D.C. Ward 6 Neighborhood Guides

Barney Circle

Eat:

• Green curry from Sala Thai, a Thai restaurant with locations throughout the city. 
• “Pretzel Bomb,” a Nutella-filled pretzel roll, from nearby The Pretzel Bakery, the city’s only pretzel bakery.

Drink:

• Sour ale at nearby Shelter, a bar with a rotating list of beers inside The Roost. 
• Vanilla latte from nearby Cameo, a coffee shop inside The Roost.

Do:

• Donate books at the many Little Free Library boxes throughout the neighborhood. 
• Find community gardens in alleys like the Hill East Community Garden, which first opened in 2004. 
• Honor a neighborhood legend at Dennis Dolinger Memorial Park, a triangle park where Potomac Ave, 16th Street, and G Street SE meet. 
• Learn Black history at the Seafarers Yacht Club, the East Coast’s oldest Black boat club. 
• Run along the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail, a 12-mile trail that goes East of the River. 
• Take a tour of Congressional Cemetery, an 1807 cemetery with famous interments.

See:

• Muralist Mimi Ton‘s work of RBG and other women heroes in Duvall Court SE. 
• Mural showing solidarity with Ukraine by Nils Westergard on a garage near GreenSEED Community Garden, an organic community garden in the alley at 17th and D Streets SE. 
• Neoclassical architecture at the Anne Archbold Hall, a now-closed 1930s residence hall for nurses. 
• Totem poles from Lummi Nation within Congressional Cemetery. 

Capitol Hill

Eat:

• Blueberry buckwheat pancakes from Market Lunch, a no-frills breakfast/lunch counter inside Eastern Market, the city’s oldest continuously-operating market.
• Burger from Beuchert’s Saloon, a new American restaurant in a small, well-designed space.
• “DL’s Egg Drop” breakfast sandwich at I Egg You, an egg-heavy restaurant along Barracks Row that also sells Vietnamese Egg Coffee (coffee with egg yolk and condensed milk froth).
• French toast from Le Bon Cafe, a tiny French cafe literal steps away from the U.S. Capitol.
• Hot cakes from Jimmy T’s, a no-frills cafe inside a Victorian corner rowhouse.
• Soy-glazed brisket from Chiko, a tiny takeout-only Korean-Chinese fusion restaurant.

Drink:

• Coffee flight at Junction Bistro & Bar, a Alexandria-founded bistro with weekend brunch deals.
• Frozen margaritas from Santa Rosa, a taqueria and margarita bar with a chorizo and egg taco on the menu.
• Gin cocktails at The Betsy, an alley rooftop gin garden with $1 fries during happy hour.
• Latte from Peregrine Espresso, one the city’s longest-standing independent coffee shops. (They brew beans roasted in D.C. from Small Planes.)

Do:

• Attend a cooking class at the Hill Center, a non-profit that hosts classes and events inside the building that was D.C.’s first Naval hospital.
• Browse used and rare books at Capitol Hill Books, a 1991 used bookstore inside an 1891 rowhouse filled with books, including in the bathroom. For new books, stop by East City Bookshop, a women-owned shop filled with two floors of books.
• Donate art to Free Little Art Gallery DC, a Little Free Library box filled with local art for anyone to take along East Capitol Street SE.
• Find murals in alleys like the garage mural of rowhouses in Rumsey Court SE.
• Go on a date to Little Pearl, a top-rated restaurant inside a historic carriage house with a $105 7-course menu. With the same owner, Rose’s Luxury nearby is still a popular dining spot.
• Honor abolitionist Frederick Douglass by visiting his old house at 316 A Street NE.
• Read the plaques and enjoy the art on the historic call boxes found throughout Capitol Hill. Many of them honor women.
• Take your kids to multiple playgrounds like Stanton Park for younger kids and Garfield Park for older.
• See a participatory play inside a 19th century church with Saint Mark’s Players.
• Show up for a game night at Labyrinth Games & Puzzles, one of the few local game stores in the city.
• Watch an $8 movie at the Miracle Theatre, built in 1909.

