The best restaurants in Old Town Alexandria, VA.

The lobster salad is the standard starter here, and the terrace seating puts the Potomac River right in view. Brunch service runs formal for the category, with staff who handle reservations and pacing well even when the patio fills at midday. Eggs benedict and pancakes round out a menu built for a slow riverside meal rather than a quick bite.

Murphy's keeps live music going on King Street later than most of its neighbors, making it the default stop when everything else has gone quiet. The Reuben is the order regulars return for, and the long bar setup suits a group that wants food, a drink, and a band without changing venues twice in one night.

The short rib sandwich and the burger both hold up for a table splitting orders, and the fries get called out alongside them. Service leans attentive, with staff checking back through a meal rather than disappearing after the entrees land. Reservations move smoothly, which matters on a corner this busy on weekend afternoons.

The crab cake and prime rib anchor a menu built around the water, and the dining room is arranged so nearly every table gets a look at the Potomac. Lunch is the stronger service, when the prime rib and the crab cake plate come together at a lower price than dinner. The room sits at the foot of Old Town, close enough to the marina that the view does real work.

Don Taco handles last-minute large groups without much friction, which makes it a default pick for parties that did not plan ahead. Tacos and enchiladas are the base order, with a sampler platter available for a table that wants to try several things. Results land as solid rather than exceptional, closer to a reliable group spot than a destination meal.

Chadwicks has run as a sports bar out of the same building since 1979, and it plays to that history rather than dressing itself up as something else. Burgers, wings, and sandwiches are the order, and the room works best with a game on and a group splitting a tab. It is a fixture, not a discovery.

The mahi Reuben is the dish worth seeking out, warm and tangy off the sauerkraut, and it is the reason regulars keep coming back over the bacon cheeseburger. This is where locals send visitors who want Chesapeake-area seafood without Washington DC menu prices. Service can slow at peak hours, so plan a dinner here without a tight schedule.

IL Porto handles large groups and holiday crowds without turning away walk-ins who grow mid-meal, and the osso buco and risotto are the dishes to build a special-occasion order around. The room is set up for a full Italian dinner with pasta courses rather than a quick plate, and reservations are worth making on any weekend night.

The Fire Crunch roll and Rainbow roll are the two to order, and the room is small enough that a reservation helps on weekend nights. Takeout handles large orders well, with reviewers assembling sushi platters and yakisoba for group meals and bachelorette dinners alike. It reads as a neighborhood sushi room built for repeat visits, not a special-occasion splurge.

Every table starts with a chili sampler here, and that ritual is the reason regulars have kept coming back for a decade. The chili itself, not the burgers, is the reason to walk in, and the room has built its name on comfort food served without pretense. It is a plain, dependable stop for a casual meal in Alexandria.