WASHINGTON — August 28, 2026 — Washington’s restaurant scene is constantly changing, but some dishes become more than meals. They turn into local traditions, neighborhood landmarks and culinary calling cards.
A new Washington Post guide highlights 40 essential restaurant dishes that help define the D.C. region’s increasingly diverse food culture. The list ranges from Afghan dumplings and Ethiopian-inspired breakfasts to half-smokes, burgers, pho, pizza, sandwiches and desserts.
The guide comes nine years after the publication’s previous “40 Eats” list. Since then, the region’s dining landscape has changed dramatically: 15 of the 40 establishments featured in the 2017 guide have permanently closed, while new restaurants and culinary concepts have emerged across Washington and its suburbs.
A city defined by culinary diversity
One of the clearest messages from the new list is that there is no single food that represents modern Washington.
The selections reflect the city’s long-established communities as well as newer influences. Afghan, Ethiopian, Lao, Chinese, Korean, Filipino, Palestinian, Peruvian and Vietnamese flavors appear alongside American classics and dishes influenced by New York, Texas and the Carolinas.
That diversity has become one of D.C.’s biggest culinary strengths.
The Washington Post says its staff members traveled throughout the region, tasting and comparing dishes before settling on the 40 selections. The choices were based not simply on novelty but on foods staffers repeatedly return to and recommend to visitors.
Afghan dumplings make the list
Among the featured dishes is the aushak at Lapis, an Afghan restaurant in Adams Morgan.
The dumplings are filled with tender leeks, cilantro and olive oil before being steamed and served with ground beef and split-pea tomato sauce. A combination of labneh, mint and cayenne adds additional contrast.
The dish illustrates how a traditional food can become part of Washington’s modern dining identity while retaining its cultural roots.
A legendary D.C. pancake
The list also includes blueberry buckwheat pancakes from Market Lunch, the long-running counter inside Eastern Market.
Known locally as “Blue bucks,” the pancakes have developed a loyal following over decades. They combine buckwheat’s nutty flavor with sweet blueberries and are served with butter and maple syrup.
Market Lunch has been operating at Eastern Market since 1978, making the pancakes an example of the region's older culinary traditions surviving alongside newer restaurant trends.
Washington's half-smoke remains essential
No discussion of essential D.C. food would be complete without the half-smoke.
The Washington Post selected the spicy chili half-smoke at Ben’s Chili Bowl, a U Street institution that dates to 1958.
The sausage — traditionally a combination of beef and pork — is covered with the restaurant’s signature chili. Beyond its flavor, the half-smoke carries historical significance because Ben’s became an important gathering place during Washington’s civil rights era.
The dish remains one of the strongest links between the city’s food culture and its history.
Burgers and sandwiches take center stage
The guide also shows how much Washington’s casual dining scene has evolved.
Among the selections are the dry-aged cheeseburger at Eebee’s Corner Bar, the double cheeseburger at Steeze Burger, and the carne asada munchwrap at Little Miner Taco.
Sandwiches also feature prominently, including the Mortazza at Fossette Focacceria, the smoked amba chicken sandwich at Yellow, the Philly at Soko Butcher and the OG Nashville sandwich at Roaming Rooster.
These dishes demonstrate the region's appetite for foods that combine familiar formats with distinctive flavors.
International flavors dominate
Several selections highlight cuisines that have become increasingly visible in the Washington region.
The naem khao, a crispy rice salad at Thip Khao, showcases Lao cooking through crunchy rice, herbs, peanuts, fish sauce and optional fermented pork sausage.
At Pho 75, the guide recommends Pho No. 1, a beef noodle soup whose broth is praised for its clarity and depth.
The signature luosifen at Yanzi Noodle House offers something less familiar to many diners: a Chinese noodle soup built around a broth made with river snails and accompanied by ingredients such as pickled cabbage, sour bamboo shoots and chili oil.
Modern classics are earning their place
The list is not limited to restaurants with decades of history.
Some newer dishes have already become local favorites.
At Chiko, the orange-ish chicken reimagines the familiar takeout dish. The chicken is brined, fried and seasoned with Korean chile flakes and sesame, while mandarins and candied jalapeños add sweet and spicy notes.
At Yellow, the smoked amba chicken sandwich combines coal-fired chicken, homemade pita, pickles, labneh, tahini and other toppings.
The inclusion of such dishes shows how quickly Washington's restaurant culture can turn a new creation into a neighborhood institution.
Pasta, pizza and barbecue remain staples
Italian food also gets representation, including the mezzi rigatoni at Red Hen.
The pasta is served with a glossy red sauce and house-made sausage, accented with fennel. The dish has survived on the restaurant’s menu for years and was even included on an earlier Washington Post essential-dishes list.
Pizza lovers can find pepperoni pizza from Andy’s Pizza, whose New York-style slices are made using dough fermented for 72 hours.
Barbecue receives its own spotlight through the Whole Hog sandwich at 2Fifty Texas BBQ. The restaurant combines Central Texas barbecue traditions with Salvadoran influences, while the featured sandwich draws from the whole-hog traditions of the Carolinas.
Desserts get their moment
The list also makes room for dishes that end a meal rather than start it.
At Purple Patch, the ube bread pudding combines Filipino purple yam with bread pudding, salted caramel and ube ice cream.
The dessert is an example of how Filipino ingredients have moved from relative obscurity into the mainstream of Washington’s dining scene.
The list reflects a changing Washington
Perhaps the most important aspect of the guide is not any individual dish but what the collection says about the city itself.
Washington’s dining identity is no longer easily reduced to political power lunches, steakhouses or traditional American cooking. Its food scene has become a patchwork of immigrant traditions, neighborhood institutions, chef-driven experimentation and casual restaurants.
Some of the selections are decades old. Others are relatively new. Together, they show how food traditions can coexist with rapid change.
A guide for locals and visitors
The 40 dishes are ultimately more than a ranking. They function as a roadmap for exploring the region.
For longtime Washington residents, the list offers a chance to revisit familiar favorites and discover dishes they may have overlooked. For visitors, it provides an introduction to the flavors that make the capital region different from other major American food cities.
And because restaurants continue to open, close and evolve, today's essential dishes may not be the same ones appearing on the next list.
For now, however, these 40 dishes offer a snapshot of Washington at a particular moment — a city whose culinary identity is becoming broader, more diverse and increasingly difficult to define with just one signature food.