Florida Avenue Grill • 1944

In the heart of Shaw, fish and grits have been served at the counter since 1944, when shoeshine man Lacey C. Wilson Sr. opened what would become D.C.'s oldest continuously operating soul food restaurant. The Grill still cooks with cast iron and soul, serving chitterlings, smothered pork chops, and classics that draw everyone from politicians to poets. Imar Hutchins has owned it since 2005, keeping the vintage booths and adding vegan plates without losing the warmth Wilson dreamed of.