Choose your spice level from mild to inferno-level extra hot, and then go for sandwiches topped with everything from buffalo sauce to ranch dressing and bacon. Chef Kaz Okochi helped pioneer DCs creative sushi scene at his downtown Japanese restaurant, which opened in 1999. Sundass Indian cooking swings between comforting (smoky stewed eggplant, chicken makhani) and positively electric (potatoes with pomegranate and Szechuan pepper, a tandoori-chicken kebab with blue cheese and sour cherries). Where everyone seems like an ultra cool local, whether they are or not. Albi means heart, and Rafidis heartfelt menu includes fun touches like labne soft serve. Meanwhile, one of the citys most exciting chefs, Kevin Tien, was looking for a new home after suddenly departing his Hill hot spot, Emilies. 3. Dinner ($55) only. But they also bring a taste of their roots with sides such as caramelized cinnamon-honey pineapple or brisket-stuffed pupusas. How much does it cost to eat in Washington, DC? Check Doordash, GrubHub, UberEats & Caviar. Find the best restaurants in Washington, D.C., including Food Network's favorite burgers, pizza, Ethiopian food and views. Chef Seng Luangrath and family garnered acclaim for their Laotian cooking at Columbia Heightss Thip Khao, and now theyre letting loose at Hanumanh, a fun Shaw newcomer that experiments with tradition. 2023 Cond Nast. Tasting menus are as extravagant as the decor. Website: www.ocean-prime.com. This article appears in the February 2022 issue of Washingtonian. Took part in the grand opening, May 21, 2018. But the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel where it resides is hoping to make it more of an upscale dining destination with its reopening after a nearly three-year closure. By Katie Kenny. (202) 558-4450 (Phone) Get Directions. 15 E St., NW Cond Nast Traveler does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Philly restaurateur Stephen Starrs audacious French brasserie is still a hot ticket a decade in, particularly the lOrangerie space and the charming sidewalk tables. Tiramisu. The Penn Quarter tapas house is Jos Andrss first-ever restaurant, though nothing feels dated after 30 years. 1001 Pennsylvania Ave., NW #1 is awesome! Each dish at this Korean/Chinese fast-casualoverseen by Anjus Danny Lee and Scott Drewnowas designed with portability in mind. Subscribers get exclusive early access through our print and digital editions. For a quick (and decadent) lunch or dinner, dont miss D.C.s spin on Nashville hot chicken. By Alan de Herrera. No reviews yet. Now that its moved from DC to Pentagon City and expanded its hours to include lunch, you can be more leisurely with your planning. Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. By Damare Baker. The Most Frequented Spots on Washingtonians 100 Very Best Restaurants List, The Dabney Is Washingtonians #1 RestaurantWatch Us Surprise the Chefs, A Prominent Virginia Chef Will Serve Drive-In Tasting Menus From His Parking Lot, Dukes Grocery Opens in Navy Yard With a Mule Cocktail Bar, DC-Area Bakeries Selling Hamantaschen Cookies for Purim. The showstopper here is the 40-layer lasagna, which is exactly like it sounds, made with 40 exacting layers of short rib sugo and housemade pasta, with layers of mornay sauce and sottocenere cheese and then dusted with a cloud of parmesan. Daru chef/co-owner Suresh Sundas. Try all the Balkan mezze, flatbreads, and charcuterie you want for a set lunch, brunch, or dinner price. Servers skillfully juggle the all-you-can-eat menus at these Balkan spots. At lunch, Millerwho long led the kitchens at Bar Pilar and Cafe Saint-Ex in DCserves one of the best sandwiches weve had in recent memory: extra-crunchy cornmeal-fried blue catfish with hot sauce, rmoulade, and pickles. Photograph by Emily Hoang/@urnovafoodie. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad. Jesse Millers cheffy comfort fare is a little bit neo-Southern, a little eclectic, and a lot satisfying. Cocktail prices, menu pricesheck, even sad-desk-salad priceshave shot up, along with gratuity expectations. Best restaurants in DC 1. DCFoodPorn Was One of DCs First Big Food Influencers. . What if itd Worked? But the splashy Wharf newcomer is pure fun for a night out. Modern Austrian cuisine meets breakfast when you walk into Georgetown's Kafe Leopold. Naturally fermented sourdough piesknown to sell outdraw a following for their thin, nutty crusts and inspired toppings like littleneck clams with Brussels sprouts and clam-liquor cream (a must: crust dippers such as bagna cauda). The Venezuela-born chef made a big splash in Baltimore before decamping to 14th Street in 2019. Traditional Italian house made Pastas. No reviews yet. Great Wall Szechuan House. Morris American Bar. New England fry-ups along with inventive pastas and crudos. Reservation cancellation fees are frequent and steep. And in March, Lucky Danger is planning a return to the District, inside Foggy Bottoms Western Market food hall. Mandu If you're craving authentic Korean food in DC, Mandu is an absolute must, no ifs, ands or buts. It all gets an element that elevates it: The burrata Pugliese is served with caviar and oyster; the cult favorite linguine is tossed with spicy XO-sauce. Chef Nilesh Singhvi serves plates like fiery green chili chicken, tandoori salmon, and lots of vegetarian dishes to the tune of live piano music. Avg 4.5 (539 reviews) Chicken Shawarma.. $10.50: Garlic Whip, French fries . Off the Market: The nuts and bolts of some of Washingtons most expensive residential transactions. Salvadoran immigrants Fernando Gonzlez and Debby Portillo specialize in central-Texas-style meats from an oak-fueled smoker, including thick, buttery slabs of American Wagyu brisket, peppery pork ribs, and jalapeo-cheddar sausages. $8.00. Use the time to admire the company's recent expansion nearby: Barca, a Mediterranean-themed wine bar positioned on its own pier on the Potomac. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. The three-star system is represented as follows: one star: "a very good restaurant in its category;" two stars: "excellent cuisine, worth a detour;" and three stars: "cooking worth a special journey.". Diners can round out a meal with reserve sakes, specialty hand-rolls, and seasonal small plates such as crunchy katsu-style foie gras. While we previously considered only sit-down places, we now put carryouts, pop-ups, and food trucks in the mix, too. Lunch ($25) and dinner ($40 and $55). Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. The most thrilling restaurant to open in the last two years? This gallery has been updated with new information since its original publish date. Your exploration of culinary mastery in the District can go on and on. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia Universitys MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands. The OpenTable Team. If your artsy, bookish next-door neighbors living room had a commercial kitchen in it, it would feel much like Rooster & Owl, which is housed on the ground-floor of a new building on 14th Street. At Pineapples and Pearls, in Capitol Hill, the team behind Roses Luxury can flex their imagination to the max. The historic restaurant looks the part: Its covered with wood paneling, antique chandeliers, leather banquettes, and D.C.-themed paintings. Why This Restaurant Is a Must Eat Barbecue connoisseurs will have a blast at 2Fifty Texas. +1 202 457 5020. juniperrestaurant@fairmont.com. The pastas are her signaturefrom back-to-basics like ravioli and bolognese to elegant riffs like squid ink spaghetti tangled around soft shell crabbut entrees like wood-grilled fish or lamb chops are also excellent. Its Also a Hot Mess. This post has been updated for winter 2023. 2. The paellas (made with Bomba rice) are breathtaking; though youll be tempted to fill your table with seafood from the raw bar or cooked dishes like Andalusian gambas al ajillo and charcoal-baked potatoes with aioli and brava sauce. The curries, including a sumptuous Bengali-style lobster, travel beautifully. Longtime destinations for vinegary collards and baked turkey wings. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad. 3 Pioneer Mill Way, Alexandria, Va. 703-638-1400. (Chef Matt Conroy came from a Michelin-starred eatery there.) Gather friends to try bites of the small, medium, and large plates, which feature riffs on classics like mini arepas, tostadas, and ceviche. Ditto for the menu, filled with classics (some hard to find these days) such as cassoulet, sauted calfs liver, dover sole meunire, and souffls for dessert. The fire-lit Georgetown dining room is transportive to a different time and placethink the French countryside circa 1976 (its opening year). By Rob Brunner. A lot has changed since we last publishedWashingtoniansannual list of the areas 100 Very Best Restaurants, back in the early days of 2020. Lunch and brunch ($25) and dinner ($40). ETA: The full Top 100 Best Restaurants List is now live on Washingtonian Magazine's website. Restaurant Week menus are large and generousa good sign. Thanks to its neon-green sign and inevitable line, youll spot Rose's Luxury from across the streetalthough the perennially popular spot now takes reservations. + Leaflet | OSM Foundation Clear Map Filter This chicly homey dining room near Eastern Market is one of three pandemic-born places from former ThinkFoodGroup chief operating officer Hollis Silverman. The swank, brass-accented emporium offers square pizza, creative sushi, and a beer garden thats a destination in itself. 