Washington, D.C
The 9 Best Restaurants In Columbia Heights – Washington DC – The Infatuation
You’ve worked up an appetite after releasing your inhibitions at the drum circle in Meridian Park, and now you need to feed your renewed spirit. Luckily you’ve got options like sticky beef sesame jerky at a local Lao spot and the city’s best breakfast burritos. Here’s your guide to where to eat and drink in Columbia Heights.
THE SPOTS
photo credit: Nina Palazzolo
Thip Khao makes some of the best food in the city. The Lao spot’s sinus-clearing red-curry noodle soup is our go-to for crying into on a cold winter (or any really) day. And we love their crispy beef sesame jerky. So it’s not surprising that there’s often a line before the doors open. If you do manage to crowd your way into Thip Khao’s dining room, just know you’ll be squeezed so close to your neighboring table that you’ll be able to hear everything going on over there, which is nice if you’re a nosy person, not so nice if there’s a break up situation happening.
photo credit: Nina Palazzolo
When you’re looking for a breakfast spot that won’t judge your 3am texts, go to La Tejana. The Tex-Mex restaurant serves nine ridiculously good tacos that they rightly recommend you order in batches of two or three. Each soft taco is made with some variation of eggs, queso, potatoes, or refried beans on flour tortillas made in-house. On the weekends, expect a line that forms early, but moves quickly. You can take your order to-go or hang around the standing counter mounted against a wall.
No, Queen’s English isn’t a posh British tea house. It’s actually a living room type restaurant serving some of the best Cantonese food in the city. You’ll find yourself rubbing elbows with your neighbors as you curb the temptation to pluck a generously coated truffle dumpling off their plate with your chopsticks. The family-style menu is meant for sharing, just not with strangers at the next table. Exercise some self control because you won’t want to share once your table starts filling up with your own plates of orange sesame rock shrimp and spicy cucumber.
photo credit: Nina Palazzolo
If you’re on the lookout for a chill spot to work, The Coupe is a great option. The all-day breakfast cafe takes up the entire corner of the block, and is full of booths with a view and more secluded tables to get some serious work done. Just like any top-notch café, they’ve got an extensive coffee and pastry menu for those not up for a full meal. But, if you’re hungry, The Coupe Royale is the way to go. It’s loaded with eggs, sausage, a crispy hash brown square, and your choice of either french toast or pancakes (get the pancakes, always get the pancakes).
photo credit: Nebabu Tadesse
For the days when there’s no better company than your own, head to Letena Ethiopian Restaurant. Snag a comfy seat, drown out the world with Ethiopian jazz, and dive into their solo-friendly menu. We swear by the vegetarian sampler where seasoned green collards and spinach, peppery orange lentils, and vibrant red beets will have you thanking whatever higher power you believe in for bringing you this far.
The pastries at Ellē are so good they’ll inspire you to move to France, enroll in culinary school, and lead a life making buttery guava turnovers. Until then (boo capitalism) enjoy the best mudslide walnut cookies that life has to offer alongside freelance poets sipping on $6 lattes that are most definitely being written off as a critical expense. If you’re looking for a quiet workspace, head to the secluded backroom where you can lean against the cool brick wall while you knock whatever assignment you’re working on.
photo credit: Golshan Jalali
Options for good Mexican food in the city are limited, but fortunately, there’s Taqueria Habanero. You’ll find kids swinging off chipped wooden chairs while their parents unwind over sopping birria tacos, and lone diners savor sizzling shrimp fajitas at the bar. For the ultimate experience, come here midday. It’s not as busy, the service is fast, and your tender beef brisket flautas will be served piping hot. And to seal the deal, never leave without an order of the churros. Double up if you’re sharing, so you’re not fighting over the last one.
photo credit: Rey Lopez
This neighborhood spot is your all-around Italian restaurant, whether you’re looking for a great pizza, the city’s freshest donuts, or a reliable low-key date night spot. Little Coco’s long dining room is a combo of high tops, small wooden tables, and plastic-covered booths where you can tight-squeeze five of your closest friends. You’re not going to find DC’s best pasta (though it’s good enough for a casual night out), but you will find delicious gooey pizza, like The Dr. Pepper covered in pepperoni and fior di latte, that tastes exactly like we imagine the ultimate Ninja Turtle cheese pull.
photo credit: Nina Palazzolo
This three-story bar is popping almost every night of the week with people who live nearby enjoying an afterwork drink and hookah. Twinkle lights line the ivy on the small covered patio where you can pull up a seat for most of the year. Happy Hour, which runs from 5-8pm, is your best bet, but get there early if you want a seat at the small first-floor bar (the only one that’s guaranteed to be open) because it gets packed quickly.
Washington, D.C
DC reaches settlement with man detained while protesting troops with Darth Vader song
The District of Columbia has reached a settlement agreement for an undisclosed amount of money with a resident who claims police illegally detained him for following an Ohio National Guard patrol while playing Darth Vader’s theme song from “Star Wars” on his phone — an act of protest against the Trump administration’s federal law-enforcement surge in the nation’s capital.
