RFK Rankings · Washington DC
Best Restaurants for Brunch in Washington DC (2026)
Weekend brunch · Washington DC · 6 rooms ranked · Updated June 2026
Compiled by the Restaurants for Kings editorial team · Published May 14, 2024 · Updated June 18, 2026 · Reviewed by Fredrik Filipsson, Editor-in-Chief · How we rank · Corrections
Stephen Starr's bakery has turned out brioche for the Logan Circle weekend crowd since 2014, while across town Rose Previte cooks eggs over an open fire in Shaw. Washington treats brunch as a sit-down event, split between Parisian cafes, Michelin-starred hearths and bottomless Balkan tables. These six, ranked, are where to spend a Saturday morning when the room matters as much as the coffee.
1.Le Diplomate
Stephen Starr's Parisian cafe runs the city's defining weekend brunch; book the Logan Circle terrace for a slow Saturday.
Stephen Starr opened Le Diplomate at 1601 14th Street NW in 2014, and the STARR Restaurants room still anchors the Logan Circle weekend scene. The brioche French toast and the burger Americain headline a brunch that runs roughly $16 to $32, with most mornings booked solid by ten.
Brunch lands Saturday and Sunday from 9:30, the bread comes from the in-house bakery, and the sidewalk terrace is the seat to ask for. Reserve on OpenTable rather than walk up, and arrive early for the pastry basket.
2.Maydan
Rose Previte's Michelin-starred hearth turns out the city's best Sunday brunch; reserve the live-fire room ahead.
Rose Previte's Maydan, at 1346 Florida Avenue NW in Shaw, has held one Michelin star in the DC guide since 2019. The Sunday brunch is built around the open hearth, with live-fire eggs and a slow-cooked lamb shoulder leading plates that run roughly $35 to $55.
The room is dim and dramatic, set around a central fire pit reached through an unmarked door. There is a single Sunday service and it fills fast, so book the weekend table on Resy well ahead.
3.Zaytinya
Jose Andres plates a mezze brunch and Ashta French toast in Penn Quarter; book the prix fixe for a group.
Zaytinya, the Jose Andres Group room at 701 9th Street NW in Penn Quarter, runs a mezze-style weekend brunch around a $55 prix fixe. The Ashta French toast and a spread of small plates anchor a format built for sharing across the table.
The room is bright and high-ceilinged, an easy walk from the museums and the Capital One Arena. Reserve the weekend prix fixe ahead, and come with a group to work through the full mezze run.
4.Ambar
An unlimited Balkan small-plates brunch on Capitol Hill with a bottomless add-on; book a group for a long weekend table.
Ambar, the Balkan Hospitality room at 523 8th Street SE on Barracks Row, runs the city's best-known unlimited brunch. The all-you-can-eat Balkan small-plates format costs roughly $37, with a bottomless drinks add-on and dishes that keep arriving until you stop.
Brunch runs Saturday and Sunday from 10 to 3:30, the room is lively and tight, and the pacing rewards a slow start. Reserve the weekend table on Capitol Hill ahead, and come hungry for the full small-plates run.
5.Unconventional Diner
David Deshaies runs a Bib Gourmand diner for chicken and waffles and lavender pancakes; walk in early on a weekday.
David Deshaies opened Unconventional Diner at 1207 9th Street NW in Shaw, a room that has held a Bib Gourmand since 2018. The chicken and waffles and the blueberry-lavender pancakes lead a menu that mostly runs $15 to $24, near the Convention Center.
The kitchen serves daily from 9 to 3:45, so this is the rare DC brunch that does not hinge on a Sunday slot. Walk in early on a weekday for the easy table, or expect a wait on weekend mornings.
6.Founding Farmers
A farmhouse-style room for chicken and waffles and apple pie; bring the family and walk in before the rush.
Founding Farmers, the Farmers Restaurant Group room run by Dan Simons with chef Joe Goetze, has anchored 1924 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Foggy Bottom since 2008. The chicken and waffles and the skillet apple pie lead a wide menu that mostly runs $14 to $24.
The room is big and farmhouse-styled, easy with kids and built for a busy weekend rush near the GW campus. It takes walk-ins but fills fast, so arrive before ten or reserve the table ahead.
Not for everyone
Famous, but not actually brunch
Rose's Luxury. Aaron Silverman's Capitol Hill room is a dinner-only destination and does not run a weekend brunch service. It is a fine evening table, but do not arrive on a Saturday morning expecting eggs.
Tail Up Goat. The Adams Morgan favourite closed in December 2025 and the space reopened as Rye Bunny, which does not serve brunch. Skip both for a weekend morning and book one of the rooms above.
Old Ebbitt Grill. The historic room near the White House serves an all-day menu but runs as a tourist-mobbed institution rather than a destination brunch. Save it for a late lunch, not a Sunday morning.
How to brunch well in Washington DC
Washington's brunch scene clusters by neighbourhood: Logan Circle and Shaw for the chef-driven rooms, Penn Quarter for the group tables near the museums, Barracks Row on Capitol Hill for the bottomless format, and Foggy Bottom for the family-sized rooms. None demands a car if you ride the Metro, with Green and Yellow lines reaching Shaw and the Mall.
Weekend tables fill fast at the destination rooms, so reserve on Resy or OpenTable rather than walk up at Le Diplomate, Maydan and Zaytinya. Bottomless brunch in DC runs on a two-hour limit by law, so Ambar's drinks add-on is capped at the table; for a no-reservation morning, the Unconventional Diner and Founding Farmers take walk-ins, though both run a wait after ten.
Frequently asked
Where is the best brunch in Washington DC?
Stephen Starr's Le Diplomate in Logan Circle is the marquee pick, a Parisian-style cafe built around the brioche French toast and the burger Americain. For a chef-driven morning, Rose Previte's Maydan in Shaw runs a one-Michelin-star hearth brunch on Sundays; for a casual table, the Unconventional Diner in Shaw.
Which Washington DC brunch is best with kids?
Founding Farmers in Foggy Bottom is the easiest with children, a big farmhouse-style room with chicken and waffles and a wide all-day menu. The Unconventional Diner in Shaw is the other low-stress option, a bright daily room with blueberry-lavender pancakes and no Sunday-only reservation pressure.
Do you need a reservation for brunch in Washington DC?
Yes at the destination rooms. Le Diplomate, Maydan and Zaytinya all fill their weekend tables early, so reserve on Resy or OpenTable rather than walk up. For a no-reservation morning, the Unconventional Diner and Founding Farmers take walk-ins, though both run a wait after ten.
What is a good bottomless brunch in Washington DC?
Ambar on Barracks Row runs the city's best-known unlimited brunch, a Balkan small-plates format around thirty-seven dollars with a bottomless drinks add-on. Zaytinya in Penn Quarter is the other group pick, a Jose Andres mezze prix fixe with Ashta French toast and a long cocktail list.
Does Maydan do brunch in Washington DC?
Yes. Rose Previte's one-Michelin-star Maydan in Shaw runs a Sunday hearth brunch built around live-fire eggs and lamb shoulder, a destination weekend table rather than a daily room. Book ahead on Resy, since the single Sunday service fills early most weeks.
Related rankings
More from RFK
Browse the full Washington DC dining guide, read the Le Diplomate profile and the Maydan profile, compare the city's casual rooms in the Washington DC walk-in ranking, its counter seats in the Washington DC solo dining ranking and its first-date tables in the Washington DC first-date ranking, or open the full RFK rankings index.
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