U Street DC Restaurants: A Neighborhood Guide

U Street DC restaurants fill a strip of the city that has been a hub of Black culture, music and nightlife for more than a century. Today the street holds Ben's Chili Bowl at 1213 U Street NW, Ethiopian dining rooms, Middle Eastern small plates, a bookstore cafe and bars that stay open late. Washington's after-hours hot spot.

What are the best U Street DC restaurants?

Start with the classic. Ben's Chili Bowl, at 1213 U Street NW, has long been part of the neighborhood, and its founders were a Trinidadian-born immigrant, Ben Ali, and Virginia Rollins. It is known for chili dogs, half-smokes and milkshakes. A sit-down sister restaurant next door has a fuller menu.

From there, choose by mood. The street has options for a quick bite, a long dinner or a brunch that turns into an afternoon.

What is a half-smoke at Ben's?

The half-smoke at Ben's is the dish most visitors come for. It is a sausage, half pork and half beef, grilled and served in a bun with chili, onions and mustard. It tastes best eaten inside the original shop, and you can order it at the other locations too. Prices have gone up over the years, so look at the menu before you decide how many to order.

If you want something lighter, a chili bowl or a milkshake is a fine alternative.

Where does Ethiopian food fit on U Street?

U Street holds some of the city's most recognizable Ethiopian restaurants, an important part of the culture there. Order a combination plate and share it, eating with injera, the sour flatbread served with each dish. Other Ethiopian restaurants across the city are worth finding, but a stroll on U Street gives you a concentrated set of choices.

An Ethiopian dinner is a social meal. Plan on a table of two to four and expect it to take an hour or two.

Which other rooms are worth a look?

Busboys and Poets, whose original location is at 2021 14th Street NW at V Street, is part cafe and part bookstore, named for the poet Langston Hughes, who worked as a busboy in a Washington hotel. It makes a good stop for coffee, a meal or an evening event. A Middle Eastern restaurant on Florida Avenue NW and a cafe on 14th Street are also worth a look.

Lists go out of date quickly, so check that any room you choose is open before you go.

How do Shaw DC restaurants compare?

Shaw DC restaurants sit next to U Street, with a mix of new openings and long-standing family places. The area shares a lot of its character, so an evening can cross the line without noticing. One Middle Eastern restaurant is an example that guides place in Shaw and U Street together. If the first choice is full, walk a few blocks and look again.

Neighborhood boundaries in Washington are loose, so use a map rather than a name.

What about Adams Morgan dining and DC brunch?

Adams Morgan dining lies to the north and west, and it is a good second stop after U Street. The streets are lively late at night. For DC brunch, plan on weekend crowds at the most popular places, and consider a weekday for a calmer visit. A patio helps when the weather is good.

Openings in this area come quickly, so look at a recent listing for the latest.

Think about the second half of the evening. After dinner many people head to a music venue or a bar, and the line outside can be longer than the line at the restaurant. If you plan to go on to a show, check its start time and eat early. If you are staying in the neighborhood for dessert, ask your server for a recommendation, since some of the best sweet places are small windows or counters that stay open late and do not appear on lists.

How to plan a night on U Street

Start early with a meal, and leave time to walk. Check whether a music venue has a show, since many nights combine dinner with live music. Public transit is the easiest way in, with a Metro stop at U Street, and parking is limited.

Bring cash for small counters, and look at current hours before you go, since renovations, private events and holidays can change a schedule. Ask the server about the most popular dish, and share.

What else should you read around Washington?

The best half-smokes and Ethiopian food in Washington DC page goes deeper into the dishes, the brunch in Washington DC guide covers weekend plans and the cheap eats in Washington DC page lists more modest options. The US guides page lists more cities.

How do you remember a U Street food walk?

U Street goes from chili dogs to injera in a few blocks. Rate each dish, add an Ethiopian tag where it fits and note whether the plate suited sharing.

A Washington list for the street, shared by invite link, helps a friend decide where to start.

A street with this much history deserves more than one visit. Get the Mosey app, rate each dish you try on U Street for flavor and value, and build a Washington list that tells friends where to start.