See:

• Animal sculptures (called “Alphabet Animals”) on light posts thanks to Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, an organization that offers music, ceramics, dance, and other art classes for youth and adults. Here’s a map and article about the Alphabet Animals.
• Art at Triple Candie Gallery, a 24/7 art gallery seen through the windows of an old Little Tavern (a beloved burger chain that’s now closed) building.
• Coca-Cola ghost sign on the side of an old rowhouse at 420 South Capitol Street SE.
• Ebenezer United Methodist Church, the neighborhood’s first Black congregation and home to the city’s first publicly financed Black schools in the 19th century.
• Maples, the neighborhood’s oldest building built in between 1795 and 1795 in the Late Georgian-style.
• Mary McLeod Bethune Statue, one of three D.C. outdoor statues honoring U.S. women in public spaces, at Lincoln Park, the neighborhood’s largest public park once home to a Civil War hospital.
• Murals in the alley along Barracks Row between 8th and 9th Streets SE and E and G Streets SE.
• Shakespeare play at the Folger Theatre, whose library houses the world’s largest collection of the printed works of William Shakespeare.
• Views of the U.S. Capitol from Spirit of Justice Park, a two-block hidden park on top of a Congressional parking lot.

Judiciary Square

Eat:

• Caesar salad at L’Ardente, an Italian restaurant with weekend brunch.
• Pastrami sandwich at Jack’s Famous Deli, a no‑frills deli that’s open during the week from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Ramen from Daikaya, a small ramen restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating.
• Sushi at Love, Makoto, a collection of Japanese restaurants.

Drink:

• Beer from the Mid‑Atlantic at Free State, a cocktail bar open every night until 2 a.m.
• Matcha latte from SakuSaku Flakerie, a bakery with Japanese‑inspired pastries inside the National Building Museum.

Do:

• Escape the city at the urban park on top of the 395 highway near D Street NW.
• Hear your echo in the rotunda outside the Canadian Embassy. Don’t miss Bill Reid’s “Spirit of Haida Gwaii” sculpture in the water in front of the embassy’s main entrance.
• Honor law enforcement at the National Law Enforcement Museum, a museum underground open daily with free admission for kids under 12.
• Learn about the city’s Jewish community at the Capital Jewish Museum, a new museum that includes an 1876 synagogue.
• Pop into the German-American Heritage Museum, a small museum open Tuesday‑Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. about German‑speaking people’s contributions to the U.S.
• Relax at John Marshall Park and find the statue of the Chief Justice and one in honor of his love for chess.
• Take Italian classes at Casa Italiana Language School next to the 1913 Holy Rosary Church.
• Visit the National Building Museum inside the old 1887 Pension Bureau building.

See:

• Art at the Frary Gallery, an art gallery inside the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center open to the public Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 11am-5pm. The Hopkins Bloomberg Center has a 375-seat theater that hosts free events for the public through the Peabody Performance Series.
• Darlington Memorial Fountain, a fountain with a 1922 gilded bronze statue.
• National Fire Dog Monument by Austin Weishel in front of the DC Fire & EMS Station.
• “She Who Must Be Obeyed” sculpture by Tony Smith on the grounds of the Department of Labor.
• Statue of Abraham Lincoln, the oldest memorial to the president, in front of the DC Court of Appeals.

Mount Vernon Triangle

Eat:

• Biscuit sammies from A Baked Joint, a popular cafe that opens daily at 7:30 a.m.
• Cashew labneh from Shouk, a plant‑based fast‑casual restaurant.
• Chicken green curry from Baan Siam, a popular Thai restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating.
• Pizza at Stellina Pizzeria, a popular pizzeria with a waffle menu at this location only.
• “Tikka Chance On Me” bowl from Rasa, a fast‑casual Indian restaurant with a colorful door.

Drink:

• German beer at Prost DC, a bar with a rotating list of German and Austrian beer.
• Latte at Chez Lily, a dog‑friendly cafe named after the owner’s dog.
• “Sojutinis” for $8 at Mandu, a family‑run Korean restaurant with happy hour every day.
• Wine from Bar Chinois, a Chinese restaurant with French‑inspired wine and cocktails.

Do:

• Honor legacy at Bible Way Church, a historic Black congregation that is known for its community outreach and activism.
• Learn about history at First Tabernacle Bethel, an 1857 wooden chapel allegedly a stop on the Underground Railroad.
• See contemporary art at Hemphill Artworks, a 1993 art gallery open Tuesday‑Saturday 12‑5 p.m.
• Visit the DC History Center‘s exhibits inside the Carnegie Library, a 1903 library that’s the city’s first desegregated public building and now an Apple store.