1 The Dabney 2 Albi 3 L'Ardente 4 Happy Gyro 5 Pineapple and Pearls 6 Inferno Pizzeria 7 Sushi Taro 8 Causa 9 Sushi Nakazawa 10 Xiquet 11 Daru 12 The Duck and the Peach 13 Anju 14 The Inn at Little Washington 15 Ell These days, hes fueling our own obsession with dishes like pineapple curry andMalaysias national dishnasi lemak (fried chicken leg with coconut-pandan rice, sambal, crispy anchovies, cucumber, and a soft-boiled egg). But for decades, the restaurants didnt hold up in the same way. DCs Food Influencer Scene Is Booming. This Manhattan import nabbed the Wharfs glassy centerpiece-restaurant space, formerly home to Requin. Quiz: How Many of Washingtonians 100 Very Best Restaurants Have You Been To? Simpler pleasures like rich, creamy refried beans stand out, too. No trip to Rasika would be complete without ordering the palak chaat, lighter-than-air, flash-fried spinach topped with yogurt sauce. Note: You must make reservations well in advance. Located in the heart of the U Street corridor, the newest location offers a lively and boisterous atmosphere that is perfect for a night out with friends, a pre-show meal, or a cheap late-nite bite. For 46 years, courtroom sketch artist Art Lien captured landmark cases and dramatic moments at the Supreme Court and beyond. #Washington (D.C.) DC's Best Breakfast Sandwich Pop-Up Is Becoming an All-Day Restaurant; DC's Best Breakfast Sandwich Pop-Up Is Becoming an All-Day Restaurant. You can pick a dozen to share or go hog-wild with some of the raw bars more extravagant offerings, including the Orca Platter, with lobster, crab claws, clams, oysters, and shrimp. She lives in Logan Circle. Founded by mother-and-son duo Danny and Yesoon Lee, they've been voted "Best Korean" in the Washington City Paper annually since 2010. This super casual Mediterranean eatery. Roasted turkey, Jetties greens, sliced apples, aged Gouda, toasted pumpkin seeds and lemon poppyseed dressing. The prime location in D.C.'s downtown, combined with Kimptons always-elevated service, make this a top choice that wont break the bank. No surprise, the Restaurant Week menu is generous with hearty options like homemade meatballs in Sunday gravy, agnolotti carbonara, veal marsala, and turtle cheesecake. An Underground Dance-Music Club Is Replacing Marvin on U Street. The 55-year-old dining room slings some of DCs best fried chicken. One of our food team's favorite Korean barbecue restaurants is participating in Restaurant Week (so book/visit early). Ad Choices. The pandemic both delayed the place and fundamentally changed the game planit opened in August as a full-on restaurant. For $70, guests get two servings of thin-sliced brisket, spicy pork belly, and a serving of ribs to cook on the tabletop grill. If youre skeptical about finding great barbecue in our area, head to this Riverdale joint or its sandwich-centric Union Market stall. 1527 14th St NW, Washington. Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Then move on to a thin pizza spread with onion cream, Brussels sprouts, and pomegranate, or a peppery carbonara. Here's a list of the Washington, D.C. area's Michelin-Starred Restaurants Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema's latest dining guide 2 Reveler's Hour Rohobot Rooster & Owl Rose's Luxury Royal Nepal 8 Ruthie's All Day Cafe Spanish Diner Swahili Village The Tasting Room 7 Thamee Three Blacksmiths 4 Unconventional Diner Vin 090. DCFoodPorn Was One of DCs First Big Food Influencers. (LArdente has already received the Obama date night seal of approval, as Michelle and Barack were spotted recently in a corner booth.) Smoke is also the secret ingredient in the dough used to make chocolate-chip campfire cookies, served warm and topped with cookie ice cream. 