The Top 100 Places to Eat and Drink Near Blue Duck Tavern

  1. Inside the Park Hyatt, Blue Duck Tavern sprawls across walnut and glass with the unhurried air of a room built for lingering. A wood-burning oven anchors the open kitchen, roasting whole fish and duck legs while the product-driven menu traces its ingredients back to named farms. The effect is upscale comfort—well-tailored, abundant, and entirely at ease with itself.


    Awards
    Address
    1201 24th Street NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
  2. Rank 2. Imperfecto

    Latin American

    A soaring glass box in Northwest Washington draws diners to a brass-and-marble counter where Chef Enrique Limardo oversees an intimate tasting menu rooted in Latin technique and premium ingredients. Dishes like aged grouper with charred lettuce or duck with Carolina rice demonstrate exacting skill, each component calibrated to sing.


    Awards
    Address
    1124 23rd St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    Website

  3. Awards
    Address
    2800 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  4. Awards
    Address
    1190 New Hampshire Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  5. A wood-paneled room evokes the '70s while the bar operates with laboratory precision: syrups macerate under cryovac, bourbon receives yogurt washing, cacao gets pressure-infused into amontillado. Each shift tastes and adjusts batches to accommodate seasonal variance—strawberries in June behave differently than in October—treating consistency as a living pursuit rather than a fixed formula.


    Awards
    Address
    1506 19th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  6. Awards
    Address
    2029 P St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  7. Rank 7. Call Your Mother

    Jewish American


    Awards
    Address
    1143 New Hampshire Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  8. Awards
    Address
    1150 22nd St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  9. A spare, cream-toned room near The Ritz-Carlton where Enrique Limardo channels Spanish fundamentals through Latin American inflections, the tapas and arroz dishes doing most of the talking. The arroz morada—a salt-baked beet purée binding pink rice with roasted vegetables and pine nuts—suggests a kitchen more interested in flavor collisions than restraint.


    Awards
    Address
    1190 22nd St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    Website
  10. Rank 10. Casa Teresa

    Open-Fire Spanish


    Awards
    Address
    919 19th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  11. Rank 11. Amparo Fondita

    Contemporary Mexican

    Chef Christian Irabién's Mexican kitchen sources Oaxacan corn and nixtamalizes it in-house, elevating humble ingredients with precise technique. A fried plantain or papaya dessert reveals layers of flavor that belie their apparent simplicity.


    Awards
    Address
    2002 P St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
  12. Rank 12. Anju

    Korean

    Brick and greenery frame a comfortable corner of Adams Morgan where Korean drinking food anchors a spirit-forward menu—banchan, mandu, and soju flow in easy rhythm. Chef Danny Lee's mother contributed recipes like dak jjim and dolsot bibimbap, dishes that taste like they've been made a thousand times before and will be again.


    Awards
    Address
    1805 18th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    Resy
    Online
    Website
  13. Rank 13. RIS

    New American

    Ris Lacoste's neighborhood restaurant spreads across a light-filled room of earth tones and quiet corners, drawing business dinners and family celebrations with equal ease. Her cooking elevates the familiar—briny linguine with clams, crisp chicken Milanese, crab cakes that never falter—by way of butter, olive oil, and a sure hand with heat and acid.


    Awards
    Address
    2275 L St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    Resy
    Online
    Website

  14. Awards
    Address
    1200 New Hampshire Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  15. Rank 15. Obelisk

    Seasonal Italian

    The dining room feels like a neighbor's kitchen, unpretentious despite its fixed five-course ritual since 1987. Antipasti arrive in quick succession—burrata from Lazio, cheese croquettes still steaming—followed by simply rendered seasonal Italian: a dorade with crackling skin and romesco, house-made bread, desserts built in-house. The point is not speed but presence, the full arc of an evening.


    Awards
    Address
    2029 P St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    Tock
    Online
    Website

  16. Awards
    Address
    3210 Cherry Hill Ln NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  17. Two dining rooms lined with olive trees and Greek pottery transport you to Crete without leaving the capital. The kitchen moves confidently between spanakopita and grilled fish with ladolemono, though it's the crisp Greek fries and baklava with iced yogurt that justify the journey—straightforward pleasures executed with conviction.


