US-POLITICS-BIDEN — US President Joe Biden carries an ice cream cone as he leaves Jeni’s Ice Cream in Washington, DC, on January 25, 2022.

Where to Eat Like the Bidens in D.C.

The President and First Lady are visiting Washington restaurants again

by Eater Staff Updated Jan 18, 2023, 4:34pm EST

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US President Joe Biden carries an ice cream cone as he leaves Jeni’s Ice Cream in Washington, DC, on January 25, 2022.

| Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

by Eater Staff Updated Jan 18, 2023, 4:34pm EST

When it came to going out to Washington restaurants, the Obama and Trump administrations were a study in contrasts. D.C. restaurants waited breathlessly for a visit from Michelle (and sometimes Barack) Obama, especially since it usually would be followed by a boost in business; meanwhile, during his four years in office, the only restaurant visited by Trump was the one within his own hotel.

It seems safe to say the Biden administration’s restaurant attendance won’t create as much fervor as the Obamas, whose date night spot is L’Ardente as of late, but the President and First Lady have shown a willingness to dip their toes into the D.C. restaurant community. This map chronicles their official stops. Where will they head next? We have a few guesses.

—Updated by Tierney Plumb

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

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The question was never which ice cream shop President Joe Biden would first visit in D.C. The question was when Biden would make his way over to Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream. In fact, it was nearly a year-to-the-day from when the Columbus Monthly published Jeni’s and Joe Biden: A Love Story that Biden stopped in to the Barracks Row outpost of the Ohio-based chain for a scoop of chocolate with peanut butter flecks and a scoop of blackout chocolate cake in a waffle cone. Biden’s relationship with the ice cream company’s James Beard Award-winning founder Jeni Britton Bauer goes back at least to 2012. In 2016, the then-vice president even visited Jeni’s headquarters in Columbus, Ohio to hold a press conference about wages.

1925 14th St NW B, Washington, DC 20009

(202) 621-8625

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Le Diplomate

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First Lady Jill Biden was spotted dining on lobster risotto alongside two dinnertime guests on Tuesday, November 15. It not her first visit to the ever-busy French brasserie from restaurateur Stephen Starr, which has a longstanding reputation for catering to VIPs. On Memorial Day 2021, the Bidens met Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff for lunch. Harris and Emhoff returned in the fall for a leisurely Sunday meal.

1601 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20009

(202) 332-3333

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Taqueria Las Gemelas

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On Cinco de Mayo 2021, Las Gemelas co-owner Josh Phillips got to hear directly from the V.P. that Las Gemelas is the first restaurant in America to receive a Restaurant Revitalization Fund grant. Biden also ordered four tacos and two quesadillas in the process.

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1280 4th St NE, Washington, DC 20002

(202) 866-0550

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President Biden Visits Washington Restaurant — Biden at Las Gemelas

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Call Your Mother

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Ok, so the President didn’t go inside, but the motorcade still swung by the Georgetown location of this uber-popular “Jew-ish” deli to place a pickup order for sesame bagels with cream cheese.

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3428 O St NW, Washington, DC 20007

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Secret Service agents outside Call Your Mother deli

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Ghostburger

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President Joe Biden and VP Kamala Harris enjoyed a meaty lunch from Shaw’s new smash burger bar on Tuesday, January 17. Their delivery order, sent straight to the White House, included two single-patty Ghostburgers—made with American cheese, red onion, pickles, and “spooky sauce”—and two orders of crinkle cut fries. POTUS opted to add bacon to his Ghostburger.

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1250 9th St NW, Washington, DC 20001

(202) 827-5237

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Today, @VP and I ordered our lunch from @GhostburgerDC – one of the 10.5 million small businesses that have applied to start during our Administration.

If you missed the news, ketchup: that’s the most in a two-year period. Ever.

More proof that our economic plan is working. pic.twitter.com/qfqq1L91FE
— President Biden (@POTUS) January 17, 2023

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Imperfecto

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President Joe Biden just enjoyed a glamorous Friday night out at the West End’s acclaimed Mediterranean-Latin spot by chef Enrique Limardo. Biden and his family headed to its private dining room to feast on a prix-fixe lineup of lamb moussaka “cigars,” tuna tartare with shishito puree and trout caviar, slow-roasted suckling pig, and more, co-owner Ezequiel Vázquez-Ger tells Washingtonian.

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1124 23rd St NW, Washington, DC 20037

(202) 964-1012

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The private dining room at Imperfecto. — The presidential party ate in Imperfecto’s private dining room.

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Fiola Mare

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The Bidens have been fans of Fabio Trabocchi’s swanky Italian seafood restaurant in Georgetown since at least 2014. A 2021 visit came with a side of controversy because the presidential couple were photographed walking through the restaurant without wearing protective face masks, a violation of D.C.’s public health mandates at the time.