Places to Eat in DC: HalfSmoke in Shaw
Looking for great restaurant recommendations in Washington DC? Well I’m back with another suggestion on places to eat in DC. HalfSmoke is no ordinary restaurant. In addition to having a menu that will satisfy all of your cravings, it provides a fun and nostalgic experience. This is the place you go to when you are looking for a good time and to take a little trip down memory lane (especially if you grew up in the 90s or the early 2000’s). I went to celebrate a friends birthday, and we had a really fun time!
: @sanahungry )The inside is spacious, and they have an outdoor seating area. They also have a full bar that serves bottomless mimosas, cocktails, and alcoholic milkshakes, which I thought was pretty creative. The food prep area is visible to the customers. The smell of the sausages, the fire, and the smoke made me feel like I was at a barbeque in the summertime. Symbolism seems to be big here. There is a neon-lit sign that says “Don’t grow up it’s a trap.” And, throughout the restaurant you can find all of the best childhood games like Sorry, Connect 4, and my personal favorite, Taboo. Me and my friends divided up into teams and got a couple of rounds of taboo in while we waited for the food to come. On top of all of that, when I visited they had a bomb playlist going that consisted of some of the best throwback hits from my childhood. Halfsmoke’s entire set up immediately let me know that I was in for an interesting and fun dining experience.
Their menu is tucked away in a binder that is reminiscent of those cool Lisa Frank lunch boxes and coloring books that were out when I was younger. When I was there, we ordered from the brunch menu, which is packed with tons of comfort food, from chicken and waffles, funnel cakes, burgers, and mac n cheese. Their all day brunch menu also comes with bottomless mimosas. After scanning their options, I went for the build your own option that they had. I ordered the lamb merguez sausage, seasoned with paprika, garlic, fennel, and mint. I paired that with their wild rice and then had roasted peppers and harissa added to it.
I also got to sample some of my friend’s dish as well. She ordered the “Mary’s Little Lamb,” which was an eggs benedict with grilled lamb sausage and topped with pesto.
When the bill came, it was placed on the table inside of a VHS case. I haven’t seen one of those in a very long time. Overall, I really enjoyed my experience here at HalfSmoke. Although I’ve never been a huge fan of sausages, it was cool to finally try half-smoke, which from what I’ve heard is something that DC is famous for. I think the place is really good for big groups and for brunches. The inner kid in me would be happy to make another trip here.
Looking for other good restaurant recommendations and suggestions on places to eat in DC? Take a look at my post on another great place to eat at in Washington DC.
