hometown, mom n pop breakfast and lunch joints (Washington: hotels, taxi)

[azdr0710]

Hi all....will be visiting in the spring for a week and doing much walking in the Mall/monuments/museums/Georgetown/Capitol, etc. areas as a tourist....

when traveling, I like to eat at locally-owned, non-touristy, independent places for breakfast and lunch....places that have been there forever, are mostly unchanged/unremodeled, have had the same staff forever, keep your coffee cup full, the whole bit.....I do not like hip, trendy, see and be seen places that the guide book says you gotta go to....places with honest good food and full of locals.....

any ideas?.....thanks a lot

will be checking back in for other visitor hints later....appreciate it......

[slowlane]

Yes, the Florida Avenue Grill is often recommended - in business since 1944 - though somewhat out-of-the-way http://www.washingtonian.com/restaurantreviews/229.htm (broken link)

Another one that's closer to downtown is Saints Paradise Cafeteria Saints Paradise Cafeteria - Washington Restaurant - MenuPages Southern & Soul Restaurant Search - use the basement entrance of the church, under the big dome

In Alexandria VA, "Generous George's" pizzeria on Duke Street.
In Annapolis, the famous "Chick and Ruth's Deli" on Main Street.
Near Towson MD, the Bel-Loc Diner.
In Vienna VA, the venerable "Vienna Inn" diner.

[14thandYou]

Originally Posted by slowlane

Yes, the Florida Avenue Grill is often recommended - in business since 1944 - though somewhat out-of-the-way http://www.washingtonian.com/restaurantreviews/229.htm (broken link)

This gets my vote! A greasy sppon in every conceivable way, but there's nothing quite like an omelette whose flavors include the accumulated grease from 66 years of sandwiches, burgers and eggs.

Also, it's quite Metro accessible from the U Street stop; it's just in an area that isn't frequented by tourists.

[JD984]

The Lincoln Waffle Shop on 10th Street near E Street is usually a mix of tourists and local white/blue collar workers - which you don't find all that often in DC. It's closer to the traditional tourist attractions than the other places that have been mentioned so far.

Lincoln's Waffle Shop - Washington, DC

If you were staying in or visiting Arlington, Bob & Edith's Diner on Columbia Pike would probably fit your bill as well.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/bob-and-edit...er-arlington-2

The Parkway Deli in Silver Spring is also good - about as close to a NYC-style deli/diner as you'll find in this area.

http://theparkwaydeli.com/

[azdr0710]

thanks for the great ideas....yes, I'll probably be staying over in VA, so anything in the Arlington, Alexandria, National Airport area is welcome, too.....

also, "downtown" DC was mentioned....what part of the District is that defined as?...

[pcity]

Originally Posted by slowlane

In Alexandria VA, "Generous George's" pizzeria on Duke Street.

Generous George's in Alexandria is closed- They moved further out. I want to say to Herndon, but I'm not positive about that.

I believe Table Talk on Duke is still open though. That's a down-home-type breakfast/lunch place and is right near the Metro.

[CaliTerp07]

Originally Posted by pcity

Generous George's in Alexandria is closed- They moved further out. I want to say to Herndon, but I'm not positive about that.

Correct--they shut down their Alexandria location about a year ago. They still exist in Herndon.

[HurricaneDC]

Originally Posted by azdr0710

thanks for the great ideas....yes, I'll probably be staying over in VA, so anything in the Arlington, Alexandria, National Airport area is welcome, too.....

also, "downtown" DC was mentioned....what part of the District is that defined as?...

I don't think downtown is clear-cut, but I'd say these are the rough boundaries.. just IMO:

Northern boundary: M Street NW
Western boundary: 4th Street NW probably
Southern boundary: E Street NW
Eastern boundary: 24th Street NW

Downtown is usually synonymous with central business district, and there are tons of businesses, agencies, organizations, basically anything you can think of within those boundaries. High-rises etc.

[slowlane]

also, "downtown" DC was mentioned....what part of the District is that defined as?...[/quote]

The central business district of office buildings and hotels, along with the National Mall (museums) area to the south. Extending from Dupont Circle and lower Rock Creek in the northwest, to the U.S. Capitol at the east, including everything between Mass. Avenue on the north, and the I-395 freeway on the south.

Basically the area that's shown enlarged on most visitors' maps. Or the area that used to be within taxicab zone one, before they switched to using taxi meters.