Originally Posted by
brendog
"Chinatown" is pretty much all drab, touristy, sh!thole chain restaurants. You'd be better served heading to an actual neighbourhood that isn't overrun with overweight tourists in matching neon t-shirts. Aside from the faux Chinese arch, there is nothing remotely Chinese or exotic about this part of town.
Depending as to how exotic you want to get, I'd recommend going to one of the Ethiopian restaurants up on 9th or on U. Not much doing for good Chinese in DC proper. Fairfax Co., VA and parts of MoCo, MD have the large Asian populations and real Asian restaurants.
Agree that "Chinablock" (as it's often called) is basically lame.
H St NE has some good restaurants, though - in particular, there's an excellent Ethiopian place on H, NE near 6th St called Ethiopic. It's generally considered one of DC's best Ethiopian places, but it's not terribly expensive. Reservations are a good idea there because it's not the largest space.
Lots of other dining options (although not necessarily excellent ones) and bars on the H St, NE strip as well - although like most nightlife areas in DC it tends to appeal to a post-college crowd. You could easily get there from the hotel by X2 bus going down H (about 10 minutes) or by walking east out the back entrance of Union Station, where the Bolt Buses etc hang out (about 5-10 minutes).