Now that we are finally settled in our new city, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, we wanted to create a roundup of restaurants, drink and dessert joints that have become our favorites over the past couple years in the place we used to call home, the DC area.
So without further ado, here it is…broken down by category.
BREAKFAST/BRUNCH
B doughnut
We spent the most we ever did on doughnuts here but they were worth it! They have a full shop in Leesburg and a hole in the wall location in One Loudoun. The best piece of advice we can give you is to get there early because they sell out of most flavors by 10 am on the weekends.
Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken
Fried chicken and waffles, what? How about fried chicken and doughnuts? We were pleasantly surprised at this combo that Astro Doughnuts offers. The fried chicken donut sandwich was probably the best chicken sandwich we both have ever had. The sweet donuts are also super yummy.
Cowbell Kitchen
Cowbell Kitchen is a cute little bakery in downtown Leesburg. We’ve had the cauliflower grilled cheese and we can confidently say it was the best grilled cheese we’ve had. But note that their menu changes weekly depending on the local products that are available. It definitely has a southern vibe to it.
Copperwood Tavern
This quickly became our brunch spot after the first time we tried it. We originally went for dinner and unfortunately weren’t big fans, but brunch is a whole other story. First off, it has a super rustic feel to the whole place which we obviously vibe with. And this one will get you! The free appetizer they give out is in-house seasoned popcorn. They bring it out in this cute tin bucket. But don’t eat it all, you gotta save some room for the entrees. The savory brunch dishes we love are the Copperwood Breakfast Sandwich and the Duck Confit. The Raspberry Waffles are our first choice for something sweet and the second, which is both sweet and savory, is the Fried Chicken and Waffles.
Bagel Cafe
You will find the best New-York style bagels in the DC area at Bagel Cafe in Herndon. They have so many flavor options all made from scratch and on top of that, all their cream cheese are made in-house (so many to choose from).
DINNER
Coastal Flats
This was a frequent of ours when we wanted a delicious, filling meal that wasn’t too fancy but met our needs for a sit-down restaurant. Not gonna lie, we’ve gone there several times simply because we craved the Ozzie Rolls they serve up as a free appetizer. Our usuals there are: the Low Country Beef Back Ribs and the Crispy Fish Tacos. The dessert there is also👌 if you aren’t too full from the Ozzie Rolls and dinner.
Kabob & Chicken
If you’re looking for the best butter chicken and biryani in town (that you can get at a restaurant), then Kabob and Chicken is the place to go. It’s a little pricier than other Indian restaurants but the food doesn’t disappoint. Our usual order is one Butter Chicken and one Goat or Chicken Biryani to share.
Toosoo
We were lucky in that Toosoo was very close to our last apartment back in Virginia. We often ordered take out from there. They serve Pakistani food and this yummy dessert-drink called Faluda. If you’ve never had it before, make sure you try it. It looks weird mostly because of the chia seeds and the noodle-looking things in there but it’s really good, we promise! It contains ice cream and jello from what we can tell.
Chasin’ Tails
If you’re a seafood lover you’ve got to try Chasin’ Tails. They have everything from Cajun wings to crab legs. It’s also an experience. The table is covered in brown paper because it’ll get messy! If you get crab legs, they will come in a plastic bag with potatoes, corn and really good seasoning. This is a lick-your-hands afterwards kind of thing. Because seafood is well, seafood, it can get a little pricey. We’ve saved this place for special occasions or when we are really craving good seafood.
Shrimp Lover
Speaking of good seafood, Shrimp Lover is another place to put on your list of places to try. It’s family style in that there are picnic tables to sit at and there are a lot of options on the menu that will feed more than one person. Similar to Chasin’ Tails, this is a place where you can easily find yourself eating with your hands. They do provide gloves though, so get crackin’!
