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.
Five-course meals begin with canapés such as “the world’s tiniest baked potato” and might end with a visit from a mechanical cow named Faira (aka the cheese cart) and cheese savant Cameron Smith.
What to get: Escargots done up as “porcupines” in spiky pastry & topped with barbecue sauce; oyster shooters with cucumber gelée; a Technicolor mosaic of thinly sliced venison, eel, and other seafood.
When was the last time you picked up a mezcal-spiked cocktail and ate it like a snowball? José Andrés’s 27-course menu kicks off with just that and follows up with other mind-bending surprises.
Palena is two restaurants under one roof: a softly lit dining room with some formality and a casual cafe where the smell of the wood grill fills the air. The cafe has the area’s best gnocchi.
Look for dishes with an Asian accent—such as tempura-fried turbot fin with yuzu vinaigrette—or with a regional American feel, such as pastrami-cured sweetbreads.
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.
What to get: Tuna-topped crostini; burrata with heirloom tomatoes and basil; meatballs with a sunny-side-up egg; pappardelle with ragu of Scottish hare; lasagna with morels and truffles.
What to get: Chestnut-and-foie-gras soup; shrimp with corn blinis; boudin blanc with truffle sauce and truffled potato purée; melted Montboissie cheese over toasted pecan-raisin bread.
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.
With its high-gloss redesign, joining of the main dining room and bar, and hiring of a new chef, Ardeo has become one of DC’s most exciting mid-level destinations.
The patio is the place to sit in nicer months, but the dining room with dark wainscoting and burnt-orange walls is wonderfully cozy.
There are other places to go to seal a deal, but we haven’t met one that better blends sophistication with culinary finesse. A great spot for people-watching and celeb-spotting.
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.
Chef Karoum’s Spanish-influenced cooking doesn’t flaunt whiz-bang techniques or trendy ingredients—it’s made for everyday eating. Still, he’s making some of the most exciting food we’ve had this year.
Ethiopian restaurants aren’t unusual in DC, but this is the place to experience spicy, long-cooked stews and the sizzling theatrics of the meat-and-onion stir-fries called tibs.
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.
What to get:Pickled vegetables with cardamom-spiked yogurt; pistachio agnolotti; quinoa risotto with lobster mushrooms; rabbit two ways (rack and leg-meat confit); duck with crab-apple sabayon.
Silk-paddle fans and miles of French doors give the dining room a breezy West Coast feel. The tavern-like lower level—a scene most nights—has a more vintage look with its onyx-and-stacked-stone bar.
What to get: Polenta-filled agnolotti; potato-leek soup with smoked cod; beet salad; rib eye with salsa verde; garlic-crusted cod with ham and potato; peanut-butter/chocolate tart.
Think of this DC restaurant as a supper club on the cheap—a retreat where it’s hard not to indulge in one of the well-made cocktails and where the staff seems to be taking care of you and you only.
What keeps us coming back is the zip of Mike Isabella’s small plates and pizzas, which seem tossed off but involve layers of work and detail. The cooking pulses with a big heart.
The menu changes almost weekly, but standouts have included pork rinds served with duck-liver dip and sausage flavored with lemongrass and kaffir-lime leaves.
What to get: Hot pot with pork, prawns, green-bean leaves, and wood-ear mushrooms; wood-ear mushrooms with chili oil and cilantro; pork dumplings; dan-dan noodles; scallion pancake.
What to get: Sweet-smoky duck-confit nachos; grass-fed sirloin burger at lunch; bison rib eye rubbed with cocoa nibs; sea bass over udon noodles; surf and turf featuring an outstanding filet mignon.
The vibe at this Greek newcomer, a spinoff of Rockville’s Mykonos Grill, may be lounge chic, but the food is as soulful as you’ll find on an Aegean isle.
Dishes are upscale enough to be worthy of leaving home for but not so much that they become precious. What to get: Oysters on the half shell; seafood-studded salsa; grilled bacon-wrapped oysters.
If the prospect of driving to Columbia for Chinese food doesn’t appeal to you, focus on the specifics: the best tea-smoked duck we’ve found and superlative dim sum that’s cooked to order.
Chef O’Brien turns out one four-course menu each weekend—no substitutions—and announces it two weeks in advance. Hits have included slow-roasted salmon with parsnips & a “fig newton” with foie gras.
Any number of restaurants offer Kung Pao chicken and beef with broccoli, but to be reminded of the depth and variety that even a single subset of Chinese cooking contains, this is the place we turn.
No matter where you sit, you’ll find well-executed pâtés and terrines, exquisite salads and soups, and main courses that are models of elegant simplicity. If only the service had the same polish.
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.
In summer, don’t miss the barbecue crabs served on the patio, accompanied by live jazz.
The element of surprise—there’s no printed menu—can up the adventure factor. Diners also have the option of ordering from an à la carte menu of sushi and Japanese delicacies.
