If you’re eager to mingle with the media, spot a Senator or rub elbows with a Representative, familiarize yourself with DC’s power dining spots.
Your power dining agenda opens on Capitol Hill, where lively bars and restaurants welcome a continuous stream of notable political figures, staffers and interns. Capitol Hill’s “first table cloth restaurant,” The Monocle set the stage for the neighborhood’s power dining reputation when it opened in 1960 as the closest restaurant to the Senate side of the Capitol complex. JFK was an early fan, frequently requesting roast beef sandwiches to be delivered to the White House.
Political insiders often convene at the grand hotels near the White House that play host to visiting dignitaries. The Hay-Adams Hotel’s Off the Record Bar is popular with White House staffers, journalists, politicians, musicians and activists. Instead of a “who’s who” photo spread, the bar aims for a lighter approach, covering its walls with caricatures by cartoonist Art Wood.
Also near the White House, The Willard InterContinental Washington is a political landmark, where Ulysses S. Grant popularized the term “lobbyist.” At the Willard’s Round Robin Bar, Senator Henry Clay introduced Washington, DC to the mint julep. An amateur historian and political buff himself, Round Robin bar manager Jim Hewes also serves up a menu of “All the President’s Cocktails,” listing the libations of choice of all men who’ve held the highest office.
A must-see on any political dining tour, Old Ebbitt Grill is located across the street from the White House. Opened in 1856, the Ebbitt relocated several times before settling into its current home on 15th Street in 1983. A legendary Oyster Bar, tasty crab cakes and lively happy hours make the Ebbitt a favorite meeting spot for downtown workers, White House staffers, visitors and theatre-goers.
Near the K Street lobbying district, The Palm plays host to a continuous stream of deal-makers and politicos. Seldom do you visit without a political celebrity sighting. General manager Tommy Jacomo has entertained every president since Nixon the DC institution opened in 1972.
Georgetown claims a legendary list of notables among its past and present residents—and a selection of restaurants and pubs that meets with their approval. Diners at Billy Martin’s Tavern use a tableside map to find the favorite booths of legendary customers like Lyndon Johnson or Alger Hiss. As a bachelor Congressman and Senator, John F. Kennedy liked to sit in the half-booth just inside the door, known as the “rumble seat.” He later proposed to Jackie in booth #3.
Nathan’s of Georgetown is located at the corner of Georgetown’s busiest thoroughfares—M Street and Wisconsin Avenue—and attracts some interesting traffic of its own. Socialites, sports stars, political operatives, media heavies and students come to Nathan’s to meet and unwind. Owner and veteran journalist Carol Joynt puts diners in touch with their inner activists with the Q&A Café, a weekly luncheon in which notables address current events, scandals and headlines in a talk show-style forum. Move past the bar into the dining room to view a collection of photographs by Pulitzer Prize winner David Hume Kennerly.
