Because we stayed in Penn Quarter and there’s so many food places around, we really didn’t need to venture more than 300m from our Hotel to get some good eats. Here’s the rundown of where to get Breakfast, lunch and dinner while you’re in Penn Quarter, Washington DC.
The Smith
Recommended by the girls at the Hotel bar, we headed to The Smith. We were expecting just a raw bar with oysters, but the menu pretty much has everything you could ever want on it – lobster and oysters, salad, burgers, steak, the whole shebang.
The half lobster was the cheapest that we had ever seen at $15US (it’s crazy expensive in NZ), so we had to have it. It went real well with the Oysters of the day and the fries and the prosecco to wash it all down. If you’re thinking that it all sounds just a bit too ‘oohlala’, it’s really not. The place has been fitted out really nicely and offers a great casual dining space. Def. put it on the list.
Graffiato
This place caught our attention, firstly because of the name (I’m a lover of street art) and also because it looked kinda cool. While it has a dining area upstairs, we preferred to be in the hustle and bustle and sat downstairs not too far from the bar.
It’s casual Italian with a twist and while Mike opted for the Ragu Gnocchi, I hit up the lamb and root veges and we were both happy with our choices. Good service and good drinks. I thoroughly enjoyed my ‘Im-pear-ative’, pear flavoured cocktail (see what they did there).
The Crimson Diner (and Whisky Bar)
We walked past this place the night before, when we took the long way home through Chinatown. While google only gave it a 3.9, the interior alone told me it was worth more than this and it was.
For breakfast I went for the French Toast with Pecan and Peaches and Mike opted for an Omelette. While he took a bit of getting use to the American style cheese it in, I loved every second of mine. The coffee was good too, as was the service from our waitress Emma. For me, two of the most important things.
Penn Commons
We were actually going to go to this place on the first night, but made a very last minute decision to cross the road and head to Graffiato. I’m glad we went back the next night and followed through though.
The place is divided into two area, one a more formal dining area, the other, where we sat, more of a casual sports bar. We could watch the screens if we wanted to, but it also felt like a decent dining experience too.
We both got burgers and my wordy word they were both delicious. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say the ’12 buck chuck’ was the best burger I’ve ever had out. The meat was cooked to perfection, the condiments were on point and Mike felt the same with his choice of burger (see image below). This place was cool and it kinda makes it even better that they have the longest happy hour in the world.
Bakers and Baristas
Just an unfussy spot for breakfast serving up breakfast sandwiches, coffee (flat whites none the less) and freshly made pastries. If you’re looking for a huge breakfast, this isn’t the place, but it was a perfect stop for us before getting back on the bus to NYC. Oh, and the Cruffins…off the hook.
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