If you like a good greasy spoon, Pete's is your place. Good food, good price.
This is a quintessential diner in the heart of D.C. The decor is not "inspired" and the restaurant will never earn a Michelin star, but its nice to find a good place to eat a few blocks from the capitol building that offers good food at a reasonable price in a comfortable setting.
I was briefly in town for a layover at Union Station and needed a quick place to grab some breakfast. Pete's Diner was a mile walk from Union Station. The service was very quick and the food was both fresh and reasonably priced for being in the heart of Washington DC.
Waitress spat food on my hand when she took my order. Poor, rude service. Had to ask 3 times for a refill on coffee. Food wasn't good. Not sure why it was listed as a top DC diner in Eater. Stay away.
The price is cheep but the food matches it. Very nice people but my bacon was just a pile of broken pieces. Pancakes were average and syrup was as usual just flavored corn syrup.
Really enjoyed this dinner. Its a strange mashup of Asian food and traditional American diner food but somehow it works.
The food is cheap. So you have that. I think that is why they get 2 starts instead of 1. (The waitress was also nice)
The serving area is claustrophobic.
We had 2 different tires of pancakes and something was off. My wife thinks it's the syrup. The bacon was just gross.
The one star is for Carlos the cook! I have been eating at Pete's since I began my career for the Library of Congress in 1989. I knew Pete personally and He was a good man. When Pete died, the place was never the same. Today, I visited and I was not given the same customer service as others. In fact, Carlos (the cook) had to take my order because the other staff did notthe ignored me as I sat at the bar, right in front of them. While I watched and listened as every customer was greeted and individually asked if they wanted coffee. I was not askedand, when I asked for coffee, I was given a cup that had lipstick on it. I asked for a to-go cup; and, instead of a fresh cup of coffee, the coffee from the dirty cup was emptied into the to-go cup! Carlos (the cook) is always very pleasant and willing to take my order. However, it was busy and Carlos was attentive to the grill as he continued to receive orders. I finished eating and while the other staff noticed; NONE of them took my plate; nor, printed my receipt so that I could make payment for my meal. Instead, I had to ask the manager in charge if she was going to print my receipt.
Good food - nothing super fancy but if you're in need of a good breakfast then you can't go wrong here. Vegetarian omelette was good and food came extremely quickly. Nice outside seating just away from the crowds on Pennsylvania Avenue.
If lightning quick breakfast, good coffee, and amazing service. All the DC movers and shakers probably love this place.
Small, inexpensive,
Cozy restaurants with really nice service and food.
An old standby. Cash only and they move food and people quickly. Downside is the food isn't too-notch, service can be short with patrons, and it is crowded. I prefer Jimmy T's on East Capitol.
Is this a give star restaurant? No. Is it a great place to get a good breakfast at a great price quickly? Absolutely! If you want to wait 45 minutes for a table, fine. If you want to be seated immediately in a real diner and get your order quickly an cooked perfectly, try Pete's.