A bar within a bar, TILT is the technicolor, pinball-themed playground stuffed into a back room at Black Jack, the second-story drinking companion to Pearl Dive Oyster Palace below. Go with a group to dance in close quarters, sip sharable tiki cocktails and munch on fried lobster rangoons.

Servers cut complimentary slices from baguettes, rustic rye boules, and cranberry-walnut loaves to set the tone for a menu full of French bistro classics such as steak au poivre and duck a l’orange. Ordering from the raw bar is always a smart move here, as is asking for a side of frites with aioli. Reservations are highly recommended. Le Dip has been booked solid since restaurateur Stephen Starr opened it in 2013.

Among a plethora of Spanish options in the District, Estadio stands apart with a straightforward, encyclopedic menu that features small plates representative of several regions.

The Commodore is the type of place where people plan to start a night of bar-hopping but end up staying until last call. With a dog-friendly patio, frequent specials on drinks and food, and a Southern take on some of Logan Circle’s best bar food, there’s no reason to leave. Chicken wings and brisket tot-chos showcase the kitchen’s smoker. Over-the-top burgers come with flourishes like bourbon mayo and Cheerwine barbecue sauce.

Owners Telma and Maynor Majano pull off a difficult feat of nailing dishes from Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. Pretty much anything on the menu is a safe bet, but first-timers should make a beeline for the Honduran fried chicken, served with pickles, a tangy cabbage slaw, and an enormous portion of fried plantains. Pozole and mole both stand up under scrutiny.

Owner Jerry Chen has been in the neighborhood since starting Yum’s II, the carryout next door that serves late-night eats to cops and revelers until 4 a.m., in 1988. His family’s upward mobility is now manifested in a spacious dining room that gets packed for dim sum service.

With DJ sets, costume parties, and communal viewings of RuPaul’s Drag Race, this gay dive bar has a little more character than its sibling spot around the block, Number Nine on P Street NW.

Situated above sister restaurant Birch & Barley, ChurchKey is a beacon for beer lovers. With 50 drafts and as many as 500 bottles on tap, it has as comprehensive a selection as anywhere in D.C. House-made tater tots and doughnuts help soak it all up.

D.C.’s boon of tongue-scorching Thai food isn’t reserved to the trendy, meticulously designed dining rooms of Little Serow in Dupont or Doi Moi up 14th Street NW. Baan Thai is a more affordable option for dishes brimming with fish sauce, lime, and chiles in the second floor of a former sushi bar. Chicken thigh khao soi curry, accompanied by crispy fried noodles reaching for the ceiling, has cultivated a big following. Even vegetable salads ratchet up the spice.

With billowing fabrics covering the walls and the ceiling, Pappe presents an elegant setting for Indian food that will make diners dab sweat from their foreheads. Lamb vindaloo, spicy chicken tikka, and baingan bartha (roasted eggplant spread) all raise the heat. For a nightcap with live music, head downstairs to the Crown & Crow bar

A contender for the title of Washington’s top taqueria, El Sol is the first venture from Mexico City-born chef and restaurateur Alfredo Solis (Mezcalero, Little Havana). Solis’s ultra-rich braised pork carnitas are the perfect stuffer for fried masa gordita pouches and house-formed corn tortilla quesadillas. Open until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday and 1 a.m. every other night, it’s a fantastic place to devour fried and rolled chicken tacos dorados late-night.