The Top 100 Places to Eat and Drink Near Tsehay Restaurant And Bar
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Rank 1. Cana
Brazilian
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Best New Bar
- Eater Best Night Out
- Washingtonian 2026 · #26 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
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Rank 2. Tsehay Restaurant And Bar
Ethiopian
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Rank 4. Tail Up Goat
Caribbean
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Nominee · Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Hospitality
- The Rammys 2025 · Finalist · Upscale Casual Restaurant of the Year
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Rank 5. Reveler's Hour
Wine Bar
Behind a austere facade, a U-shaped bar and arched ceilings frame a dining room where natural wines anchor small plates of grilled oysters and house-made pasta with spicy pork ragu. The semifreddo with olive oil and grilled citrus arrives as a small, perfect punctuation mark.
- Wine Enthusiast 2023 · Forward 50 Restaurants
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Washington, D.C., Right Now
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- James Beard Awards 2024 · Winner · Emerging Chef · Masako Morishita
- The Washington Post The 40 Best Restaurants In and Around D.C.
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants Around D.C.
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Rank 7. 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.
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Rank 8. Lapis Afghan Bistro
Afghan
- Time Out #15 · Best restaurants in Washington, D.C.
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Washington, D.C., Right Now
- Washingtonian 2025 · #23 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
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Rank 9. Elfegne
Ethiopian
Elfegne's airy Adams Morgan dining room—all natural light and generous spacing—frames a kitchen that treats Ethiopian cuisine with uncommon seriousness. Awaze tibs arrive as tender lamb in brick-red berbere, crowned with greens and spicy lentils, a dish that deserves far more recognition than it typically receives.
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Rank 10. The Green Zone
Middle Eastern
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- Spirited Awards 2026 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best U.S. Hotel Bar – U.S. East
- Bon Appétit 2018 · America's Best New Restaurants
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Rank 12. 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.
- AAA Four Diamonds
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Hospitality
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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.
- The Pinnacle Guide 2 Pins
- 50 Best 2026 · #34 · North America's 50 Best Bars
- Spirited Awards 2026 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best U.S. Cocktail Bar – U.S. East
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Rank 16. Ceibo
Uruguayan
- The Washington Post The 40 Best Restaurants In and Around D.C.
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants Around D.C.
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Rank 17. 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.
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Outstanding Restaurateur · Scott Drewno and Danny Lee - The Fried Rice Collective
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Scott Drewno and Danny Lee - Fried Rice Collective
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic · Angel Barreto
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Rank 18. Sharbat
Azerbaijani Bakery
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Rank 19. Namak
Mediterranean
- Washingtonian 2026 · #98 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
- Washingtonian 2025 · #52 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
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Rank 20. Rooster & Owl
Contemporary
A husband-and-wife team runs this Michelin-starred kitchen where ricotta gnudi and pistachio olive oil cake reveal restless global ambitions within spare, contemporary walls. The prix-fixe format lets diners mix courses while the bar customizes wine pairings to match.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic · Yuan Tang
- The Rammys 2025 · Finalist · Formal Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year
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Rank 22. Service Bar
Cocktail Bar
Cocktails arrive with technical precision at this U Street bar, where the bartenders treat regulars and tourists with equal warmth. The space itself—worn wood, dim light, no pretense—feels like the living room of someone with genuinely good taste.
- The Pinnacle Guide 1 Pin
- 50 Best 2026 · #39 · North America's 50 Best Bars
- Spirited Awards 2026 · Top 10 Nominee · Best U.S. Cocktail Bar
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- James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Outstanding Restaurateur · Scott Drewno and Danny Lee - The Fried Rice Collective
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Scott Drewno and Danny Lee - Fried Rice Collective
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Rank 24. 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.
