Mark Choe’s Korean-American diner fits health-conscious Takoma Park to a T. Just across the District line, customers can find egg plates, Belgian waffles, and brioche French toast alongside savory mung bean pancakes or kimchi and steak omelets. Add a cup of fresh juice or order from a long menu of coffees, teas, milkshakes, malts, and New York-style egg creams. — Gabe Hiatt

This vegan doughnut shop has been an instant hit since opening in January — with a line to prove it. There are usually several people waiting down the block for a first pick at the light, yeasty confections ahead of its 7 a.m. opening time. Be sure to check Instagram for the list of daily flavors, with options like mango-coconut, Boston cream, and glazed donut holes.

Meaty breakfast platters, omelets, and breakfast sandwiches can all be found at this D.C. breakfast spot, with two other locations on H Street and in Anacostia. The generous breakfast platter offers two eggs, toast, home fries or grits, and a choice of bacon, ham, sausage, turkey bacon, turkey links, or scrapple, all for under $5.

James Beard Award-winning baker Mark Furstenberg’s tiny cafe in Van Ness is one of the city's best places to buy baguettes, chocolate croissants, and English muffins. It opens at 8 a.m., and has built out an impressive retail market during the pandemic, offering access to wholesalers for high-quality coffee and olive oil.

This Brookland greasy spoon, with sign saying it’s served the neighborhood since 1964, is a no-nonsense option for grabbing a table or ordering at the bar. Throwback prices make the giant flapjacks and French toast even sweeter.

Mount Pleasant’s ultimate neighborhood cafe serves a simple breakfast menu from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. features an egg sandwich showcasing superlative brisket. The counter offers savory quiches and sweet pastries — to tempt customers from inside a case. There are also baklava lattes, guava turnovers, biscuit sandwiches, and a host of other treats to consider.

This wood-fired bagel shop fills its signature product with a handful of unexpected combos — think candied salmon cream cheese or bacon, jalapenos, and potato chips. The fried potato latkes are on point, and chocolate babka muffins go well with a cup of a custom coffee blend from Lost Sock Roasters. Call Your Mother is also recently added doughnuts to the mix, and continues to expand quickly, with future locations coming to Alexandria, Virginia, and North Bethesda’s Pike & Rose.

This friendly Park View cafe serves all-day breakfast that combines American and Ethiopian comfort foods like cheesy breakfast sandwiches or scrambled eggs with a side of injera. Customers who welcome spice should squirt homemade green hot sauce over everything. — G.H.

Chef Matt Baker recently announces the opening of his second location of Baker’s Daughter, the casual cafe sibling to Michelin-starred Gravitas. The new Chinatown location (675 Eye Street NW) joins the original spot in Ivy City and focuses on grab-and-go breakfast. Each outpost offers signature breakfast sandwiches, breakfast tacos, and pastries.

This local chain channels Americana with cinnamon rolls “as big as your head," homemade “Ted’s Tarts,” sausage and gravy plates, and crispy, shredded hashbrowns. Locations in D.C. and the surrounding suburbs include a futuristic addition in Ballston Quarter. Service starts at 7 a.m.

The gold foil wrapper feels fitting for breakfast tacos ($3.50 to $4.50) worth treasuring at this Tex-Mex cafe in Truxton Circle. Republic Cantina builds them on stretchy, rich flour tortillas that would pass muster in Texas. Go for the smoked brisket, served with fried onions, potatoes, and avocado salsa, or a carne guisada (stewed beef) variety with scallions and crispy tortilla strips. Other options on the cafe menu (9 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily) include a fruit and granola bowl, chilaquiles, or avocado Texas toast with radishes, cotija cheese, sesame, fried onion, and cilantro oil. — G.H.

Located in off-the-path Cady's Alley in Georgetown, Kafe Leopold's serves Eastern European dishes like Frushtuck (eggs with smoked and grilled ham and toast) and yogurt parfaits. Doors open at 8 a.m., and they have a nice patio.

Find thick challah French toast and “super egg” sandwiches at this no-frills, New York-style diner in Arlington. Both celebrity chef Guy Fieri and President Joe Biden have stopped by since they opened more than a decade ago. It opens at 6 a.m. for early risers.

Don't let the name fool you — breakfast is the move at this Eastern Market mainstay known for its blueberry buckwheat pancakes. Doors open at 8 a.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Prepare to wait in line during busy market times.

Located inside Levantine hot spot Albi, Yellow melds French patisserie classics with Arabic flavors in morning sweets such as labneh croissants dusted in za’atar or an olive oil basbousa (Lebanese semolina cake). Owner Michael Rafidi also makes sfeeha (meat pies) for the morning crowd, and his superlative pitas form a soft shell for breakfast sandwiches full of scrambled egg, labneh, chopped salad, and kefta (for a surcharge). Specialty lattes include a smoked dirty chai. Breakfast starts at 8 a.m. — G.H.