the red line (Van Ness Station)

DR.com thread

Newly opened in Adams Morgan and getting a lot of buzz, some good reviews and some mixed: Tail Up Goat.

DR.com thread

Mintwood Place for French in Adams Morgan

DR.com thread

I agree on the Ethiopian.  Zenebech Injera is another one to try.

[Simon]

Zenebech for Ethiopian; BreadFurst for bread; Kinship for your "fancier" meal

ETA: And CF Folks for lunch in Dupont.  Sit at the counter, order one of the specials, chat up the cranky old guy.

[Tweaked]

If you are relying on public transportation:

The Red Line Metro stop at Woodley Park (Connecticut Ave & Calvert) will be a 10-15 minute walk, depending on where in Adams Morgan you are staying.  That's the best way to get downtown and the National Mall/Museums.

The Circulator bus (Woodley Park line) will take you over to Mt. Pleasant/Columbia Heights, which has some good ethnic joints.

The 96 Bus will take you thru Adams Morgan, along U Street (which intersects with trendy 14th Street), and thru the Shaw neighborhoods.

You will need to buy a plastic SmartTrip card, available at Metro stations, CVS pharmacy, and I'm sure plenty of other places.

[DaRiv18]

Quintessential DC spots that are not high end (but not super cheap gems or tourist traps either):

The Greek Deli (lunch only)

2 Amys (italian)

Bread Furst (baguettes, agree with everyone upthread)

Maketto (maybe not quintessential, but Frenchie's croissants are my favorite)

Rappahannock Oyster Bar in Union Market (getting fancy, but accessible and regional)

[lizzie]

If in Georgetown, look for Chaia on Grace St (off lower Wisconsin Ave) - great vegetarian taco shop with interesting juices. After, stroll along the canal to Baked and Wired on Thomas Jefferson St for coffee and a cupcake or nut bar.Also totally agree on Thip Khao and Keren mentioned above.

Daikaya was mentioned above for ramen, but they also have an unusual and delicious Sunday brunch menu. The french toast soaked overnight in soy milk is a favorite. It is a good starting point to then go to the National Building Museum and the American/Portrait Art Galleries.

And, Washington Nationals are playing at home the 7th (opener) and 9th-14th (or 13th?)  Go to a game - great stadium. Some food options ok but lines get really long. Others can chime in on favorites as I tend to stick to beer and peanuts.

[funkyfood]

Second Chaia.  Awesome, unique stuff. 

[sheldman]

If you have an evening where you just want to hang out and get a sandwich and a drink in Adams Morgan, look at Songbyrd, which is a coffee shop, restaurant, music venue, and (small) record store.  If you have a complete aversion to young people who might be called "hipsters," then you won't like it - but they aren't really pompous hipsters and it's a friendly place with food that is more than decent.

Also you might want to peek at Bossa Bistro (also right there on 18th St. in Adams Morgan) - I can't vouch for the food, but there is often interesting music (e.g., old Ethiopian jazz musicians, or traditional music from Mali) and there is alcohol, so what's not to like.

[whoiswoland]

Thanks all for the fantastic suggestions.  Much appreciated.  

[ktmoomau]

I used to live near Adam's Morgan and we really liked Coppi's Organic and Cafe St Ex, but it has been a while since I have been to either maybe check more recent reviews.  I have had good experiences at Bar Civita, as well.  Dino's Grotto and Baby Wale are good places to check out, as well.

[zgast]

Thanks all for the fantastic suggestions.  Much appreciated.  

Second Thip Khao just up 14th St. in Columbia Heights.  It's Laotian, but don't let that throw you off - it's oh so very good.

L'Enfant at 18th and Florida is great for sitting outside on a nice evening and having a glass of wine and an appetizer.

[Tweaked]

In Adams Morgan: check out Donburi for Japanese rice bowls, it's super casual counter seating, and might be a good solo lunch option. Amsterdam Falafel would be another good option for a cheap and easy lunch. Sakuramen for your ramen needs.  Jug & Table is a small, kinda quirky wine bar, and its sister restaurant Roofer's Union has a nice roof deck bar.  Tryst Coffeehouse would be a good option if you want a quiet morning/afternoon with a book or lap top.  The Black Squirrel for your dive bar tap room beer needs.  Jack Rose Dining Saloon will take care of all things scotch and whiskey.  If you are into vinyl records, Crooked Beat.  And if you like to smoke hookahs, there's a hookah lounge on just about every block.

[DaRiv18]

Y'know, Indigo may qualify as an ethnic, divey spot for spicy Punjabi. You won't be dining with a sketch crowd, but it is a bare bones establishment with fair pricing, and really delicious.

