Things to do in Washington, DC
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FEATURED
Washington DC Guided Day Tour
6 hours (Departs Washington D.C., District of Columbia)
by Viator
Take the most comprehensive guided tour of Washington DC there is! This tour combines a bus tour with short walks and either a private boat cruise on the Potoma…Not LP reviewed
from USD$79.99 - All things to do
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Afterwords Café & Kramerbooks
Generations of DC intelligentsia swear by this combination awesome bookstore and awesome squared brunch spot. Food is simple but very pleasing stuff, stick to your bones but pleasingly innovative – pecan-crusted catfish with hollandaise, anyone? Browsing the stacks before stuffing our guts is a favorite way to spend Washington weekends.
reviewed
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Old Ebbitt Grill
The Grill is something of an institution, having occupied its prime, adjacent-to-just-about-everything (the White House, the Mall, Penn Quarter) real estate since 1846. This is as down to earth as fine DC dining gets. Political players (and lots of tourists) pack into the brass and wood interior, the sound of their conversation rumbling across a dining room where good burgers, oysters and fish-and-chip type fare are rotated out almost as quickly as the clientele.
reviewed
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Rock Creek Park
At 1700 acres, Rock Creek is twice the size of New York’s Central Park and feels a hell of a lot more wild. You can be out here and feel utterly removed from the city. Even coyotes have settled into the wilderness (they’re not dangerous, by the way). Rock Creek Park begins at the Potomac’s east bank near Georgetown and extends to and beyond the northern city boundaries. Narrow in its southern stretches, where it hews to the winding course of the waterway it’s named for, it broadens into wide, peaceful parklands in Upper Northwest DC. Terrific trails extend the entire length, and the boundaries enclose Civil War forts, dense forest and wildflower-strewn fields. Cell phone …
reviewed
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United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Both grim summation of human nature and fierce confirmation of basic goodness, the Holocaust Museum is unlike any other museum in Washington, DC. In remembering the millions murdered by the Nazis, it is brutal, direct and impassioned. Visitors are given the identity card of a single Holocaust victim, narrowing the scope of suffering to the individual level while paying thorough, overarching tribute to its powerful subject. Many visitors leave in tears, and few are unmoved. James Ingo Freed designed the extraordinary building in 1993 and its stark facade and steel-and-glass interior echo the death camps themselves.
Apart from the permanent exhibits, the candlelit Hall of R…
reviewed
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Washington Monument
Oldest joke in DC: ‘So, what part of Washington is his monument modeled on?’ Yeah, that’s right, America has a bigger…obelisk than you. At 555ft the monument is not only the tallest building in DC (by federal law no structure can reach above it), it is also the tallest masonry structure in the world. Construction began in 1848 but a lack of funds during the Civil War kept building in a quagmire and the 90,854-ton, brick-and-marble structure was not completed until 1888. The original marble was drawn from Maryland, but the source dried up about a third of the way through construction and contractors had to turn to Massachusetts for marble. If you look closely there is a vi…
reviewed
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Ben’s Chili Bowl
Ben’s is to DC dining what the White House and Capitol are to sightseeing: a must-visit. To take that analogy a little further, while the White House and Capitol are the most recognizably important symbols of DC as capital, Ben’s holds the same status as regards DC, the place where people live. Opened and operated by Ben and Virginia Ali and family (it’s now adjacent to Ben Ali Lane; Ben Ali died during the research for this book, which left a large hole in the U St business community), the Bowl has been around since 1958. It’s one of the only businesses on U St to have survived the 1968 riots and the disruption that accompanied construction of the U Street Metro stop. Th…
reviewed
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National Building Museum
Devoted to the architectural arts, this museum is appropriately housed in an architectural jewel: the 1887 Old Pension Building. Four stories of ornamented balconies flank the dramatic 316ft-wide atrium, and the Corinthian columns are among the largest in the world, rising 75ft high. An inventive system of windows and archways keeps the so-called Great Hall constantly glimmering in natural light, and this space has hosted 17 inaugural balls – from Grover Cleveland’s in 1885 to Barack Obama’s in 2009. The showy space easily overshadows the exhibits, but they’re worthwhile nonetheless – ‘Washington: City and Symbol’ examines the deeper symbolism of DC architecture; and ‘Too…
reviewed
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Bistro Bis
