Eating My Way Around The World –
Best Ethnic Restaurants In Washington DC
Most of you know that I am a bit of a foodie. I love to eat and cook, especially ethnic foods from all corners of the world. Washington DC has some amazing restaurants and you can literally eat your way around the world in this city. This is why I really love DC and try to come as often as I can. I love to try new foods and so I make it a point to sample as many different cuisines as possible when I am in the capital and found some of the best ethnic restaurants in Washington DC along the way. Here are some of my favorite restaurants in and around the Washington DC area.
Best Ethnic Restaurants in Washington DC
Ethiopic Restaurant
In my eyes, one of the best ethnic restaurants in Washington DC. Best Ethiopian food and a nice atmosphere perfect for a romantic date or a fun night with a few friends. The vegetarian combo is great, because you get to try so many different dishes.
Website: Ethiopic Restaurant
Location: 401 H St NE, Washington, DC 20002
What to Eat: Vegetarian Sampler and Lamb Tips; also try some Ethiopian beer and do a coffee ceremony with sweet popcorn, if you want to make it a really special occasion.
Price: $$
Daikaya Ramen
Awesome Ramen shop with open kitchen concept. Tiny place, so you will most likely have to wait. But it is so worth it and you can grab a drink at the bar upstairs. Remember, the more you slurp the better the Ramen tastes 🙂
Website: Daikaya Ramen
Location: 705 6th St NW, Washington, DC 20001
What to Eat: Spicy Miso Ramen and Shio Ramen are both really good!
Price: $
Sacrificial Lamb
When we looked for restaurants near Dupont Circle, this name came up and we instantly knew we had to try it. This was some of the spiciest Indian food I have ever had, but that is exactly the way I love it. If you don’t like spice, just tell them and they can prepare it with a little less fire. This is a tiny hole in the wall place in the basement with a few tables outside. Nothing fancy, but great food and very cheap!
Website: Sacrificial Lamb
Location: 1704 R St NW, Washington, DC 20009
What to Eat: You must try the mango lassi! I had the Dal Makahni and it was great, as was the lamb curry of my husband.
Price: $
Rus Uz
This Russian/Usbeki restaurant is not technically in DC, but in Arlington. It is very easily accessible by subway and just across the street from the Ballston MU Metro Stop. The food is filling and delicious and absolutely worth the journey. I mean, just look at the pictures. Doesn’t it look amazing?
Website: Rus Uz
Location: 1000 N Randolph St, Arlington, VA 22201
What to Eat: Chebureki as a starter, Manti or Lamb Shank for the main course.
Price: $$
Kabob Palace
The BEST lamb you have ever tasted. I mean it. This Pakistani restaurant is also located in Arlington and a bit of a walk from the Metro stop. The lamb chops are melt in your mouth kinda goodness, served together with a rice and chickpea side that is like an explosion of flavors in your mouth. A little loud and bright hole in the wall kind of place, you really feel like you just got of a bus in Karachi.
Website: Kabob Palace
Location: 2315 S Eads St, Arlington, VA 22202
What to Eat: Lamb chops with a side of rice/chickpeas dish
Price: $
Tabard Inn for Brunch
No city getaway is complete without a fancy brunch, is it? We stayed at Hotel Rouge near Dupont Circle last time and found this little gem just a few blocks away. The Tabard Inn doesn’t officially qualify as a best ETHNIC restaurant in Washington DC, but it is my favorite brunch place, so I had to add it. There is a beautiful covered patio and countless little rooms, all decorated with style and love. Some funky and some with the style of an old English Inn.
If you are a donut lover, you will be in serious trouble there. They only have one kind, but it is amazing. Flakey and dusted with sugar and cinnamon. They have an amazing menu and I could have eaten my way from top to bottom, all of dishes sounded delectable. Traditional, yet with a bit of a twist.
Website: Tabard Inn for Brunch
Location: 1739 N St NW, Washington, DC 20036
What to Eat: Donuts are a must, the grits were amazing as were the Chicken and Waffles. I need to come back and try more!
Price: $$
Cafe Berlin
I have to admit that I was a little bit apprehensive when my husband’s boss wanted to take us to a German restaurant. I am a total German food snob, well, because I am from Germany and I hate it when people mess up my German dishes. But this place has pretty authentic German food and if you are looking to try some good German food in DC, try this place! And if you want to save some money, check out their deals on restaurant.com.
