La Tejana, a Tex-Mex restaurant in Mt. Pleasant, is a go-to neighborhood staple for a quick and delicious breakfast. Inside, you’ll be instantly enveloped by the space. Plants hang from shelves overhead, coffee grinds sit next to jugs of horchata, and the staff banters from behind the counter with regulars, recommending orders and drinks like the Dirty Horchata. The restaurant only serves five taco options that they rightly recommend you order in batches of two or three.

Heat Da Spot, a beloved local gathering spot in Columbia Heights, serves some seriously good breakfast. Come here for the Ethiopian menu where you can get things like ful, a fava bean and egg sandwich brimming with flavor, and chechebsa, fried flatbread marinated in spiced butter and berbere that’s peppery and crispy in all the right places. On the weekends you’ll find people forever lounging on the gold couches and the mismatched furniture that decorate the space.

There are a few reasons to hit this all-day American restaurant and cafe in Navy Yard, like their homemade cold brew that’s quite good and the buttery croissants. But the real reason we come here is the scallion-pancake egg sandwich. They come with your choice of bacon, kimchi, or sausage, and are served with a spicy, tangy garlic-chili oil. It's a great spot to work while you eat—or maybe it’s eat while you work?

Florida Avenue Grill is a DC institution that has served residents since 1944. It’s an old-school diner, so think tattered vinyl booths and bar seats that have withstood the test of time, with customers that range from longtime regulars to the occasional tourist. The restaurant is only open Friday through Sunday from 9am-2pm, so time is of the essence here. Their world-famous hot cakes, served with butter, cinnamon, and powdered sugar, are the stuff of dreams.

The Coupe's all-day breakfast menu and massive seating options mean breakfast lovers of all types can find what they need here. The restaurant takes up the entire corner of the block, which means there’s space for everyone — and plenty of natural sunlight thanks to a series of windows along the far wall. There’s an extensive coffee and pastry menu, if you’re not looking to take on a whole meal. Though if you do, you can’t go wrong with The Coupe Royale.

It’s easy to miss Kafe Leopold, tucked down Cady’s Alley in Georgetown behind a barrage of interior design stores. In fact, you might mistake the Austrian restaurant for an outpost of Design Within Reach, with its sprawling dining room anchored in the middle by a bright orange Tatlin sofa. This is a utilitarian spot that’s better than it needs to be, and the lengthy menu at the all-day cafe has options for whenever you might stop by.

Pearl’s Bagels, a cafe in Mt. Vernon Triangle, is in the perfect spot to grab a quick breakfast sandwich to start your day. The menu options are almost endless, because while you can order predesigned options like the Frenchie, topped with juicy honey ham, eggs, gruyere cheese, and heaps of spicy dijon mustard, you can also build your own sandwich. Pearl’s is also a great place to post up and do your morning work. The shop is open daily but closes at 2pm.

Any baker will tell you that working exclusively with whole grain flour is an exercise in insanity. And yet Seylou succeeds in not only doing, but nailing, the impossible. You won’t find white flour, granulated sugar, or instant yeast at this Blagden Alley bakery, where locally-sourced grains are freshly stone-milled in an open kitchen. Come here in the morning for one-of-a-kind, naturally-leavened loaves, doughnuts, muffins, cookies, and cakes.

Some DC traditions never get old: cherry blossoms, brunch debates, and The Market Lunch at Eastern Market. This breakfast counter has been slinging their legendary blueberry buckwheat pancakes since 1978, and we hope it outlives us all. The menu is stacked with old-school breakfast classics—fluffy, golden-seared french toast, buttery grits, crispy, salty bacon, and crab cakes that serve as a gentle reminder that DC is, in fact, a waterfront city.

This family-owned restaurant in Capitol Hill is everything you want from your neighborhood cafe. It’s the type of place you can sit at a table by a window solo or side-by-side with friends in a booth dissecting the drama from the night before. Expect nothing but the fundamentals: booths, bar seating, and wooden tables that can be rearranged to accommodate big groups. The straightforward menu is full of American breakfast classics, the best of which are the omelets and the french toast.

By night, Ellē is a cozy date spot, with new American food that’s heavy on fermentation and served on mismatched vintage dishes. But our favorite time to come here is in the morning, when you’ll find a bakery counter full of fresh, not-so-run-of-the-mill pastries, and one of the best breakfast sandwiches in the city. Weekends are packed with families and neighborhood locals who will point you toward the best pastry (it’s the guava turnover) or the must-order drink (the tarragon date latte).

This former Navy Yard café was once next to its sister restaurant, Albi, but has since found new life in Georgetown and Union Market. We’re partial to the Georgetown location for its proximity to shopping and retail, and the plush couches provide a nice spot to people-watch or read a paperback from Politics and Prose. Both cafés have solid breakfast options that tend to sell out quickly, so the sooner you can scoot on in, the better.

Call Your Mother knows how to attract a crowd. This fast-casual Jewish deli is the closest Dc has gotten to a New York City bagel—which is a big deal. The bread, ranging from plain to maple salt and pepper, is made fresh and served with cream cheeses like strawberry-mint and candied salmon. Their signature sandwiches, like The Pastrami Sun City, made with pastrami, egg, cheddar and honey, are instant classics.

The early morning breakfast crowd is in Farmers & Distillers, and for good reason. The Chinatown restaurant sits on the corner of Mass Ave. and 6th St., making it really easy to get to whether you’re driving, walking, or taking the metro. And it has New Orleans-adjacent beignets, fluffy pancakes, and a huge dining room that fits anyone’s needs (and you’ll see everyone in here, even at 7am).

This Puerto Rican spot in Navy Yard is serving flavor with a capital “F”, in everything from the sandwiches to the batidos (milkshakes). It’s a brightly colored family-friendly place (yes there’s a bar) that can get you in and out of in under 30 minutes, depending how quickly you’re able to pick between the mata hambre (steak, egg, and cheese) and jibarito made with fried plantains as the bread. Use your phone to order food at your table and someone will bring it right to you.