Image: Lumpia.
Last Updated: June 2025
Overview:
There is a certain amount of sprawl associated with Purple Patch. Taking advantage of covid-era rules, it expanded its footprint to a huge streatery out front, in addition to the multiple rooms inside the old building where it resides. The menu also sprawls over several pages and categories. The sprawl is justified. There is a great variety of fresh, well-prepared choices in those pages, and many seats are needed to accommodate all the people who show up nightly to feast.
The cooking is Filipino. In fact, Purple Patch was part of a wave of places that pushed the cuisine front and center. Tom rightly raves about the lumpia in the Post, but the kitchen is not bound by rigid tradition. Our recent visit to check in after a few years away was anchored by a variation of pancit that was a little bit of everything: two kinds of noodles, veggies, shrimp, pork and chicken. While thoughts may immediately go to pork, the menu is chock full of veggie options, including a couple bright, crunchy salads for summer.
As a neighborhood spot, the bar is decently stocked and the cocktails are numerous. Beer and wine cover the bases. But it is more than a local spot and worth a trip out of the way.
Other Guidance: The stairs down (or up) for indoor dining can be tricky, but there is a large outdoor space on the street. GF and V can do surprisingly well and the menu is careful and considerate to mark those options
Summary:
Cuisine: Filipino
Neighborhood: Columbia Heights/Mt. Pleasant
Address: 3155 Mt Pleasant St NW, Washington, DC 20010
Website: www.purplepatchdc.com
Reservations: http://www.purplepatchdc.com/reservations/
Other Critics/Voices
Washington Post: Tom originally gave it 2 stars and some pointed critiques, but he did include it in the Fall 2015 dining guide. Then in 2023 he called it his restaurant of the year, reflecting how both he and Purple Patch grew.
Washingtonian: Where to find sisig in D.C.
Washington City Paper: Early Sidman write-up.