The bustling cafe and bar is a place you can bring the family or come for a casually sophisticated couple’s night out. Plates are huge—you’ll likely take home a doggy bag.
With its cobblestone foyer, wood-paneled dining rooms, and formal service, this Georgetown restaurant is a lovely throwback. What to get: Tagliatelle with clams and bacon & rockfish with lobster farro
The main dining room is bright and noisy, the smaller annex cozier. Tables are covered in leather, and there’s the whiff of money in the crowd of politicos, Georgetown old guard, & singles at the bar.
After a long day, we sometimes pine for the downstairs bar. The barmen exude old-school charm & can whip up any drink in the book. The oysters are well sourced and cleanly shucked.
Whether you’re enjoying a killer mint julep in the lounge or biting into buttery cornbread in the relaxed dining room, this subterranean eatery is all about comfort, both in mood and cuisine.
Two years after opening, the softly lit rowhouse remains something of a secret. You don’t come here to impress the boss—but you might come to woo someone with an appetite for adventure.
Inside this unassuming rowhouse next to a CVS, Johnny Monis is putting out the top culinary experience in Washington. The wine pairing ($70 per person) is generous and full of offbeat picks.
A mezzanine dining area puts you above the crowds, but sometimes it’s more fun to mix it up below, particularly at the long communal table.
This is the neighborhood bar of our dreams, with marvelous cocktails, a lived-in patina, genial bartenders, and Justin Bittner’s ever-changing seasonal small plates.
The bar, which stirs a mean dried-fruit Manhattan, attracts a crowd of off-the-clock thirtysomethings, Verizon Center–goers, and tourists. Chef Ed Witt's pastas and well-prepared meats are big draws.
An easygoing mix of fun and sophistication, of trendiness and simplicity. There might be better places to impress a client, but few will make you more comfortable.
One of the area’s most interesting places to eat. The impressive wine program includes big-ticket Champagnes and Cali Cabs but also good choices for the value-minded.
Tapas we’ve been loving for years include goat-cheese-stuffed red peppers, crusty bread rubbed with tomatoes & layered with thinly sliced Manchego, a textbook gazpacho, & warm dates wrapped in bacon.
Easily the area’s best Indian restaurant and unlike any other in the crowded field. What to get: Ragda patties, potato cakes with tamarind-date-and-mint chutney; avocado and banana with date chutney.
