Washington, D.C

What I liked most about Washington DC's dining scene

Published

2 years ago

August 19, 2024

What I liked most about Washington DC's dining scene

A stone’s throw from the White House and across the road from the Treasury Department (where pre-election economic calculations are made) is a bustling restaurant made of mahogany wood, booth seats, and the best steak you’ve ever had.

Old Ebbitt Grill is an institution. One can only imagine the agenda-altering discussions had across its white tablecloths over the decades.

Walk into its warmth on any week night and there’s a queue of suited professionals waiting for a table inside. It pays to book in advance, but if you don’t, it’s worth the wait.

Old Ebbitt does simple food, exceptionally well, with an emphasis on the highest quality produce.

Beginning with a raw bar, offering oysters from a Massachusetts marina to rivers in Maine, every morsel is tracked to its source and its flavour explained as such.

As your server may suggest, a mix from all of the above is available and what I went for. With a sour-over-sweet, lemon and honey and cocktail to top it off.

Oysters on ice at the Old Ebbitt Grill.

The list of entrees is extensive. I decided to keep it light to save room for the hearty mains, opting for a beets and burrata salad, topped with perfectly crunchy pistachio nuts.

For the main event, one cannot go past the steak frites, finished with a shallot-Dijon cream sauce. It’s apparently an entree size, but certainly enough for one on its own. With a deep red wine, this was the meal of my trip.

As Washington’s oldest saloon, its founding dates back to 1856. It’s called its current location home since 1983.

Old Ebbitt is part of the Clyde’s Restaurant Group, which took it over in the 1970s.

Its more relaxed restaurant The Hamilton is popular for its live music and sushi happy hour.

Filomena Ristorante

This underground adobe in Washington’s Georgetown suburb exudes Nonna’s charm with America’s confidence.

The diners on the table next to me put it best, saying: “I’ve never been this impressed with a restaurant before eating”.

It has a small street front for its large personality. Enter Filomena just off the main M street and walk down its steps to a dark but lively restaurant boasting laughter, chatter, and clinks of glasses by groups big and small.

The menu is embossed with the names of famous people who’ve dined here before, their favourite dishes in bold. I’m told it hasn’t been updated in 10 years – the menu wouldn’t fit in your hands if it included the latest list!

The hustle and bustle of the underground Filomena Ristorante on a week night.

Founded by JoAnna Filomena, and named after her mother Filomena, this spot serves an extensive list of pasta and saucy mains such as ossobucco and parmigiana, with non-negotiable cheesecake desserts.

The restaurant is decorated with Filomena’s original furniture, antiques, and knick-knacks, with a dining room in the kitchen designated for fame and fortune only (ask for a tour!).

Wines from all over Italy and beyond are on offer. I ordered a glass of house Cabernet, but the waiter, Tom, knew I could do better. He impressed me with a bottle of something full-bodied and Sicilian. Trust Tom.

I had the homemade burrata, slow-cooked ragu pasta and finished with a slice of chocolate caramel cheesecake. The dishes improved in that order. They were all delightful and far too generous for me to finish.

Filomena's chocolate caramel cheesecake was phenomenal. — Filomena’s chocolate caramel cheesecake was phenomenal.

Tables are tidied with a tradition. A crystal glass of liquor Sambuca or Amaretto, with three coffee beans dropped in each, representing good luck for health, wealth, and love.

And, because Nonna wouldn’t let you leave without takeaways, everyone exits with a doggie bag in hand.

Booking is essential. Filomena’s is a phenomenal vibe.

Via Sophia

If you needed another reason to believe DC does Italian as decent as New York City, this osteria underneath the Washington Post is delicious.

I happened upon this Italian restaurant by accident, and returned with the intention of a second time.

The duck ragu rigatoni (gluten-free) and crispy, buttered brussel sprouts with pine nuts and golden sultanas could be contenders to challenge New York’s Italian dining scene.

The location of this incredible osteria made me feel as though I could eavesdrop on important reporters readying for the election result.

Founding Farmers Fisher and Bakers

If you’re like me and feel like fresh food among the fried while travelling the US, this spot on the Washington Harbour in Georgetown will win your vote.

Open all day, every day, for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner and drinks, this farm-to-table restaurant facing Roosevelt Island serves real food made from scratch.