    Awards
    Address
    1940 N St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    Website
  18. Rank 18. Annabelle

    Contemporary New American

    A marble bar anchors this Kalorama dining room, where artwork and a skylight-crowned garden conjure elegance without pretense. The seasonal American cooking—from summer beans to mushroom gnocchi to a gianduja ganache that justifies the trip alone—moves with quiet confidence.


    Awards
    Address
    2132 Florida Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    Resy
    Online
    Website

  19. Awards
    Address
    1201 K St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  20. Rank 20. YELLOW

    Levantine Middle Eastern

    Michael Rafidi's Georgetown café channels Levantine cooking through a wood-burning oven, drawing crowds for pillowy pitas and charred spreads. The batata tots and brown butter cookies disappear fast, which explains why lines form from dawn through lunch.


    Awards
    Address
    1524 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
  21. Apéro unfolds behind sheer curtains like a reverie: midnight-blue walls, gold leaf, a Persian rug underfoot. The owner, a sommelier, has built the place around champagne and caviar at every tier, served with the expected accoutrements and waffle batons, though the kitchen also handles French classics—a lobster bisque with croutons, deviled eggs threaded with bacon and brown sugar—with equal care.


    Awards
    Address
    2622 P St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    Tock
    Online
    Website
  22. Rank 22. Lutèce

    Neo-Bistro French

    Matt Conroy's Georgetown bistro wraps diners in pressed tin and exposed brick while a tightly curated menu pivots on seasonal seafood—scallop crudo, delicate cod—with real finesse. Cocktails match the kitchen's precision, and desserts like passion-fruit baba au rhum justify skipping nothing.


    Awards
    Address
    1522 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    Resy
    Online
    Website
  23. Rank 23. Sura

    Authentic Thai


    Awards
    Address
    2016 P St NW, Ste C1, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  24. Awards
    Address
    1702 G St NW Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  25. Awards
    Address
    1066 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
  26. A decades-old Penn Quarter institution where senators occupy half-moon banquettes and Indian cuisine glides between regional traditions with restrained sophistication. The braised lamb curry carries subtle sweetness, the kulcha bridges goat cheese and spice, nothing shouts.


    Awards
    Address
    815 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
  27. Inside a Georgetown townhouse softened by jewel tones and draped fabrics, Das moves between tradition and surprise—flaxseed telba wat alongside chicken and beef samplers meant for tearing into with spongy injera. The staff meets the careful design with equal warmth, making even adventurous palates feel welcomed.


    Awards
    Address
    1201 28th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
  28. Rank 28. Afghania

    Afghan Middle Eastern


    Awards
    Address
    2811 M St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  29. Awards
    Address
    3210 Grace St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website

  30. Awards
    Address
    1200 17th St NW, Unit 150, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  31. Awards
    Address
    2813 M St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  32. Rank 32. Shōtō

    Modern Japanese

    A volcanic stone cascade and ivy-clad walls frame Shōtō's bar and dining counter in the converted Washington Post building, where the lighting flatters everyone equally. Robata-grilled skewers and pristine sushi arrive alongside Japanese whiskeys and cocktails that taste like they were calibrated in a lab.


    Awards
    Address
    1100 15th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
  33. Rank 33. Astoria DC

    Sichuan Chinese

    A Dupont Circle kitchen that catches the young and restless with funky, locally rooted cooking at prices that feel like a gift—the cumin lamb arrives tender and alive with spice. The bar welcomes walk-ins and solo diners alike, making room for anyone hungry enough to trust the mapo tofu.


    Awards
    Address
    1521 17th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website

  34. Awards
    Address
    1700 K St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  35. Awards
    Address
    1659 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  36. Rank 36. 1789

    French-influenced New American

    A Federal townhouse divided into six intimate dining rooms, 1789 channels Georgetown's intellectual past through classical French and American cooking. The kitchen executes with discipline—recent lamb and vichyssoise dishes show confidence without pretense.


    Awards
    Address
    1226 36th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    Website
  37. Rank 37. Residents Café & Bar

    Contemporary Middle Eastern

    A black rowhouse with a plant-filled patio opens onto two levels of mid-century charm—exposed brick, vintage stools, Edison bulbs—where the kitchen moves fluidly between Turkish eggs and smoked carrots with harissa. The desserts and cocktails, inflected with warm spices and rum, suggest a chef thinking beyond geography.


