Old Ebbitt Grill

Former Presidents Ulysses S. Grant, Grover Cleveland, and Theodore Roosevelt once frequented this iconic restaurant, established just half a block from the White House in 1856. Still popular with local politicians (and tourists hoping to spot them), the full-service restaurant is usually packed from morning until night. Behind the Beaux-Arts façade, multiple dining rooms are decorated with mahogany accents, green-velvet booths, antique glass lamps, and four marble bars serving traditional cocktails like the Dark & Stormy. The menu includes some of the best raw oysters in the city, along with classic American dishes like crab cakes with roasted pepper rémoulade.