The cobb salad at farmer-owned restaurant Founding Farmers Fishers and Bakers in Georgetown.

Kettle corn to calamari, cornbread and ceviche, this chain co-owned by more than 50,000 farmers traces ingredients back to their source.

Flour comes from North Dakota farmers, the meat from independently owned American farms and the cocktail spirits from a farmer-owned distillery in DC.

It was too early for me to test the latter, but I can vouch for the sustainably caught seafood and rainbow of vegetables that featured in the mixed cobb salad.

Eat good here while doing good. The business has a charity that funds sustainability efforts and supports neighbouring communities.

Drinks

Near Old Ebbitt Grill is the Willard InterContinental Hotel. Step into its fabulous and infamous hotel lobby, turn right and you’ll find yourself at the Round Robin Bar.

Dubbed the “Oval Office bar”, this iconic, circular bar has been a destination on DC’s drinking and dining scene since 1847.

Delivering classic cocktails and its signature Mint Julep, made famous here by former US Senator Henry Clay; try your luck for a seat in this typically crowded, must-see spot.

Best places to eat in Washington DC. Photo / Vlad Tchompalov on Unsplash

What I liked most about Washington’s hospitality:

Waiters wear suits. But diners can be as casual as they like.
Staff are typically very attentive to customers’ needs and any dietary requirements.
Tipping is typically priced into the final bill so there’s no need to guess how much is appropriate to tip after every meal.
Meals were not unreasonably large, unlike some other American states.

Checklist

WASHINGTON DC, US

GETTING THERE

Fly from Auckland to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport via Los Angeles with Delta Airlines.

DETAILS

washington.org

delta.com

Madison travelled to Washington DC with hospitality from Destination DC, Delta Airlines and dined with hospitality by Destination DC and Old Ebbitt Grill.

To start planning your Washington DC adventure visit washington.org

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Washington, D.C

This internet-famous bagel shop hit DC and the line went around the block

Published

20 hours ago

April 10, 2026

Press Room

This internet-famous bagel shop hit DC and the line went around the block

It’s a bagel that has achieved almost rockstar status. PopUp Bagels has taken social media by storm, and you can now get them in D.C.

The grand opening of the new location in Georgetown on Friday was quite the event. A line of bagel fans went out of the store, up Wisconsin Avenue NW and onto M Street. Someone tossed bagels out of the shop’s upper window to those eagerly awaiting below.

So, what makes these bagels different? It’s the way you eat them.

You don’t cut a PopUp bagel. You take the hot bagel, grip it, rip it and dip it into a schmear.

“It’s like chips and dip. You can’t go wrong,” one visitor told News4.

There are going to be 40 pop-up bagel shops around the country by the end of May.

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Washington, D.C

Grandmother speaks out after young boy, friend hit by man on dirt bike in DC

Published

1 day ago

April 10, 2026

Press Room

Grandmother speaks out after young boy, friend hit by man on dirt bike in DC

WASHINGTON – A grandmother is speaking out after a man on a dirt bike hit her grandson and sped off, leaving the 10-year-old boy with serious injuries.

D.C. police are hoping surveillance video helps identify the suspect. Now, that grandmother is pleading for the suspect to turn himself in to police.

What happened :

D.C. police are searching for the driver of the dirt bike that hit two children and fled the scene just before 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 4.

Officers responded to the intersection of 14th Street and Chapin Street, Northwest, for the report of a crash.

When they arrived, police found the two boys, both injured by the dirt bike rider as they rode an e-bike in the bike lane.

DC Fire and EMS responded to the scene and took one of the children, who was unconscious, to an area hospital for treatment of serious injuries.

The second injured child was treated on scene for minor injuries.

Police say the dirt bike operator lifted the bike onto its back wheel just before the collision, and then the driver fled the scene, continuing northbound on 14th Street with a large group of ATVs and dirt bikes.

Hoping for justice:

The grandmother of one of the boys who was hit is outraged over the teens illegally riding dirt bikes and ATVs on the streets of D.C.

She says her grandson, 10-year-old Johari Alford and his friend were at a birthday party when they decided to go outside and ride scooters.

That’s when police say the guy crashed into them.

Surveillance video shows a large group illegally riding on the ATVs and dirt bikes.

Officers responded to the scene, finding Johari suffering with serious injuries to his head, spinal cord, arm, and face.

