Looking for suggestions of where to have an outstanding brunch in DC.

(Keywords: WAS DCA IAD)

Doppy, you can't go wrong with Georgia Brown's southern-style brunch (http://www.gbrowns.com/dir/brunch.aspx) . I highly recommend it! ^

The views of the Potomac and the Kennedy Center from Sequoia make this a great place for brunch in Washington, DC:

Sequoia (Georgetown)
Washington Harbour
3000 K St., NW
(30th St.)
Washington, DC 20007
202-944-4200
www.arkrestaurants.com

Happy to offer some good suggestions, but tell me more about what you're interested in for brunch.. view, ambiance, style of food, price range..?

Looking for really good food. In New York there are some really outstanding brunches to be had (Jane, Five Points, Norma's). I'm looking for something like that in DC.

http://www.10best.com/Washington/Restaurants/Brunch/index.html
http://www.findoutdc.com/brunch/index.shtml

Of these, I had brunch at Georgia Brown's, Cashion's Eat Place, Old Ebbitt Grill, and Seasons when I lived in DC. Each place on the two lists abive have their own ambiance (Adams Morgan vs. Political Scene vs. a Scenic View), and all 4 I went to had excellent food. The Smithsonian Castle is also a cool place for brunch in DC, as are some of the other government places (i.e. on the roof at the Kennedy Center, at the National Gallery of Art Terrace Cafe, etc). Sequoia is one of my favorite places in DC - go there for dinner one evening if the weather is nice.

For pure foodie appeal, the weekend lunch at Kinkead's is always good - though it is not a full brunch per se. My favorite place with an actual brunch menu is Kramerbooks and Afterwards Cafe in Dupont Circle. Not quite as upscale as most on the list, but really good food and a great place to people watch and be in the center of the city on a weekend morning. I think the brunch menu is offered Saturday too.

If you'd think you would appreciate sparkling wine and outstanding patisserie, then I highly recommend the Four Seasons in Georgetown.

http://www.fourseasons.com/washington/dining.html

I had this brunch this past spring. The food was very good, but not outstanding (but that's really typical of Sunday brunches, unless you head over to the top hotels in Asia). Service was efficient. They served unlimited Chandon Brut Classic.

The highlight for me as a gourmand was the dessert table. Classic french pastries galore, including macarons just like in Paris.

The price was $65 plus tax and tip.

If Norma's in NY is your reference point you're going to be generally disappointed in DC options.

Here's Washingtonian's take:
http://www.washingtonian.com/dining/05/brunch.html

Sequoia listed above is a nice venue on the water but the food is mediocre. Old Ebbitt is a DC institution, certainly ok, and open early on both Saturday and Sunday. But hardly great.

If my goal was actual good food for brunch I might head to 2941 in Fairview Park.

Thanks for all of the suggestions, I really appreciate it ^

Thanks for all of the suggestions, I really appreciate it ^
Let us know where you wind up going and how it was!!!

Moved to the Washington forum from Dining Buzz

cblaisd
Senior Moderator

The views of the Potomac and the Kennedy Center from Sequoia make this a great place for brunch in Washington, DC:

Sequoia (Georgetown)
Washington Harbour
3000 K St., NW
(30th St.)
Washington, DC 20007
202-944-4200
www.arkrestaurants.com


Sequoia has a great atmosphere, especially if you're eating outside, but I've often found the food there to be pretty bad.

If you're travelling out to Fairfax (gleff's suggestion), I haven't been here in a while but a favorite was Westfields Marriott. They did a Sunday brunch that was huge. It was always worth the money. They take over one of their larger ballrooms every Sunday and put on a huge buffet with all of the expected stations, including carving, seafood, omelette, etc. Their pastry chef always seemed to have a great time with their dessert time and the many options.

Reservations are recommended.

14750 Conference Center Drive
Chantilly, Virginia 20151 USA
Phone: 1-703-818-0300

Peacock Cafe in Georgetown. It's good food in a quiet environment and has a top notch staff.

