Pastrami Sun City at Call Your Mother
Multiple locations in DC, Maryland, and Virginia
Whether you love or hate their bagels, CYM are masters when it comes to breakfast sandwiches. On better days, we go for the one with candied-salmon cream cheese and cucumbers. But definitely not on hangover days. Then—while we pray for them to bring back their pizza bagels—it’s time for this bodega-style egg and cheese bagel sandwich with pastrami.
“The Mario” Sandwich at Dragon Hero
2016 Ninth St., NW
At this Shaw sandwich shop, each of the menu’s creations is named for a dragon slayer. Our favorite is this Nintendo homage, which is really just an excellent meatball sub. Chef/owner Adam Campbell starts out with a low-and-slow marinara made with San Marzano tomatoes, then grinds three meats: pork chuck, beef chuck, and lamb shoulder. Campbell says the key to great meatballs is nailing the panade—the milk-and-breadcrumb mixture that keeps them moist—and he laces his with Grana Padano cheese for a hint of umami.
Phở Gà at Phở Gà Vàng
6769 Wilson Blvd., Falls Church
At the Eden Center outpost of Tony Le’s chicken phở empire—which stretches from Philadelphia to Las Vegas—it’s all about the rich, restorative broth. The slow-cooked, anise-scented soup is layered with rice noodles, chopped poached chicken, sliced onions, basil, and cilantro. It’s as good as medicine for a hangover.
Gyudon Donburi at Shibuya Eatery
4461 Willard Ave., Chevy Chase
The latest project from chef/restaurateur Darren Norris is the snug, fast-casual Shibuya Eatery in Friendship Heights. It feels comparatively modest to his former projects (such as the pioneering izakaya Kusshi), but Norris puts a high level of care into his ramen and rice bowls. His gyudon, a donburi bowl piled with melty, simmered ribeye and fiery kimchi is the perfect dish for a slow-moving afternoon.
General Tso’s Chicken at City Lights
2443 18th St., NW
Many years ago Anthony Bourdain swung through DC on a book tour and imparted a very important piece of wisdom: the key to killing a hangover is a joint, something spicy like Kung Pao chicken, and a Coke. If you’d like to try out his “trifecta of opulence,” our suggestion is the General Tso’s chicken at City Lights in Adams Morgan, which is available starting at 10 AM. It’s sweet but not overwhelmingly so, crunchy, and laced with plenty of chilies. Plus, there are constantly BOGO deals on UberEats.
Breakfast Torta at San Pancho
7056 Carroll Ave., Takoma Park
This Takoma Park burrito shop offers the ideal breakfast sandwich if you’re not feeling a ketchup-y BEC. It’s a big guy, with layers of melty Oaxacan cheese, scrambled eggs, pickled jalapeños, avocado, and refried beans. You don’t have to add on chorizo, but of course you should. And it comes with fries, too.
Rude Girl at Buffalo and Bergen
1309 Fifth St., NE; 240 Massachusetts Ave., NE; 3501 Connecticut Ave., NW
Hit up Gina Chersevani’s breakfast standbys for a bacon fix sans the egg. Her Rude Girl, set on a bagel of your choice, pairs strips with jalapeño cream cheese (the Rude Socialist, which switches in maple-syrup/pecan cream cheese, is good for a salty-sweet craving). Go gentle with a plain or egg bagel, or try the Old Bay-seasoned round.
Double Cheeseburger at Unconventional Diner
1207 Ninth St., NW
If you’ve never started the morning with a sloppy double cheeseburger, it’s time to open your mind and visit this Shaw dining room, which serves brunch until 3:45 every day. It serves an even dreamier version of a fast-food burger, with two smashed patties, special sauce, caramelized onions, and American cheese.
Filipino Breakfast at Fairfax Inn
2946 Sleepy Hollow Rd., Falls Church
The morning fry-ups at Fairfax Inn, a cozy suburban luncheonette operated by the Filipino-American Adler family, are what your dream hangover diner breakfast would taste like if you amped up the garlic and soy sauce. Garlic rice and eggs any style are plated up alongside proteins like cured marinated beef slices (tapa), Filipino-style bacon (tocino), deep fried milkfish (bangus), and more.
Soul Food Breakfasts at Keith & Sons
7814 Central Ave., Landover; 5948 Martin Luther King Jr Hwy., Seat Pleasant
Keith & Sons Soul Food has been dishing out superb Southern-style breakfasts in styrofoam containers for hungry Prince George’s motorists for three decades. Fish and grits; salmon cakes and eggs; chicken and waffles—these heavy DMV-style soul food breakfasts seem designed to sop up whatever booze remains in your system from a late night.
You Bacon Me Crazy at I Egg You
517 Eighth St., SE
Scott Drewno and Danny Lee’s daily-breakfast destination on Barracks Row specializes in deliciously indulgent dishes like this drippy bacon-egg-and-fontina sandwich. It’s served on griddled milk bread, and begs for a side of smashed potatoes with Old Bay aioli.
Reuben at Bullfrog Bagels
2000 Pennsylvania Ave., NW; 50 Massachusetts Ave., NE; 2800 10th St., NE; 317 Seventh St., SE
While some deli Reubens are as big as apple pies, this relatively compact bagel version—piled with corned beef, housemade sauerkraut, and a big slather of Russian dressing—is easy to polish off in one sitting. Another hangover helper: the salt bagel with jalapeño cream cheese.
Bistek at Lapu Lapu
216 Market St., W., Gaithersburg; 1417 S. Fern St., Arlington
These Filipino breakfast spots in Kentlands and Pentagon City come from the owners of Kuya Ja’s Lechon Belly in Rockville. A bunch of the egg sandwiches here hit the spot, but our favorite is this bun layered with lemon-soy ribeye, pickled onions, a fried egg, and more.
Any Egg Sandwich at Meats and Foods
247 Florida Ave., NW
Looking for a nothing-fancy, bodega-style breakfast sandwich? This beloved Bloomingdale sausage shop has what you’re looking for. Here, a squishy potato roll is laden with eggs, cheddar, and a choice of ham, sausage, veggie sausage, or crispy potatoes. Pro-tip: Add in some pickled jalapeños, and don’t forget the housemade hot sauce (or the Mexican Coke).
PSB at Ruthie’s All Day
3411 Fifth St. S., Arlington
The glossy milk buns you find on the dinnertime barbecue plates here do double duty with the morning menu’s breakfast sandwiches. This hefty creation has scrambled eggs, pimiento cheese, bacon, arugula, and pickled onion.
Mac and Cheese at Doro Soul Food
2108 Eighth St., NW
There’s nothing mild about Elias Taddesse’s Ethio-American mac’ and cheese: It’s as sharp as it is creamy, has a zesty kick, and gets its slight sourness from a dusting of breadcrumbs made from injera. There’s no better partner to a plate of the chef’s supremely crunchy, berbere-spiced fried chicken.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind DC’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
Ike Allen covers politics, food, culture, and transportation in DC and writes the monthly Hidden Eats column for the magazine. He grew up in DC.
