Washington D.C. Restaurant Tips by matcrazy1 Top 5 Page for this destination

Smithsonian food stalls: Polish hot dog?

Strolling around the National Mall from the Supreme Court and the Capitol Hill and over 2 miles westwards to the Lincoln Memorial I haven't see ANY restaurants but some fast food served from movable carts or small kiosks. Hmm... it's unusual in the USA.

I paid attention to this food cart run by the Smithsonian Institution and put in front of the National Air and Space Museum because of "Polish hot dog."

Favorite Dish: Being from Poland I have never eaten any Polish hot dog but just hot dog. Thus I simply had to try it. Hmm... it's not my recommendation. Couldn't they skip that word Polish, please? Welcome to Poland for better hot dogs ($0.8 per one in my hometown and maybe $2 in Warsaw, the capital).

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Address: 6th & Independance Ave., Washington, DC 20560

Comparison: least expensive

Directions: Downtown, in front of the National Air and Space Museum, south of the National Mall.

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 2

Theme: Fast Food

Food Court of Smithsonians: If you are hungry

There is a large food court style restaurant under glass roof of the National Air and Space Museum in downtown Washington, D.C. It's not my recommendation but if you walk along the National Mall and if you are hungry and want to eat by a table you have no choice (unique in the USA).
Well, the restaurant is crowded and sometimes there is no place by a table. Expect to wait a few minutes in a line and do not expect any special food. They offer typical fast food of chain Boston Market (sandwiches), Donatos (pizza) and McDonalds.

Favorite Dish: Chris had carver sandwich of Boston Market for $7.49.
Kathy had Pizza Pepperoni from Donatos for $5.59.
I had Pizza Serious Cheese from Donatos for $5.59.
All above meals include a plastic cup of Coca Cola.
Urszula had 10 Chicken McNuggets for $6.99.
Our pizzas didn't have very delicous taste but they were eatable. That's all.

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Address: 6th & Independance Ave., Washington, DC 20560

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: Downtown, in the National Air and Space Museum, south of the National Mall.

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 2

Theme: Fast Food

Center Cafe: Great company, drinks and views

It's my recommendation for a medium budget visitor in a hurry who wants some drinks or beer or a quick meal served upstairs with a 360 degree view of Union Station?s historic Grand Hall?s marble and gilded opulence.

We, a group of 7 VT-ers, started our Washington VT-meeting in Central Cafe with great conversation, some drinks and beer. We, Urszula, my wife (matcrazy0) and I, met Kathy from Dallas, Texas (Kodi01), Kristi from Chicago, Illinois (dabs) and Chris from Atlanta, Georgia (balfor) a day before in Arlington. But we met for first time Tania from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (skye820) and Kent from Fairfax, Virginia (Kentbein). We were very lucky to meet them all and had great, great time never to forget.

Favorite Dish: Kristi and Tania had some colorful drinks while the rest preferred some beer. I remember that Kent explained a waiter that we were from Europe and as Europeans we would prefer stronger beer. Haha, that's right, Americans tend to drink very light beer although some of them, not to mention beer producers, name it a strong one :-).

More details in my Nightlife tips.

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Address: 50 Massachusettes Ave., Washington, DC 20002

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: At the Main Hall on a street lever of the Union Station (go upstairs). Metro Stop: Union Station.

Other Contact: centercafe@arkrestaurants.com

Phone: +1 (202) 682 0143

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 4

Theme: Pub/Brewery

Cafe & Gifts: Expensive fast food by a table

Apart from numerous small, temporary food kiosks there is one larger fast food restaurant with a few tables put outside. Well, they sell gifts as well. With all those crowds of visitors it must be perfect business put in the National Mall just opposite to the National Air and Space Museum. They are open 9.30 am - 5.00 pm. Their menu includes pizza, hot dog, hebrew national (what's that?), chicken Caesar salad, sandwiches, snacks, ice creams and beverages.

Hmm... it's not my recommendation. It's too expensive (open my next pictures, $1.85 per bottle water!), too crowded (no place by a table most of the day) and offers only limited choice of fast food. For real American food and local economic restaurants walk (time consuming option) or take a metrorail outside the National Mall, to the Union station or better to Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia.

Favorite Dish: None :-(. Well, their hot coffee ($1.85) was not that bad.

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Address: Jefferson Dr, SW, Washington, DC

Comparison: about average

Directions: Downtown. In the National Mall, in front of the National Air and Space Museum. Navigable map online here.

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 1

Theme: Fast Food

Supreme Court and Chris: My personal food :-)

There is cafeteria and snack bar in the ground floor of the Supreme Court. They have very strange opening hours (do the lawyers rule there?):
Cafeteria 7.30 am - 10.30 am and 11.30 am - 12.00 am and 1.00 pm - 2.00 pm
Snack bar: 10.30 am - 12.15 am, 1.15 pm - 3.30 pm.
Average prices as for DC there and fast food style again.

Favorite Dish: Being not very hungry I bought only coffee :-) there and went outside where I found a bench and a table (not so easy in downtown DC :-) and ate my personal Goldfish crackers.

Do not laugh at me, please. Let me explain that Goldfish baked snack crackers were my daily food in Washington, DC and during half of my Southern oddysey (mainly during long drives though). Chris (balfor) bought and brought to me a large box of these crackers from Atlanta, Georgia. Thank you very much Chris. Haha, I will never forget this name GOLDFISH. A few times on the way I was unsuccesfully looking for them in Wal-Marts :-(.

