Every major U.S. city has its distinctions. New York has Broadway, Chicago has that giant metal bean, Los Angeles has gridlock traffic—it’s these things that give a city its unique feel. While you may be tempted to say that Washington D.C.’s distinction is suffocating humidity or the unbearable habit of turning every conversation into political debate, I’m here to tell you D.C. does brunch like no other. Do you know what’s better than going out at 9 p.m. and getting home at 2:30 a.m.? Going out at 11 a.m. and getting home at 4 p.m. Brunch takes the party and moves it into the waking hours, and there’s no better brunch spot in the country than D.C.

Of course, if you come into D.C. looking to brunch without a plan, you’re more cooked than the steak frites you’re about to order. Each neighborhood offers countless options, and your brunch in Capitol Hill will be totally different than your brunch in, say, Friendship Heights.

With that said, no neighborhood in D.C. does brunch like Dupont Circle—specifically speaking, 17th street. That handful of blocks is like The Strip in Las Vegas but with more drunk kickball teams. There may be fancier, more expensive brunch spots elsewhere in the city, but no street offers a larger variety than 17th street.

So without further ado, here’s how to navigate the Dupont Circle brunch scene.

Brunch spots / Shutterstock

Agora

Agora is probably one of the most well-known brunch spots in Dupont, if not all of D.C. It can be easy to miss, though; the restaurant isn’t quite to the hole-in-the-wall level, but it’s close. Agora offers Turkish cuisine, and their Sujuklu Pide is not to be missed. From one look at their menu, though, it’s abundantly clear why this place is such a hit. For $40 (brunch is going to run you $60. Sorry, budget accordingly), Agora offers bottomless mixed drinks. Not only do you have the usual mimosa and bloody mary staples, but the restaurant offers all the vodka, gin, rum, tequila, and whiskey your kidneys can handle. If you head to Agora, I suggest not making post-brunch plans.

Duke’s Grocery

You may have heard about Duke’s famous burgers—their masterpiece consistently wins “best burger” competitions across the city. But from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on weekends, Duke’s joins the brunch bunch. They bring East London to East Dupont with decidedly British plates like their Proper English Brekkie and general willingness to put literally anything you want on toast. (They even offer avocado toast, so eat your heart out with those jokes.) And when it comes to unlimited pours, you can get bottomless mimosa and bloodys for $16, which is about as good a deal as you’ll find in Dupont.

Dupont Italian Kitchen

A personal favorite, Dupont Italian Kitchen might low-key be the best brunch spot in Dupont Circle. With its extensive patio, DIK offers something a lot of other brunch spots can’t: guaranteed real estate under the sun. After a long winter of notdrinking on Saturday mornings, there’s nothing better than that cold pitcher of mimosas on that first warm April weekend. Not only do they offer delicious Italian cuisine, but their brunch menu is packed with traditional favorites. Want to build your own omelet? Easy. In the mood for a giant stack of pancakes? Done. When every new brunch spot in D.C. is offering increasingly intricate (albeit delicious) menus, there’s something nice about an old-fashioned, traditional breakfast spot. Like Duke’s, DIK offers unlimited mimosas and bloodys for $16. (On a slow day, however, they’ve been known accept unlimited pours of specific drink orders—just don’t tell them you heard it from us.) 

Brick Lane

The new kid on the block, Brick Lane opened their doors in early 2016. A small, two-level spot, Brick Lane runs brunch until 4 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. What makes this brunch spot stand out? They offer unlimited mimosas for $18 every day. Their menu is your standard, run-of-the-mill American cuisine, but everything is delicious and affordable. They also offer patio seating with enough strung-up light bulbs to really convince you that you’re in a Lumineers video. It may not be your first choice, but it won’t be a choice you regret, either.