Dupont Circle’s Agora might be one of my favorite places in DC and a bit underrated. Though on a popular strip of 17th Street, this Turkish restaurant seems to be a bit of a hidden gem.  It’s been a few years since I’ve been to happy hour here, and until recently, the same was true of their brunch. However, I’ve now done brunch at Agora twice within a few months, and remember how much I love it.

Agora’s brunch is a two-hour bottomless food and drink feast. Make reservations; you definitely need those. The menu is meze heavy, with some breakfast classics thrown in. It’s vegetarian friendly, as well. Service has always been good.

Drinks are your choice of mimosa, Bloody Mary, Champagne, or rail liquor for mixed drinks, which is unusual for brunch, but appreciated. I stick with the Champagne because I don’t see a point in adding juice.

Your server will start you with fresh, warm pita, but try not to fill up on it, no matter how hungry you are. That would be a rookie mistake. You’ll want to save room for some of my favorites, which, in no particular order, are:

• Smoked salmon (lox)
• Hummus
• Baba ghanouj
• Goat cheese
• Feta
• Grape leaves
• Kasik (similar to a horiatiki salad)
• Pide (flatbreads)
• Baklava French toast

The hummus and baba ghanouj are creamy and delicious. The cheeses are great, and I appreciate the fresh salad as a respite to the somewhat heavy options. If you love carbs and cheese, Turkish pide is for you, and it ties with the baklava French toast as my favorite offering here. I tend to order the mozzarella and tomato, but the Turkish sausage (sujuk) is also good, as the sausage has a kick of heat. The baklava French toast is sweet, but  not overly so, and super fluffy from the challah.

The price is very reasonable, and it’s one of the best brunch deals you’ll find in the city. Many of my favorite bottomless brunches have now changed so much that I no longer care for them; I’m glad that Agora has not. Change isn’t always good, and Agora’s brunch offering is fantastic as is, so I hope it doesn’t change too much in the future.

-LEM