    Awards
    Address
    1306 18th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    Resy
    Online
    Website

  38. Awards
    Address
    2917 M St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  39. Awards
    Address
    800 16th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  40. Rank 40. Bresca

    Contemporary

    Bresca sits on 14th Street amid gold leaf and a living moss wall, trading bistro anonymity for a warmth that feels both neighborhood and occasion-worthy. Chef Ryan Ratino's cooking—a foie gras negroni, lamb pappardelle—arrives casual yet artful, with service that knows when to vanish.


    Awards
    Address
    1906 14th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    Website

  41. Awards
    Address
    1509 17th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  42. Awards
    Address
    1900 N St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website

  43. Awards
    Address
    2029 P St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  44. Peter Chang's Dupont Circle restaurant elevates classical Chinese cooking with precision: walnut prawns glisten with restrained honey mayo, soup dumplings hold superlative broth. The minimalist dining room matches a kitchen unafraid of humble vegetables, each plate deliberate and balanced.


    Awards
    Address
    1200 19th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    Tock
    Online
    Website
  45. Rank 45. River Club

    Lebanese/Italia/Spanish


    Awards
    Address
    3000 K St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  46. Awards
    Address
    2003 P St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  47. Awards
    Address
    2000 Pennsylvania Ave NW Unit 7000, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  48. Awards
    Address
    1828 L St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  49. Rank 49. Fava Pot

    Middle Eastern


    Awards
    Address
    1817 M St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website

  50. Awards
    Address
    1916 I St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  51. Awards
    Address
    3299 Water St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  52. Awards
    Address
    1850 K St NW, Washington, DC · Washington

  53. Awards
    Address
    1052 Thomas Jefferson St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  54. Awards
    Address
    1921 I St NW, Washington, DC · Washington

  55. Awards
    Address
    3000 K St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  56. Awards
    Address
    1361 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington

  57. Awards
    Address
    1337 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  58. Rank 58. Chez Billy Sud

    Classic French


    Awards
    Address
    1039 31st St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  59. Awards
    Address
    1506 19th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  60. A Parisian dining room with salmon chairs and marble tables channels European elegance without rigid dogma, moving fluidly between Dover sole and lamb tagine. The kitchen's generalist approach and warm hospitality make this Dupont Circle spot feel less like a temple than a convivial neighborhood table.


    Awards
    Address
    1500 New Hampshire Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    Website
  61. Rank 61. Fiola Mare

    Italian-influenced Seafood

    Fiola Mare perches on the Potomac with service as precise as its Italian seafood, where a Capital oyster bathed in prosecco zabaglione justifies the splurge. The terrace view commands premium prices, though lunch offers better value and the same meticulous technique.


    Awards
    Address
    3050 K St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
  62. Rank 62. Dolcezza

    Italian Dessert


    Awards
    Address
    1704 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  63. Rank 63. Le Diplomate

    Parisian French


    Awards
    Address
    1601 14th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  64. Rank 64. Tabard Inn

    Southern French


    Awards
    Address
    1739 N St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  65. Awards
    Address
    1721 M St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  66. Rank 66. Dua Coffee

    Indonesian


    Awards
    Address
    923 15th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  67. Awards
    Address
    2000 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  68. Rank 68. Ceibo

    Uruguayan


    Awards
    Address
    2106 18th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  69. Awards
    Address
    1422 Wisconsin Ave, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  70. Awards
    Address
    640 14th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  71. Rank 71. Dauphine's

    Cajun & Creole

    A sprawling New Orleans kitchen that hides serious ambition behind a casual façade, serving silky oysters and blackened soft-shell crab with Creole precision. The three-level dining room finds its magic in intimate corners and cocktails that match the food's unhurried confidence.


    Awards
    Address
    1100 15th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    Website

  72. Awards
    Address
    3265 Prospect St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  73. Rank 73. Cana

    Brazilian


    Awards
    Address
    2412 18th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  74. Awards
    Address
    1475 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  75. Awards
    Address
    704 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  76. Awards
    Address
    1503 17th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  77. Rank 77. Amazonia

    Amazonian Peruvian


    Awards
    Address
    920 Blagden Alley, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  78. Awards
    Address
    3282 M St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  79. Awards
    Address
    1633 P St NW Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  80. A sprawling seafood house where Goldfish crackers precede platters of raw oysters and broiled preparations that glisten under casual fluorescent light. The Salty Wolfe arrives briny and cool; the crab cakes arrive as a memory of better summers, served with the confidence of a place that has long stopped trying.


