Perched on the border of the Adams Morgan and Dupont Circle neighborhoods, 18th & U Duplex Diner has long served as a lively and casual gathering spot for D.C.'s gay movers and shakers. The dining room is as social as the bar, with much table hopping and hobnobbing. The food is classic American comfort -- a generous meatloaf, a terrific mac and cheese, unbeatable pork chops, a savory rib eye and a new wedge salad comprised of iceberg lettuce and thick chunks of bacon, bathed in blue-cheese dressing -- that adds to the at-home-with-friends feel.

18th & U Duplex Diner
- 2004 18th St. NW - Washington, DC - (202) 265-9599 - Cost: $$

Duplex Diner Meatloaf | Photographed by Todd Franson / Metro Weekly