What to get: Shrimp-and-yam patties; bun cha, charred pork meatballs in spicy fish sauce; Hanoi-style sizzling catfish with dill and mint; clay pots of pork or catfish; lemongrass-marinated short rib.
The handwritten menu and the array of antipasti change daily, but some gems do reappear. Thrills on a recent menu included meatballs studded with pine nuts; ultralight arancini; chocolate polenta cake
When we crave a thick, bloody steak, this is the place that leaps to mind. We prefer restaurateur Michael Landrum’s for its value, its warmth, and its scale. This is a steakhouse for the common man.
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
Some of our favorites—deviled eggs topped with piquant green sauce, gorgeously fried prosciutto croquettes—never leave the menu. Look to the specials for interesting spins on seasonal veggies.
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.
The formidable wine list is among Washington’s best. What to get: Japanese hamachi with green-apple mustard; olive-oil-poached cod with pipérade jus; braised halibut in Arbois wine sauce.
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.
What to get: Pork loin with greens and eggplant; cavatelli with roasted chicken and chicken-skin cracklings; hake with beans and corn; grilled skirt steak with puréed potatoes and mustard greens.
A good onion soup is hard to find—but not if you’re eating here. What to get: Endive salad with blue cheese; steamed mussels in saffron broth; steak frites; steak tartare; apple tart with Calvados.
What to get: Baby squid with wild mushrooms; clams stuffed with spinach, walnuts, and onion confit; bouillabaisse with scallops and sea bass; hanger steak; roasted-pineapple baba au rhum.
Chef David Ashwell, Robert Wiedmaier’s longtime right-hand man, is turning out such straightforward but soulful bistro fare as excellent steak frites, crocks of mussels, and a rich onion soup.
What to get: Corn chowder (summer); Thai-style mussels; hanger steak with chimichurri; cheeseburger; roast chicken; apple crisp; potato pancakes with house-made apple sauce (brunch).
Walking by the fish market up front you’ll likely get a sense of what will be on the menu from the ice beds holding super-sweet Nantucket bay scallops or a bountiful array of oysters.
Midday is especially busy, with lawyers and lobbyists sinking into the pale-suede banquettes, but at night the action shifts to the raw bar, where oysters, shrimp, & lobsters glisten in mounds of ice.
We gravitate to this high-toned farm-to-table destination whenever we’re in the mood for brunch and whenever we’re trying to satisfy a group of disparate personalities. Service is attentive & polished
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.
This brasserie and beer hall is a multipurpose space—great for blowing off steam with coworkers, downing platters of oysters and pints of beer, enjoying a hearty meal or a leisurely weekend brunch.
The bar is a low-key party even on weeknights, service is attentive and warm, and the cooking, under chef/owner John Manolatos, strikes a balance between comfort and polish.
The kitchen’s handiwork reinforces the something-old/something-new theme, packaging dishes from the Greek isles into stylized miniatures without stinting on the garlic.
During the day, deals are made over bacon cheeseburgers and the best corned-beef sandwiches in town. Ties are loosened at night, and cocktails keep a crowd around the bar.
In warm tones of cinnamon and apricot, this dining room and lounge, a favorite of Kennedy Center patrons, gives off a pleasing glow.
Surprises reveal themselves slowly. The best examples are the complexly layered soups. If we see one on the menu, we order it. The $65 five-course tasting menu is an excellent value.
What to get: Chicken-liver pâté with shallot marmalade; oil-cured tomatoes on toast; fried calamari and shrimp with zingy rémoulade; grilled flatiron steak with anchovy vinaigrette.
What to get: Deviled eggs with pastrami bacon; bowl of pickles, tomatoes, and cucumbers; steamed mussels with lomo; Cuban-style pressed-pork sandwich; grilled quail; grilled rib eye; lamb Bolognese.
What to get: Oysters on the half shell; poached-pear salad with a quail egg; shrimp and grits; any soup; rosemary-roasted bison with sweetbreads; the signature crabcake.
Here’s a bistro in the classic sense, with French and Belgian cooking that evokes nostalgia for Europe’s old cafes.
The dining room hints at a '20s train station, complete with a large clock, an opulent bar, and glowing lamps. We loved the raspberry-rhubarb shortcake & the blueberry-lemon crostada on our 1st visit.
Salads, such as a platter of shredded green papaya, explode with limey tang and chili-fueled heat, while bowls of pho are eminently soothing. Nibbles from the fryer make excellent shares.
The blond-wood dining room has the air of a downtown DC hangout. The filet mignon is the only entrée that stays on the menu, but seafood is often more rewarding.
What to get: The tangy potato-and-chickpea salad called papri chaat; salmon sliders on miniature pancakes; lemony tandoori mackerel; Malabar shrimp curry; tandoori chicken; orange-scented gulab jamun.
What to get: Miniature Elvis burgers with pimiento cheese; mixed greens with goat cheese, flaxseed cracker, and cider vinaigrette; Scottish salmon in foie gras sauce; Amish chicken with mole.