When asked about his condition, Johari’s grandmother, Karyn Alford, said he doesn’t understand what’s going on.

“He’s asking questions. He’s wondering why this is happening to him.

What do you say to the man who hit Johari and his friend and kept on going?

I want to say you need to have a heart. You need to know that you rolled over my grandson like he was a piece of trash and didn’t care you were out there acting like hooligans in the middle of the street where people pay taxes, and my grandson was affected. So you need to turn yourself in,” Karyn Alford said.

Johari’s friend was left with minor injuries and is expected to be ok, but it will take Johari several months to fully recover.

What you can do:

Police are offering a reward of up to $1,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest and indictment.

NewsWashington, D.C.D.C. Crime

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Washington, D.C

D.C.’s speed cameras are catching super violators. Most have Va. and Md. tags.

Published

2 days ago

April 9, 2026

Press Room

D.C.’s speed cameras are catching super violators. Most have Va. and Md. tags.

Rachel Weiner, John D. Harden, Dylan Moriarty
| The Washington Post

An Audi with Maryland tags and 891 tickets in D.C. amounting to $259,214 in unpaid fines remains on the streets, with 18 speeding violations in the nation’s capital just this month. A Hyundai registered in Virginia racked up 689 tickets in the city.

Even as the District’s traffic cameras have multiplied and inspired copycats in other cities, city officials have struggled to get repeat offenders who were caught by that system off the street, particularly those whose vehicles are registered outside the nation’s capital. That may change, though, after high-level conversations among local officials prompted legislation in Virginia and Maryland that would allow cross-border cooperation on the issue.

A data analysis by The Washington Post shows what’s at stake – millions of dollars and the increased public safety that comes with an ability to punish drivers going over 100 mph on residential streets.

Most people who get a speeding ticket in the District never get one again, officials say, and speeds go down in areas where cameras have been placed. But city records show hundreds of people speed again and again in the same locations with little consequence, with the camera installed to prevent such behavior documenting each new violation.

One vehicle with a Maryland license plate got 182 tickets in a single year on an eight-block stretch of Alabama Avenue in Southeast Washington. In the northeastern part of the city, another vehicle with Maryland tags was issued 109 tickets in a year, just where a camera was located at 1400 Bladensburg Rd. A car with Virginia plates got 556 tickets in 12 months, more than any other vehicle in that time frame; it was towed when the fines owed reached $292,780 late last year.

Data analyzed by The Post shows that from 2018 through 2025, more than 80 percent of tickets were issued to people who exceeded the posted speed limit by 11 to 15 mph. The worst offenders – those who exceed the speed limit by at least 30 mph – make up less than 1 percent.

But the more excessive speeders contributed to about 30 percent of all fatal crashes since 2019, D.C. data shows.

The biggest obstacle to better enforcement in the city is that most violators live in Maryland or Virginia. Of the 103 vehicles with the most tickets in fiscal 2025, 67 have Virginia plates, 25 have Maryland plates, and 3 have D.C. plates. Of the 100 top speeds registered by cameras in the past two years, 37 of the vehicles involved had Virginia plates, 35 carried Maryland plates, and 13 featured D.C. plates.

Neither of those states penalize their residents for citations issued by cameras in another jurisdiction. That could change soon. D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) spoke recently to the governors of Maryland and Virginia about enforcement across state lines. Both states’ legislatures are working on bills to make it possible.

It’s a “new step forward,” a spokesman for Bowser said.

The District has also begun suing drivers from across the border over unpaid tickets, a power that Attorney General Brian Schwalb (D) got last year from legislation written by D.C. Council member Charles Allen (D-Ward 6). Schwalb’s office has won judgments or settlements against 15 drivers from Maryland and Virginia that total $608,292, though the vast majority of that money has yet to be claimed.

One of the lawsuits is against the owner of a Honda CRV caught going 151 mph off Interstate 695 onto South Capitol Street on Feb. 16, 2024, according to city data. The vehicle’s owner, Kylie Ann Sullivan of Fredericksburg, Virginia, has failed to pay 197 citations, according to Schwalb’s office. She said in a letter to the court that her ex-boyfriend was “the one behind the wheel for more than 98 percent of these offenses” and that she has not driven since he totaled the SUV three months after that high-speed drive. “I would also like to stress that no one was ever injured or harmed as a result of any of these incidents,” she added. Her case is pending.

