Washington’s lawmakers don’t just fight over policy, they’ve got lines drawn in the sand over where to dine out too.
Members of Congress like to share stories of their humble roots and homely sensibilities, but nearly all have expensive taste when it comes to spending money out at D.C.’s finest restaurants.
Republicans like red meat while Democrats enjoy sipping their way through wine bars.
But when the gavel drops, everyone —red, blue or any other color— loves pizza.
From cozy bistros to mahogany-paneled steakhouses, the local haunts of lawmakers have raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars from just lawmakers alone last year, with some locations getting the lion’s share of the spend.
And since lawmakers frequently dine out using campaign cash or political action committee funds, the receipts they get back must be reported to the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
So if you ever come to Washington and want to catch a glimpse of your favorite reoccurring characters on MSNBC, Fox News or CNN, there are some places better suited than others.
Here are the places to go:
The bar at The Capital Grille in Washington, D.C.
Republican’s Red Meat
Republicans like their dinner like their politics, red.
The top spot for members to spend their money was The Capital Grille, an old-school wood-laden business meeting steakhouse down the street from the Capitol.
Just a short ride done Pennsylvania ave. will bring lawmakers to the fine dining establishment where waiters still wear ties and the bar is popping with an upscale crowd.
According to Politico’s analysis of FEC filings, The Capital Grille averaged more than one lawmaker a day last year, and raked in $900,000 from these congressional patrons, 90 percent of which were Republicans.
Republicans spent $880,000 while Democrats spent $34,000 at the restaurant. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., posted 37 transactions at the location, totaling over $155,000.
Charlie Palmer Steak was another majorly popular dining spot before it closed late last year. The steakhouse was also nearby the Capitol and served a more bipartisan crowd.
Republicans spent $477,000 and Democrats spent $257,000 there last year. Though now the non-partisan spot is no more, a reflection of Congress itself.
Surf and Turf was had most frequently at Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab, where the average bill was $1,627. The spot blocks from the White House raked in $385,000 from the GOP and $143,000 from the Democrats last year.
Crispy onion strings, snow crabs and a NY strip steak at Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab photographed in Washington, DC on July 17, 2024
The view overlooking the bar at Joe’s in Washington
The Capital Grille has private rooms for large parties with art on the walls
Bipartisan Bistros
Trattoria Alberto, the former haunt of ex-Speaker John Boehner—a noted red wine enthusiast— welcomed many on both sides of the aisle last year, according to the analysis.
There were close to 200 visits per party, with the Republicans spending $195,00 and the Democrats dishing out $124,000. The Eastern Market spot is a truly common ground.
Another magnet for both parties is The Monocle, a famous Senate-side American restaurant. Opened in 1960, it is a favorite of longtime senators, like Iowa Republican Chuck Grassley, 91, and his wife.
The Eisenhower-era establishment brought in $531 per lawmaker on average. The bill for the GOP shook out to $100,00 and for Democrats it was $65,000.
The Monocle’s exterior
Diners sit and order at the Monocle Restaurant on September 10, 2022 in NE Washington, DC
The Democratic Stronghold
Out of all the locations analyzed, one was by far and away the most popular among Democrats.
Bistro Cacao is a cozy French townhouse practically in the Senate’s backyard.
The interior is draped with curtains and ornately colorful wallpaper. On average the bill costed lawmakers close to $800 per visit.
The GOP still showed up here, however, spending $171,000 compared to Democrats spending $280,000.
Former Senator John Tester, D-Mont., who lost reelection last November, spent more here than anyone else last year, dolling out $60,000 at the French restaurant.
The interior of Bistro Cacao
Pizza Partisans
As lawmakers work weekends and late nights they need to incentivize their staff to stick around for the additional work ordering in pizza is the tried and true method to get aides to stick around a while longer.
There are many pie shops around Capitol Hill, but none is more iconic and widely recognized than We, The Pizza.
The brand’s iconic black and white pizza boxes get transported to Congress stacked high. Aides can frequently be seen roaming the halls with their arms full of the large, unwieldy boxes as they stumble back to their offices.
A Senate staffer carries in a stack of pizzas into the room where a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators are holding a meeting on infrastructure in the basement of the U.S. Capitol
The iconic black and white boxes of We, The Pizza
Staffers hold pizza boxes as going through security
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., had 17 transactions here worth $5,000 last year. Republicans spent $81,000 on the pie and Democrats half that at $42,000.
In total, the joint was visited by lawmakers over 530 times.
Other honorable pizza mentions include Ledo Pizza, Matchbox and Wiseguy Pizza.