Jeff Buben is the chef behind the nouveau Southern fare at Vidalia, and he takes a Southern approach – big portions and rich flavors – to the menu at Bis. The combination works; there’s a rustic affability between classical Southern American and French cuisine, and the two seemingly disparate cultures find delicious common ground in this warm dining room. Concrete examples? Try the crisp frisee salad accompanied by big, sweet sides of applewood bacon, or a smoky duck confit offset by tarty sweet kisses from big cherries. Bistro Bis opens for breakfast, one of the few restaurants in its class to do so, making it the perfect spot to squeeze in a gourmet omelet and glass of …
reviewed
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Nora
Nora Pouillon remains the queen of the Washington food scene. She made her reputation serving food from farmers and ranchers – this was by many accounts the first organic restaurant in the country – and a list of the farms that provided your food is included on the menu. The way these fresh ingredients are combined is in the New American style, and while this school of cooking has been done to death, Nora was one of the originals and still executes it so well that each bite is like rediscovering what the nation can do with its ingredients: Alaskan halibut arrives on a bed of corn succotash, while Amish chicken livers soak deliciously in their own jus. All this happens in …
reviewed
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Poste
Named for its previous incarnation as the mail sorting room for the city post office, Poste has been busting out its A game these days. The menu is playfully attractive, divided between ‘pasta, ’ ‘pasture’ and ‘garden’ sections; the outdoor courtyard is one of the best alfresco dining spaces in the city; and the food lives up to this high bar. Chicken and corn? Sounds boring; executed flawlessly. Wreckfish with a wine-poached egg? Silly, sexy, beautifully presented and prepared. And give them credit for lightening up the fearsome tête de veau (head of cow) by rolling quail eggs, black truffles and frisee into a lovely terrine of veal cheeks. Come evenings, th…
reviewed
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1789
If one restaurant were to exemplify not only Georgetown, but all that George-town represents – the brownstone political aristocracy of Washington, DC – it would be 1789. Located in a smart Federal row house, the setting is colonial, cozy and distinguished all at once. As a bonus, the food is excellent. This kitchen was one of the first high-end geniuses of the ‘rustic New American’ genre, so if you’re going to try local ingredients sexed up with provincial flare, such as roasted Virginia rabbit with country ham and English peas, this is the spot to indulge your taste buds. Formal wear (jacket) is not only expected, but required for dinner.
reviewed
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Pho 75
For a no frills dining experiment offering only pho (a beef noodle soup), this place is amazingly successful. Hordes of tourists, locals and Vietnamese pack communal tables each slurping their own unique variation of the soup - some add brisket or tripe, meatballs or flank steaks; others douse it with lime, hot sauce and Asian basil. Whichever you choose, odds are it will be delicious.
The name means soup, but this local chain is so much more than a beef noodle soup shop. For a cultural experience visit on a Sunday, when fathers teach their first generation American daughters how to slurp slippery white noodles simmering in richly flavorful broth.
reviewed
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Meskerem
As you make your way across DC, you’ll see loads of places offering Ethiopian food, but Meskerem, named for the first month of the Ethiopian calendar, remains one of our favorites. This spot is a stalwart of quality despite many years on the block. It’s the just-seared lamb served in spicy sauce, the wat (stew) scooped with spongy injera (pancake-like bread) and the vegetables, all deliciously spiced, not hot but rich, complex and savory. This is remarkably easy food for the most conservative palette, best washed down with some imported honey wine.
reviewed
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Montmartre
One of the better pure French spots in town, Montmartre is ensconced in a warm, neighborly location cluttered in a mamman’s dining room kinda way, complimented by great wines and some very fine steak, served bloody and yummy. This is more of a neighborhood spot than a political dinner date, which adds to the feeling of cozy authenticity. The homemade pâté is silky and rich, deserts are delightful, and all in all this is a place French expats take their friends to give them a taste of home – the praise doesn’t come much higher than that.
reviewed
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Ellipse
That elliptical road that circles the expansive park on the south side of the White House? It’s imaginatively known as the Ellipse. The park is studded with a random collection of monuments, such as the Zero Milestone (the marker for highway distances all across the country) and the Second Division Memorial. But the more important function of the Ellipse is hosting sporting events, parades and festivals – from lighting the national Christmas tree, to military drill performances to Lance Armstrong’s final ride.
