Breakfast has long been a comforting and nourishing any-time food, but it’s not always easy to find pancakes at 4 p.m. If you want doughnuts for dinner (we won’t judge) or corned beef hash for lunch, these eateries have you covered, from opening omelets to closing croissants.
Ted’s Bulletin
Ted’s is known for its cult-status, homemade pop-tarts, which you can order to-go if the line for a table is long. But weathering the wait brings other rewards. Topping the all-day breakfast menu is the cheeky Walk of Shame Burrito, stuffed with sausage, eggs, cheddar, hash browns and green chile sauce. Alternately, you can go for chicken and biscuits, drizzled with honey and served with D.C.’s iconic Mumbo Sauce (a sweet and tangy condiment similar to barbecue or plum sauce). Good news for Arlington residents: Ted’s recently announced it will open a new location in the forthcoming Ballston Quarter food hall this fall.
2911 District Ave., Fairfax (Mosaic District)
Celebrity Delly & Catering
An institution for nearly 40 years, this Falls Church deli on Route 50 (it’s tucked inside a standalone building in Graham Park Plaza, formerly known as Loehmann’s Plaza) offers an all-day breakfast menu with standbys such as Nova lox bagels, crabcakes Benedict, and eggs Norwegian with seared salmon and spinach. The expanded brunch menu on weekends adds to that a variety of omelets, pancakes and corned beef hash. Pro tip: The enormous, crisp potato latkes are available anytime from the appetizer menu, as are potato knishes and brisket.
7263A Arlington Blvd., Falls Church
Metro 29 Diner
This stainless steel-and-neon landmark on Lee Highway in Arlington celebrates 23 years of business this month. Breakfast, served until closing time at midnight, includes more than a dozen types of omelets, fresh pancakes and a Guy Fieri-endorsed French toast. The latter indulgence, made with thick house made Challah bread, was featured on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives in 2010 and continues to be the menu’s biggest draw.
4711 Lee Highway, Arlington
Sweetbites Cafe and Bakery
Sweets for breakfast are always recommended at this McLean café. Think cinnamon buns (with or without pecans), coffee cake with a Nutella swirl, or pain au chocolat, all of which are made in-house daily. But it’s the “Monut”—a giant, jam-filled cake doughnut topped with cinnamon sugar—that steals the pastry show. Meanwhile, popular savory items include plump breakfast burritos and buttermilk-biscuit sandwiches stacked with egg, cheese and your choice of bacon, maple ham or turkey sausage. The cafe has its roots in a former food truck, but the bricks-and-mortar space that opened in 2015 is a welcome respite for patients who are stopping by for medical and dental appointments in the same office building.
6845 Elm St., McLean
Bon Vivant Cafe + Farm Market
This comfy Del Ray eatery takes “family-friendly” a step beyond coloring books and smiling staff. There’s a dedicated kids’ room where young diners can graze at tot-sized tables–with plenty of space for post-pancake playtime–while caregivers and parents can eat comfortably nearby. Bon Vivant’s scratch kitchen also takes care to accommodate special dietary needs, offering a number of gluten-free, dairy-free and Paleo options. Guest favorites include the Golosa egg panini with avocado spread, and gluten-free bacon-and-cheese quiche made with almond flour.
2016 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria
Nonfiction Coffee
Mike Isabella’s all-day coffee shop, which opened in late 2017 as part of the sprawling Isabella Eatery food hall in Tysons Galleria, offers quick bites and baked goods in an upscale setting with soaring ceilings and large windows. Specialty drinks include pour-over coffees with a monthly selection of rotating artisanal beans, matcha lattes and the 21+ (a vodka-spiked White Russian cold brew). You’ll also find small plates such as avocado toast topped with smoked ricotta salata; cheddar-bacon biscuits; and quiche with spinach, peppers, caramelized leeks and kefalograviera—a Greek sheep’s milk cheese.