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Address: First Street, NE; Washington, DC 20002

Comparison: about average

Directions: The Supreme Court is located east of the Capitol Building. Map here

Phone: +1 (202) 479 3030

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 5

Theme: Other

Website: http://www.supremecourtus.gov/visiting/visiting.html

Mitsitam: Native American food :-)

It's strange, but travelling by car over 5 weeks around the western US states I have never tried Indian food. Hmm... I had to do it in Mitsitam native foods cafe in the National Museum of the American Indian in DC.

Mitsitam (mit-se-TOM) means "let's eat" in the language of the Delaware and Piscataway peoples. The restaurant is located on the ground floor of the museum behind the check-up and metal detectors, so you must first pass through them. The restaurant with nice view through the glass wall to the Native habitat offers entrees and snacks reflecting the native eating traditions of all the Americas and surprisingly it's not expensive. Well, it's rather busy fast food style restaurant.

Favorite Dish: Urszula had delicious sandwich: smoked turkey on wild rice bread with cranberry relish.
I had quahog clam chowder from the Northern Woodlands which tasted good although it's not my favourite seafood. Well, I ordered it by coincidence because of mysterious name. Haha, I still don't know what's quahog is. Do you know?

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Address: 4th St. and Independence Ave., S.W, Washington, DC

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: On the ground floor of the National Mall between the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum and the U.S. Capitol Building.

Phone: +1 (202) 633 1000

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 4

Theme: Indian

Website: http://www.nmai.si.edu/subpage.cfm?subpage=dc&second=visitor&third=inside#museumcafe

Food kiosk: Polish sausage

This is not my recommendation but if you are a budget visitor in a hurry you have no choice in this area of downtown, south of the National Mall.

It is not a restaurant but a small kiosk which sells some fruits (apples, bananas), chips, sweets, cold drinks and hot pretzels, beef half smoke, beef hot dogs, egg rols, pizzas and something which is called Polish sausage.

Favorite Dish: Being from Poland, I surely had to try what's Polish sausage in the USA is ($2.5) and... I am dissapointed. Well, it was eatable and luckily better than so-called Polish sausage I bought once in supermarket in Utah. Maybe I should go to buy better Polish sausage to Chicago where more people of Polish origin lives than in... Warsaw, the capital of Poland.

Doing Christmas shopping in my hometown recently I saw over 30 different kinds of sausages, all made in Poland, mostly by small, local producers and they all are better (and less expensive) than Washington's "Polish sausage", I am sure. Welcome to Poland :-).

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Address: Maryland Ave. SW, Washington, DC

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: Downtown. On the way from metro l'Enfant plaza Station to the Museum of American Indian (Independence Ave.). Navigable map online here.

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 2

Theme: Fast Food

Uno Chicago Grill: Delicious pizza in great company :-) Union Station Review

It's my recommendation for lovers of good pizza ($7 - $10) and for all hungry folks passing by Union Station.

Uno Chicago Grill is a chain of restaurants based in Boston, Massachusets which started in 1943 when Ike Sewell invented the Original Chicago Deep Dish Pizza. The one located at Union Station, called usually Pizzeria Uno, was a place of our great VT-meeting on 16 October, 2004 (details in travelogues and nightlife tips).

The restaurant, open from 11 am (12 am on Sunday) till midnight, offers comfortable, a bit dark and charming interiors divided into bar/pub and dining part. They serve steak and ribs, chicken, seafood, deep dish and thin crust pizza, pasta dishes, sandwiches and burgers, wine and beer. Add desserts: all-American sweets as brownies, cheesecake, cake, and apple pie. Kids have their own menu, with a pizza, of course.

Favorite Dish: I loved their Chicago classic (deep dish pizza with extra mozzarella, extra sausage, extra tomato, extra crisp-crust; small $7.99, regular $15.99) the pie that made them famous. We ordered regular size pizza which is enough for 3 people while the small one is more than enough for single person. Urszula did a mistake, she ordered salmon which was not that good (too dry and bland), that's why I can't rate this restaurant as a great experience. But Chicago-style pizzas were delicious. Shouldn't I go to Chicago next time?

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Address: 50 Mass. Ave, N.E., Washington, DC 20002

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: Downtown, on the second level of Union Station (entrance from the Main Hall on street level. Map here

Other Contact: +1 (202) 842 3946

Phone: +1 (202) 842 0438

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 4

Theme: Pizza

Website: http://701.unotogo.com/zgrid/proc/site/sitep.jsp;jsessionid=aQme_Y7jH3p_

Corner Bakery Cafe: Delicious sandwiches Union Station Review

It's my recommendation for a bit hungry budget visitor who has no time to look for any better but still economic restaurant and who likes sandwiches :-).

Corner Bakery Cafe is an American chain fast food style restaurant which offers first of all sandwiches which are advertised as having taste of Italian panini. This restaurant at Union Station has one table and offers chili & soups, salads, breads, panini, sandwiches, pasta, sweets and kid's menu. It's open 9 am to 9 pm Mon - Fri and 10 am - 9 pm Sat - Sun.

Favorite Dish: We were not very hungry, so we ordered one Corner Menu for $6.49. We chose:
- 1/2 tuna salad on olive bread (Kalamato olive bread with tuna salad, field greens and plum tomatoes)
- 1/2 corned beef reuben panini (sandwich of corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and Thousand Island dressing grilled on white rye bread)
- Caesar salad.
It tasted very good, the Kalamato olive bread is my favourite.

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Address: 50 Massachusetts Ave., NE, Suite # 100

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: Metro Stop: Union Station, on street level.

Other Contact: Fax: +1 (202) 371 8833

Phone: +1 (202) 371 8811

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 4

Theme: Fast Food

Website: http://www.cornerbakery.com/menu/default.asp?Unit_ID=001.023.0084&state=DC