A court filing late Thursday says the plaintiff, Sam O’Hara, will drop his lawsuit’s claims against the District and four Metropolitan Police Department officers within three business days of receiving the settlement payment. The filing doesn’t specify a dollar amount for the deal between the district and O’Hara, who is represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of the District of Columbia.
In an email on Friday, an ACLU spokesperson referred to the settlement’s financial terms as “a significant amount” that O’Hara “is pleased with” but said they aren’t disclosing the dollar figure to protect his privacy. A spokesperson for D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb’s office declined to comment on the settlement.
O’Hara’s agreement with the district doesn’t resolve his related claims against an Ohio National Guard member. Attorneys for the Guard member, Sgt. Devon Beck, have asked a judge to dismiss O’Hara’s claims against him.
“He was there because that was his assigned duty,” Beck’s lawyers wrote. “This was not an accidental encounter or a one-time disagreement on a public sidewalk.”
An earlier court filing, in February, said O’Hara had reached a settlement agreement “in principle” with the district. In response, a judge agreed to suspend the case while they negotiated terms.
O’Hara sued the district last October, claiming police officers violated his First Amendment rights to free speech and his Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable seizures and excessive force.
The ominous orchestral music of “The Imperial March” from Star Wars movies was the soundtrack for O’Hara’s peaceful protests against President Donald Trump’s ongoing deployment of Guard members in Washington. Millions of TikTok users have viewed O’Hara’s videos of his interactions with troops, according to his lawsuit.
A series of major events tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations promise to bring big crowds and heightened security. On the News4 Rundown: That security is likely to include more National Guard troops as a new report says there’s a limit to their impact on safety in D.C.
O’Hara, an artist who works in the hospitality industry, says he didn’t interfere with the Guard troops during their Sept. 11, 2025, encounter on a public street. One of the troops summoned Metropolitan Police Department officers, who stopped O’Hara and kept him handcuffed for 15 to 20 minutes before releasing him without charges, according to the lawsuit.
“The law might have tolerated government conduct of this sort a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. But in the here and now, the First Amendment bars government officials from shutting down peaceful protests,” the suit says.
Trump, a Republican, issued an executive order declaring a crime emergency in Washington last August. Within weeks, hundreds of Guard troops and federal agents were helping police patrol the city. The surge inflamed tensions with residents of the heavily Democratic district. Hundreds of Guard members remain deployed in the district nearly a year later, with no clear end in sight.
The overhaul is the first in more than a decade and comes in response to feedback that it’s hard to find information on the current site without being efficient at using Google or other search tools.
The D.C. government’s website is getting a complete revamp, a step city leaders hope will make it easier for residents, visitors and business owners to access the help they need.
The District unveiled a beta version of the new DC.gov — beta.dc.gov — and plans to have the redesigned site ready to launch before the end of the year.
The website’s overhaul is the first in more than a decade. It comes in response to feedback that it’s hard to find information on the current site without being efficient at using Google or other search tools.
“This website, it’s really going to eliminate the alphabet soup that you have to remember every day,” said Stephen Miller, the District’s chief technology officer. “So, do you need to know that it’s DPW that’s picking up your trash, or you just need to know that it’s dc.gov?”
The site is built on Drupal 11, which the city said has stronger built-in security features. It includes an integrated calendar and sections for seasonal government services.
Popular searches, based on site traffic data, will also be featured prominently on the main page.
“It’s going to show you, here’s popular services today, based on being a resident, based on being a new resident, based on being a job seeker, based on being a business owner, or based on just being a general resident of the city,” Miller said.
The project cost about $500,000 in dedicated funds.
“We’re setting this up so that you can just go in, say, ‘My trash was missed,’ and it’s going to tell you exactly how to fix that problem,” Miller said.
D.C.’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer is collecting feedback. Residents can leave comments on the beta site and at events at Haynes Senior Wellness Center and Eastern Market, among others, in the coming weeks.
An artificial intelligence-powered search tool, built using Google’s AI technology, will be included on the new DC.gov site after its official launch.
The District, Miller said, is “trying to clean up our content, because what we want to make sure is when we put AI into this site, it’s giving you the right information.”
“We see a lot of future use with AI,” Miller said. “I’d love to get to a point where it’s, ‘Hey Siri, renew my driver’s license,’ and we’ve laid out the foundation for something like that to happen in the future.”
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A 16-day state fair is among the biggest attractions of the country’s 250th celebration in Washington DC. The Great American State Fair, which features attractions from each of the 50 states, runs from 25 June to 10 July across the National Mall from the US Capitol to the Washington Monument.
The BBC asked visitors why it was important for them to attend the fair.
Video by Meiying Wu
Produced by Madeline Gerber
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