Firefly Brunch

Despite its prime location, Dupont Circle is surprisingly devoid of good brunch spots. Of course, there’s all-around-A Tabbard Inn. And, there’s Darlington House, where I love the décor and the donuts, but not much else. Other than that, Dupont is pretty desolate on the brunch front.

So, I was excited to check out brunch at Firefly, which is nestled on New Hampshire in the periphery of the neighborhood. (Full disclosure: Firefly invited us, and this brunch was their treat. And, dear readers, we will always tell you when we brunch on the dime of the restaurant.)

Firefly’s cozy wooden décor and friendly staff make it a great place for a comfort brunch. So do the prices—brunch entrees stay between $8-12 and they have $3 Bloody Marys on Saturdays and $1 mimosas on Sundays. Let me repeat that: $1 mimosas! Not too shabby. There’s also plenty of space for large groups—as evidenced by the party of 15 seated by our table.

From French toast to French dip—with burgers, omelets, salads and everything in between—the menu has a slew of traditional brunch options. They also have unique menu items like green eggs and ham, and—wait for it—the Elvis Sandwich, which is peanut butter, bacon, banana, and maple-honey on challah bread. I’m sorry to say we didn’t try this.

The bread basket—soft, warm, salty dinner rolls and banana bread—was delicious. The hot, delicious coffee came quickly and my cup was never empty. (Two details that would have been crucial if I were hungover.)

Our entrees were good—but could have used some work. My brunch date had the challah French Toast, served with apple raisin compote. The French toast was delicious but the compote was weak—it would have been phenomenal with lots more large, fresh apples.

I had the Eggs Florentine—the eggs poached perfectly, the English muffin mush-free, and the hollandaise great. However, the spinach was creamed—which was a little much with the hollandaise. It was good, mind you, just heavier than I would have liked, as I’m not a huge fan of creamed spinach. The home fries were nothing special, either.

But, we ordered a side of truffle French fries, sprinkled with Parmesan and herbs, that were to-die-for and more than made up for the mediocre home fries.

For dessert, we ordered the peanut butter ice cream sandwich—flourless chocolate cake with peanut ice cream, bananas foster sauce, and crumbled peanut praline. I die.

The Bitches say: B+. We’d like a little adjustment on our menu selections. However, great service and location, plus fun menu choices. $1 mimosas are hard to beat.

Firefly
1310 New Hampshire Ave N.W.
Washington, DC
(202) 861-1310