Overview
Dupont Circle is an affluent historic neighborhood in Washington D.C. It is known for its beautiful Victorian homes, walkability, and has offices, civic institutions, hotels, night clubs, bars, cafes, art galleries, and shops.
13 sights · 9 things to do · 23 places to eat · 15 bars & cafés · 11 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about Dupont Circle
The Phillips Collection
The Phillips Collection, opened in 1921, is America’s first museum of modern art. Featuring a renowned permanent collection of nearly 2,500 works by American and European impressionist and modern artists, the Phillips is…
Heurich House Museum: The Brewmaster's Castle
Competing with the Smithsonian for top castle status in the District is the Victorian mansion of Christian Heurich, who immigrated to the states from Germany to become a wildly successful real estate baron and brewer. He…
Islamic Center of Washington DC
Monumental mosque on embassy row with ornate decoration and an extensive library.
Museum of the Palestinian People
Museum covering the history and political situation in Palestine.
National Museum of American Jewish Military History
Small museum with exhibits depicting the contributions made by American Jews in the United States military. Includes artifacts (e.g. medals) and several videos.
Spanish Steps
Kalorama is a quiet, stately neighborhood, northwest of the circle and is home a few hidden gems. Based on Rome's famous Spanish Steps, these once led up to the Kalorama Mansion, from which the neighborhood gets its name…
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: Apr–Oct. Summer highs reach about 90°F; winter lows dip to about 30°F. Very hot (Jul) — plan outdoor time for mornings. Wettest: Jul and Jun. (climate data from nearby Washington, D.C.)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- DCA Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Washington — 4 mi away (major hub). Directions
- IAD Washington Dulles International Airport, Dulles — 22 mi away (major hub). Directions
Metro is exceptionally convenient in Dupont Circle—the Dupont Circle stop on the Red Line is right under the circle. The station's north and south exits are fairly far apart, so take a moment to figure out which one will get you in the direction you want to go.
Full “Get in” guide ↓Budget & where to stay
- Places to stay listed here: about $29–$190 a night (typical $125), from 11 listed prices.
- Typical meal: about $22 per person at listed restaurants.
- Estimated daily budget per person (room, two meals, local transport and an activity): budget ~$70, mid-range ~$200, comfortable ~$370.
Options are grouped as Budget, Mid-range, Splurge in the Sleep guide ↓.
Sample 3-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning The Phillips Collection, Anderson House, Townsend Mansion
- Lunch Obelisk
- Afternoon Mansion on O Street, Heurich House Museum: The Brewmaster's Castle
- Dinner Al Tiramisu
- Evening Fireplace
Day 2
- Morning DC Improv, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Brookings Institution
- Lunch Sushi Taro
- Afternoon Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, American Enterprise Institute
- Dinner Komi
- Evening Cafe Citron
Day 3
- Morning Islamic Center of Washington DC, Woodrow Wilson House, Everett House
- Lunch Bistrot du Coin
- Afternoon Spanish Steps, Capital Pride
- Dinner Tiki Taco
- Evening Bier Baron Tavern
Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.
Food for you
Dupont Circle has plenty of dining options, from French and Kenyan to Korean and Thai, but this is increasingly expensive territory which has pushed the city's newer, hipper and trendier places further east towards Adams Morgan and U Street. For more affordable and cutting edge dining, visit the nearby neighborhoods of Shaw or Columbia Heights.
If you're visiting on a Sunday morning, be sure to check out the farmers market on 20th Street, one of the largest and best in the city.
Cuisine (tap to filter)
What to ask about, for your diet
Diet labels come from each listing's description and cuisine; “likely” means the cuisine usually has good choices, not a promise. Check with the restaurant. Open the food finder
Photos
Map
Every listing with a location. Tap a pin for its Google Maps link.
Understand
Pierre Charles L'Enfant's original plan for Washington, D.C. included a number of grand boulevards, radiating out and intersecting with one another in a way that would create public squares and green space. One such circle, Dupont Circle, lies at the intersection of Connecticut Ave, which emanates from the White House and runs roughly north-south, New Hampshire Ave, which runs diagonally, and Massachusetts Ave which runs roughly east-west.