[url] My favorite place with an actual brunch menu is Kramerbooks and Afterwards Cafe in Dupont Circle. Not quite as upscale as most on the list, but really good food and a great place to people watch and be in the center of the city on a weekend morning. I think the brunch menu is offered Saturday too.

A boost to that recommendation....Casual, comfortable and with a feel of the "wordly", also offers high quality girl-watching and a more egalitarian atmosphere than the artificiality of most hotel brunches.

A regular stop for me, several dozen times since the early 80s, always pleasant, average but edible food at reasonable prices, and a great location for strolling. I like Saturday better than Sunday.

I have not been there since they reopened, but the Park Hyatt had a nice Sunday brunch. You basically ordered off the menu for eggs, etc and went to the buffet for all of the other good stuff. It might still be worth a look, although I know they have changed up the restaurant a bit since re-opening.

gleff said If Norma's in NY is your reference point you're going to be generally disappointed in DC options.

After looking up Norma's, I can definitely say I never had a breakfast/brunch in DC like their website reads. I half jokingly/half seriously want to say the Original Pancake House would come closest in DC (in terms of food selection/type, obviously not the quality/originality)! In any event, I know where I am having brunch during my next NYC trip!

Old Ebbitt is a DC institution, certainly ok, and open early on both Saturday and Sunday. But hardly great.

If you are looking for the DC vibe, then OE Grill is where to go.

A boost to that recommendation....Casual, comfortable and with a feel of the "wordly", also offers high quality girl-watching and a more egalitarian atmosphere than the artificiality of most hotel brunches.

A regular stop for me, several dozen times since the early 80s, always pleasant, average but edible food at reasonable prices, and a great location for strolling. I like Saturday better than Sunday.

I actually HATE Kramerbooks/Afterwords for brunch. It's a nice concept and the food is decent, but I've been there about five times for brunch on Saturdays and Sundays, and every single time the service was truly awful - and I'm generally pretty laid back. I think it's because there are too many people and too few servers, but I've waited over 1/2 hour after ordering before even getting a first cup of coffee, after repeated requests/reminders, food arriving lukewarm, etc., etc.

For something a little different, Cafe Atlantico's (http://www.cafeatlantico.com) latino dim sum brunch is interesting. It is essentially a tasting menu with tapas-sized portions. Most of the dishes work, a few don't, but all are unusual and they have great cocktails.

I'm not a fan of Sequoia at all. Every time I have gone the food was mediocre (somewhat bland and uninspired actually), and the service was BAD. Oh, but the view is +++.

Ended up doing Sequoia for the view and location in Georgetown. Food and service were indeed mediocre.

Did Georgia Brown's as well. Not sure about their brunch. It's $34. You start off with a buffet, then you order an entree as well. The buffet has everything so it's a filling enough meal by itself. But it's nothing special.

The server recommeded we just fill up on the buffet, then get the entrees to go. This is what we did. It was nice to have dinner already ready that way, but having a nice meal sit in plastic for a few hours until it's microwaved kind of ruins it. Though the gumbo keeps really well.

Not sure if I'd go back. $34 is too much to skip the buffet and just get the entrees. On the other hand doing what we did gave us two meals, but the second lost a lot after sitting in a plastic container all day.

Normandie Farm in Potomac, MD is where I like to take visiting out-of-town relatives. Their buffet is large enough that everyone can find something they like.

http://www.popovers.com/

This place has been open since 1931 (I believe their claim to fame is that they invented the popover) so it's more traditional than hip... but I generally find that works better for my older relatives! At $24/adult, it's more reasonably priced than some of the other area Power Brunches. The staff has also been very accommodating when I've held meetings over brunch with a group of 8 - 10 people.

I've visited Cashion's Eat Place several times for brunch and just wish they had a menu with more breakfast-y selections. The atmosphere is neighborhood-y and light so I'll sometimes go there with younger friends. I just have to remember to be in more of a lunch mindset next time I go!