The Burger Shack
This is a cute little shack on the side of Route 50 in Fairfax. It looks like one of those places that would have good food and that they do! It’s not very healthy though, but who are we kidding, a lot of these places aren’t! Think of the Burger Shack as a much better version of Waffle House. They have patty melts, burgers (hence the name), hot dogs, wings, a bunch of sides and shakes! We’ve gotten the Ring of Fire Burger, the Patty Melt, the Original Shack Dog, French Fries, Sweet Potato Fries and the Loaded Tots minus the bacon.
MELT
If you are ever craving a huge, juicy burger, let us introduce you to MELT. It’s a burger place in Leesburg that is actually recognized as one of the best burger joints in the country. When we say huge we are not kidding, they really are BIG burgers, but if you’re up for the challenge, then go for it!
Señor Ramon Taqueria
Our taco joint was none other than Señor Ramon Taqueria. They had the best tacos in town. We love the quaint, hipster-esque Leesburg location. It’s tiny, but if you can get a place to sit then you’re set. We’ve pretty much tried all the beef, chicken and shrimp options for the tacos and tostadas. And we haven’t been disappointed.
TeaBreak
Let’s start this out with we don’t know why we didn’t try their pho sooner. We originally started going to TeaBreak for their Bubble Tea, but it wasn’t until recently that we tried out their pho. We aren’t super enthusiastic about pho, but it was one of the best pho places we have tried and 100% would recommend.
DESSERT
Magnolia
This is by far our favorite fancy dessert spot. If you haven’t been, you totally should and not just because of the Instagram hype. The desserts there are unique and super tasty. We love the Nutella Honey Toast and the Sticky Mango Rice. We’ve tried a couple of the drinks there too but are usually too full to actually finish them.
The Baked Bear
Any cookie monsters out there? If you are a lover of cookies and ice cream then you will definitely oooh and ahh at this place. It’s an ice cream sandwich shop. You can choose between a cookie sandwich, a donut sandwich or a mixture of both (which we’ve done) and let us tell ya, it is GOOD. It’s a pretty big portion though, so bring a friend or eat it all yourself, whatever floats your boat.
Mom’s Apple Pie
If you’ve ever driven in downtown Leesburg then you have for sure passed by this place. It’s a hole in the wall bakery with its own small town charm to it. They offer full pies, slices of pies, cookies and other delicious baked goods.
DRINKS
Teas’n You
Bubble Tea has no doubt become a food, or rather, drink trend in the DC area. But with that comes good and bad. Yes, it’s easier to feed your addiction because there are so many Bubble Tea places nearby, but that doesn’t mean that they are all good. If you’re not that picky than kudos to you, but we have definitely grown picky with our Bubble Tea. Teasn’ You is our first choice for Bubble Tea! Their teas actually taste like tea and they have a unique menu with cool limited-time-only additions like a Fortnite potion. They keep it fun and classy! Definitely having withdrawal symptoms from this one..
Who Seek
You can get both drinks and desserts at WhoSeek but we are bigger fans of the former. Don’t know what it is, but even their milk tea just tastes better than other places. They have a variety of milk teas and fruit teas to choose from, and the place is pretty cool. Like secret sliding bookshelf door cool!
Naked Lunch
When we felt like we were getting sick or we just wanted a refreshing healthy drink, we would make a stop at Naked Lunch and get fresh juices. Our usuals were Pink Lady and The Chill.
Qwench
We went to Qwench for smoothies and smoothie bowls. They have so many to choose from and they give you the option to change or add in toppings. Qwench came in clutch as a post-workout meal/drink, or when we felt like we were getting sick and needed to boost our immune systems.
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Please note these are the places that we’ve tried and loved and that’s why we are recommending them. There are LOTS of yummy places in the area that are and aren’t on this list, so go out and explore them!
And please let us know which of these places you like the most or wish to try in the comments below.
P.S. We’re already exploring some exciting places in Milwaukee so keep up with us on Instagram in case you ever visit 😉 It is after all the 🧀 state!