Kristina

A friend and I will be visiting D.C. in mid-July. Would appreciate any restaurant suggestions and tips on what the usual dress for a night out is. We live in L.A. where dinner dress is a bit more casual. Thanks.

abst

I've been to DC a few times only so I'm not an expert but since no one else has responded. My impression is that like most big cities if you go to the places where the business and government go to they're going to be dressed more conservative but the other places are like anyplace else. Jeans for TGIFridays, Georgetown, any kind of fun clothes, the better restaurants probably more formal than the casual neighborhood type restaurants. I saw more women in conservative business type clothes than I do in Miami but you're a tourist so dress comfortable.

Kristin

If you're eating dinner out on a weeknight, chances are many people will be in suits, having just come from work. Weekends are a little more casual, but it just depends on the place. Several of the nicer restaurants require jacket and tie for men. For women, esp. in July when it's hot, you'll basically always be fine in something along the lines of a nice skirt or slacks, a nice top and dressy sandals.

I'd be happy to pass on restaurant suggestions if you could be a little more specific about what you're looking for (price, location, style, cuisine, etc.)

Kristina

Kristin, we will mostly be in the Dupont/Georgetown/Adams-Morgan area and any price range or cuisine would fine. Love it all. Thanks again.

Kristin

All of those are great restaurant areas, so you should find tons of options. Some of my favorites:
Johnny's Half Shell (seafood - Dupont), Meskerem (Ethiopian - Adams Morgan), Cashion's Eat Place (fabulous American - Adams-Morgan), Jaleo (Spanish tapas - Penn Quarter near MCI Center), Neyla (Meditarranean/Middle Eastern - Georgetown), Wazuri (African - Adams Morgan - has a GREAT roof deck), Bistrot du Coin (French - Dupont), Sushi Taro (Japanese - Dupont), Little Fountain (American - Adams Morgan), Cafe Atlantico (Carribbean/Latin - Penn Quarter).

If you want to splurge, some of my top recommendations would be Palena in Cleveland Park (French/Italian), Yanyu in Cleveland Park (Asian), Obelisk in Dupont (Italian) 1789 in Georgetown (American), or Equinox downtown near the White House (French/Italian/American).

You should be able to find reviews of all these on washingtonpost.com and you can cross-reference with Zagat's, Time Out, etc. to see what sounds best.

Enjoy!