See:

• Muralist HERA of herakut‘s 135‑foot Climate Action mural at 455 Eye Apartments.
• “Zero Hunger” mural by Lula Goce on the D.C. Metro air shaft at 200 H Street NW.

Near Northeast

Eat:

• Awaze tibs from Ethiopic, a longstanding popular Ethiopian restaurant open every day except Monday.
• Chicken green curry from Tiki Garden Thai Street Food, a new family-owned Thai restaurant.
• Kingston Kurry Chicken at Jerk at Night, a popular Caribbean restaurant that started as a food truck.
• Mussels at Grandville Moore’s, a small Belgian restaurant once highlighted by The New York Times.
• Pizza from The Little Grand, a small alley bar and restaurant. Old City Market and Oven, a corner store, sells worthy pizza too.
• Taipei Curry Chicken ramen at Toki Underground, a small, second-floor ramen restaurant with cocktails and miso-butter-creme cookies.
• Trini-Chinese Style Chicken from Cane, an award-winning, Black-owned Caribbean restaurant.

Drink:

• Ale at The Queen Vic, a popular British pub with a $25 Sunday beef roast.
• “Bartender’s Choice” at Copycat, a small cocktail bar where bartenders visit after hours. Don’t sleep on their dan dan noodles off the food menu.
• “Bronze” cocktail from Bronze, a Black-owned fine dining restaurant inspired by Afrofuturism.
• Chai latte from Ebenezers Coffeehouse, a coffee shop inside a former drug house now owned by the National Community Church.
• Coffee from Sidamo Coffee & Tea, a family-owned, no-frills cafe that used to host Ethiopian coffee ceremonies.
• Makulay latte from Hiraya, a Filipino all-day cafe with colorful lattes.
• Wine from Cynthia, a restaurant that curates wine from the area and from around the world.

Do:

• Bao from Maketto, a Cambodian-Taiwanese restaurant with an outdoor courtyard.
• Browse books at Solid State Books, an independent bookstore with regular events and a cafe inside.
• Buy local produce at the FRESHFARM H Street NE Market, a farmer’s market open Saturday mornings April-December.
• Collect stamps at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum, a free museum popular among locals open every day at 10 a.m.
• Dance at Little Miss Whiskey’s Golden Dollar, an H Street NE institution with a DJ every Friday and Saturday night and no cover charge.
• Explore art at Mehari Sequar Gallery, an art gallery highlighting work by Black women open Wednesday-Sunday.
• Learn history at Douglas Memorial United Methodist Church, a 19th century congregation that played a role in the Civil Rights Movement.
• See a show at the Atlas Performing Arts Center inside a 1930s Art Deco theater.
• Walk the only public rooftop labyrinth in the city at 10 G Street NW. It’s open during normal work hours Monday-Friday.
• Visit Gallery O on H, an indoor-outdoor event space with a small gallery open to the public.

See:

• Beaux-Arts architecture inside Union Station, built by the same man behind NYC’s Flatiron Building and one of the busiest train stations in the country.
• “Hopscotch Kids” mosaics by Deirdre Saunder along the bridge behind Union Station.
• Mosaic and other public art in the alley behind H Street NE in between 7th and 8th Streets NE.
• Mural by MISS CHELOVE on the side of School Within School flanking the Sherwood Recreation Center.
• Mural by Richmond-based Nils Westergard along Wylie Street NE, a small street with deep community.
• Public art in the alley by Atlas Performing Arts Center.
• Replica of Philadelphia’s Freedom Bell in Columbus Circle in front of Union Station.

NoMa

Eat:

• Birria from Little Minor Taco, a taco takeout spot in an alley.
• Burrata margherita pie from Andy’s Pizza inside Streets Market, a local grocery store.
• Butter chicken from Indigo, a family-owned Indian restaurant inside a colorful rowhouse.
• Chicken curry at Laos in Town, a popular Laotian restaurant with an outdoor patio.
• Meatball sandwich from Salumeria NoMa, an Italian deli that sells fresh pasta, cured meats, and cheese with its original location in Brookland.
• Neapolitan pizza from Menomale, often considered among the best pizza in D.C.

Drink:

• Beer at Wunder Garten, a spacious beer garden with 16 beers on tap.
• Cider at Red Bear Brewing Company, a LGBTQIA+-owned brewing with 20+ drinks on tap and board games for visitors.
• Cocktails at Nice & Easy, a biker dive bar down an alley with weekend live music.
• Flat white from Simona Cafe, a cafe open daily with Wi-Fi and outlets.

