I am taking my wife and daughter to DC next week and am wondering if anyone has recommendations on places to eat and/or have a beer. We are staying on Pennsylvania Ave, just east of the White House, and are planning on doing all the touristy stuff.

Also, any absolute "do not miss this" recommendations for activities?

I'd do a search on this thread, lots of people have commented on different things over the years.

A little depends on your personal preferences. I'm an airplane nut, so I could spend the entire trip at the Air and Space Smithsonian, and at Udvar-Hazy out at Dulles Airport. You can take a trolley ride around to get a quick overview of all the monuments.

I think every American should see Arlington Cemetery. Visit the museums that fit your interests. At least drive past the major monuments.

If the weather's good, the rental bikes are a great way to travel the National Mall. I probably wouldn't use them in the middle of the tourist season, but this time of year, you can ride the sidewalks and cover a lot of ground.

There's a seafood place in Silver Spring called Chrisfield that will look tremendously unimpressive from both the outside and inside, but it is a frequently visited seafood place for celebs, politicians, and lobbyists. If you want to have some really good local seafood from the Chesapeake bay, this is it. We go there every time we are in DC. It is right down the road from DC. It's only 6.5 miles up 16th St NW from the White House, but worth the drive.


https://www.crisfieldseafood.com/

If you really like Thai ( one of our faves), I hear great things about this place:

http://www.thaix-ing.com/


We tend to look for off the wall, out of the way places that create memorable food/drink experiences. We like the larger popular places too, but the out of the way ones seem to be the ones we remember the most.

Good news the Michelin star rankings are out and DC has multiple.

I've been to Minibar, Pineapples and Pearls, The Dabney, Blue Duck Tavern, and Kinship

Blue Duck Tavern is my favorite.

Just made a reservation for the Blue Duck Tavern. Thanks for the recommendation.

Andy07 said:

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Good news the Michelin star rankings are out and DC has multiple.

I've been to Minibar, Pineapples and Pearls, The Dabney, Blue Duck Tavern, and Kinship

Blue Duck Tavern is my favorite.

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I don't know about the others but minibar will set you back a few hundy.

Founding Farmers is awesome for brunch

always highly recommend bike and roll DC monuments at night bike tour(assuming it's warm enough).

I know a lot of people are pressed for time when visiting a city like DC, but I always recommend going to one of the close in neighborhoods to get a feel of the city outside of downtown. You will be close to both Capitol Hill and Dupont/Kalorama/AdamsMorgan. Try to find a nice lunch spot in one of these neighborhoods and just walk the streets a little. They have some really great architecture, are really charming, and have some of the best restaurants. Most downtown restaurants are geared toward expense accounts or tourists, with some notable exceptions (you will enjoy Blue Duck). So if you are around the Capitol at lunch time some day, jump in the cab or make the walk to Eastern Market or Barracks Row for lunch in Capitol Hill, I think you will enjoy it.

Tour the memorials at night, the lighting gives a better effect at Korean & Vietnam

Thanks for the tip. I've had a couple of friends recommend getting off into one of the neighborhoods for a bit. We'll give it a try.