Arts & Entertainment
Best of Gay D.C. XIII: Dining
Winners from the Blade’s readers poll
To see the winners of the Washington Blade’s Best of Gay D.C. readers poll in other categories, click here.
Best new restaurant
Barcelona
Runner-up: Rose’s Luxury
Barcelona (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
In the heart of the booming 14th Street N.W. corridor near Logan Circle is Barcelona, an always-bustling spot that has one of the largest outdoor seating areas in the neighborhood and a classy-yet-low-key vibe on the block between Q and R streets. Part of a chain, the restaurant, under the direction of Executive Chef John Critchley, features mostly tapas but has a few entrees as well. Many are Spanish-inspired (e.g. spiced beef empanadas or potato tortilla) but not all. It opened October 2013. (JD)
Barcelona Wine Bar & Restaurant
1622 14th St., N.W.
202-588-5500
Best Date Restaurant
Floriana
Runner-up: Le Diplomate
Floriana (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
Best Wine Bar
Dito’s Bar at Floriana
Runner-up: Cork
Dito’s Bar at Floriana (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
The perfect date night is planned for you at Floriana. Authentic Italian food, like butternut squash ravioli and lasagna, can transport any date from D.C. to Italy. Stop by Dito’s Bar for a drink to complete the romantic evening. All you have to do is show up. (MC)
Floriana
1602 17th St., N.W.
202-667-5937
Best Dessert
Curvy Mama Pies
Runner-up: Cake Love
Curvy Mama Pies (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Never grab a grocery store pie for the party again. Curvy Mama Pies’ online ordering service can have your pies ready in 48 hours. Try old favorites like “The Best Apple Pie Ever” and pumpkin pie or step outside the pie box and try “Aztec Chocolate Chess” or “Sweet Potato Bourbon.” (MC)
Curvy Mama Pies
Bethesda, Md.
301-717-3010
Best Boozy Brunch
Level One
Level One (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
1639 R St., N.W.
202-745-0025
Runner-up: Freddie’s Beach Bar
Best Chef
Jamie Leeds (Hank’s Oyster Bar)
Runner-up: Jose Andres (Jaleo, Oyamel, etc.)
Jamie Leeds (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
Long-time out restaurateur Jamie Leeds adds another accolade to her long list. In Washington since 2002, she opened the first Hank’s Oyster Bar in 2005 and now has locations in Capitol Hill and Old Town Alexandria in addition to its Q Street location just off 17th Street, N.W. If you’re into oysters, competitor Pearl Dive Oyster Palace on 14th, is undeniably great, but Hank’s always has a bounty of nirvana-inducing selections from a bewilderingly far-flung group of locales that are always mind bogglingly fresh. D.C. oyster heaven doesn’t get any better than this. (JD)
Hank’s Oyster Bar
1624 Q St., N.W.
Washington
202-462-HANK
1026 King St.
Alexandria, Va.
703-739-HANK
633 Pennsylvania Ave., S.E.
Washington
202-733-9171
Best Late Night Restaurant
Amsterdam Falafel
Runner-up: Annie’s Paramount Steak House
Amsterdam Falafel (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Don’t let your standards slip just because it’s after hours. Fresh falafels are made to order here with 21 sauces and toppings to choose from. Customize the fries as well with dressings and sauces like Dutch mayo or homemade peanut sauce. (MC)
Amsterdam Falafel
1830 14th St., N.W.
202-232-6200
Best Coffee Shop
Soho Tea and Coffee
Runner-up: The Coffee Bar
Ditch the Starbucks and try a specialty coffee at Soho Tea and Coffee. Drinks with fun names like Hello Gorgeous Macchiato and Betty Boop, white or dark chocolate mixed with coffee, make this not your typical coffee shop. (MC)
2150 P St., N.W.
202-463-7646
Best Rehoboth Restaurant
Dos Locos
Runner-up: Purple Parrot
Drinks at Dos Locos (Photo courtesy Dos Locos)
Whether you’re looking to watch a game with friends at the bar while downing the renowned margaritas or in need of a family-friendly place for dinner, the gay-owned Dos Locos delivers. There are seasonal specials (don’t miss the pumpkin margarita), tequila tasting dinners, inventive entrees (we love the duck quesadilla) and unbeatable specials (like the $20 pitchers of sangria on Saturdays). (KN)
Dos Locos
208 Rehoboth Ave.
302-227-3353
Best Caterer
Chef Patrick
Runner-up: R&R Catering
Chef Patrick (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Best Pizza
Matchbox
Locations vary
Runner-up: &Pizza
Spicy Meatball Pizza at Matchbox (Photo courtesy Matchbox Food Group)
Best Burger
Duke’s Grocery
Runner-up: Shake Shack
Duke’s Grocery (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Inspired by East London corner cafes, Duke’s Grocery provides a casual environment. The menu changes daily based on which ingredients, sourced from local purveyors, are fresh and seasonal. The burgers, like all other dishes, are made from scratch. (SMH)
Duke’s Grocery
1513 17th St., N.W.
