Welcome to Old Town Alexandria, VA and RWDevCon 2016! I've tried to cover many different food tastes, dietary restrictions and price ranges. Hopefully, you'll find something you like!
If you are staying in the conference hotel, you are actually west and a bit south of Old Town proper. So, many of these places might be a bit of a walk or a quick Uber ride away. For the more adventurous, I've added some of my favorites that are a bit further away (but still in Northern VA.) The District of Columbia has many really great places to eat. Feel free to hit me up if you want to venture into the city.
Have fun!!!
Grape+Bean Rosemont - The best coffee in Alexandria! (But they don't open early.) Great food to eat there. Small but excellent beer and wine options.
The PX - Fancy cocktails in a fancy setting.
Vermillion - A nice place for a nice dinner. A bit on the pricey side. Good selection of whiskey's and cocktails.
Momo Sushi - Excellent sushi and other Japanese dishes. I'm a big fan of the "Fire Crunch Roll." Their sashimi is generally excellent as well. Have a beer at Bilbo Baggins while you wait.
There are not a lot of "Man vs. Food" types of places in Old Town. But here are a couple places that serve "American Food".
Southside 815 - A very good Southern food sports bar. Good meat options and southern classics like trout and catfish.
Chadwicks - Probably the best "bar food" in Old Town. Great burgers, friendly bartenders and sometimes a decent fish sandwich.
Rockland's - Northern Virginia is not known for great BBQ. Rockland's is good though. While they may not adhere to any particular regional BBQ tradition, most of their stuff is pretty good.
Table Talk - Table Talk would not get much of a nod if it weren't for the fact that it is really close to the conference hotel. You can get an okay breakfast pretty quickly.
The Royal - A bit further away, the Royal puts out an inexpensive and consistent breakfast every day. On the weekends, you'll also find a really nice all-you-can-eat buffet; complete with waffle and omelet stations.
Jackson 20 - Jackson 20 is a step up in brunch and breakfast. If you're in to this kind of thing, their weekend brunches are excellent. And, their daily breakfast is good too.
I want to stress the "American" portion of this title. Old Town is not known for Italian. (In fact, DC is not really known for it.) But you'll find classic "Red Sauce" Italian dishes below.
Trattoria da Franco - The food is decent but the atmosphere is fantastic. If you're lucky, you may even get serenaded by the owner, if he's there and feels like singing!
Hank's Pasta Bar - New to the scene, Hank's Pasta Bar has a nice selection of freshly made pasta dishes.
Vaso's - This may be one of only two places to get an decent pizza in town. (They are not great, but passable.) Even better are their Greek dishes like Moussaka, Saganaki (flaming cheese!) and their fresh whole fish entrees.
Pita House - You generally have to get further out into the suburbs to get really good kabob, etc. But Pita House is an exception. They have a huge menu, and much of it is pretty good!
Hank's Oyster Bar - Fresh and delicious oysters. Excellent seafood options.
Eammon's Dublin Chipper - It's not the UK, but the basa with a side of Curry Sauce is pretty good! Indulge in a deep fried Snickers if you can handle it.
Momo Sushi - Excellent sushi and other Japanese dishes. I'm a big fan of the "Fire Crunch Roll." But their sashimi is generally excellent as well. Have a beer at Bilbo Baggins while you wait.
A warning: generally Pizza in the DC area is pretty bad. This is about the best you'll get. (With the noted exception of Vaso's, above.)
Pizzeria Paradiso - Their thin crust pizzas are decent. (But, you're not in Naples!) Many of their salads and crostini are excellent. But, their beer menu is really great.
Caphe Banh Mi - Not the best Pho, but the closest that's worth it.
Pop's Killer ESP - Features Stumptown coffee and excellent sorbet and gelato.
Whole Foods - It's right near the hotel, and they sell pretty much everything.
Potbelly - I'm not, at all, a fast food guy. But, I really like Potbelly.
Grape+Bean Rosemont - The best coffee in Alexandria! (But they don't open early.) Great food to eat there. Small but excellent beer and wine options.
Killer ESP - Features Stumptown coffee and excellent sorbet and gelato.
Misha's - Classic coffee shop. Not as great as Grape+Bean, but they open early.
Union Street Public House - A solid bar. It's probably best to go somewhere else for food.
O'Connell's - A great bar with decent Irish food. There are other "Irish Bars" in Old Town, but this is where you should go.
Bilbo Baggins - A relaxed bar with a good beer menu. Perfect after Momo sushi!
Chadwicks - Probably the best "bar food" in Old Town. Great burgers, friendly bartenders and sometimes a decent fish sandwich.
Bilbo Baggins - A relaxed bar with a good beer menu. Perfect for after Momo sushi!
The Lost Dog Cafe - You'll need an Uber to get to the Alexandria location of this sandwich and beer joint. But, once there, you'll be rewarded with 25 taps and a good selection of bottles.
Pizzeria Paradiso - 14 taps and a bunch of bottles.
Rustico - It's an Uber ride away, but well worth the trip if you fancy great beers. 15 taps and tons of interesting bottles. The food is decent too. (The Slater's Lane location is closest to the conference hotel.)
Vermillion - The food may be too fancy, but they have great drinks and a really nice selection of whiskeys from all over the world.
The PX - You'll need reservations and a nice outfit. But, if you really like craft cocktails, this is the best "speakeasy" in the DC area. Mixologist Todd Thrasher really knows what he's doing!
ABC Duke St. - You really only need to go to an ABC Store for liquor. You'll be able to get wine and beer at any grocery store. (Like Whole Foods.)
Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum - I think this is one of the real treasures of Old Town. If you have a couple hours to kill, go see what a 19th century apothecary looked like.
Torpedo Factory - Housed in a former torpedo factory, this art center has some really interesting stuff. Take an hour to walk through all the different galleries.
Carlyle House Historic Park - A beautiful little garden attached to a historic house. Take a tour if you have time.
The DC area has a respectable and growing food scene. But, like many regions, the really great stuff is out in the 'burbs. So all of these places will require an Uber or cab ride to get to them.
Ray's Hell Burger - The US President had a burger here, so that must be good! And it is good. The burgers are spectacular and well worth the trip.
Peter Chang Arlington (Not PF Chang's!!!) - Phenomenal Szechuan food! But don't take my word for it, read this.
Yechon - A pretty standard Korean BBQ place. It's alway busy, but lots of fun.
Ju Mak Jip - A little Mom and Pop Korean restaurant. Friendly staff and excellent food!
[Taqueria Poblano] - These aren't great tacos. You'll have to go to Southern California or Mexico for those. But this is one of my neighborhood spots and I like it. Fear not, the tacos are still good. And they make a decent mole.
Thai Square - Everyone has their favorite Thai restaurant, and this is mine. You'll find more than just Pad Thai here. Lot's of dishes generally not found outside of Thailand (I've been told.)
Bangkok Golden - That aren't a lot of place where you can try Lao food. But this is one of them! It's spicy and delicious! Totally worth the trip.