Last weekend I had the pleasure of visiting the capital of the country, and got a chance to take in the history, the overwhelming sense of pride in our country, and the great food the city has to offer. To be honest, one of the few things keeping me going in the heat was the excitement of the next delicious food I was going to find. So in the case that you find yourself in the DC/Northern VA/Maryland area, at a loss for what food to dig into, here is a list of some of my favorite finds:

1. Baked & Wired, Georgetown

Now everyone knows that Georgetown is known for cupcakes, especially with the TLC show centered around Georgetown Cupcake, but the rising underdog in the cute, quintessential college town is Baked & Wired. Their cupcakes have the perfect cake-to-icing ratio and don’t leave you feeling like you just got a cavity from eating a cupcake. My favorite Baked & Wired cupcakes include the Dirty Chai, Pretty Bitchin’, and Coconut cupcakes. There is often a line at the storefront, but to make life easier, they’ve adopted online cupcake orders and store pickups.

2. Pasa-Thai, McLean, VA

Being a vegetarian, sometimes it is harder to find food, especially Thai food that doesn’t have any meat in the sauce or broth. Pasa-Thai has a long of list of vegetarian options, along with food that is bursting with flavor. I went with my favorite Thai dishes — summer rolls and pad thai — and left the restaurant very satisfied and ready for a nap! The summer rolls were as stuffed as possible without making them impossible to eat, and the pad thai was a good balance of sweet, savory, and tangy. The waiters and waitresses were very attentive and wanted to ensure that we had the best dining experience, and my family surely did!

3. Fiorella, National Harbor

The meal at Fiorella started off with bread, as any good Italian meal does, and then I went for the classic Margherita Pizza. The thin-crust pizza was very flavorful and had ample basil, just as I would want it! I definitely think that the surrounding environment of a restaurant contributes to the whole experience of eating there. There were gorgeous views of the Capital Wheel with the sun setting across Potomac.

4. Duck Donuts, VA

First there were frozen yogurt shops, then cupcake shops, and now I am convinced that the next food shop phase to sweep the nation will be fresh donut shops, and I am ecstatic! Although not exactly in DC, Duck Donuts has made a name for itself in Northern Virginia. It is the perfect, happy medium of great food and not having to wait in the long DC lines. You start off with a freshly-made old-fashioned donut and you get to dress it up with a glaze, a topping, and a drizzle of your liking. There are so many options, you can’t go wrong with a fried piece of dough!

5. District Commons, Foggy Bottom

Locals in DC take their brunch-ing very seriously, and after going to District Commons for brunch, I understood why. Nestled in Washington Square, District Commons was packed on a Saturday afternoon with tons of people, tons of great food, and tons of friendly conversations and laughter. Not being the biggest fan of eggs, I’m often uneasy about brunch because I end up having to go down the sweet route, and many times the food is just too sweet. I went with toasted coconut pancakes with roasted pineapple and star anise agave nectar syrup, and luckily for me, they were perfectly-balanced, light, and fluffy!