Bazaar Meat
1100 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
José Andrés’s retooled restaurant in the Waldorf Astoria focuses on steak at night, but on weekend mornings, it shows off the chef’s obsession with eggs. Find fried eggs atop vegetable stew, a smash burger, and patatas brava, plus four kinds of Benedict. On the sweeter side, go for fried croissants filled with crema Catalana or olive-oil pancakes.
Boulangerie Saint Georges
303 Seventh St., SE
You may have heard about the long lines at Japanese-Peruvian handroll bar Maru San, but there’s another spot down the block that’s drawing quite the queue: this pretty, green-tiled French bakery. It opens bright and early every day except Mondays for brioche, beautifully flaky croissants, and plenty of gorgeous pastries you’ll want to grab for later.
DC Al Toque
3910 14th St., NW
This Venezuelan bakery/cafe opened earlier this spring on the fringes of Petworth. Up front, a bakery case holds sweet breads, empanadas, and pastries, while a breakfast menu offers an array of arepas, plus an American-style plate of eggs, bacon, and toast.
PopUp Bagels
1078 Wisconsin Ave., NW
If you’re like me and hate when a deli puts a two-inch layer of cream cheese on your bagel, this NYC-based chain, now in Georgetown, might be your jam. The viral bagels are served hot and unsliced, with cream cheese on the side for dipping.
Morena
1633 17th St., NW
The popular weekends-only daytime pop-up inside mod-Filipino restaurant Kayu serves garlicky rice bowls with pork longganisa sausage, plus creative coffee and tea drinks like an ube/horchata latte.
Rosa’s Diner
1011 K St., NW
There’s always room for another diner in DC, and this downtown newcomer fuses Latin and American flavors starting at 7 AM each day. Along with a lineup of pastries, look for chicken and waffles with roasted-pineapple butter and guajillo maple syrup, a pop tart filled with guava and cheese, and churros-inspired French toast.
The Salty Donut
3299 M St., NW
The over-the-top confections at this Miami-born cafe include mango-glazed brioche rounds and brown-butter-and-salt cake doughnuts. Espresso and matcha drinks (think banana bread lattes) lean sweet, too. Don’t feel like having dessert for breakfast? There are also everything-spiced cragels and croissant breakfast sandwiches. The Georgetown shop opens daily at 7 AM.
Ulivo
2737 Sherman Ave., NW
This unpretentious Park View Italian spot serves Saturday lunch, and—once a month—Sunday brunch (next up: June 28). There’s an Italian riff on shakshuka with peperonata and ricotta, a prosciutto Benedict with tomato marmalade, and French toast with Nutella and figs.
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.
