18 Black-Owned Restaurants in Washington DC - Washington DC - The Infatuation

"Spicy Water African Grill brings Ivorian cuisine to DC in all its glory. The restaurant serves up peppery kebab sandwiches (chicken or beef), smoky charcoal-grilled chicken platters, and crispy fried red snapper with fresh onions and peppers. While you can get in and out in under 15 minutes for a quick dinner or lunch, the upstairs dining room is the best place to eat. There’s a hodgepodge of wooden tables and chairs occupied by mild-mannered uncles watching a 2022 Olympic basketball match between the USA and France on loop. It’s here, while cracking into sharply spiced crispy snapper tails and tearing into flaky pieces of chicken, that you’ll finally understand why your mama used to scold you for making it look like you weren’t being fed at home. Shoveling generous handfuls of fries drizzled with peppery tomato stew is worth every disapproving look." - tristiana hinton, omnia saed