Do:

• Bike along the Metropolitan Brand Trail, which goes from Union Station to Maryland with murals along the way.
• Collect stamps at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum, an interactive museum about the postal system that’s beloved by locals.
• Donate non-perishable food items to the Father McKenna Center, a non-profit serving those struggling with homelessness and food insecurity, inside a historic Catholic church.
• Enjoy a book on one of the benches at Swampoodle Terrace, a small park with a rowhouse mural.
• Honor history at the Dorothy I. Height Post Office, the first federal building named after a Black woman.
• Read the news at the entrance of NPR’s headquarters. Pre-pandemic, visitors were allowed to tour the building.
• Shop local at the farmers market at 3rd Street NE in between M and N Streets NE Thursdays 4-8 p.m. May through October.
• Sit at one of the many tables at the new mural-lined park on the 1200 block of 3rd Street NE.
• Stroll through nearby La Cosecha and Union Market, two food halls with many Latin American and local businesses.
• Take your kids to the vertical playground often mistaken for a dog park at the Swampoodle Dog Park & Playground.
• Visit the National Guard Memorial Museum open to the public for free Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Walk the rooftop labyrinth, the only one in D.C., at the American Psychological Association at 10 G Street NE. It’s open to the public during regular business hours Monday through Friday.
• Watch trains pass from the tables behind the building at 900 2nd Street NE.

See:

• American flag mosaic art on the ground by Jim Bachor along 3rd Street NE in between 1 Street NE and Parker Street NE.
• Call box art by Jason Yen honoring the Beatles outside the Uline Arena, the site of the Beatles’ first large-scale concert in North America. The building is now the city’s first REI store among other things.
• Colorful rowhouses built in the 19th century along Parker Street NE.
• Grand architecture and colossal statues at Union Station, one of the country’s busiest train stations.
• Hanging gardens at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives building. It’s not open to the public so look from the outside.
• Journeys, a leaf sculpture by Barbara Grygutis with a poem by Poet Laureate of Washington D.C Dolores Kendrick at the NoMa-Gallaudet U New York Ave Metro station.
• Light art installations at the underpasses along K Street NW, L Street NW, and M Street NE in between 1st and 2nd Streets NE. These underpasses have housed those experiencing homelessness in the past and then controversially removed.
• Mosaics of children playing by Deirdre Saunder along the Hopscotch Bridge behind Union Station.
• Murals on most blocks using NoMa BID’s map.
• “Neighbors and Friends” mural by Kate DeCiccio honoring the residents of the John and Jill Ker Conway Residence, a home for veterans who once experienced homelessness.
• Saint Aloysius Church, a Renaissance church built in 1859 for the Irish Catholic community that’s now connected to Gonzaga College High School.
• Saint Phillip’s Baptist Church, an 1892 Queen Anne church building once home to a historically Black congregation. The building is being redeveloped.
• Streamline Moderne architecture at 131 M Street NE, the site of a 1930s building that used to be one of the city’s largest warehouses.
• Trigadilly sculpture by Chas Coburn outside the CNN’s D.C. bureau.
• Union Station Bell, a replica of the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia.
• U.S. Government Publishing Office, one of the government’s only brick buildings that once printed the Emancipation Proclamation shortly after the office was formed in 1861.
• View of the U.S. Capitol from the Christopher Columbus Memorial Fountain, a controversial memorial dedicated in 1912.

Southwest Waterfront

Eat:

• Falafel from Falafel Inc, a restaurant that gives back to refugees.
• “Minelli” sandwich from Grazie Grazie, a sandwich shop from the owners of Taylor Gourmet.

Drink:

• Coffee from the Colada Shop, a mural-decorated Cuban cafe.
• Japanese‑inspired cocktails at Moonraker, the rooftop bar inside The Pendry Hotel.
• Latte from Grace Street Coffee inside the Rubell Museum. It’s open even when the museum is not.

Do:

• Attend a birds of prey class at the Matthew Henson Earth Conservation Center.
• Cheer on the Washington Spirit, the city’s women’s soccer team,w from Audi Field.
• Find peace at the Southwest Duck Pond, a small park with a four‑story Little Free Library, chairs, public art and a pond.
• Pass by Wheat Row, among the oldest homes in the city built at the end of the 18th century, along 4th Street SW near N Street SW.
• Play volleyball on the sand court inside the James Creek Marina, a marina with grills and picnic tables.
• Read a book at the Southwest Neighborhood Library, a recently-renovated, design-forward public library open daily.
• Shop at the Municipal Fish Market, the country’s oldest continuously operating fish market.
• Take your kids to the large playground at the King Greenleaf Recreation Center. Find the MLK mural behind the playground.
• Visit the farmers market near the Waterfront Metro Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Volunteer at the community garden at Lansburgh Park, a park with a dog park, a community garden and murals.