Don’t be put off by the Lewis Carroll–on-acid hotel lounge that fronts the restaurant. With cream-painted walls, soaring windows, and velvet banquettes, J&G is one of the most elegant rooms in town.
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.
The charcoal fire pit and surrounding U-shaped bar dominate the room. But don’t ignore the raw items—sushi and sashimi are almost always pristine. What to get: Braised pork-belly rolls; duck sausage.
This modest storefront is a soulful spot with vibrant, generous cooking and a familial feeling. What to get: Anticuchos, skewered, marinated beef hearts; ceviche garnished with soft sweet potatoes.
Formal old-world service, antique-filled dining rooms, and a prix fixe menu with amuse-bouches and other extras make dinners here special.
The menu might seem all over the map, but the common denominator is LaCivita’s emphasis on the rustic. Even his most artful plates bear hefty portions.
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.
This eclectic American cafe, part of Cathal Armstrong’s growing empire, features the same farm-to-table dedication as its higher-end sibling, Restaurant Eve, along with cocktails from Todd Thrasher.
What to get: Gougères, light-as-air cheese puffs; salmon tartare; rich chestnut soup; 72-hour braised short ribs; fried chicken with mustard sauce; roast salmon with lentils and shallot dressing.
More than any other French bistro in the area, this chatty room on Capitol Hill makes us feel like we’re in Paris. What to get: Mussels with pastis; country pâté; veal tongue with sauce gribiche.
There are moments in nearly every meal here—a soup that activates every taste sensor, a salad of Technicolor intensity—that make you think you’ve never really eaten Thai food before.
The Babinga Bar—named for the West African rosewood it’s made of—remains one of the best places to experience DC’s craft-cocktail culture, particularly concoctions built from the bar’s gin collection.
Dishes at Ashok Bajaj’s dining room are always elegant, but there’s also a playful side to chef Tony Conte’s food. Take the butternut-squash soup with olives and banana? In Conte’s hands, it works.
The best restaurant in Reston Town Center is also one of Washington’s best seafood palaces. The kitchen does well with raw-bar towers, sushi rolls, and an atlas’s worth of appetizers and entrées.
Ornate crown molding and glossy black wood-herringbone floors add luxe notes—there are even velvet footstools for your handbag, while the firelit rear chamber feels like a cocoon of privacy.
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.
Few family-run ethnic restaurants possess this degree of style. With lacquered tables, ceramic floors, and a tinkling fish pond, it’s ideal for a special occasion or a night of catching up w/ friends.
Peter Smith has packed his restaurant with personality. On the plate, there are such whimsies as a deconstructed cheesesteak. The walk-in lounge offers terrific bar food, such as bánh mì.
Steaks are of very good quality, from the $19.99 hanger to the $35.99 rib eye called a cowboy cut. They no longer come with free sides, but in steakhouse land, $5 for mashed potatoes is a steal.
The thick, charred steaks, platters mounded with great fried food, and creamy milkshakes are powerful enticements in a time of tightening wallets.
Chef/owner Cathal Armstrong likes to keep things fresh, so this tasting room/bistro/lounge is a constantly evolving mash-up of his Dublin upbringing, French technique, and New World sensibility.
You can count on good burgers and soups but the standout dish is the most out-there: a salt-rimmed margarita glass filled with lime-marinated bay scallops, tequila ice, and sour cream.
Chef R.J. Cooper’s all-tasting-menu venture—parceled out in 16 or 24 quick-bite dishes—is a wild ride of a night, especially if you don’t burden it w/ too many expectations of what dinner should be.
The dishes explode with flavor, the kitchen is remarkably consistent, and the setting is comfortable and calming.
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.
The downstairs lounge offers one of the area’s best happy hours for eating: From 4 to 6 you can enjoy three dishes for $20.11.
What to get: Pan-fried dumplings stuffed with chicken and shiso; salmon ceviche with ikura (salmon roe) and yuzu vinaigrette; vegetable and shrimp tempura.
The winding, soaring space in Chevy Chase is dazzlingly modish, but we prefer the original, a tiny two-story dining room that’s an exercise in cool minimalism.
When diners aren’t gazing out at Lake Kittamaqundi, they’re studying the sushi bar, where chef/owner King Lin and his team of cooks assemble the area’s most inventive rolls.
Sitting at the sushi bar and watching the chefs do their deft blade work on hulking slabs of fish, making edible art with Zen-like calm, provides some insight into what makes Sushi Taro special.
An open kitchen and a stone waterfall are the focal points of the room; terra-cotta walls and dim lighting lend a cozy feel. Service has been spot-on—attentive and friendly but not hovering.
The high-end boardroom decor and hefty price tags signal an expense-account spot, but the house-made pastas and hearty ragus infuse the place with some soul.
The ultimate indulgence is Table 21 in the kitchen, where Voltaggio crafts a 21-course meal as up to eight diners watch.