1776 I St., NW Now hes pushing boundaries in Adams Morgan with a three-in-one Japanese concept. A six-course omakase menu ($98 per person) is primed for celebrations, but diners can also mini-splurge on the best lunch deal in town: a bento box ($38) with ever-changing treasures like venison yakitori, maitake-mushroom tempura, and shrimp-stuffed lettuce tacos. What's the best month to visit Washington, DC? No expense was spared creating this gorgeous modern Mediterranean interior, and the view of the river is just as priceless. Favorites here include bistro dishes like the seafood plateau, house cheeseburger, steak frites, pricey dover sole meunire (available on Thursdays), and trout amandine. Green-mango salad at Makan. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. There are branches of this chic vegan restaurant in Miami and Toronto, too. Get your honeyed fried chicken in a bucket or a bnh m. Here is the full list of Washington's Michelin-starred restaurants and Bib Gourmands. Thai vermicelli with chili-peanut sauce and khao soi remain staples, but newer dishes such as tom yum fried rice with shrimp are also worth a try. TACOS. We visited 300-plus restaurants to bring you this list of our favorite places to eat. Consistently ranked as one of DC's best restaurants, Chez Billy Sud's alluring interiors, complete with gilded mirrors and a quaint lamplit courtyard, also make it one of the District's most romantic. Dont miss the margaritas at either. Then dig into the mainsa whole chicken slathered in turmeric and coriander or a lamb shoulderand sides, which include spiced halloumi and lemon-harissa carrots. The following restaurants, while definitely still worth a trip, are leaving the 38: Chercher, Maydan, Zaytinya, Dauphine's, and Cafe Riggs. Avg 4.2 (1873 reviews) Shawarma Platter Chicken: $14.95: Chicken Shawarma.. . Sit in the garden to enjoy a warm day with coffee, eggs, waffles, Rosinenschnecke (raisin danish), musli, pancakes and a selection of pastries. Theres exposed beams, plaster, and rafters, and the space is decorated with houseplants, floral wallpaper and artwork, portraits, and books. These restaurants have been around for a decade-plus, and know what works (and what doesnt). 1. 1226 36th St., NW Walk through the serene halls of the Four Seasons in Georgetown and make your way to Bourbon Steak, a Zen-like dining space with dark wood everywhere. Darren Lee Norris pioneered the modern izakaya concept in DC a decade ago with long-gone Kushi. The DC Areas First Fine-Dining Singaporean Restaurant Opens in Tysons, Baltimores Atlas Restaurant Group Expands to DC With Upscale Seafood Tavern, A French Country-Chic Cafe From SoHo Is Opening in Georgetown, Dukes Grocery Opens in Navy Yard With a Mule Cocktail Bar, DC-Area Bakeries Selling Hamantaschen Cookies for Purim. Think salmon gravlax, coq au vin, choucroute garnie, and Normandy apple croustade. L'Ardente, 200 Massachusetts Avenue, NW. Updated February 26, 2020. The Riggs hotels sleek basement bar is your place for super-fancy Jell-O shots and half-smoke-inspired rickeys. . 0.1 miles from Succotash Prime. You're in the right place. Subs and cheesesteaks from the founder of Taylor Gourmet. The Block, downtown DC, Annandale, and Rockville The pioneering Annandale original is the biggest of these Asian-inspired food halls. 675 15th St NW, Washington, DC 20005 If you prefer to skip out on crowded places, then you might love these unassuming restaurants in DC. DCs Food Influencer Scene Is Booming. Chicken parm. Fiola, Rice Bar, and The DC Noble are the highest-rated restaurants for a pick-up meal in Penn Quarter. Splurge on shares such as barbecue-lamb kebabs. (301) 434-0104. The destination for forward-thinking Indian food and spice-accented cocktails has drawn national attention. Washingtonian Events Washington, DC's Best Restaurants Search our restaurant reviews by location, cuisine, price, and more to find exactly what you're cravingincluding our 100 Very Best Restaurants and Eat Great Cheap restaurants. Central It's the oldest restaurant in the city and one of the best. Kids scramble for pop-tarts, while hung-over adults go for the giant breakfast sandwich. Typical offerings include pristine sushi or sashimi, soups, and cooked dishes from the kitchen. FilomenaRistorante Restaurants: Al Tiramisu, Siroc Restaurant, Floriana . And with a few clever pairings from wine pro Brent Kroll, who also oversees the adjoining bar, Maxwell Park. Cranes 724 Ninth St., NW With a restaurant in Singapore and roots in Barcelona, one might not expect chef Pepe Moncayo to be a regular presence here in Penn Quarter. If youre looking for classic Korean dishes like dolsot bibim bap with bulgogi, Anju has that covered on the Mama Lees section of the menu.