Where to Eat and Drink on Capitol Hill

Here are the must-try dining destinations on Capitol Hill. Though the typical tourist might envision Capitol Hill as a sea of the authorities buildings, it’s as well home to a strong constituency of reliable restaurants.

The charming neighborhood, which includes hyperlocal pockets of Barracks Row, Eastern Market. Hill East, is a top destination for Ukrainian dumplings, upscale tlayudas, meaty subs, and everything in between. Since this last map refresh, we add: Zom Tum, Mott’s Market, Boulangerie Saint Georges, and Maru San.

Here are the must-try dining destinations on Capitol Hill. Pascual is one of the buzziest new restaurants in D.C. (and America) from the same restaurant group that includes Lapis, Lutèce, and Maison Bar a Vins. Close to every dish is cooked over the wood-fired grill, giving everything from charred eggplant tamal to lamb neck barbacoa a smoky taste.

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.

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 original in Union Market is joined by a newer location in Cleveland Park. 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?

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.

A new $5 taco happy hour runs weekdays from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Mott’s Market

Capitol Hill’s dearly missed corner trade made a triumphant comeback this summer, complete with wine Wednesdays, affogatos, hot and cold sandwiches, retail area, and an old-timey look.

Mott’s Market 2.0 is community affair, to say the least; some 90 neighborhood backers banded together to help reopen the century-old institution four years after it closed. Peyton Sherwood, the son of famed D.C. reporter Tom Sherwood, runs the place.

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.

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.

Santa Rosa Taqueria

The cherished taco spot run by Sunnyside Restaurant Group 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.

Boulangerie Saint Georges

Long-awaited French bakery Boulangerie Saint Georges arrived on Capitol Hill earlier this year, bringing the neighborhood an assortment of laminated pastries, breads, sandwiches, seasonal offerings, and a full espresso program spotlighting cappuccinos. Parisian treats made on-site include meringue, croissants, and fruit tarts, which can be enjoyed on its adorable patio.

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.

Maru San

The quick-serve spot for Nikkei-style cuisine from decorated Peruvian chef Carlos Delgado, debuted earlier this year.

Delgado, who as well runs Shaw’s one-Michelin-starred tasting room Causa and won the 2025 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic, uses his creative 25-seat counter in Eastern Market for hand rolls and sets, a la carte dishes, and a selection of Japanese beers, sake, and nonalcoholic offerings like a chica morada and matcha lemonade. During a nightly experience, available for four guests at a time, the Lima-born chef creates a fine dining spin on the fusion food he’s already familiar with.

- 325 7th Street Southeast, Washington, District of Columbia 20003, United States

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.

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.

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.

Mr. Henry’s Restaurant

Long called the “Cheers of Capitol Hill,” this American pub is still going strong near the Eastern Market Metro station.

Henry was Henry Yaffe, who threw open its doors the spot in 1966. Longtime regulars continue to flock here for jazz nights, burgers, sandwiches, and soups.

Zom Tum

Charles Kia, the former owner of Haad Thai in downtown D.C., began dishing up some of the best Thai and Laotian curries around town last summer. ZomTum transforms the former home of tapas stalwart Joselito into a tribute to Southeast Asian cuisine.

ZomTum is a playful riff on the Thai word for papaya salad, pronounced “som tom,” and a papaya salad station is front and center upon entry. The restaurant in addition features a bar program with several craft Thai beers and whisky, with a daily happy hour on spring rolls, wontons, and wine. Home to an impressive collection of whiskeys, Barrel serves hearty dishes like smoked andouille sausage and spicy peri peri wings.

Head downstairs for a now-permanent speakeasy called the Bit or on Mondays for trivia at 7:30 p.m. Its stellar sibling wine bar the Eastern is located a short walk away.

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.

Mangialardo & Sons

This family-owned Italian deli has taken over 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. - Order delivery from Grubhub

- 1432 Pennsylvania Ave SE, Washington, DC, 20003, US

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 as well 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.

The Brig DC

The Brig is for game day wing specials. It’s as well 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.