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Bangkok Bistro
Don’t expect a cute little hole-in-the-wall plucked straight outta Thailand; Bangkok Bistro is big and brash and usually packed. To be honest, it’s not so much Thai as Thai-American, influenced by Asia but distinctly Yankee in its huge, arm-waving ‘look-at-me’ approach, modern decor, slick waitstaff and somewhat watered-down Thai. But it’s also popular as hell, so they’re doing something right. We always like the drunken noodles and curry mains, plus the inevitable people parade that marches by.
reviewed
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Matchbox Pizza
Lines stretch round the block, the buzz is deafening and happy, the smells lead you in like a lost, cheesy lover: welcome to one of the most popular pizzerias in town. The pie here has rocketed into the DC gastronomic universe, and you can’t come here now without finding Matchbox packed with the curious and the satisfied. What’s so good about it? Fresh ingredients, a thin, blistered crust baked by angels and more fresh ingredients.
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America
Claiming to be DC's 'only 50-star restaurant,' this place takes the theme as far as it goes, with menus shaped like maps and mains from every state in the Union (from New York steak to grilled Mahi-Mahi, and don't forget Boston cream pie for dessert). The varied menu draws Hill-rats during the week and tourists on weekends. It's a good place to bring the family; couples might find the mall atmosphere un-romantic.
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Penang
You can eat like a king at this authentic Malaysian restaurant when cheap meal deals are offered, 11:30-15:00 Monday to Friday. For around US$8 you get a soup, salad, appetizer, drink and noodle dish. Otherwise portions are large, delicious and almost all can be made vegetarian. Try the Kari Mee noodle soup (around US$7). Don't let the outside discourage you: inside the place is intimate Asian chic.
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Wok & Roll
At this inauspicious address, Lincoln's assassins plotted their scheme and were later hanged for it. These days, much happier plotting takes place here, such as deciding between the light, fresh sushi or steaming, spicy noodles for lunch. The selection of teas - black, green, hot or cold - is impressive; try one of the delicious and healthy milk varieties.
reviewed
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Bombay Club
No bad sitar music and clunky curry here; this is India done up by several notches. The seafood curries like the Goan fish or lobster cooked in fenugreek and garam masala are solidly wonderful, and plates like wild boar vindaloo are as tasty as they are novel. Action stars agree; Bombay Club is popular with the likes of Harrison Ford and Bruce Willis.
reviewed
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El Tamarindo
The waitstaff arrive with water, chips and spicy homemade salsa as soon as you sit down at this friendly, family-run Salvadoran restaurant. Young urbanites flock here early to fill-up on inexpensive taco dishes before heading out to the clubs. The food is cheap; the margaritas or pitchers of Sangria, strong and tasty.
reviewed
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Madame Tussauds Washington DC
Flexible (Departs Washington D.C., District of Columbia)
by Viator
Madame Tussauds gives you an interactive, full-sensory experience where you can touch, see and hear historical events and celebrities in a way unlike ever befor…
Not LP reviewed
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Union Street Public House
Gas lamps out front welcome tourists and locals into this spacious taproom for frosty brews, raw-bar delights and nightly dinner specials. Inside, the atmosphere is equally inviting: a wide bar, heavy wooden furniture and exposed brick provide equal parts retro-and-warm atmosphere.
reviewed
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Mt Zion United Methodist Church
One of the sites that recall the history of Georgetown’s 19th-century free black community, who lived in an area known as Herring Hill is this church, founded in 1816 and DC’s oldest black congregation. Its original site, on 27th St NW, was a stop on the Underground Railroad.
reviewed
