Nepalese dishes can be a bit hard to find around the greater D.C. area, but Royal Nepal serves Del Ray momocha dumplings, crispy goat intestine with puffed rice, Nepalese lo mein, and roasted wild boar.

This longtime institution focuses both as a neighborhood bar and one of the greater area’s few options for homey, New Orleans-style cooking. The unapologetically seafood-focused menu has choices like shrimp and crab et touffe, andouille-crusted fish, and multiple varieties of gumbo; find Mardi Gras-appropriate drinks like hurricanes and sazeracs, too.

This relaxed bar has a nice outdoor beer garden, and is a chill place to order a customized grilled cheese, a giant pretzel, or some excellent fried pickles. You gotta laugh at “my date is not hungry,” which is how you can add extra fries and two chicken tenders to your order.

Large portions of Mexican, Tex-Mex, and Salvadoran dishes are the norm at this gathering place, also known for its generous margaritas. Fajitas, chimichangas, pupusas, and more span the large menu.

Spice Kraft distinguishes itself as a neighborhood Indian favorite with festive appetizers, including a colorful spinach pakora chat and mango and ginger crispy chicken, and a mix-and-match menu section, where patrons can customize dishes using various sauces and proteins. There are several delicious tandoor dishes, too. Pickup and delivery available online.

Cali-style tacos, taquitos, fresh salsa, and more are on the menu at this tiny Mexican joint, which serves some of the best margaritas in the area (try the habanero one).

A partnership between former Hill staffers (and now “Shark Tank” vets) Heath Hall and Brett Thompson, both from Missouri, and Alexandria restaurant owners “Mango” Mike Anderson and Bill Blackburn, pulled pork and chicken are among the focuses of this Southern restaurant. Anderson and Blackburn are behind several other restaurants in the neighborhood, like Holy Cow Burgers.

This cafe has become known for its biscuits, though also shakes things up with a variety of baked goods, fried chicken on Fridays, and more. If you’re looking for somewhere you can pair breakfast nachos with Topo Chico hard seltzer, Stomping Ground also delivers.

Neighborhood Restaurant Group’s Evening Star, currently overseen by chef Derek Colglazier, is one of the neighborhood’s fancier options, with an emphasis on local ingredients. Dishes on the tight menu range from smoked pork chops to cornmeal-crusted trout. The adjacent Majestic and upstairs No. 9 Lounge serve as a somewhat rare neighborhood bars for the community; visitors can also drink at the outdoor Front Porch and Back Yard. The company also operates Planet Wine, a retail wine shop next door.

Located in a cute converted house with an expansive front porch, this hangout (particularly popular for brunch) has a bit of French influence to it, seen in dishes like Burgandy snails and bouillabaisse. Patrons can start the morning with croissant sandwiches, croques, omelets and quiches.

Sushi is a main focus of the menu here (fish is good quality, though expect large versus delicate cuts of sashimi), though this restaurant also has a long list of small plates, some on the fusion end of the spectrum (tacos with kimchi, tuna nachos, etc.). An affordable happy hour offers $4 nigrini and drink discounts. There’s a selection of cocktails, some with Asian influences like a matcha highball.

This restaurant has transformed into a mini complex of sorts on the south end of Del Ray, made up of Lena’s itself, the art deco bar Velvet & Rye upstairs, and the spacious covered heated patio Lena’s Oasis. No matter the setting, you can find solid pizzas, bar food like parmesan wings, and some dishes with a twist like garlic bread paired with pepperoni sauce.