Place for breakfast in D.C.
 

About a month ago I read a post on this board that mentioned a restaurant near the White House that served a great breakfast and lunch inexpensively. I think it was called the Bread something. We are staying at the Hyatt but we love to walk around. Anyone know of this restaurant or can you suggest a place? We've been to D.C. several times and breakfast seems to be a problem. One time we ate in Union Station and it took an hour to get eggs and then the order was all messed up. We weren't in any hurry so we were OK with it but others were really mad and leaving. The Hyatt charges some ridiculous price for breakfast it isn't very good. Any help will be appreciated.

The restaurant was probably Breadline, at 1800 Pennsylvania (or so). It has a good reputaion.

DC isn't a great place to get a traditional, cheap breakfast. I always suggest people do what the locals do and breakfast either at Starbucks or Cosi or Au Bon Pain, or try some of the "buffet delis" in the central downtown area where office workers grab breakfast.

Here's something from my notes that might fit the bill:

Luna Grill & Diner
1301 Connecticut Ave. NW
202-835-2280

This is a great place to go when you tire of the fine (and pricey) DC dining scene and you're just looking for a down-to-earth, diner-style, meal. Open from a minimum of 8am until 10pm on their shortest day (Sunday), the Luna serves breakfast at any time of day (although they turn off the waffle iron in mid-afternoon). On weekends, there are some brunch selections added to the menu that begin at 10 a.m. The menu features hearty items like steak and eggs, meatloaf, burgers, fries and steak sandwiches. It's a "meat and potatoes place", if that's what you're looking for. Still, even a vegetarian can find plenty to select from in the way of fruits, salads and grilled vegetables.

There is a special section of the menu with "light" dishes for those who don't want to overdo things with some of the more "stick-to-your-ribs" possibilities. In short, you should be able to please just about anyone in one way or another.

The interior has an interesting, artsy and almost funky decor, with a collection of black & white photography and some posters adorning the walls during our visit. It's not a big place. The small tables and a few prize window booths are close together; it's a good place for pairs and we found the servers to be personable, (though very busy!) We visited rather early in the morning, but for those who choose cocktails later on, there is a fully-stocked bar, too.

We can't tell you that what we had was anything other than straightforward and probably best described as "average", as these things go. But what makes this a great stop is it's very "genuine" feel and the good "buzz" of the place; joking, kidding, conversations and everyone having a good time in a cozy, unique, comfortable environment. The range of the clientele is decidedly mixed and the Luna seems to have found a winning formula for people of all ages and tastes. It's certainly worth a visit if it fits your plans and it's very easy on the budget, too.

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Luna's a good option, although not close to the Hyatt. In the same neighborhood as Luna, I also think Kramerbooks does a nice breakfast, although I am not sure what time it serves during the week.

Thanks for all the info. The Breadline was the one I read about. Do you know if either Luna Grill or Breadline are open on Saturdays & Sundays?

The Breadline (1751 Penn. Ave NW) is open only for breakfast & lunch, Monday-Friday. Breadline is closed Sat. Sun. and Holidays. Definately worth going if it fits in with your schedule. If you go for lunc try to get there befrore noon as tables go very quickly. There is also a chain called Corner Bakery that has a very good, quick breakfast. Locations all over the downtown area.

Hello. I, too, have read the glowing reviews for the Breadline so, on a recent trip to DC, decided to try breakfast there. We arrived about 8:30 a.m. and noticed immediately that there was only 1 customer in the place. After a short conference we decided to chalk it up to Congress being in recess and went to the counter to order. The staff member there could barely speak English and it took several minutes for us to repeat our order (and repeat) pay and get our food. The other staff (we saw 4 others) just stood around and chatted loudly with each other (in perfect English). The croissants and muffins were just o.k.. not any better than those we had at the Starbucks at our hotel. When we asked for some of the food to be heated you would have thought they were just to busy to be bothered.
Oh and during the time we were there only 1 other customer came in. Our check averaged about $7 for 1 bread item each and either orange juice or coffee. We had planned to eat there again for lunch but made other plans.

Luna is FABULOUS and a nice walk from the White House...

I used to meet a friend there every Sunday morning when I lived downtown, we'd each hop on our bikes and meet there for Sunday brunch. try to get a spot outdoors if you can.

Thanks again for all the info. Since we will be looking for a breakfast place on Saturday and Sunday, The Breadline will not work so we'll take a shot at Luna's. Nice walk and breakfast ourdoors....sounds delightful!

If you are going to be in Adams Morgan (near the zoo and DuPont Circle) there is a restaurant called The Diner which does a great breakfast. On the weekends, it is quite the scene.

I like a small chain called Firehook Bakery for b'fast and snacks--but for me, b'fast is coffee or tea and a baked good of some sort, not eggs, pancakes, etc. Firehook also has awesome cookies, brownies, etc., for an afternoon break. I know there's one in G'town and one in Dupont...maybe others can help me out with other locations. I also second the suggestion of those "buffet delis" and hole-in-the-wall places downtown--they're low on atmosphere, but you can pick up egg sandwiches and the like fast and cheap. Have fun!

The Firehook in Georgetown has closed, sadly. It's now a restaurant called Cilantro.

Market Lunch at Eastern Market is also good for breakfast- good pancakes, very informal, but good, cheap food.

Another place to consider is Reeves Bakery (and Restaurant)-- nothing fancy but not expensive either.

Turns out they actually have a website (which is a little surprising because the place seems straight out the 50s)
http://www.reevesbakery.com/index.html

Cilantro is a knockoff on all the tapas places. I didn't think it was all that much to write home about. Zaytinya or Jaleo's are a lot better.

I really like Teaism (I believe there are three locations in DC) for a light breakfast. The Tabard Inn (in DuPont) serves a phenomenal Sunday brunch (get the homemade donuts with vanilla cream).

I too love Teaism (3 locations, one close to White House). Breakfast was reasonable and good. Great variety of tea. One of my sons had delicious french toast, the other had chicken sausage and bread which he thought was great even though the bread was a little tougher than what he's used to. I loved the saute tofu with cilantro. We were so impressed that we went to the Dupont Teaism for dinner. It was okay but I thought the breakfast at the White House location was better.

Oh, Ashley, thanks for the update! Do you know if the one in Dupont lives on?? I'm not even a cookie freak, and theirs just send me.

The Firehook in Dupont Circle is still there.

Yes, the Firehook in Dupont was still open last I checked. I miss the Gtown Firehook so much- you're right, their cookies are phenomenal!