The Dupont Circle area remained largely undeveloped until after the Civil War, when demand for housing from returning soldiers and freed slaves spurred additional development in D.C. Construction of the traffic circle, originally called Pacific Circle, began in 1871. In 1884, the circle was renamed after Civil War Rear Admiral Samuel Francis DuPont, partial heir to the DuPont family fortune, and a bronze statue of him was added. The statue was replaced in 1921 with the large marble fountain that remains to this day. The fountain was designed by Daniel Chester French and Henry Bacon, also the designers of the Lincoln Memorial, and features creatures that symbolize sea, the stars and the wind. It is now a popular gathering spot, with many places to sit.
In the early 1900s, the area became a popular place for wealthy Washingtonians to build their mansions, most notably on Massachusetts Ave.
In the late 1940s, a tunnel was built beneath Dupont Circle as part of a Capital Transit streetcar project. Streetcar service ended in 1962, and the underground space where it was located is now an event venue. Along with the streetcar tunnel, another tunnel was constructed to allow Connecticut Ave vehicle traffic to pass beneath, helping to alleviate traffic congestion around the circle.
While the neighborhood suffered considerably during the 1968 riots, it recovered faster than the adjacent neighborhoods of Shaw and the East End due in part to the trendiness brought on by the gay community, which brought a Bohemian feel the area, similar to Greenwich Village in New York City. In the 1980s and 1990s several clubs, bars, and shops opened in the area, furthering the gentrification process.
The neighborhood is now increasingly upscale due to its walkability, centrality and historic architecture, home to older professionals and a smaller wealthy elite who can afford some of the highest home prices in the city.
Get in
By Metrorail
Metro is exceptionally convenient in Dupont Circle—the Dupont Circle stop on the Red Line is right under the circle. The station's north and south exits are fairly far apart, so take a moment to figure out which one will get you in the direction you want to go.
For more information on riding the Metrorail in Washington DC, see Washington DC#Get around.
By bus
Metrobus operates in Dupont Circle. For more information on riding buses in Washington DC, see Washington DC#Get_around.
By car
Unless you are an experienced D.C. driver, it is very easy to get confused in Dupont Circle, or worse yet, wind up on the barbarous circle.
Connecticut Ave is the main thoroughfare. Massachusetts Ave is busy as well, but its traffic patterns are too confusing to be of much practical value. If passing through, make sure to stay in the left lanes to go through a tunnel under the circle, not around it. Traffic is terrible on the circle, in volume, confusion, and rage. If you accidentally get stuck driving around the circle and don't know what you are doing, stay in the outer lane and get off to save yourself the headache. P St is the best route west to Georgetown.
Parking
Street parking is scarce, and limited to 2 hours during the daytime on weekdays. There are several parking garages, with daily rates in the $15-$20 range. Late at night, you can find street parking in the deserted business district just south of M St in the West End.
See
See The Phillips Collection
The Phillips Collection, opened in 1921, is America’s first museum of modern art. Featuring a renowned permanent collection of nearly 2,500 works by American and European impressionist and modern artists, the Phillips is internationally recognized for its incomparable art and for its intimate atmosphere. Housed in founder Duncan Phillips' 1897 Georgian Revival home, The Phillips Collection is widely regarded as one of the world’s finest small museums.
See Heurich House Museum: The Brewmaster's Castle
Competing with the Smithsonian for top castle status in the District is the Victorian mansion of Christian Heurich, who immigrated to the states from Germany to become a wildly successful real estate baron and brewer. He also holds the title of world's oldest brewer, having kept up his work until his death at a ripe age of 102. It's a striking example of Victorian architecture and design, and even if you don't make it to a tour, there's a nice Victorian garden in the back open to the public M-F 10AM-4PM, spring-fall.
See Mansion on O Street
A unique hybrid of a small private luxury hotel and a museum. Contains hundreds of rooms, a collection of 20,000 books, dozens of secret passages, a collection of John Lennon's guitars, modern art and curiosities of all stripes in every room (virtually anything of which is for sale if you're interested), frequent concerts by legends of rock and R&B, numerology evaluations, banquets, etc., your curiosity will probably find enough piquing here to justify the advance reservations for tours. It's also a luxury B&B, if you are looking for extremely eccentric accommodations in the city.
