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Where to feel the burn
Thanks to a plethora of Sichuan, Thai, Indian, and even amped-up burger restaurants, D.C. diners who like a heavy dose of spice have no shortage of options. The places on this map won’t serve the kind of heat that requires customers to sign a waiver, but they have seriously piquant dishes that pack in a ton of flavor with a pleasant burn.
Have another favorite spicy dish? Sound off in the comments.
Read MoreAt this classic Silver Spring dive bar, the “Afterburner” burger with four-alarm sauce, jalapenos, and pepperjack cheese calls out to heat seekers. Wash it down with a cold beer to calm the burn.
Pho Viet’s Spicy Lemongrass Pho is made with two kinds of chile and flavored with lemongrass, ginger, onion, and shrimp paste. Order it “quarter spicy” and you might still be sipping water between bites. Real chile heads get it “medium” or more.
Just about anything from this restaurant's jungle menu will satisfy heat-seekers, but the The tam muk houng phet phet is especially spicy. This Lao papaya salad made with an assortment of Thai chile peppers, shredded green papaya, fish sauce, cherry tomatoes, lime, shrimp paste, crab paste, and dried shrimp packs a whole lot of funky flavor.
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This Sichuan staple inside a Days Inn has a lot of spicy items on their menu, but the boiled fish filet in hot chile sauce deserves to be singled out. A heaping portion of fish boiled in a spicy broth swarming with red chiles and chile oil delivers a slow and steady burn.
You probably wouldn’t expect a place like this to be in consideration for spicy food, but Lucky Buns isn’t your average burger joint. Try the “Hot Tiger” bun, a fantastic fried chicken sandwich with Sichuan pepper paste topped with pickles, onions, and Chinese yellow mustard. Or get the “Hot Amato” bun, which has a single beef patty in addition to that spicy fried chicken.
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This recently opened cocktail bar from CopyCat Co. founder Devin Gong gets its Sichuan peppers shipped from a source in Chengdu, China. Don’t sleep on the water boiled beef—- tri-tip in a fragrant stock of mustard greens, celery, and a ton of chiles that get cooked with a ladling of hot oil at the end. The brave should slurp that sauce right from the bowl.
This basement spot with a fixed menu is known for serving some of the spiciest Northern Thai food in town. The menu changes frequently, but there always will be multiple course brimming with chiles that bring out sweat and tears from customers. A side plate of cold greens and herbs helps to combat the burn.
Although the vindaloo is the most popular spicy dish of at this Indian spot on 14th Street, the fiery red junglee laal maas is even hotter. Made with dried red chiles and bone-in goat, it packs a lingering heat.
Partner and chef Jessica Solis personally oversees daily salsa production to ensure enough chiles make their way into squeeze bottles of house verde and rojo. Hot, epazote-laced chilaquiles are a true wake-up call at any time of day, and the chicken tinga boasts a smoky spice of chipotles. — Gabe Hiatt
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Spice levels run high at this new spot in NoMa as long as customers request their food “Lao spicy.” To really feel the fire, order the crispy rice salad, a signature item that has bits of curried rice with fermented pork, cilantro, peanuts, and an added kick from a heap of julienned ginger. It can be made vegan upon request.
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At the Capitol Hill location of this hit Indian spot, the lal mirch (red chile curry) comes with a choice of lamb, chicken, or goat. These bring on a warming heat with a slow burn, and so does the spicy goat monsoon wedding, which packs in heat from peppercorns in addition to chiles. On Capitol Hill and at the original in Columbia Heights, a street food section includes kheema pav, a minced lamb dish served with buttered bread that’s served on the spicy side, just like it is at some roadside stalls in Bombay.
This Sichuan-spiced hot chicken restaurant from Himitsu founder Kevin Tien serves up four different heat levels. Go for the OG Hot for a comfortable spicy heat, or the Too Hot, if you really want to push it.
