“I am not drinking this weekend. I am serious, I am taking a break from alcohol after last weekend.” – all of us, at some point during this work week. The post-Independence Day hangover is all too real; lemon water has been made, Advil has been popped, and there is no motivation to be found. I am not sure what is worse at this point — my bank account or my headache. Post-Fourth blues are a real thing, and even though we all promised we wouldn’t drink, you know by the time Friday rolls around you’re going to grab a drink. It’s inevitable. Beat those after-holiday blues, and get yourself some brunch. This week we are taking a break from anything Patriotic and focusing our attention on more diverse brunch spots. Italian, French, Latin, or pretty much anything that isn’t American. The Fourth was filled with copious amounts of classic American foods, so let’s push America to the side for a weekend and diversify your brunch diet.
First stop on our Non-American brunch tour: Le Diplomat. I thought we could start things off on a French note. Their brunch is on Saturdays and Sundays from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and they offer dishes like (shocker) vanilla French Toast, Croque–Madame (basically a fancy breakfast sandwich with grilled ham), steak frites, and more. If you are a lover of cheese and seafood, I would put this at the top of your brunch list. Plus, everything sounds fancy, so your brunch plans will sound really cool and all your friends will want to join. Popularity and fancy brunch for the win.
Next on our diverse brunch tour is Al Dente which has both bottomless and a prix-fixe options. Bottomless is offered Saturdays and Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., at a fixed price of $30 for adults and $15 for children. Bottomless includes unlimited food and brunch drinks like mimosas, bellinis, beer-mosas, and Bloody Mary’s. Prix -fixe is $20 and comes with a choice of an antipasti, an entrée and drink. They offer breakfast pizza, three eggs any style, and several pasta and breakfast dishes. Whether you want to steer clear of the booze or keep the unlimited drinks flowing, Al Dente has got what you need to recover from last weekend.
So far we have covered French and Italian cuisines, let’s take a turn towards Latin food. Tico offers brunch on both Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.. Instead of constantly asking for your mimosa pitcher to be refilled, they just give you bubbles and a choice of two juices at the table to help yourself to your own brunch drinks for $25. In terms of food, they have options like the Cubano sandwich, a breakfast burrito, and Serrano ham and grilled cheese. They have plenty of other brunch drinks and food options, so the possibilities are endless.
For all of you Mediterranean lovers out there, this is the place is for you. Cava Mezze has locations scattered around the DMV, like that of Eastern Market and Capitol Hill. I have been to the Eastern Market location, and it’s perfect if you can grab a spot on the rooftop to enjoy brunch and people watching. They have an all-you-can-eat brunch for $30 and each mimosa is one penny. ONE. PENNY. That’s only a nickel for five mimosas, it’s madness!!! They offer dishes like spicy lamb Benedict, orzo & eggs, and banana fritters. Grab any spare change you have and head over bright and early (and by that I mean after 10 a.m.).
I have only ever heard good things about this place. Or should I say seen, because I constantly see it on my Insta feed from D.C. food Instagram accounts, and it always looks amazing. Anyway, apparently its “British-Inspired” so I think it qualifies for this list. Duke’s Grocery offers brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.. This place is cool because, according to their website, their menu changes on a daily basis based on the ingredients they buy at the market that day. You can consult Facebook to see what they’re serving that day. I DO know that they have bottomless bloodys and mimosas for $16. English fare and bottomless, there’s just no losing here.