See:

• 1931 Titanic Memorial that inspired the famous scene in the 1997 movie Titanic.
• City views from Benjamin Banneker Park, an urban park with tables in honor of the African American astronomer.
• Concert at The Anthem, one of the city’s largest music venues at The Wharf.
• Contemporary art at the Rubell Museum, a museum free for D.C. residents inside a historic school.
• Local art inside Culture House DC, an art gallery/event space inside a technicolor church.
• “Love Supreme’ mural by Eric Brometheus on Friendly Market.
• Old murals and the view of the U.S. Capitol from the ocean‑themed playground at the Randall Recreation Center.
• Peace garden honoring the lives lost to gun violence along the 1500 block of 2nd Street SW near Rose Jaffe‘s mural honoring NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps.

Sursum Corda

Eat:

• Bread from nearby Catania Bakery, a 1932 Italian bakery that sells pastries and bread Friday and Saturday mornings until they run out.
• Breakfast tacos at nearby Republic Cantina, a Tex‑Mex restaurant that’s popular among Texans living in D.C.
• Pizza from nearby Andy’s Pizza, a popular pizzeria inside Streets Market.

Drink:

• Beer from nearby Wunder Garten, a spacious beer garden with a large drink menu.
• Latte from nearby Simona Cafe, a craft coffee shop that does pour overs.

Do:

• Attend bi‑weekly Video Game Night at Northwest One Neighborhood Library, which replaced a library kiosk.
• Honor women’s suffrage and civil rights activist Nannie Helen Burroughs at the Perry School, where she graduated when it was M Street High School.
• Read news headlines on the nearby NPR HQ building.
• Respect Black History at Mount Airy Baptist Church, a congregation formed in 1893.
• Take your kids to the nearby New York Avenue NW Playground.

See:

• Dinosaur murals behind the Perry School building at 128 M Street NW.
• View of the U.S. Capitol from New Jersey Ave NW.

Swampoodle

Eat:

• Breakfast burritos for $2.50 from the Mission Muffins food stand in front of Central Union Mission, one of the oldest non‑profits in the city that runs the workforce development program.
• Butter chicken from nearby Indigo, a popular family‑owned Indian restaurant with outdoor seating.
• Chicken at District Rico, a fast‑casual Peruvian restaurant.

Drink:

• Chai latte from nearby Ebenezers Coffeehouse, a 17‑year‑old cafe opened by National Community Church.
• Sangria from nearby Cafe Fili, a Baltimore‑born Mediterranean restaurant.

Do:

• Collect old stamps at the National Postal Museum, a Smithsonian open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with free admission.
• Honor the National Guard at the nearby National Guard Memorial Museum open Monday‑Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with free admission.
• Support the Father McKenna Center, a day program for men experiencing homelessness.
• Take your kids to the nearby Swampoodle Playground, an enclosed, vertical playground.
• Visit the Holodomor Genocide Memorial, a 2015 memorial to the victims of the Ukrainian Famine‑Genocide of 1932–33.
• Walk the city’s only rooftop labyrinth at the office building at 10 G Street NW. The public can access it during work hours Monday-Friday.
• Watch the trains pass while sitting at one of the tables in the back of 900 2nd St NE.

See:

• 1861 architecture at the U.S. Government Publishing Office.
• Digital art at the underpass along K Street NE in between 1st and 2nd Streets NE.
• “Hopscotch” mosaic art along H Street NE near Union Station by artist Deirdre Saunder.
• Murals by Martin Swift and Hanna Söderholm at 25 K Street NE.
• Renaissance architecture at St. Aloysius Church, an 1859 church that once catered to local Irish Catholics.
• Student‑led play twice a year at Gonzaga’s Sheehy Theater, the oldest continuously‑operating theater in D.C.
• “Trigadilly” sculpture by Chas Colburn outside of the CNN building.
• U.S. Capitol building from the front of Union Station, a 1907 train station that’s one of the country’s busiest.