There are a number of dishes at the latest Peter Chang restaurant that bombard diners with spice, but one that stands out is the pickled chile flounder pot. Fish, vermicelli, and tofu are all carriers for heat and respites from it, depending on how many chiles sneak onto each bite.
At this classic Silver Spring dive bar, the “Afterburner” burger with four-alarm sauce, jalapenos, and pepperjack cheese calls out to heat seekers. Wash it down with a cold beer to calm the burn.
Pho Viet’s Spicy Lemongrass Pho is made with two kinds of chile and flavored with lemongrass, ginger, onion, and shrimp paste. Order it “quarter spicy” and you might still be sipping water between bites. Real chile heads get it “medium” or more.
Just about anything from this restaurant's jungle menu will satisfy heat-seekers, but the The tam muk houng phet phet is especially spicy. This Lao papaya salad made with an assortment of Thai chile peppers, shredded green papaya, fish sauce, cherry tomatoes, lime, shrimp paste, crab paste, and dried shrimp packs a whole lot of funky flavor.
This Sichuan staple inside a Days Inn has a lot of spicy items on their menu, but the boiled fish filet in hot chile sauce deserves to be singled out. A heaping portion of fish boiled in a spicy broth swarming with red chiles and chile oil delivers a slow and steady burn.
You probably wouldn’t expect a place like this to be in consideration for spicy food, but Lucky Buns isn’t your average burger joint. Try the “Hot Tiger” bun, a fantastic fried chicken sandwich with Sichuan pepper paste topped with pickles, onions, and Chinese yellow mustard. Or get the “Hot Amato” bun, which has a single beef patty in addition to that spicy fried chicken.
This recently opened cocktail bar from CopyCat Co. founder Devin Gong gets its Sichuan peppers shipped from a source in Chengdu, China. Don’t sleep on the water boiled beef—- tri-tip in a fragrant stock of mustard greens, celery, and a ton of chiles that get cooked with a ladling of hot oil at the end. The brave should slurp that sauce right from the bowl.
This basement spot with a fixed menu is known for serving some of the spiciest Northern Thai food in town. The menu changes frequently, but there always will be multiple course brimming with chiles that bring out sweat and tears from customers. A side plate of cold greens and herbs helps to combat the burn.
Although the vindaloo is the most popular spicy dish of at this Indian spot on 14th Street, the fiery red junglee laal maas is even hotter. Made with dried red chiles and bone-in goat, it packs a lingering heat.
Partner and chef Jessica Solis personally oversees daily salsa production to ensure enough chiles make their way into squeeze bottles of house verde and rojo. Hot, epazote-laced chilaquiles are a true wake-up call at any time of day, and the chicken tinga boasts a smoky spice of chipotles. — Gabe Hiatt
Spice levels run high at this new spot in NoMa as long as customers request their food “Lao spicy.” To really feel the fire, order the crispy rice salad, a signature item that has bits of curried rice with fermented pork, cilantro, peanuts, and an added kick from a heap of julienned ginger. It can be made vegan upon request.
At the Capitol Hill location of this hit Indian spot, the lal mirch (red chile curry) comes with a choice of lamb, chicken, or goat. These bring on a warming heat with a slow burn, and so does the spicy goat monsoon wedding, which packs in heat from peppercorns in addition to chiles. On Capitol Hill and at the original in Columbia Heights, a street food section includes kheema pav, a minced lamb dish served with buttered bread that’s served on the spicy side, just like it is at some roadside stalls in Bombay.
This Sichuan-spiced hot chicken restaurant from Himitsu founder Kevin Tien serves up four different heat levels. Go for the OG Hot for a comfortable spicy heat, or the Too Hot, if you really want to push it.
There are a number of dishes at the latest Peter Chang restaurant that bombard diners with spice, but one that stands out is the pickled chile flounder pot. Fish, vermicelli, and tofu are all carriers for heat and respites from it, depending on how many chiles sneak onto each bite.
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