See Spanish Steps
Kalorama is a quiet, stately neighborhood, northwest of the circle and is home a few hidden gems. Based on Rome's famous Spanish Steps, these once led up to the Kalorama Mansion, from which the neighborhood gets its name. They now lead up the steep hill to a small fountain and a nice city view, which is best appreciated on a summer night.
See Woodrow Wilson House
President Woodrow Wilson moved here in 1921 for a quiet retirement after the disastrous setbacks of his late presidency, and lived here for little over 3 years before he died. (He is buried in the National Cathedral in Upper Northwest.) The pretty Georgian Revival-style house is preserved just as the Wilsons left it, with a nice collection of period furnishings and clothing.
See L. Ron Hubbard House
Immaculately maintained home of the founder of the infamous Church of Scientology. The curator, one of the world's top experts on Hubbard (and a practicing Scientologist), will lead you on an interesting tour (lasting up to two hours) that covers Hubbard's biography and a sanitized version of the church's overall history and belief system.
See Laogai Museum
Small, offbeat museum showcasing human rights abuses in China, particularly the Láogǎi, the Chinese prison system of "Reform through Labor". Includes artifacts from prisoners and panels with explanations and statistics. The museum was founded by Harry Wu, a well-known Chinese dissident who served 19 years in laogai prisons, but who left behind a troubled legacy after mismanaging funds for the museum. You may have to knock loudly for the curator to realize you're there.
Embassy Row
Many of the buildings that now house embassies were once the luxurious residences of the rich and famous. If you have the opportunity, take a walking tour of embassy row and learn the stories behind these beautiful buildings.
See Anderson House (Society of the Cincinnati headquarters and museum)
The 55,764-square-foot Anderson House, which is perhaps better described as a castle, was built in 1902-1905, as the home of Larz Anderson and his wife. Upon Anderson's death, the house was given as a gift to the Society of the Cincinnati which was something of an American noble order dedicated to preserving the legacy of the American Revolution founded in 1783 after the Revolutionary War. The house serves as the organization's headquarters, and houses a museum and library with information relating to the Revolutionary War.
See Everett House (Turkish ambassador's residence)
Designed by George Oakley Totten, Jr., the 40,000-square-foot house was built in 1914 for industrialist and philanthropist Edward H. Everett. The house was later used as the Turkish embassy, beginning in 1932, and became the Turkish ambassador's residence in 1999 when a new embassy building was built on Massachusetts Ave. The Everett House features a limestone facade, in Beaux-Arts neoclassic style.
See Townsend Mansion (Cosmos Club)
Almost completed rebuilt by heiress Mary Scott Townsend in 1899, the house features a Beaux Arts, Louis XVI French-inspired design. Townsend lived there until she died in 1931. For a period of time before World War II, Sumner Welles, the son-in-law of Mary Scott Townsend and Franklin D. Roosevelt's Under Secretary of State, lived in the Townsend Mansion. The Cosmos Club, a private social club, bought the house in 1950, and continues to occupy the mansion.
Do
Dupont Circle has plenty of activities, albeit mostly geared towards adults. The actual Dupont Circle, around which the neighborhood is centered, has a nice park in the middle of the traffic circle. It's a favorite neighborhood spot to read, play chess, and people-watch. On summer weekends there are relatively frequent musical performances.
Comedy clubs
Theaters
Think tanks
Dupont Circle has probably the highest concentration of major think tanks of any neighborhood in the U.S., if not the world. They host frequent free talks and panels during lunch hour (free food is often included) and happy hour. Topics include a variety of policy issues, some of which are very technical or esoteric and others of which are more generally accessible.
Festivals & events
Buy
Art galleries
Most galleries in Dupont Circle participate in First Friday Dupont, an open house from 6PM-8PM on the first Friday of every month, with a strong social bent (cocktails, music, etc.).
