D.C.’s 38 Best Restaurants | Eater DC

"The Washington Post called Purple Patch the 2023 Restaurant of the Year eight years after the Mount Pleasant spot debuted as one of D.C.’s first upscale local Filipino restaurants, now the institution is celebrating 10 years of feeding D.C. diners. The sizzling, spicy pork belly and pork shoulder sisig remains a favorite dish, along with such staples as longanisa (sweet garlic sausage) and tocino (sweet grilled pork). There are also a surprising number of satisfying vegetarian dishes on the menu, with highlights like sweet and spicy calamansi tofu with pineapple fried rice and three different umami-packed vegetarian adobos (eggplant, cauliflower, or a seasonal mushroom and carrot). You also can’t leave without trying an ube-flavored dessert (which you can also snag from their shop upstairs) or the ube waffle with fried chicken marinated in soy sauce and vinegar at brunch. Chef and owner Patrice Cleary, who was born in the Philippines, also opened casual Joia Burger a block away last year, serving up wagyu beef smash burgers or housemade bean burgers with chopped toppings and ube soft serve. A second Joia recently debuted in Glover Park. Even celebrities like comedian Jo Koy have made a stop in Mount Pleasant to praise Cleary’s cooking. Vibe check: The small indoor space was newly renovated during the pandemic but the covered patio remans the best spot at Purple Patch, with moody twinkle lights, purple curtains, and great people watching on Mount Pleasant Street." - Tierney Plumb