Carolina Kitchen offers a menu chock-full of hearty Cajun and Ceole creations. One of its best, the Creole grilled salmon, is a monster of a dish: 8 ounces of tender salmon slathered in a creamy sauce with crab meat and shrimp over a bed of mashed potatoes. And if that weren’t enough, it also comes with servings of mac and cheese and collard greens. 

A Place to Walk began as a popular food truck in Prince George’s County before opening a brick and mortar location at the University Town Center in Hyattsville, Maryland, in 2020. Breakfast and lunch are specialties, and ordering shrimp and grits is a must. The thick, creamy grits are served with sauteed shrimp in a Cajun cream sauce. Order online here.

The Brightwood cafe represents a thoughtful marriage of American and Caribbean cuisine. Besides the usual staples like cornbread, potato salad, ribs, and whiting, Andrene’s has a vast selection of jerk and curried chicken options, plus oxtail, on its eclectic menu. For first-timers, the jerk chicken wingettes are a solid starter divvied up in portions of six, nine, or 12 pieces. These wings boast bold flavors with meat that nearly falls off the bone.

NuVegan could convert the most ardent meat eaters into adopting a vegan diet. Dishes such as the vegan “chick’n” drummies and crab cake sandwich — both made with soy — taste and look so similar to the real thing that customers might not notice a difference within the first couple bites. To wash down all that comfort food, NuVegan has an expansive menu of fresh juices. Order online here.

The Florida Avenue Grill is the dean of D.C.’s soul food scene. Original owners Lacey and Bertha Wilson bought the location on the corner of Florida Avenue and 11th Street NW in 1944 with the tips Lacey had made as a Capitol Hill shoeshine man. The greasy spoon spot is known as a go-to place for breakfast, though their menu does prepare comforting homestyle dinners (think chitterlings, pig feet, and other Southern favorites). During the pandemic, the grill opens a carryout window Friday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Henry’s Soul Cafe opened in 1968 as a convenience store and restaurant before it began selling sweet and savory soul food. The sweet potato pie that put the cafe on the map comes from an old family recipe of the original owner, Henry E. Smith, and has been sampled by notable figures such as former President Barack Obama. Order online from U Street or Oxon Hill, Maryland, locations here.

Saint’s Paradise Cafeteria is a hidden gem tucked at the basement level of The United House of Prayer for All People church in Mount Vernon Triangle. There’s no frills here, just homestyle cooking that reminds regulars of their  grandma’s whiting, cornbread, and fried chicken recipes. The prices are also ridiculously low for the amount of food served; for under $10, customers  can score a full-course meal with an entree, two vegetables, and bread.

Georgia Brown’s has reopened its downtown location after shutting down temporarily due to COVID-19. Known for Lowcountry cooking, it serves crispy fried green tomatoes accompanied by bold flavors of lemon cayenne mayonnaise and herbed goat cheese. The Carolina gumbo with spicy andouille sausage, shrimp, and chicken, is the epitome of comfort food. Order online here.

Kitchen Cray’s opening in 2013 marked a pivotal turning point in chef and owner J.R. Robinson’s career. At his Lanham, Maryland, restaurant, he served a contemporary take on soul food recipes to celebrities such as Janelle Monae and secured his placement as a contestant on Hell’s Kitchen. He recently expanded Kitchen Cray to H Street NE, where customers can find its signature buttermilk fried chicken topped over a mountain of french toast drizzled with caramel and vanilla sauces. 

Veteran vegan restaurateur Dr. Baruch Ben-Yehudah owns three locations of Elife around D.C. Each day features a new slate of dishes, and there’s a Sunday brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. where customers can get vegan sausage, scrambled tofu, home fries, and more Southern cooking. Order online from Capitol Heights or Takoma.

This Capitol Heights, Maryland, haunt doesn’t skimp on seafood, especially crab. Whimsical creations  include the Messy Marvin, a cheesesteak topped with crap dip, or a seafood quesadilla stuffed with crab, shrimp, peppers and cheese — with another round of crab dip on the side. The menu changes daily, so there’s always something new for regulars to try. Order online here.