Books and music
Dupont Circle may not have many bookstores, but those that are here are beloved city-wide.
Shop Kramers
A great independent bookstore and a tried and true Washingtonian experience. It's an odd bookstore, in that it has a full restaurant and bar—pick up a travel guide inferior to this one and then sit down for filet mignon, perhaps? Occasional evening author talks, and live music on weekends.
Other
Eat
Dupont Circle has plenty of dining options, from French and Kenyan to Korean and Thai, but this is increasingly expensive territory which has pushed the city's newer, hipper and trendier places further east towards Adams Morgan and U Street. For more affordable and cutting edge dining, visit the nearby neighborhoods of Shaw or Columbia Heights.
If you're visiting on a Sunday morning, be sure to check out the farmers market on 20th Street, one of the largest and best in the city.
Budget
Eat The Well Dressed Burrito
A happy little sandwich/salad/fries lunch spot with patio seating on the street. Those sandwiches are exceptional and worth seeking out.
Eat Tiki Taco
Hawaiian food in a basement.
Eat Zorba's Cafe
Greek food with outdoor seating. Order at the counter.
Mid-range
Eat Agora
Turkish small plates.
Eat Al Tiramisu
Very tasty Italian cuisine with a nice wine list served in this small restaurant. The one stumble is the noise level, but the restaurant remains quite the good deal. Reservations required for dinner. Guess which one of the desserts is especially popular.
Eat Ala
Turkish fare such as kebabs & wood-fired pizzas in a stylish, modern restaurant with a patio.
Eat Bistrot du Coin
Usually crowded and noisy, but the French/Belgian bistro cooking is great, and the atmosphere is lively and happy. They do a mean mussels with pommes frites. Also try the monkfish.
Eat Boqueria Washington DC
A very stylish tapas bar with locations in New York City and Hong Kong and 2 locations in DC. Very popular for their $39 all-you-can-eat-and drink tapas brunch for 2.5 hours on weekends.
Eat Dupont Italian Kitchen
Basic Italian food. Karaoke nights.
Eat Firefly @ Hotel Madera
Comfort food in restaurant built around a tree.
Eat Floriana
Italian food such as lasagna. White tablecloths.
Eat Hank's Oyster Bar
Small, cozy restaurant, with a popular oyster bar, along with fried clams, lobster rolls, and other seafood. This is also a good place to enjoy a beer and martinis.
Eat Lauriol Plaza
A huge Mexican restaurant with a roof deck.
Eat Pizzeria Paradiso
One of two locations of the famous local gourmet pizza place. They don't take reservations, so the Saturday night wait can be brutal (on a less crowded night, patio seating is nice). But never fear, they do a healthy take-out business too. Also of note is there is an extensive list of rotating draft and one cask beer. 4 locations in the DC area.
Eat Raku Asian Dining
Great sushi with outdoor seating. 3 locations in the DC area.
Eat Regent Thai
Thai in the U.S. (and certainly in D.C.) is often nice for a cheap meal with just a little bit of flair, and not much beyond that. But this is one of the best Thai places in the city, and serves up less greasy, more authentic dishes, in an attractive space (and it's not quite as cheap). Strangely, they serve free sodas—not just free refills—which makes this a good bet if you're thirsty. The spice levels, which you can control per request, are higher here than you'd find elsewhere, so those extra drinks are extra useful.
Eat St. Arnold's Mussel Bar
Great Belgian food - including mussels and fries - in a cave-like basement.
Splurge
Eat Iron Gate
Swanky spot with Italian and Greek food. Surprisingly well stocked bar with an amaro/aperitive and whiskey focus.
Eat Komi
Declared by serious foodies one of the best restaurants in the country, this is a place for a special occasion (or simply is a special occasion), as it's both super expensive and very memorable. Mediterranean/New American cuisine, specializing in seafood. Reservations are available a month in advance but weekends book up once they open up. Weekday reservations are easier to get and last minute availability is posted on the website.
