clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile
Carman column - Hill East Burger
The Puebla at Hill East Burger features two beef patties, poblano relish, beefonaise, smoked cheddar, and arugula.
Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Where to Eat and Drink on Capitol Hill

The historic neighborhood near Congress is packed with prime dining options

View as Map
The Puebla at Hill East Burger features two beef patties, poblano relish, beefonaise, smoked cheddar, and arugula.
| Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Though the typical tourist might envision Capitol Hill as a sea of government buildings, it’s also home to a strong constituency of reliable restaurants. The charming neighborhood, which includes hyperlocal pockets of Barracks Row, Eastern Market, and Hill East, is a top destination for Ukrainian dumplings, upscale tlayudas, meaty subs, and everything in between.

Here are 24 must-try dining destinations on Capitol Hill.

Read More
Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process. If you buy something or book a reservation from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy.

Pascual

Copy Link

Pascual is one of the buzziest new restaurants in D.C. from the same restaurant group that includes Lapis and Lutèce. Almost every dish is cooked over the wood-fired grill, giving everything from charred eggplant tamal to lamb neck barbacoa a smoky flavor. The hearth-focused menu honors chef Isabel Coss’s native Mexico City, and her combined experience working at top-tier Mexican restaurants, including Michelin-starred Pujol. Don’t miss out on her bunuelos for dessert, a beautiful fried dough pastry served with chocolate sauce and caramel made of goat’s milk.

    Search for reservations
  • Capital One Dining
    Book primetime tables set aside exclusively for eligible Capital One cardholders. Capital One Dining is the presenting partner of the Eater app.
A big dusted dessert with sauces.
The big buñuelo arrives with delectable sauces.
Deb Lindsey

Manna Dosirak

Copy Link

This mom-and-pop shop is a hidden gem in Kingman Park. The menu features affordable Korean dishes available for takeout or delivery, including mandu (Korean dumplings) and bulgogi bowls.

Manna Dosirak

Buffalo & Bergen - Capitol HIll

Copy Link

Longtime D.C. mixologist Gina Chersevani pays homage to her native New York on Capitol Hill with a dream deli slinging bagels, matzo ball soup, knishes, and killer cocktails. Opt for takeout, patio seating, and indoor dining. The 4-year-old location builds upon the success of the original in Union Market.

The 27-seat operation with a minimalist retro design that pays homage to Dorothy Draper.
Rey Lopez/Eater D.C.

Nostra Cucina

Copy Link

This is a proper red sauce joint serving up calamari, beef lasagna, eggplant Parmesan, and homemade pastas. Nostra Cucina is available for online pickup or delivery via Clover.

Pasta in a white bowl
Noodles by Nostra Cucina
Nostra Cucina

Bistro Cacao

Copy Link

After a decade in its cozy, historic Capitol Hill location, this modern French restaurant took over the space next door and expanded its patio two-fold. It’s a destination for diners during Saturday and Sunday brunch, which recently expanded to offer a 3-course brunch pre-fixe ($49) with unlimited mimosas.

Pacci's

Copy Link

This is a reliable pasta and pizza spot with especially generous hours open for breakfast, weekend brunch, weekday lunch, and dinner on Capitol Hill’s Lincoln Park. And how can you say no to the fried eggplant burrata and a glass of San Giovese on the patio overlooking the park?

Neapolitan-style pizza coming hot out of the pizza oven.
Pacci’s/Facebook

Los Caballeros

Copy Link

The best Tex-Mex is tucked away on Pennsylvania Avenue where you might smell the sizzling fajitas before you see them. Step inside to a lively and colorful restaurant that includes massive burritos and taco shell salads that can easily feed two people.

Tunnicliff's Tavern

Copy Link

If you’re a local you go here to eat — especially if it’s a weekend for a reliable, no-frills brunch menu that includes a standout bloody mary and seafood dishes, like a salmon BLT, crab cakes, and tuna melt sandwich.

Steak and eggs on a white plate
Steak and eggs at Tunnicliff’s Tavern
Tunnicliff’s Tavern/Facebook

Market Lunch

Copy Link

Located inside historic Eastern Market, Market Lunch is known for serving hearty breakfast and lunch platters. The blueberry buckwheat pancakes alone are worth the trip.

People eating breakfast food
Daytime essentials at Market Lunch
R. Lopez/Eater D.C.

Santa Rosa Taqueria

Copy Link

The cherished taco spot run by Sunnyside Restaurant Group (the team behind Good Stuff Eatery next door) is a stalwart for margarita happy hour. Head here for al pastor carved tacos from a gyro stick and birria tacos made with cheesy pot roast and consomé.

