• Washington, D.C.

  Behind the iconic monuments and political dysfunction, the sea of museums and turreted row houses, the U.S. capital has a lot to offer the hungry traveler. Take the sheer diversity that comes from a true melting-pot city—where Salvadorans mingle with Vietnamese and Nigerians—mix it with a few excellent food halls/markets, and add some Top Chef types and award-winning restaurants, and it’s safe to say there’s something here for everyone. As far as regional eats go, the field is a bit narrower. Locals often ask themselves, What’s truly a D.C. original? Many are stumped beyond the (wonderful) half-smoke sausage. But fear not, intrepid reader: If you’re seeking to taste a few of D.C.’s favorite things, those foods deeply associated with the city, in the city proper—not in nearby Maryland or Virginia—we’ve got you covered.

   

  Behind the iconic monuments and political dysfunction, the sea of museums and turreted row houses, the U.S. capital has a lot to offer the hungry traveler. Take the sheer diversity that comes from a true melting-pot city—where Salvadorans mingle with Vietnamese and Nigerians—mix it with a few excellent food halls/markets, and add some Top Chef types and award-winning restaurants, and it’s safe to…   Read more

   

  Find local foods in Washington, D.C..

  Half-smoke

  Mumbo sauce with fried chicken

  Crab cakes

  Blue crabs

  Ethiopian food

• User Content

Below is user-submitted content for this region. Have something to contribute? Upload your regional-food photo or food memory.

• 

  Breakfast half-smoke

  D.C.
  lsr
• 

  Frijol con Queso Papusa

  D.C.
  srosen
• 

  Vegetarian Chili

  Washington
  leslie711
• 

  Chili Con Carne

  Washington
  leslie711

• Blog Posts

• Maine Avenue Fish Market: Washington, D.C'.s Real Deal

  Drive down to the Maine Avenue Fish Market, in southwest D.C., early on a Saturday evening, and you may immediately regret it. Cars are everywhere, vying for parking and backed up in slow-moving lines; a parade of people move toward the…   Read more