Some of our favorite beers are of the old school: unfiltered, unpasteurized, and hand pumped from a cask at cellar temperature. Commercial Taphouse usually has a cask ale on tap, try it out!
Don't drink on an empty stomach! Grab an order of their deliciously simple chicken wings: a variation on Buffalo wings with Cajun seasoning, tossed with butter and hot sauce.
Perfect is the only appropriate descriptor for the pistacchio gelato--such an expert an expression of flavor.
Try the house-made spinach fettuccine with marinara. You’ll be grateful for the lingering flavors of the tangy, garlicky sauce as a reminder of a delicious lunch.
Hope you like your pizza spicy, because that’s what you’ll get when you order up a red pizza. The crust almost steals the show, however: perfectly crisp (and foldable!) with herbs dusting the edges.
Enoteca Sogno’s tender gnocchi covered in a traditional pesto alla Genovese are the perfect way to celebrate summer.
The pork chop is brined with piloncillo–a paste derived from unrefined, crushed sugar cane. It's one of the juiciest you'll ever have.
The Spicy Dan Dan Noodles are infused with fiery heat from the punishingly delicious Sichuan chillies. There’s no shame in asking for a side of white rice to cool things down.
At Rappahannock Restaurant, chef Dylan Fultineer serves perfectly cooked Virginia scallops surrounding rich, beefy braised oxtail and roasted cauliflower coated in a healthy dose of curry powder.
The "Cheese" is a beautiful arrangement of apple, spätzle, smoked duck lardons, escarole, date puree, and cheese sauce, all centered around the star ingredient: slices of Cabot cloth-bound cheddar.
The pigs in a blanket use spicy Andouille sausage instead of standard links. Each half is tucked inside a sweet and delicate pancake.
We may be hundreds of miles from The Big Apple, but Chiocca’s knows how to do a classic pastrami on rye right: thin slices of hot pastrami piled high on toasted rye bread with a side of chips.
Their variation on shepherd’s pie--beef instead of lamb–will fill you up with its layers of minced meat, carrots, peas, and mashed potatoes.
Try the Taylor Lumberjack! A fresh poppy seed bagel piled high with Taylor Pork Roll along with some eggs and cheese. Grab a fistful of napkins, and find a comfy spot to sleep off your food coma.
Their cinnamon roll is crisp, buttery, flaky, and less sweet; reminiscent of their croissants. Pair it with one of their rich hot chocolates!
For breakfast that looks as pretty as it tastes, get the parfait. Lamplighter’s own granola tops off layers of yogurt and fresh fruit, inside one of these lovely, faceted Mason jars.
For dinner try the Goan Lamb Vin d’alho. The meat is extraordinarily tender and well-seasoned, while the chili-tomato sauce demands an order of naan to soak up what’s left behind.
Phở tai, nam (#11 on the menu) includes thin slices of beef that cook all the way through from the heat of the broth. Add some sprouts or Thai basil and maybe some chili paste if you’re adventurous.
The brisket sandwich is piled with slices of gloriously smokey meat cut just the right thickness. It's finished off with some onions, jalapeños, and their tangy sauce on a toasted bun.
The apple pie is as good as it gets--the sweet crumb topping, tender filling, and the crust! The cheese is optional, of course.
These mussels are on the appetizer list, but the addition of spicy Sausage Craft chorizo and grilled bread means you could almost make a meal of it.
Try the kumara (that's Kiwi for sweet potato) and chicken pie. The flakey, buttery crust literally and figuratively holds it all together.
The burrata starts with fresh mozzarella surrounding a mixture of mozzarella curd and cream. The resulting cheese is rich and spreadable, perfect for the accompanying grilled Billy Bread.
The Bacon, Egg, and Cheese has all the classic breakfast sandwich flavors in a dinner medium plate: smokey tomato, slow-cooked soft egg, cheese foam, bagel chip, house-made bacon, and chives.
The Shockoe Split is three different flavors of ice cream, a sliced banana that's covered in strawberries, hot fudge, whipped cream, and an extra topping of your choosing. Bring a friend!
Order wings or drumsticks for the lunch special, and you’ll bite into the crunchiest fried chicken in town.
The Tellicherry Chicken Rotti: fork-tender pieces of chicken covered in a rich spice mixture, with the plate ringed by a bright mango sauce that adds inviting color and flavor. So good!
We love the tender carne asada and spicy house-made chorizo tacos, both of which are covered in a tasty salsa verde.
Thai Diner is a welcome break for the West End office crowd with quick service and a variety of flavorful dishes, including the 'Amazing Thai'.
While they're known for NY-style pizza, they also take that same wonderful pizza dough and stuff it with mozzarella, creamy ricotta, and any of their pizza toppings to make a tasty calzone.
Whether it’s smoked, grilled, or roasted, the pork tenderloin is always juicy and flavorful.
The excellent, crunchy chips are a great addition to an all-beef footlong hot dog you could share with a couple of friends.
The Samoa doughnut is covered with Sugar Shack’s fantastic caramel (used on many other varieties), toasted coconut, and chocolate frosting.
The oatmeal is not the glue-like rolled oats of your childhood but a bowl full of wholegrain oats topped with an assortment of fresh seasonal fruit. It'll keep you full all the way to lunch.
The Magpie’s Owen Lane knows how to work with meat, and that is seen and tasted most clearly in his house-made sausage.
The sausage gravy and biscuits make a proper example with fresh, buttery biscuits and a sausage gravy that’s never gloppy. You won’t leave hungry.
Our pick is the German-style ham sandwich, served nearly overflowing with Black Forest ham and sharp cheddar cheese between slices of whole wheat toast.
The cheese steak! Beef that’s perfectly browned but never dried out and provolone melting into the steak creating a savory amalgam tucked into a crusty, fresh sub roll.
How do you make a grilled ham and gruyere sandwich, covered in creamy béchamel sauce, even more comforting and rich? You put a fried egg on top and call a croque madame.
The Smith Cross Road cocktail is a coupe full of Virginia warmth to complement a crisp fall evening.
It’s hard to beat the sausage and gouda panini. Get the “Saturday Nite” sausage (made with Hardywood Singel and Sriracha) for a little zing to go with the creamy melted cheese and crunchy Billy Bread.
The Aztec: A chocolate donut comes slathered in a spiced chocolate frosting with powdered sugar and candied pumpkin seeds on top. Uncommon flavor combinations, but uncommonly tasty, too.
Head over to Heritage and defrost with the wintery "Business in the Front/Party in the Back cocktail"--laced with alluring, spiced notes that are welcome all the way to spring.
Burger Bach's take on Oyster's Rockefeller: Four plump oysters on the half shell, resting on a bed of fries, are roasted under a cover of cream, garlic, breadcrumbs, Pernod, and parmesan.
Sub Rosa bakes nearly perfect croissants, but they also know how to add the right ingredients to elevate the humble roll. Our favorite version is the salami and cheese croissant.
Order the South Indian Chettinadu-style curry. The poultry is tender and juicy, and the spicy sauce is both sweet and tangy with flavors of star anise, tamarind, and cumin.
Grab a seat at Saison’s bar and embrace all things dark and tasty, shaken into spiritous froth to make a Death Star Flip.
Bring a friend, and share an order of the Kuban roast pork. You’ll receive a bowl piled high with tender mojo-marinated pork, black beans and rice, and lightly fried, smashed plantains.