Fried shrimp tacos at Santa Rosa Taqueria.
Santa Rosa Taqueria

eat brgz

Copy Link

Inventive patties and delicious milkshakes make this an excellent destination when a burger craving hits. Eat Brgz creates each patty to-order with toppings grilled into the bun. Try the Mexico City — a chorizo patty stuffed with red onions, bell peppers, jalapeños, Oaxaca cheese, and taco seasoning.

The Duck & The Peach

Copy Link

This restaurant evokes California’s farm-to-table spirit, alongside wines sourced from around the world. The roast chicken would make Ina Garten cry. And definitely save room for dessert and ice creams (available for to-go service) prepared by its talented pastry chef Rochelle Cooper. Consider its sleek sibling La Collina for standout Italian dishes like cacio e pepe, dry-aged beef carpaccio, and arancini bambini, along with grapefruit-accented Negronis by the pitcher.

Chicken on a white plate.
Rotisserie chicken is now available in half portions.
Deb Lindsey

Ruta Ukrainian Restaurant

Copy Link

This restaurant has a simple goal — to be the ambassador of Ukrainian culture through the richness of its cuisine. Find staple dishes like Ukrainian borscht and varenyky (Ukrainian dumplings) and hearty and generous plates of beef stroganoff.

Dining Review of Ruta Ukraikian Restaurant
Assorted varenyky dumplings at Ruta.
Scott Suchman for The Washington Post via Getty Images

La Casina DC

Copy Link

Culinary couple Angela and Fabrizio Costantini relocated from Rome to bring D.C. a true taste of Italy with the opening of La Casina two years ago. The family-friendly restaurant specializes in the Roman art of cloud-like “pinsa” pizza that’s curiously crispy on the outside but super soft in the center.

Home to an impressive collection of whiskeys, Barrel serves hearty dishes like smoked andouille sausage and spicy peri peri wings. Head downstairs for a fun pop-up bar or head there on Mondays for trivia at 7:30 p.m.

Joselito Casa de Comidas

Copy Link

This restaurant from the owners of SER in Ballston specializes in Spanish cuisine, including salt cod, Iberian ham, and fried anchovies. Sidewalk dining was added a few years ago and orders are available for pickup and takeout.

Beuchert’s Saloon

Copy Link

This bar and restaurant offers seasonal and decadent dishes with flair, including an oversized bone marrow dish and an epic Roseda Farms burger. The bar serves satisfying whiskey and bourbon cocktails at the watch of two bison heads mounted to the backbar.

Belga Cafe/The Betsy

Copy Link

A Barracks Row pioneer, Belga Cafe attracts crowds for pots of mussels and frites. During warmer months, head to the rooftop and hit up the Betsy. Named after chef Bart Vandaele’s favorite pet chicken, the bar specializes in gin drinks.

A waffle on a white plate
A sweet and savory waffle at Belga Cafe
Belga Cafe

Ambar (Multiple locations)

Copy Link

Restaurateur Ivan Iricanin’s flagship Balkan restaurant got a renovation during the pandemic to the tune of a $3 million upgrade. Go for kebabs, brunch, and rakia. Ambar crowds swell on weekends for the all-you-can-eat brunch menu.

Flatbread from Ambar
Ambar [official site]

Mangialardo & Sons

Copy Link

This family-owned Italian deli has acquired a serious local following for its meaty subs. Its most famous sandwich, the “G” Man, comes with ham, salami, mortadella, pepperoni, fontina cheese, provolone cheese, and oregano. Pickup wraps at 2:30 p.m. and delivery stops at 3 p.m.

Rose's Luxury

Copy Link

The Michelin-starred mainstay plays to its strengths with dishes so popular they’ve been on the menu since day one — like the pork lychee salad. This is an excellent spot to book for shared plates, with a rooftop garden to boot. Each diner picks a “choose your own adventure” approach with two dishes to share for the table. For something super fancy, consider its two-Michelin-starred sibling Pineapple & Pearls on the same strip.

Hill East Burger

Copy Link

Giddy-on-up to this burger bar featuring Southwest style with everything from ranch water to a green chile burger. Hill East Burger bar routinely invites in top chefs from around the District to introduce limited menu specials including a teriyaki burger (made by Perry’s chef Masako Morishita), leaving us salivating and hopeful that it will return someday soon.

Carman column - Hill East Burger
The lively Southwest burger joint.
Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post via Getty Images

The Roost

Copy Link

This culinary clubhouse is home to some amazing vendors including Cameo Coffee, Hi-Fi Taco, and Shelter — a craft beer bar featuring brews from the Navy Yard’s Bluejacket Brewery. It’s also a food hall where you can order from your phone and dishes are delivered directly to your table — making for a seamless, no-wait-in-line experience. At the Roost’s acclaimed sit-down restaurant Caruso’s Grocery, everything from the chicken Parmigiana to the slightly-faded red booths is meant to feel like an old-school red sauce joint.