Four of the 100 vehicles that accrued the most D.C. speeding tickets in the 2024 fiscal year belong to people sued by the city over unpaid fines. All of the owners either declined to comment or could not be reached. One owner, Chanel Laguna of Falls Church, Virginia, accrued 168 tickets that year through one of the six license plates the city identified as being registered to her; altogether she has been issued 345 citations. Laguna wrote in a court filing that she was not responsible for all of the tickets because she shared two vehicles with other people, including an Uber driver. She said both those vehicles have since been taken to an impound lot.

Clark Mercer, who was chief of staff to former Virginia governor Ralph Northam, said he was alerted to the problem of cross-border ticket enforcement only when leaving that office in 2022.

“I said, ‘We can’t effectuate anything; we’re literally packing up. I wish I had known about this earlier,’” Mercer recalled. He is now in charge of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, a regional planning group, and has been pushing for action.

Mercer said he learned that one way drivers evaded responsibility for camera tickets was by getting tags from Virginia, which allows non residents to register vehicles there: About 14,000 D.C. drivers have Virginia tags. More than half of the drivers being sued by Schwalb’s office have a collection of both Maryland and Virginia license plates.

Out-of-state tags also are an issue in Baltimore. An analysis found that six of the 10 vehicles with the most tickets for speeding in school zones had Virginia tags. About 100,000 Maryland drivers have Virginia tags, data reviewed by The Post shows. Along with ticket enforcement legislation, Maryland lawmakers are working to make it easier to flag and penalize residents with out-of-state tags.

Both Maryland and Virginia have an incentive to cooperate with D.C. as they expand their own camera enforcement programs.

“The stars are starting to align to get this done,” Mercer said. “We’re moving in a very positive direction.”

Cars can also be stolen or the tags forged. Tanyeka Brown of Temple Hills, Maryland, said her Nissan Maxima was caught repeatedly on traffic cameras on Bladensburg Road. The vehicle was stolen from outside her house in December, she said, and after that “I was getting tickets every day, at least 10 of them.” Brown said her car was found in a tow lot last March, “damaged to the point that I couldn’t even drive it.”

The District now has a law automatically dismissing tickets when someone reports a vehicle as stolen so that they don’t have to challenge each ticket in court, but it applies only to D.C. residents. Non-D. C. residents must still contest those violations before a judge.

For now, D.C. can seize out-of-state vehicles only if they are parked on the street in the city. That doesn’t always happen. The Maryland Audi got a parking ticket in February in Northeast Washington but wasn’t towed.

The Department of Public Works has said that 2,000 vehicles were impounded last year, including 556 vehicles with more than $2,000 owed, but that to tow more requires more staff and equipment. Advocates say the real problem is a lack of urgency.

“A 4,000-pound machine driven repeatedly at reckless speed by someone who has shown that they will not stop is absolutely no different from someone with an AK-47,” Karthik Balasubramanian of the group D.C. Families for Safe Streets said at a recent public hearing. “If there was such a person who was roaming the District with an AK-47 randomly shooting … we would mobilize all available resources to separate that person from their weapon and let them get the help that they need. Why are we not doing the same with the dangerous drivers who are abusing their own weapons?”

The District still has by far the most automated enforcement in the region: About 3.3 million camera tickets were issued in 2025, according to city data.

The number of tickets issued each year has steadily climbed, after dropping at the start of the covid pandemic. Starting in 2023, more than $150 million in speeding tickets have been issued each year, with 2025 hitting more than $257 million, the most since before the pandemic.

Studies have found that traffic cameras can reduce crashes significantly. But “the cameras only go so far for the most egregious drivers,” said Sharon Kershbaum, director of the D.C. Department of Transportation Director. “And those are the same ones who are going to be causing the fatal crash.”

After rising for years, traffic fatalities fell dramatically last year, from 52 in 2024 to 25, according to data from D.C. police. But they remain about as high as they were a decade ago, when Bowser made a commitment to end traffic deaths by 2025. There have been 12 deaths on city roads so far this year.

Meanwhile, some House Republicans have threatened to eliminate D.C.’s speed-camera program, arguing it is unfair to drivers. The White House has indicated it might support such a GOP proposal.

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