For an H Street NE crawl I would proceed as follows:

Boundary Road, for a happy hour I'm Thinking About Getting a Vespa and peanut butter and foie gras sandwich

Indigo, for Goat Curry and House wine

Rappahannock, for jparrott's fave of 6 steamed clams and a glass of La Gitano sherry

Sally's Middle Name, anything

And then Maketto (Asian fusion), Toki Underground ( Taiwainese ramen), or Granville Moores (mussels and frites and definitely divey). The Pug afterwards.

[DameEdna]

Agree with many recommendations upthread. Adams Morgan has many places,inexpensive, classic,

with love/hate reviews:

- So's Your Mom (sp?) sandwich, bagel

- Pho 14 - Vietnamese (that is a tough tendon!)

- Super Taco (Tex-Mex ish)

- Madame's Organ (for fried chicken?) It is a legend . Sooner or later, maybe

     years from now, someone will say "You went  to Madame's Organ? Tell us about it."

- Lapis Bistro, fairly new, French and Afghani(!), getting mostly good reviews.

[whoiswoland]

Just wanted to check back in and thank everyone for their advice now that I'm back home.

Wound up hitting up the following places everyone recommended as well as a few other spots. Really no bad meals to speak of.  DC's got quite the food scene.  

1. Izakaya Seki - Nice late night dinner - really made us feel like we were back in Japan.  Probably our favorite single meal.
2. Donburi - Solid, went a few times.
3. Keren - Multiple breakfasts and lunches.  This place is a complete gem.  I literally have no idea how their prices are as cheap as they are.  
4. Le Diplomate - Great chocolate croissant to go, did not dine in.  Looks like a DC version of NY's Balthazar.
5. Thip Kao - Happy hour special is fantastic here.  Lots of little bites for around $5 and cheap Lao beer)
6. Maketto brunch - Awesome meal with a quite a few edgy dishes.  I was pre-disposed to dislike this place with all the 'fusion' references thrown around.  Actually a very well done inventive menu.  The peanut brittle with dried anchovies and heavy use of mala across the menu come to mind.
7. Chaia - My wife thought I was joking when I said vegetarian tacos.  Awesome.  Would have gone again if we weren't staying so far away.
8. Daikaya for ramen - Solid.
9. CF folks for lunch - Huge thank you for this rec, no idea how we would have figured out about this place otherwise.  Just about as much fun as you can have for lunch, even setting aside the excellent food.
10. Bossa Bistro - This was again a great rec.  Didn't try the food, but the ethiopian jazz band and the lively scene inside were awesome.
11. Amsterdam Falafel - Solid. 
12. Roofer's Union -Drinks on roof, nice spot.
13. Kalorama Deli - Little mom and pop korean deli that had great bibimbap and spicy chicken.  Solid neighborhood spot for quick lunch.
14. Fish in the Hood - Found this place kind of randomly.  Little fish market with outdoor seating, they'll broil or fry your fish and have solid sides (collards and mac) at a good price.
15. Food Corner Kabob & Rotisserie - Pakistani hole in the wall with great chicken and veggie sides.  
16. Founding Farmers - Family member took us out here.  Great food, seemed to be lots of tourists around.
17. Glen's Garden Market - Found this place randomly.  We were trying to drink at Dacha, saw the absurdity of the line situation, left and bumped into this place.  Great sandwiches, great crab bisque (almost all crab), beers on tap, beers in fridges, and outdoor seating, with no service fees, hard to beat.
18. Right Proper Brewing Company - great beers and outdoor seating.  Chicken sandwich was absolutely legit.  
19. Columbia Room (in Blagden Alley) - This place is probably different at night, but during the day, it was only about 50% full, had outdoor seating, in a cool little alley with reasonably priced beers and absurdly priced cocktails.  Good time.

[Simul Parikh]

Awesome trip!

makes me want to be a tourist in my own town. 

[DonRocks]

You ate at more restaurants during these two weeks than I did. What a *great* selection of places to try!

Thank you very much for coming on with your report.

[Choirgirl21]

On 4/22/2016 at 5:08 PM, Simul Parikh said:

Awesome trip!

makes me want to be a tourist in my own town. 

My thoughts exactly!

[Tweaked]

As a DC resident, I love taking a weekend day to be a tourist in DC.  Taking time to just walk along the city streets, rather than Metro-ing or driving.  So much to discover, even in neighborhoods that you might know well (like the U street or 14th Street areas).  This city has so many nooks and crannies to explore.   

[DonRocks]

On 4/28/2016 at 0:23 PM, Tweaked said:

As a DC resident, I love taking a weekend day to be a tourist in DC.  Taking time to just walk along the city streets, rather than Metro-ing or driving.  So much to discover, even in neighborhoods that you might know well (like the U street or 14th Street areas).  This city has so many nooks and crannies to explore.   

I honestly can't get over the selection of restaurants that whoiswoland visited - they are so *un*touristy. I mean, not all of them, but it's a *great* mix.

[Tweaked]

Credit to this board!