Your guide for where to go in DC’s hippest, family-friendly neighborhood
DC's cool crowd can be found trying out trendy new spots, sampling comfort food or sipping whiskey at one of many hip restaurants and bars in Petworth. If you have a taste for creative fare in funky dining rooms or hole-in-the-wall pop-ups, this neighborhood is worth the trip – especially as more and more local haunts gain nationwide recognition.
Timber Pizza Co.
Visit Upshur Street to find spots with that special everybody-knows-your-name feel. On the corner of 8th, you'll find Neapolitan wood-fired pizzas at Timber Pizza Company. The concept, originally operated out of a pickup truck, was named to Bon Appétit's 50 best new restaurants in America list for 2017. With 30 or so seats and an interior that embodies industrial chic, this order-at-the-counter dining darling may be small but the flavors are anything but.
© Rey Lopez, Eater DC
Stop by 828 Upshur for a daytime scone or focaccia sandwich from Little Food Studio Café. Or, you can visit in the evening for an elevated meal from Almeda Restaurant, which has been lauded by Michelin Guide, The Washington Post and The New York Times. From the small space’s open kitchen, Chef Danielle Harris prepares shareable Afro-fusion dishes that celebrate the diaspora, from jollof risotto and jerk pork to crunchy coconut cake.
On the same block awaits a little wonderland of sweets, snacks, sips and gifts that will have you wandering the aisles longer than you’d planned: Lulabelle's. “I’m just stopping in for a scoop of ice cream,” you’ll think. But then you’ll see the food-themed totes. The boxed sourdough crackers. The oils and vinegars and the bresaola, for goodness’ sake. Get it all, we say. But don’t forget that scoop of honey graham – a local favorite. If you’re really celebrating: Lulabelle’s’ pastry chef Chris Tibbs provides custom cakes you can pick up at the store.
Uno Más
Petworth's main thoroughfare, Georgia Avenue, is also packed with culinary standouts stretching all the way down to the Park View neighborhood. Pay close attention as you go – the small storefronts can be easy to miss.
If you miss Homestead and Commonwealth… we get it. But we want you to fear not. Because in this space now is Uno Más, a delightful Mexican restaurant that can cover all your Petworth fun and food cravings. We recommend the guacamole (the main, not the side): they’ll prepare it at your table, mashing the fresh avocado, tomatoes, onions and cilantro before your eyes. The salmon taco is a winner, but they’ve got a pulpo (octopus) taco, too, if salmon isn’t adventurous enough for you. From fajitas to plantains to coctel de camarones, you can’t go wrong here. And they do a great birthday flan.
If you’re serious about tacos, we assume you’ve been to another Petworth standout: Habanero, often referred to as “one of DC’s best Mexican restaurants.” This award-winning, family-owned spot over on 14th serves authentic Mexican fare to satisfy your Central American cravings, including lovingly crafted fresh corn tortillas. Flavors are inspired by Puebla, Mexico and include mole poblano and a standout green salsa.
Also on Georgia Avenue, drop by Fish in the Hood, where the team will flash fry your fillet to perfection. (A couple of tips: don't skip the spicy mango sauce and bring cash to pay for your order.) For a Southern match made in heaven, walk less than a minute to The Looking Glass Lounge for a perfect whiskey pairing.
The area also serves as a home for fledgling culinary ventures. This sentiment is embodied by EatsPlace, a food incubator for restaurant pop-ups and new concepts where up-and-coming chefs can find their voice. The unique space hosts chefs who want to serve in-the-know diners their latest cuisine, as well as a “drinkubator” for creative mixologists. Stop in any night of the week to see what local chefs are serving up.
One example of pop-up-turned-restaurant is the Michelin-recognized Menya Hosaki, where each bowl of ramen is a labor of love from Chef Eric, who quit his job as a financial consultant to fully embrace his lifelong dedication to noodles.
Head south to the nearby Park View neighborhood to find Call Your Mother, another venture from the Timber Pizza team. The deli bills itself as "Jew-ish," with candied salmon cream cheese, za’atar bagels, whitefish croquettes and a matzah ball soup. Just make sure to get there early or during off-peak hours – the line that wrapped around the block long before it made Bon Appétit's list of America's 50 best new restaurants in 2019.
You know those moments when you want to honor your commitment to the environment, animals and your health, and you also just really want a fried fish sandwich? It’s in those moments that our next stop, NuVegan Café, becomes a beacon of possibility. And the restaurant truly is a ray of light, inspiring with its passionate dedication to vegan cooking and its mission to “redefine the perception of vegan cuisine.” The reviews are in, and whether it’s hot or cold sides, the vegan chick’n drummies, the barbecue tofu with rice or any other menu item, customers are brimming with joy at the world of delicious options open to them here.
One element essential to the fabric of Petworth is its laid-back bar culture. Grab a draft beer or signature cocktail at Hook Hall, a colorful event space and community garden complete with cabanas, a host of outdoor games, seasonally-changing decor and a busy calendar of events.
Follow Georgia Avenue farther down for a glass of vino inside three restored 1920s townhouses at St. Vincent Wine. While the tree-lined wine garden appeals to enthusiasts with selections from small, natural and woman-owned wine producers, it also promises a lively experience for sippers of all kinds, with jazz performances, Wednesday wine tastings, chef-curated bites and killer weekend brunch.
If your sweet tooth needs some satiating, stop by family-owned ice cream shop Here's the Scoop. With a goal of "bringing the community together one treat at a time," the neighborhood favorite features both dairy and non-dairy flavors, including creamy cashew-milk horchata and baklava. Their other specialty? Jamaican patties.
Loving Petworth? Check out even more to see and do.
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