“The Capitol’s capital of soul food”, this “DC landmark”, a U Street Corridor “old-school diner” “lined with photos of famous African-Americans”, offers “super cheap” Southern “comfort food” like “grits”, “half-smokes, cornbread, hash browns and down home breakfast” “with a lot of flavor and even more fat”; so join “all of the local churchgoers in their Sunday best” for weekend brunch “served with a side of sweetness” by an “awesome staff.”
– Zagat Guide
A “legendary D.C. greasy spoon whose walls are lined with the mugs of famous fans, [that] is known for doing soul food right.”
– The Washington Post
The Florida Avenue Grill “bring[s] southern home style cooking to the heart of the nation’s capital.”
– The Boston Globe
The world-famous Florida Avenue Grill is not just a place to get a good home-cooked meal, but it’s a place that’s filled with love and friendliness that will make you come back again and again. You can be comfortable, be yourself, and feel more like a “friend” then a “customer.” Lacey C. Wilson Sr. founded The Grill in 1944 with money saved from tips earned shining shoes on Capitol Hill. When it opened it had just two stools and was just a fraction of its present size. His son, Lacey Jr., fondly recalls, “In the beginning, my father would send my mother to the supermarket to buy two chickens, and once they’d sold them, he’d send her back for two more chickens.” When asked why The Grill wasn’t burned in the 1968 riots that followed the assassination of Martin Luther King and destroyed most of the businesses in the U Street area, Mr. Wilson replies: “Because I stayed up at that front booth all night long every night with a shotgun!”
Year Established: 1944
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