A plate of sushi rolls from Ako by Kenaki Stacey Windsor/For the Roost

The Brig DC

Copy Link

The Brig is for football Saturdays and Sundays with wing specials. It’s also for enjoying one of dozens of local or imported beers in a German-style beer garden. Best of all, this spot is kid-friendly and features heated outdoor space to entertain your next happy hour.

A beer garden with a blue awning.
The outdoor beer garden is perfect on a sunny day.
The Brig

Pascual

Pascual is one of the buzziest new restaurants in D.C. from the same restaurant group that includes Lapis and Lutèce. Almost every dish is cooked over the wood-fired grill, giving everything from charred eggplant tamal to lamb neck barbacoa a smoky flavor. The hearth-focused menu honors chef Isabel Coss’s native Mexico City, and her combined experience working at top-tier Mexican restaurants, including Michelin-starred Pujol. Don’t miss out on her bunuelos for dessert, a beautiful fried dough pastry served with chocolate sauce and caramel made of goat’s milk.

A big dusted dessert with sauces.
The big buñuelo arrives with delectable sauces.
Deb Lindsey

Manna Dosirak

This mom-and-pop shop is a hidden gem in Kingman Park. The menu features affordable Korean dishes available for takeout or delivery, including mandu (Korean dumplings) and bulgogi bowls.

Manna Dosirak

Buffalo & Bergen - Capitol HIll

Longtime D.C. mixologist Gina Chersevani pays homage to her native New York on Capitol Hill with a dream deli slinging bagels, matzo ball soup, knishes, and killer cocktails. Opt for takeout, patio seating, and indoor dining. The 4-year-old location builds upon the success of the original in Union Market.

The 27-seat operation with a minimalist retro design that pays homage to Dorothy Draper.
Rey Lopez/Eater D.C.

Nostra Cucina

This is a proper red sauce joint serving up calamari, beef lasagna, eggplant Parmesan, and homemade pastas. Nostra Cucina is available for online pickup or delivery via Clover.

Pasta in a white bowl
Noodles by Nostra Cucina
Nostra Cucina

Bistro Cacao

After a decade in its cozy, historic Capitol Hill location, this modern French restaurant took over the space next door and expanded its patio two-fold. It’s a destination for diners during Saturday and Sunday brunch, which recently expanded to offer a 3-course brunch pre-fixe ($49) with unlimited mimosas.

Pacci's

This is a reliable pasta and pizza spot with especially generous hours open for breakfast, weekend brunch, weekday lunch, and dinner on Capitol Hill’s Lincoln Park. And how can you say no to the fried eggplant burrata and a glass of San Giovese on the patio overlooking the park?

Neapolitan-style pizza coming hot out of the pizza oven.
Pacci’s/Facebook

Los Caballeros

The best Tex-Mex is tucked away on Pennsylvania Avenue where you might smell the sizzling fajitas before you see them. Step inside to a lively and colorful restaurant that includes massive burritos and taco shell salads that can easily feed two people.

Tunnicliff's Tavern

If you’re a local you go here to eat — especially if it’s a weekend for a reliable, no-frills brunch menu that includes a standout bloody mary and seafood dishes, like a salmon BLT, crab cakes, and tuna melt sandwich.

Steak and eggs on a white plate
Steak and eggs at Tunnicliff’s Tavern
Tunnicliff’s Tavern/Facebook

Market Lunch

Located inside historic Eastern Market, Market Lunch is known for serving hearty breakfast and lunch platters. The blueberry buckwheat pancakes alone are worth the trip.

People eating breakfast food
Daytime essentials at Market Lunch
R. Lopez/Eater D.C.

Santa Rosa Taqueria

The cherished taco spot run by Sunnyside Restaurant Group (the team behind Good Stuff Eatery next door) is a stalwart for margarita happy hour. Head here for al pastor carved tacos from a gyro stick and birria tacos made with cheesy pot roast and consomé.

Fried shrimp tacos at Santa Rosa Taqueria.
Santa Rosa Taqueria

eat brgz

Inventive patties and delicious milkshakes make this an excellent destination when a burger craving hits. Eat Brgz creates each patty to-order with toppings grilled into the bun. Try the Mexico City — a chorizo patty stuffed with red onions, bell peppers, jalapeños, Oaxaca cheese, and taco seasoning.