2001 International Drive, McLean
Fairfax Inn
There’s limited seating in this tiny Seven Corners restaurant, but a long counter adjacent to the grill can accommodate larger groups looking to explore Filipino breakfast specialties at any time of day. Owner Solita Adler has been serving Pinoy favorites (alongside traditional American breakfast fare) for nearly a decade. Try a tart calamansi juice (a tangy beverage made from a citrus fruit that tastes like a lemon-lime hybrid) and a plate of longsilog, a dish of eggs and sweet pork sausages. Everything is served with a side of sinangag, a delectable fried garlic rice that can cure any hangover.
2946 Sleepy Hollow Road, Falls Church
Lazy Mike’s
Last fall, the popular ice-cream parlor/deli rebranded and moved from its small storefront along the W&OD trail to a larger space (the former Long John Silver’s location) just up the road on West Broad Street/Leesburg Pike. Co-owner Rebecca Tax–who, with her brother David, also owns Clare & Dons Beach Shack, a 2018 Best of Arlington winner–says the move hasn’t slowed business, noting that some of their regulars still come by for up to a dozen meals a week. Fresh corned beef hash is the star of the all-day breakfast list in a place that has the homegrown vibe of a college coffee shop. If you’re looking for something sweet but not quite ready for homemade ice cream, order the banana pancakes.
7049 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church
Taco Bamba
Craving Mexican? You’ll find chorizo breakfast tacos, huevos rancheros and vegetarian sopes topped with beans, eggs and salsa verde on the all-day menu at this fast-casual taqueria (now a local chainlet) led by chef Victor Albisu. If you happen by on a Saturday or Sunday, those dishes pair well with Café de Olla, a weekend-only specialty drink made with anise, creamy canela and piloncillo, an unrefined brown sugar.
2190 Pimmit Drive, Falls Church
Northside Social Coffee & Wine
So popular are Northside’s savory breakfast sandwiches and the 9-grain avocado toast with egg and pickled carrots that when the staff tried, a few years back, to stop serving them mid-afternoon, the push-back from guests was immediate. That initial attempt to streamline was driven by kitchen size (the Clarendon space is tiny and sometimes serves as many as 1,500 guests per day). But the owners got the message. The all-day NoSo breakfast menu has since returned and expanded, and now only oatmeal makes an early exit at 11 a.m. Meats are smoked and cured in house. Once Northside’s second location opens in Falls Church (a launch now set for April), pastry operations will move to that new (larger) kitchen, and ham-and-cheese and chocolate-filled croissants will also return to the line-up.
3211 Wilson Blvd., Arlington
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Bob + Edith’s Diner
The coffee pot never stops pouring at this venerable diner’s two Arlington locations, both of which are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Columbia Pike address has a tight parking lot and it’s not uncommon to see a line on weekends (or late-night), but the efficient, friendly staff make sure that no one waits long. If you want to eat like the locals do, order the grits with butter, crispy hash browns and a D.C. classic: a half smoke and eggs. Kids will love the chocolate chip hot cakes and the hustle and bustle.
2310 Columbia Pike and 539 South 23rd St., Arlington
Silver Diner
This regional mini-chain was all about local sourcing and healthy diner fare long before those were trends. On the menu, you’ll find Amish cage-free eggs, coffee from Virginia-based Greenberry Roasters and sausage from Logans in Alexandria, as well as produce and meats from Virginia and Maryland farms. Silver Diner offers classic plates like banana-stuffed French toast and steak and eggs, as well as updated dishes such as gluten-free coconut pancakes, and lamb merguez sausage Benedict with tahini-harissa yogurt, spinach and feta. Also on the menu: a Power Breakfast of egg whites topped with cremini mushrooms, spinach, roasted tomatoes and feta , plus turkey bacon, fresh fruit and whole wheat toast. But if you want to be bad, milkshakes are available all day, too.
Locations in Arlington, Merrifield and Tyson’s Corner