Website: Cafe Berlin
Location: 322 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002
What to Eat: Sauerbraten and Jägerschnitzel, and some German specialty beers to wash it all down!
Price: $$
Indigo
Indigo is another great Indian Restaurant that serves amazing and cheap grubs in a fun atmosphere. They have a nice garden outside and they also serve alcohol. When I went, the weather wasn’t too great, but I bet in the summer time it would be a nice place to hang out with friends, kids and dogs and have a good time.
Facebook: Indigo
Location: 243 K St NE Washington, DC
What to Eat: Lamb curry and the veggie thali
Price: $$
What is your favorite ethnic food that makes your mouth water, when you just think about it?
For cheap flights to Washington DC, check out Skyscanner! I’ve saved so much on airfare since I use this site as my go to flight search engine!
Pin for later – Best Ethnic Restaurants in Washington DC
MariaAbroad is a Travel Blog to inspire you and show you cool places around the world. I'll share articles about travel, culture, and craft beer. Follow me along, as I adventure through the world, one beer at a time. Cheers!
Awesome restaurant tips! I was there a few years ago, but on such a budget I couldn’t try much more than hot dogs 🙂 These all sound significantly better than that.
Hehe, anything sounds better than hot dogs, doesn’t it 😉 But the best part is, that most of these places are cheap (<$12/plate) to medium priced (<$20/plate). I love good food for a reasonable price!
Mm, all of these dishes look absolutely delicious! It’s so much fun to explore new dining areas, especially if you’re in a new place. It sounds like you really enjoyed your experience! Very cool! Thanks so much for sharing!
Yuuuum. I’ve been to Ethiopic Restaurant and it was out of this world. Now you have me craving injera… I’ll need to try these other spots the next time I’m down in DC!
So glad you started with Ethiopic, so yummy! Don’t forget any of Jose Andre’s restaurants either!
Looks like some delicious options for ethnic food in the D.C. area. Here in San Diego my favorite is Raki Raki for the noodle soup. It’s Zagat rated and one of the best in the area. Their dedication to fresh ingredients, good service and great recipes is not to be matched (at least in the Convoy district.)
Great restaurant tips! Wish I’d known about some of these spots when I was last there! And I love there is a restaurant called ‘Sacrificial Lamb’ – it just makes me smile!
Thanks for the tips… I am passing this along to a friend who lives in DC:)
I love trying new Ethnic cuisines. I’m new to Ethiopian food and I absolutely LOVE it. I’ve never even thought about what Russian and Usbeki food might entail. Looks delicious though. I’d definitely be willing to give it a try.
I was really hoping to find a good Morrocan restaurant on this list. These all sound amazing. I will check out the Ethiopian one next time I am in DC.
I’ll be in DC this summer and looking forward to trying some of these out. With such an international community I’m not surprised there is a lot of good ethnic food there.
I adore this post! When I lived in Beijing a group of us used to go to different ethnic restaurants and I got to try some stuff I would never have eaten back home.
I think my favourite would be the German restaurant!
This is awesome! I’ve been meaning to travel back to DC and I was looking for places to eat. Great list! Thanks for sharing!
I was introduced to so many different cuisines when I was living in DC. Love this list and will save it for when I hopefully visit next spring.
Great list of restaurants! I’ve eaten at Ethiopic and it was amazing. Thanks for putting this together!
Ohhhhh! One thing we miss so much about being back home is the ethnic restaurants in Washington on our doorstep! My mouth is watering right now. These look even better than the original dishes!
Restaurants always have their own secrets for dishes. Thanks for sharing! Thanks so much!
Regards
Julie M. Stowers
Hi,
Wow, all of these dishes look delicious and all of these places sound absolutely wonderful! It’s really interesting to see what different people like and have to say about different places throughout an area. Nice job! Thanks for sharing!
Thip Khao in Columbia heights for amazing Laotian food period it is Michelin guide rated. Padaek is their sister restaurant in seven corners virginia (falls church).
Namaste Everest in Pentagon row is Nepali/Indian and very good.
El Pollo Rico in Arlington Is Peruvian rotisserie chicken and very good. Pollo rico in Arlington Is Peruvian rotisserie chicken and excellent.
Daikaya Ramen, yum! I love Japanese cuisine so much, I am glad DC has a restaurant like that. Thank you for sharing.