202-733-5623
Best Baltimore Restaurant
Woodberry Kitchen
Runner-up: City Café
Woodberry Kitchen (Photo courtesy of Woodberry Kitchen)
Woodberry Kitchen is celebrating seven years in business and it’s still impossible to get a table without a reservation. Woodberry was an early proponent of the now-ubiquitous trend of farm-to-table cuisine. Chef Spike Gjerde is a James Beard semi-finalist as is the bar program. Woodberry supports sustainable agriculture, using ingredients from the Chesapeake region in its New American dishes. The success helped spawn a hot new spot, Parts & Labor, a butcher shop and restaurant, but there’s nothing like the original. Just make a reservation. (KN)
Woodberry Kitchen
2010 Clipper Park Road, #126
410-464-8000
Best Food Truck
D.C. Empanadas
Runner-up: Red Hook Lobster
D.C. Empanadas at the Human Rights Campaign’s ‘Chefs for Equality’ event on Sept. 24, 2014. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
D.C.’s only mobile gourmet empanada truck takes great care to provide hand-made delicacies using only local ingredients. A wide variety of beef, pork, chicken and vegetarian options rotate daily. Check Twitter @DCEmpanadas for the truck’s location. (SMH)
D.C. Empanadas
703-400-5363
Best Cheap Eat
District Taco
Runner-up: Stoney’s
District Taco (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
What originated as a food truck in 2009 now serves the community in four locations in and around D.C. The Yucatan-style tacos are simple, healthful and made from quality ingredients and served in environmentally friendly packaging. (SMH)
District Taco
703-560-0369
Best Farmer’s Market
Eastern Market
Eastern Market (Photo by AgnosticPreachersKid; courtesy Wikimedia Commons)
225 7th St. S.E.
202-698-5253
Runner-up: Dupont Circle FRESHFARM Market
Best Steak
Ray’s The Steaks
Runner-up: Ruth’s Chris Steak House
Satisfy that steak craving at Ray’s The Steaks. A New York strip, filet mignon or one of their butcher cuts is guaranteed to hit the spot. Their beef is all aged in house and cuts butchered daily for the ultimate tasting experience. (MC)
Ray’s The Steaks
2300 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Va.
703-841-7297
Best Donut
Winner: District Doughnut
Runner-up: Krispy Kreme
Caramel apple streusel, maple butter pecan, apple cider and the list goes on for the donut flavors you can try here. The flavor schedule changes daily so be sure to come back again and again to indulge in something new. (MC)
District Doughnut
749 8th St., S.E.
202-350-0799
Sports
Jason Collins dies at 47
First openly gay man to actively play for major sports team battled brain cancer
Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to actively play for a major professional sports team, died on Tuesday after a battle with brain cancer. He was 47.
The California native had briefly played for the Washington Wizards in 2013 before coming out in a Sports Illustrated op-ed.
Collins in 2014 became the first openly gay man to play in a game for a major American professional sports league when he played 11 minutes during a Brooklyn Nets game. He wore jersey number 98 in honor of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student murdered outside of Laramie, Wyo., in 1998.
Collins told the Washington Blade in 2014 that his life was “exponentially better” since he came out. Collins the same year retired from the National Basketball Association after 13 seasons.
Collins married his husband, Brunson Green, in May 2025.
The NBA last September announced Collins had begun treatment for a brain tumor. Collins on Dec. 11, 2025, announced he had Stage 4 glioblastoma.
“We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma,” said Collins’s family in a statement the NBA released. “Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those who admired him from afar. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers over the past eight months and for the exceptional medical care Jason received from his doctors and nurses. Our family will miss him dearly.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Collins’s “impact and influence extended far beyond basketball as he helped make the NBA, WNBA, and larger sports community more inclusive and welcoming for future generations.”
“He exemplified outstanding leadership and professionalism throughout his 13-year NBA career and in his dedicated work as an NBA Cares Ambassador,” said Silver. “Jason will be remembered not only for breaking barriers, but also for the kindness and humanity that defined his life and touched so many others.”
“To call Jason Collins a groundbreaking figure for our community is simply inadequate. We truly lost a giant today,” added Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson in a statement. “He came out as gay — while still playing — at a time when men’s athletes simply did not do that. But as he powerfully demonstrated in his final years in the league and his post-NBA career, stepping forward as he did boldly changed the conversation.”
“He was and will always be a legend for the LGBTQ+ community, and we are heartbroken to hear of his passing at the young age of 47,” she said. “Our hearts go out to his family and loved ones. We will keep fighting on in his honor until the day everyone can be who they are on their terms.”
The Washington Blade will update this article with additional reaction when it becomes available.
Glitterati Productions held the “Studio 69” party at Bunker on Friday, May 8.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Arts & Entertainment
Washington Blade’s Pride on the Pier returns June 13 to kick off D.C. Pride week
Pride on the Pier officially launches Pride Week in D.C.
The Washington Blade’s annual Pride on the Pier celebration returns to The Wharf on Saturday, June 13, 2026 from 4-9 p.m., bringing thousands of LGBTQ community members and allies together for an unforgettable waterfront celebration to kick off Pride week in Washington, D.C.
Now in its eighth year, Washington Blade Pride on the Pier extends the city’s annual celebration of LGBTQ visibility to the bustling Wharf waterfront with an exciting array of activities and entertainment for all ages. The District Pier will offer DJs, dancing, drag, and other entertainment. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase for those 21 and older.
“Pride on the Pier has become one of the signature moments of Pride in D.C.,” said Lynne Brown, publisher of the Washington Blade. “There’s nothing like watching our community come together on the waterfront with live music and incredible energy as we kick off Pride week.”
Pride on the Pier is free and open to the public, with VIP tickets available for exclusive pier access to the Dockmaster Building. To purchase VIP tickets visit www.prideonthepierdc.com/vip.
Additional entertainment announcements, sponsor activations, and event details will be released in the coming weeks.
Event Details:
📍 Location: District Pier at The Wharf (101 District Sq SW, Washington, DC)
📅 Dates: Friday, 13, 2026
⏱️ 4-9PM
🎟️ VIP Tickets: www.PrideOnThePierDC.com/VIP
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