Washington D.C. Restaurant Endorsements

Of the restaurants we visited two or more times while in Washington D.C., here are our favorites. This criterion of two or more eliminates some restaurants I thought were great that we never happened to make it back to. For the sake of restaurant consistency (don't promote too much based on one visit) and conciseness (keep a shorter list), I'm using this restriction. Some restaurants on the list are distinctive; it's hard to find those cuisines or dishes in other places. Some, such a pizza, are not; one can find pizza everywhere. However, I'm sharing these types of recommendations here as well because they're our favorite place in Washington D.C. for a particular thing.

In no particular order:

• Bens Chili Bowl (nominally a diner yet it's better called an institution that servers chili and hot dogs/sausages.) (U Street)
• Jaleo (solidly good Spanish cuisine, with a menu that includes all the staples; this is hard to find anywhere.) (Penn Quarter)
• Amsterdam Falafelshop (a great falafel shop; you might be able to find something comparable in every city. However, you won't find the likes of its incredible toppings bar anywhere else.) (Adams Morgan)
• Ray's Hell Burger, Ray's to the Third, etc. (mini-chain with terrific burgers, so juicy that when I bite into them, they can spray across the table. Plus, they also have good toppings for the burgers.) (mostly in Arlington)
• Pitango (mini-chain serving gelato and sorbets; I especially like their seasonal fruit flavors.) (various locations)
• Dukem (Ethiopian; the shrimp, surprisingly, is exceptionally notable.) (U Street)
• Nando's Peri Peri (an international chain that serves good rotisserie chicken) (Chinatown)
• El Pollo Rico (Peruvian rotisserie chicken, unbelievably juicy; better than Nando's but more of a trek and they're both worthy of this list) (Arlington)
• Paul's (an international chain that does top-notch baked goods, both savory and sweet) (Penn Quarter)
• Pete's New Haven Style Apizza (mini-chain; Di Yin found a pizza place she likes better, I found a place I like better, but we're always both thoroughly satisfied here and we've certainly found places that are worse.) (various locations)
• District of Pi (pizzas, both deep-dish and thin-crust, exactly in the style of Little Star in San Francisco) (Penn Quarter)
• Luke's Lobster (NYC & DC chain that servers lobster rolls, crab rolls, etc.) (Penn Quarter)
• Cheesetique (food that involves cheese: cheesesteaks, grilled cheese, mac 'n cheese, etc.; I especially like the cheesesteak.) (Alexandria)

For drinks, I'll endorse Dogfish Head. This Delaware-based brewery has wide distribution in the D.C. area, especially through its Alehouse in Arlington, and makes a variety of beers, most good and in novel styles.