Eat Obelisk
Very, very classy, and very, very tasty Tuscan cuisine. Obelisk's five course pri-fixe menu changes daily, so everything is always fresh and seasonal. It is reputed to be both one of the city's best dining experiences and one of its best deals. It is, however, small and therefore quite hard to get reservations. Plan well in advance.
Eat The Palm
The second location of the nationwide chain steakhouse, the Palm has a pretty good claim to best steak in town. There isn't a whole lot of reason to come beyond political celebrity spotting and steak, but that should be reason enough.
Eat The Greenhouse @ The Jefferson Hotel
Classic French cuisine served in a traditional American gorgeous interior. The food is competitive with the best the city has to offer, and the service is perhaps a step above, with details covered down to the string-bound parchment you receive on your way out, upon which your servers have listed the wines you sampled.
Eat Sushi Taro
A top-notch sushi restaurant. You'll spend a fortune, but if you like seafood, this place will blow you away.
Drink
There are bars, clubs, and lounges catering to all sorts of different people, but the general theme is that they are upscale or clubby - you won't find many dive bars here and you likely won't be allowed into a club wearing sneakers or shorts. The main nightlife stretches are along Connecticut Ave just north and south of the Circle, P St west of the Circle, and on 17th between P and T St.
There are plenty of cafes, which are far more affordable, including many Starbucks locations. Independent coffee shops are in ample supply as well, most of which offer outdoor seating in nice weather to watch the crowds go by.
Bars
Drink Bier Baron Tavern
Features more than 300 beers on the menu, including around 40 on tap. The servers are remarkably knowledgeable if you are looking for particular recommendations—and they might talk you out of that second rate Kenyan lager you just ordered in favor of a far superior Belgian beer. Try the fried oreos.
Drink The Board Room
Features 20 beers on tap and vintage board games for rent @ $2 each!
Drink DOYLE
A classy place at the bottom of the Dupont Hotel with the best people watching in town through its wall of windows right on Dupont Circle. The drinks are excellent, and the happy hour special—$5 for their signature cocktails—is quite a bargain for this location.
Drink Fireplace
Black men's gay bar that serves decent brick-oven baked pizzas. Always crowded—to the point of spilling out onto the street—after dark. Upstairs sees dancing on a very dimly lit dance floor.
Drink Fox and Hounds
There's one big reason to visit this bar, and it's the big, friendly, low-key patio on the street—this is some of the best people watching in the city. Not a bad place to spot celebrities (of the entertainment variety).
Drink Gazuza Lounge
An upscale lounge where you can hear yourself talk is a find in Dupont Circle, but that's hardly the only hook. The excellent mixed drinks take a back seat in popularity to the hookahs, old Looney Tunes cartoons run on big flatscreens, and then there is the inaccessibly crowded patio overlooking the street.
Drink JR's Bar and Grill
Gay central! On weekends, and even weeknights, JR's is packed with fashion-conscious yuppie gay men, although there is no dress code, and the crowd isn't snobby-judgmental. In general, the friendly people are the reason to come—otherwise it's just a very crowded bar. Monday show tunes nights are very popular.
Drink Madhatter
Alice in Wonderland theme. They serve a spiked sugar punch in a giant green hat for $35. Large dance floor.
Clubs
Dupont Circle is one of the major clubbing areas of the city.
Drink Cafe Citron
A super-crowded Latin salsa/reggaeton dance club that is one of the best bets for a good party on a weekday. Weekends are too crowded to dance. Definitely try one of their renowned mojitos. No cover, strict door policy (i.e. no shorts allowed).
Drink Decades DC
A 3-story retro-themed club that plays music from the 1980s and 1990s.
Drink Larry's Lounge
One of many gay clubs in D.C., set apart mostly for the fact that people with differing tastes will be happy. The first floor is a fairly relaxed bar scene where you can chat, while the upstairs club is thumping, raucous, and dancing. The shirtless bartenders are also a draw. Offers a dog-friendly outdoor patio.
Drink Ozio Restaurant and Lounge
A self-proclaimed cigar and martini bar, which at times seems much more of a swanky, upscale, four-floor dance club than anything else. The crowds get thick F Sa, which makes for a good night of dancing, while weeknights are better for heading to the first floor bar for that cigar and martini. The cigar menu is long and impressive.
