High Street Cafe Offers a Praise-Worthy Dining Experience

By: Jessica Fetrow

Tucked away on Wisconsin Avenue in the heart of Georgetown, a five minute walk from the shops on M Street, lies a local, quaint neighborhood treasure. The High Street Cafe, a well-known American brasserie, is home to diverse and delicious cuisine, offering a taste of quintessential dishes with its own unique flair. With an open front setting and limited yet inviting outdoor seating, the eatery brings to the table an unquestionable sense of comfort through its charming and trendy aesthetic.

“We are an American restaurant with a Latino style,” said Manuel Iguina, managing partner of High Street Cafe.

Iguina, whose family has a special place for Catholic University in its heart, is as passionate about the restaurant’s cuisine as he is his customers. Iguina truly gives the restaurant his all, individually greeting and assisting customers throughout their meals.

On High Street’s website can be found the words: “We celebrate the tradition of the neighborhood bistro with the only pretension of bringing back the comfort of the familiar.” This brief yet powerful statement encompasses the authenticity of the cafe, accompanied by the sensation of warmth and ease that the restaurant and its staff leave diners, making them feel truly at home.

The menu features several new choices thanks to the appointment of Gerard Cribbin of Moorestown, New Jersey as High Street’s new Executive Chef. Alongside this appointment comes the creation of a lunch menu, adding weekday lunch services to the restaurant’s pre-existing dinner services and their weekend brunch services.

High Street’s diverse menu consists of several dishes, particularly on the newly introduced daily lunch menu. The tuna tatar, a sensational balance between salty and sweet, is made up of ponzu, toasted sesame, mango, orange cream, and baby kale. Other mouthwatering starters include the pan roasted calamari, made with shiitake mushrooms, simojovel chiles, garlic, and charred lemon, for a refreshing and filling appetizer. Other main course highlights include pan con lechon, made of roasted pork shoulder, sweet onions, ajili mojili, and crispy potato. The new lunch menu is available daily Monday through Friday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The restaurant offers various entrees, such as a variety of pizzas, from a light, yet filling classic margherita pizza with tomato sauces, pulled mozzarella, and basil, to a mushroom pizza, recommended by High Street regulars, made of wild mushrooms, manchego, and pecorino. High Street’s dinner menu also features a plethora of salads and pastas, such as the vongole pasta dish, made with clams, garlic, herb bread crumbs, and charred lemon. The main course menu also consists of roasted half chicken, pan seared salmon, and pepper crusted New York sirloin dishes, sure to please all diners. Pair any meal with one of the various cocktails High Street has to offer, such as their lavender margarita, mojito, and spicy guava Pisco. High Street serves dinner daily from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m Mondays through Thursdays, and 5 p.m. to 11 p.m Fridays and Saturdays.

The brunch menu, served Saturday and Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., features several dishes from the lunch and dinner menus, alongside several traditional brunch options with a Latin twist, such as chilaquiles, which are made with sunny-side eggs, white corn tortilla, guajillo sauce, and queso fresco. Also featured on the brunch menu is the classic rancheros dish, made with poached eggs, chihuahua cheese, roasted chiles, black beans, white corn tortilla, and tomatillo salsa. Classic omelets and french toast with challah bread are also staples on the brunch menu.

The High Street Cafe is accessible via the Foggy-Bottom/GWU Metro stop on the silver, blue, or orange lines. Transfer to the silver, blue, or orange lines from the red line is available at Metro Center. From the Foggy-Bottom/GWU stop, the restaurant is a fifteen minute walk away along the shops on M Street, located at 1303 Wisconsin Ave, NW, Washington, D.C. 20007.