The Duck & The Peach

This restaurant evokes California’s farm-to-table spirit, alongside wines sourced from around the world. The roast chicken would make Ina Garten cry. And definitely save room for dessert and ice creams (available for to-go service) prepared by its talented pastry chef Rochelle Cooper. Consider its sleek sibling La Collina for standout Italian dishes like cacio e pepe, dry-aged beef carpaccio, and arancini bambini, along with grapefruit-accented Negronis by the pitcher.

Chicken on a white plate.
Rotisserie chicken is now available in half portions.
Deb Lindsey

Ruta Ukrainian Restaurant

This restaurant has a simple goal — to be the ambassador of Ukrainian culture through the richness of its cuisine. Find staple dishes like Ukrainian borscht and varenyky (Ukrainian dumplings) and hearty and generous plates of beef stroganoff.

Dining Review of Ruta Ukraikian Restaurant
Assorted varenyky dumplings at Ruta.
Scott Suchman for The Washington Post via Getty Images

La Casina DC

Culinary couple Angela and Fabrizio Costantini relocated from Rome to bring D.C. a true taste of Italy with the opening of La Casina two years ago. The family-friendly restaurant specializes in the Roman art of cloud-like “pinsa” pizza that’s curiously crispy on the outside but super soft in the center.

Barrel

Home to an impressive collection of whiskeys, Barrel serves hearty dishes like smoked andouille sausage and spicy peri peri wings. Head downstairs for a fun pop-up bar or head there on Mondays for trivia at 7:30 p.m.

Related Maps

Joselito Casa de Comidas

This restaurant from the owners of SER in Ballston specializes in Spanish cuisine, including salt cod, Iberian ham, and fried anchovies. Sidewalk dining was added a few years ago and orders are available for pickup and takeout.

Beuchert’s Saloon

This bar and restaurant offers seasonal and decadent dishes with flair, including an oversized bone marrow dish and an epic Roseda Farms burger. The bar serves satisfying whiskey and bourbon cocktails at the watch of two bison heads mounted to the backbar.

Belga Cafe/The Betsy

A Barracks Row pioneer, Belga Cafe attracts crowds for pots of mussels and frites. During warmer months, head to the rooftop and hit up the Betsy. Named after chef Bart Vandaele’s favorite pet chicken, the bar specializes in gin drinks.

A waffle on a white plate
A sweet and savory waffle at Belga Cafe
Belga Cafe

Ambar (Multiple locations)

Restaurateur Ivan Iricanin’s flagship Balkan restaurant got a renovation during the pandemic to the tune of a $3 million upgrade. Go for kebabs, brunch, and rakia. Ambar crowds swell on weekends for the all-you-can-eat brunch menu.

Flatbread from Ambar
Ambar [official site]

Mangialardo & Sons

This family-owned Italian deli has acquired a serious local following for its meaty subs. Its most famous sandwich, the “G” Man, comes with ham, salami, mortadella, pepperoni, fontina cheese, provolone cheese, and oregano. Pickup wraps at 2:30 p.m. and delivery stops at 3 p.m.

Rose's Luxury

The Michelin-starred mainstay plays to its strengths with dishes so popular they’ve been on the menu since day one — like the pork lychee salad. This is an excellent spot to book for shared plates, with a rooftop garden to boot. Each diner picks a “choose your own adventure” approach with two dishes to share for the table. For something super fancy, consider its two-Michelin-starred sibling Pineapple & Pearls on the same strip.

Hill East Burger

Giddy-on-up to this burger bar featuring Southwest style with everything from ranch water to a green chile burger. Hill East Burger bar routinely invites in top chefs from around the District to introduce limited menu specials including a teriyaki burger (made by Perry’s chef Masako Morishita), leaving us salivating and hopeful that it will return someday soon.

Carman column - Hill East Burger
The lively Southwest burger joint.
Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post via Getty Images

The Roost

This culinary clubhouse is home to some amazing vendors including Cameo Coffee, Hi-Fi Taco, and Shelter — a craft beer bar featuring brews from the Navy Yard’s Bluejacket Brewery. It’s also a food hall where you can order from your phone and dishes are delivered directly to your table — making for a seamless, no-wait-in-line experience. At the Roost’s acclaimed sit-down restaurant Caruso’s Grocery, everything from the chicken Parmigiana to the slightly-faded red booths is meant to feel like an old-school red sauce joint.

A plate of sushi rolls from Ako by Kenaki Stacey Windsor/For the Roost

The Brig DC

The Brig is for football Saturdays and Sundays with wing specials. It’s also for enjoying one of dozens of local or imported beers in a German-style beer garden. Best of all, this spot is kid-friendly and features heated outdoor space to entertain your next happy hour.

A beer garden with a blue awning.
The outdoor beer garden is perfect on a sunny day.
The Brig

Related Maps