Cafes
Drink Java House
A long-time neighborhood coffee shop that roasts its own beans. The biggest draw is the plentiful, shaded outdoor seating, which fills up with laptops (free WiFi and plenty of outdoor outlets!) checking emails while enjoying some good 17th St people watching.
Drink Jolt 'N Bolt
Another neighborhood outdoor seating and WiFi coffee shop, this one with a more private seating area on the side of the building. The inside is attractive, decorated with local artwork.
Drink Teaism
Tea shop with Asian-inspired foods. Breakfast, lunch, and desserts offered on menu. Great selection of fine teas, although the prices exceed the (high) quality. Good place for lunch/brunch. Seating is limited, so if it looks busy you might want to look elsewhere (but there's also seating upstairs).
Sleep
Dupont Circle is a great place to stay when in D.C., and should be even more popular than it is. Rates are more affordable than at the big chain hotels in the touristy East End or even more upscale West End, there are several charming independent options, it's a great area to come back to in the evening, has convenient metro service, and is just a few blocks north of the main business district. If staying towards the southwest end, you'll be right by the business district of the West End, and a short walk from Georgetown, while the northeast side puts you closer to main dining and nightlife strips.
Budget
Stay The Churchill Hotel
Originally opened as a luxury apartment building in 1906, this hotel is nice, upscale, and unique, without being either trendy or swanky. It's a simple, lovely place just far north enough of the Circle to qualify as being in a quieter neighborhood. Beds get high marks for comfort but the rooms are small.
Stay The Tabard Inn
A small, old, charming inn on a quiet tree-lined street just five blocks from the White House. 40 sleeping rooms, each unique in character and design, aiming to preserve the turn-of-the-century atmosphere, while keeping decor eclectic. In keeping with the historic bent of this hotel believed to be the oldest continually operating hotel in the city, there are no TVs. Rooms include free gym passes to the nearby Washington Sports Club. Even if you are not staying at the hotel, the Tabard is a great place for a relaxed evening cocktail hour, and some terrific live jazz on Sunday nights. The small hotel restaurant is as attractive as it is highly acclaimed, serving delicious New American cuisine. Some of the cheaper rooms have shared baths.
Mid-range
Stay Beacon Hotel and Corporate Quarters
Contemporary design, cosmopolitan style hotel with upscale suites. New York-inspired studio suites and upscale turret suites also available. Ask for a room on the upper floors. Views of the White House and the Mall from the rooftop bar are spectacular.
Splurge
Stay The Dupont Circle Hotel
You can't beat the location of being literally on Dupont Circle. This hotel has stylish, sleek, contemporary decor, and is a little overpriced compared to the services you'd get at other hotels in the same price range, but that is to be expected given the real estate. The bar as very high quality cocktails, with great views out the windows right on the circle.
Stay The Jefferson Hotel
Housed in a gorgeous 1923 Beaux-Arts building is this small, ultra-luxury hotel, where rooms come with butlers, and a focus on historical charm coexists with flatscreen TVs embedded in the bathroom mirrors and microchips alerting room service when your plates need to be cleared. Much of the decor is dedicated to Thomas Jefferson, representing his life and his interests. The on-site spa, reading room, piano bar (and its cocktails) (Su M 11:30AM-midnight, Tu-Sa 11:30AM-1AM), and two restaurants are as beautiful as they are excellent.
Stay St Gregory Hotel
With the exception of the lobby's Marylin Monroe skirt-in-the-wind statue, there isn't a whole lot that's distinctive about the St Gregory, but it lives up to the name of a luxury hotel, in terms of excellent service and extra thoughtful details. Its clientèle certainly has been distinguished, having played host to big shots in the worlds of art, entertainment, and politics. You can also enjoy a meal at Tredici Enoteca, the restaurant in the lobby.
Go next
- Adams Morgan - north along 18th St, this neighborhood is popular for its bars and nightlife
- Georgetown - west along M to Q streets
- Shaw - east along U St
- Upper Northwest - just north of Dupont Circle, includes the free National Zoo
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