    Awards
    Address
    1624 Q St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    Tock
    Online
    Website

  81. Awards
    Address
    3315 Cadys Alley NW, Unit B, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  82. Awards
    Address
    3276 M St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  83. Rank 83. Call Your Mother

    Jewish American


    Awards
    Address
    3428 O St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  84. Awards
    Address
    1633 17th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website

  85. Awards
    Address
    1836 18th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  86. Rank 86. The Green Zone

    Middle Eastern


    Awards
    Address
    2226 18th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  87. Rank 87. Call Your Mother

    Jewish American


    Awards
    Address
    1471 P St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  88. Awards
    Address
    1608 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  89. Awards
    Address
    1641 R St NW Unit B Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website

  90. Awards
    Address
    1401 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  91. Rank 91. Jônt

    Contemporary

    Ryan Ratino's counter-only dining room, positioned above Bresca, pivots on pristine Japanese seafood and wagyu, each plate composed with theatrical precision and backed by an almost balletic service. The meal crescendos through delicate tartares and uni preparations before depositing you at a separate dessert counter, where mignardises arrive like confections from a jeweler.


    Awards
    Address
    1904 14th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    Website
  92. Rank 92. Grazie Nonna

    American Italian

    Gerald Addison and Casey Patten channel Patten's grandmother's kitchen through Italian-American cooking that refuses shortcuts—clams casino gleam with bacon and breadcrumbs, while Heather's pizza detours into pickled banana peppers. A packed bar hums with the comfort of Sunday supper elevated, where even the macaroni arrives dressed in garlic cream and prosciutto.


    Awards
    Address
    1100 15th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    Resy
    Online
    Website

  93. Awards
    Address
    1100 15th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

  94. Awards
    Address
    1834 Columbia Rd NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  95. A single door opens onto José Andrés's culinary laboratory, where guests perch at a curved counter to watch small plates arrive as puzzles—chicharron masquerading as something else, cauliflower studded with caviar. Whimsy and surprise drive each course toward a finale of fried ice cream donuts, the kind of playful confidence that makes dinner feel like collaborative theater.


    Awards
    Address
    501 Ninth St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    Website

  96. Awards
    Address
    1811 Columbia Rd NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  97. Rank 97. Lapis

    Afghan Middle Eastern

    Whitewashed walls and Afghan rugs create an intimate setting where husband-and-wife owners Zubair and Shamim Popal cook their native cuisine with restraint and finesse. Split pea soup arrives layered with quiet complexity; chopawn—three grilled lamb chops with cardamom rice—demonstrates a kitchen unafraid of subtlety. Afghan food, here, tastes like discovery.


    Awards
    Address
    1847 Columbia Rd NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    Resy
    Online
    Website

  98. Awards
    Address
    1847 Columbia Rd NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
  99. Rank 99. Moon Rabbit

    Modern Vietnamese

    Kevin Tien's Moon Rabbit, now in a sleek F Street space, merges Cajun and Vietnamese traditions through dishes like mochi beignets with eel and quail stuffed with duck sausage over tomato rice. The desserts—particularly a vegan pandan panna cotta with seaweed and chocolate—confirm his instinct for balancing opposing flavors with genuine skill.


    Awards
    Address
    927 F St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    Website

  100. Awards
    Address
    1705 14th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram

Recents

  • No recent searches yet.

Yumscore

This score is based on the awards it's won and sometimes its proximity to where you're located (if you're doing a location-based search).

    Stayscore

    This score is based on the awards it's won and sometimes its proximity to where you're located (if you're doing a location-based search).

      Doscore

      This score is based on the awards it's won and sometimes its proximity to where you're located (if you're doing a location-based search).

        Best Place Score

        The Best Place Score is the score we give to the place you're searching from, based on how cool we think the area around it is. If it seems unreasonably low, we probably just haven't added a representative amount of awards yet.