“The Hill” may be shorthand for Congress and political life around the Capitol, but it’s also a densely populated and historic neighborhood filled with 19th-century rowhouses and popular hangouts such as Eastern Market, Barracks Row, and Lincoln Park. Although politics can seep into most anything these days, the Hill has a vibrant dining and cultural scene that stands apart. Here are the best new restaurants, shops, and activities.

Food and Drink

Folger Shakespeare Library

After temporarily shuttering in 2020, the Folger Shakespeare Libraryreopened last summer fully revamped. The Capitol Hill landmark is now more accessible and visitor-­friendly—no longer an archive mainly reserved for academic research and events but a museum-­like destination. New exhibits display the Bard’s First Folio as well as rare books, and there are kid-friendly activities such as typesetting. A handsome cafe, Quill & Crumb, opened in the majestic wood-­paneled Great Hall. With pastries and coffee drinks inspired by Shakespearean characters, plus lunch and dinner menus evoking English pub food, it’s DC’s hottest museum cafe in years.

Pascual

The ambitious restaurant Pascual feels more like CDMX—a.k.a. Mexico City—than Maryland Avenue. Chef couple Isabel Coss and Matt Conroy were known for their Georgetown neo-bistro, Lutèce, but Mexican cooking is close to their hearts: Conroy worked at Oxomoco in Brooklyn, and Coss, a Mexico City native, was a bread baker at Michelin-starred Pujol in her hometown. Inventive regional specialties abound, but few diners pass on the guacamole-and-tostada platter, with a variety of salsas and pickled bites. Be forewarned: Reservations are hard to come by.

Omakase @ Barracks Row

A freshman on our 100 Very Best Restaurants list in February, 14-seat Omakase @ Barracks Row has solidified its spot near the top of DC’s sushi scene since opening a little more than a year ago. Chef Ricky Wang, an alum of Minibar and Sushi Nakazawa, takes a zany, showman-like approach to the chef’s tasting. But he’s dead serious about seasonal offerings such as blowfish, smoked uni sauce, and Boston surf clam.

Buttermilk

When the Roost, a sprawling food hall, opened near the Potomac Avenue Metro during the depths of the pandemic, its owners promised to ramp up its culinary offerings slowly. Cut to the arrival last summer of Buttermilk, where Shannon Bingham serves decked-out fried-chicken sandwiches and fixings. It joins a cast that includes a varied selection of cuisines: New York–style pizza from Slice Joint, Tex-Mex from Hi/Fi Taco Shop, sushi from Ako By Kenaki, and the food hall’s anchor, Caruso’s Grocery, a destination in its own right.

Butterworth’s

A stylish new French bistro has attracted attention beyond its menu. Butterworth’s, which opened last October, has become a self-styled MAGA hangout. One of the major investors? The former editor in chief of Breitbart News UK, Raheem Kassam. Local media have documented the buzzing scene, full of pro-Trump activists, right-wing internet figures, and headliners in the new administration. The politics may not suit you, you may not care to rub shoulders with neo-monarchist blogger Curtis Yarvin, but dining on puntarelle salad and quail Véronique may be enough of a draw.

Buffalo & Bergen

DC is clearly hungry for Jewish-style fare, and Gina Chersevani, the driving force behind Buffalo & Bergen, has been one of the restaurateurs satisfying that demand. Her Hill location has become a standby for on-the-go bagel breakfasts, sure, but you can also sit down for a more elaborate brunch. If you’re feeling adventurous, try the Lox’d & Loaded: a Bloody Mary topped, absurdly, with an entire lox bagel.

Shops

Spin Time Records

After more than three years of online sales and pop-ups, Capitol Hill resident Jon Lottman finally found a brick-and-mortar home for his store, Spin Time Records, last November. Lottman’s neighborhood shop boasts a comprehensive collection of music that reflects the city’s culture and history, including DC punk, soul, go-go, and hip-hop.

Rewild

Looking to elevate your indoor greenery? Rewild, the specialty plant shop, now has a Capitol Hill location. Stop by to get a monstera, score a custom moss pole for your vining plant, or book a home assessment to see what options would look best in your rowhouse or condo.

Hunnybunny

This February, Capitol Hill staple Hunnybunny celebrated a decade in the District. The family-owned business—run by the two Byers sisters, Nya, 16, and Zuri, 11; their mother, Leigh; and their father, Andre—gives each product a test run before it hits the shelves. Stop by the boutique or shop online for their handmade bars of soap or a Save Mars Project body butter—a new product Nya and Zuri created in which the moisturizer is housed in a container made of soap, to limit plastic waste.

Capitol Hill Books

In late 2023, the longtime owner of Capitol Hill Books, Jim Toole, passed away at 86, having manned his perch at the front of the store to the end. A group of Toole’s former employees and friends, who had assumed ownership by then, have maintained the spirit of the place while making a few updates, as well as publishing a yearly catalog featuring rare books and first editions. The second Saturday of every month, from 5 to 7:30, they host a wine-and-cheese party and book-club talk.

No Kids Allowed

No Kids Allowed, a Black-LGBTQ-and-women-owned cannabis business founded by DC educators, officially became a licensed medical dispensary in February. Under the new designation, it follows HIPAA laws to secure patient information and features medical-grade strains. Customers will need a medical-cannabis card along with a government-issued photo ID to buy NKA’s cannabis products.

Things to Do

Capitol Hill Arts Workshop

Capitol Hill Arts Workshop has long been a community staple, highlighting local artists in its gallery and supporting their development with a suite of classes. In April, Capitol Hill Art League, one of the workshop’s programs, will start soliciting submissions for its annual exhibition featuring Mid-Atlantic artists, with a focus on landscapes. Not a competition­level artist? You can enroll in a beginner ceramics or Broadway-tap class (yes, CHAW offers dance lessons, too) for less than $200.

What’s Selling

Capitol Hill’s tree-lined streets offer a mix of historic 19th­century rowhouses and newly developed condos, with steep prices reflecting the neighborhood’s convenient location and charm. Here’s a sample of recent sales.

This article appears in the April 2025 issue of Washingtonian.