Eat
Spring Into These New Brunches Around D.C.
May 19, 2022 @ 10:00am
When patio weather meets weekend vibes, it’s time to brunch. There’s nothing quite like spending an afternoon in Washington with a bubbly cocktail in hand. And with restaurants looking forward to warmer months, menus around the city are getting a refresh.
These new brunches offer something for all cravings, whether that’s a sweet and savory riff on chicken and waffles, a bacon bloody mary or some regional seafood.
Bantam King
On Sunday afternoons, this Japanese ramen and fried chicken spot serves up a decadent brunch “doffle,” a pastry combining a golden-fried doughnut and a light, fluffy waffle. Pastry chef Mary Mendoza took inspiration from the Portuguese malasada, a puffy fried dough dish. The batter is pressed in an iron before hitting the fryer. Bantam King tops its doffle ($13.50 each) with its signature fried chicken and a drizzle of sweet and spicy syrups, which includes a house-made chili oil. Sundays starting at 12 p.m., 501 G St. NW, DC; bantamking.com // @bantamkingdc
Dauphine’s
Live jazz sets the stage for this festive New Orleans-inspired brunch. The menu features sweet plates like a bananas foster parfait and a sweet potato pain perdu alongside savory options that include shrimp and grits and a hot sausage po-boy. If you’re nursing a hangover, slurp up an order of yakamein, a headache-busting Chinese and Creole beef and noodle soup with grilled shrimp and a soft boiled egg. Cocktails range from the standard mimosa to an aged French 75 and the anise-flavored Ojen frappé. Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., 1100 15th St. NW, DC; dauphinesdc.com // @dauphinesdc
Estuary
The Conrad Hotel’s flagship restaurant has a new culinary team and a new brunch menu that highlights ingredients and dishes from the Chesapeake Bay region. Classic dishes like a smoked salmon bagel and buttermilk biscuits with sausage gravy complement more unique offerings like duck confit benedict on a whole grain and cornbread waffle with mustard hollandaise. Larger groups can opt to share a bucket of fried chicken or a decadent chilled seafood tower with oysters, smoked rockfish dip, poached shrimp and more. Keep an eye out, too, for the roaming Champagne cart, ready to pour tableside mimosas. Saturdays and Sundays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., 900 New York Ave. NW; estuarydc.com // @estuaryconraddc
Pennyroyal Station
Just across the border into Maryland Pennyroyal Station puts together a casual neighborhood brunch complete with bacon jam bloody marys and three fruity options for bottomless mimosas. For a heartier meal, go with the sweet and savory smoked brisket monte cristo or the pork chilaquiles with red pepper sauce. On the lighter side, the kitchen turns out a vegan tofu scramble, vegan biscuits and gravy and a colorful house salad with carrots, beets, spiced almonds, lemon ricotta and turmeric honey dressing. Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., 3310 Rhode Island Ave., Mt Rainier, MD.; pennyroyalstation.com // @pennyroyalstation