While DC’s East End can still feel a little soulless, Hiya Izakaya in the sprawling Japanese food hall Love, Makoto is worth going out of your way for. Head to the back of the hall to find Hiya Izakaya in a cozy nook, where you can sip Japanese whisky and eat robata grilled skewers and ramen. You can’t go wrong with any of the three bowls on the menu, but it’s the tantanmen ramen with ground beef in a pork and chicken broth that we wake up longing for on cold, lonely nights. The ramen is enough on its own, but a chicken thigh skewer or a dragon roll never hurt anybody.