DC · Worth It score ranking
The 10 best value restaurants in Washington.
Not cheapest. Best quality for the money. Harry's Worth It Score measures whether a restaurant earns what it charges — the gap between how good it is and how much it costs you to find out.
Real value in DC doesn't live near the Mall. Museum cafeterias and the restaurants ringing the big downtown hotels charge tourist rates for food built to offend nobody, which also means it delights nobody. Go to Shaw. Ninth Street between T and U has been DC's Ethiopian corridor since the nineties, and a shared platter of injera and doro wat feeds three people for what a Mall food court charges for one entree. Skip the landmarks. Eat where the neighborhood eats.
The Worth It Score
What it measures.| Great Value | Quietly excellent for the money. Bring everyone. |
|---|---|
| Smart Spend | A grown-up dinner that doesn't shake you down. |
| Cheap but Cheerful | Not fancy, doesn't pretend to be. Walk out with change. |
Worth It is a weighted blend of satisfaction, uniqueness, fairness, and hype risk — capped so a place can never score higher on Worth It than on Harry's overall quality score. This list only takes the standouts: one of those three verdicts with a Worth It score in the top tenth of everything Harry ranks. Full methodology →
Harry's ten — Washington
Ranked by Worth It score.- 01Shewa Ethiopian Restaurant
ethiopian · vegan — 1824 Benning Rd NE, Washington
5.0 across 985 Google reviews, and Yelp lands in the same place; fairly priced for what it is.
Smart SpendWorth It
83
Harry
96
- 02Heat Da Spot Café
cafe · breakfast — 3213 Georgia Ave NW, Washington
4.9 across 830 Google reviews, and Yelp lands in the same place; mellow cafe offering cozy sofas, breakfast & sandwiches, plus American & Ethiopian meals.
Great ValueWorth It
83
Harry
91
- 03Mita Ethio-Japanese Cafe
sushi · ethiopian — 703 Kennedy St NW, Washington
5.0 across 701 Google reviews, and Yelp lands in the same place; more than you'd expect at this price.
Caveat: A flawless score with barely anything to check it against. Harry's cautious of 5.0s that haven't been tested yet.
Great ValueWorth It
82
Harry
89
- 04Old City Market and Oven
deli · cafe — 522 K St NE, Washington
4.9 across 462 Google reviews; salads & wood-fired pizzas served in a laid-back outpost stocking wine, beer & food items.
Great ValueWorth It
82
Harry
89
- 05Egg Yaki
breakfast — 1309 5th St NE, Washington
4.9 across 301 Google reviews, and Yelp lands in the same place; fairly priced for what it is.
Smart SpendWorth It
81
Harry
93
- 06Abuare Bar and Restaurant
ethiopian — 1524 U St NW, Washington
4.9 across 627 Google reviews, and Yelp lands in the same place; ranked #951 of 3,269 locally on Tripadvisor.
Smart SpendWorth It
81
Harry
92
- 07Burnin Bird Hot Chicken
american — 1829 M St NW, Washington
4.8 across 537 Yelp reviews, and Google lands in the same place; a sensible spend, nothing wasted here.
Smart SpendWorth It
81
Harry
92
- 08Ingle Korean Steakhouse
korean · steakhouse — 1926 14th St NW, Washington
4.9 across 196 Google reviews, and Yelp lands in the same place; priced about right for what you get.
Smart SpendWorth It
81
Harry
92
- 09Metro Spice
indian — 1005 1st St NE Suit 4, Washington
4.9 across 244 Google reviews; fairly priced for what it is.
Smart SpendWorth It
81
Harry
92
- 10Pisco y Nazca Ceviche Gastrobar
peruvian · seafood — 1823 L St NW, Washington
4.9 across 28k Google reviews, and Yelp lands in the same place; chic spot with a South American feel serving modern Peruvian fare, cocktails & beer.
Smart SpendWorth It
81
Harry
92
How this list is built Places across Washington with a Harry Score of 70 or more whose Worth It verdict is a standout Great Value, Smart Spend or Cheap but Cheerful: a Worth It score in the top tenth of everything Harry ranks. Chains with several branches get one entry. Ranked by Worth It score. No restaurant pays to appear. Scores last recomputed .