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Rank 25. Elmina
African
Chef Eric Adjepong's West African cooking unfolds in a warm, contemporary room where the tasting menu pivots between refined technique and the spirited informality of Ghanaian chop bars. Scallop crudo arrives with cucumber granita and coconut broth; braised goat comes tableside with fufu and a pour of deep orange-red nkati nkwan sauce. The space invites lingering, and the cooking justifies it.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Washingtonian The Hot List: 10 Restaurants Around DC We’re Loving Right Now
- Washingtonian 2026 · #6 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
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Rank 26. Maydān
Middle Eastern
A wood-fired hearth dominates the rustic dining room at this Middle Eastern restaurant, where the kitchen's command of flame and technique produces flatbreads, roasted vegetables, and meats of striking precision. The prix-fixe progression—from charred spreads through tahini-coconut rice pudding—unfolds with the confidence of a place entirely at ease with its craft.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Washingtonian 2026 · #17 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
- The Washington Post The 40 Best Restaurants In and Around D.C.
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Rank 27. St. James Modern Caribbean
Modern Caribbean
At St. James Modern Caribbean, Jeanine Prime channels Trinidad through shared plates and rum cocktails in a spare, color-punctuated room where callaloo soup arrives deep green and crowned with crab. The jerk brisket, twelve hours in marinade then smoked, speaks to something unhurried and deliberate, a meal that refuses to abbreviate itself.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Time Out #4 · Best restaurants in Washington, D.C.
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Washington, D.C., Right Now
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Rank 28. La Tejana
Mexican
A narrow counter in Mt. Pleasant serves breakfast tacos that arrive wrapped in foil, their superb flour tortillas still steaming. Soft scrambled eggs, creamy beans, queso, bacon, chorizo, brisket—each filling is simple, each bite a small, unhurried satisfaction. No reservations, no ceremony, just the kind of morning rescue that extends into night.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- The Rammys 2025 · Finalist · Fast Casual Restaurant of the Year
- Time Out #16 · Best restaurants in Washington, D.C.
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Rank 29. Bar del Monte
Italian
- Bon Appétit 2024 · America's Best New Restaurants
- The Washington Post The 40 Best Restaurants In and Around D.C.
- Washingtonian 2026 · #51 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
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Rank 30. Ellē
Contemporary New American
Inside a former bakery, Ellē pairs retro dining room charm with a kitchen that ferments its way through a playful menu: orange carrots with shio-koji and rye miso lead to Nashville hot duck on buttermilk biscuit, while desserts like Thai iced tea–tres leches border on architectural. By day it's a casual café; by night, something more inventive takes hold.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Eater The Best Bakeries Around D.C.
- Time Out #11 · Best restaurants in Washington, D.C.
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Rank 32. Purple Patch Food & Drink
Filipino
- Time Out #17 · Best restaurants in Washington, D.C.
- The Washington Post The 40 Best Restaurants In and Around D.C.
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants Around D.C.
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Rank 34. 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.
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Ashok Bajaj - Knightsbridge Restaurant Group
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Washingtonian 2026 · #97 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
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Rank 35. Mita
Vegetarian Peruvian
In the Shaw neighborhood, Mita serves an all-plant tasting menu that draws from across Latin America with confident creativity: arepas arrive in a basket with guacamole and cashew sour cream, watermelon crudo swims in cucumber leche de tigre. Chefs Tatiana Mora and Miguel Guerra build umami through layered vegetable dishes that feel neither restrained nor novelty-driven, but simply generous.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Best New Restaurant
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic · Miguel Guerra and Tatiana Mora
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Rank 36. 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.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- The Rammys 2025 · Finalist · Upscale Casual Restaurant of the Year
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants Around D.C.
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- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Scott Drewno and Danny Lee - Fried Rice Collective
- Washingtonian 2025 · Buffalo Wings · Our Favorite Dishes of the Year in the DC Area
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Rank 38. Le Diplomate
Parisian French
- Time Out #14 · Best restaurants in Washington, D.C.
- The Washington Post The 40 Best Restaurants In and Around D.C.
- Washingtonian 2026 · #47 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
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Rank 39. 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.
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Rank 40. Eatopia Eatery
Ethiopian
- Washingtonian The Hot List: 10 Restaurants Around DC We’re Loving Right Now
- The Washington Post The 8 best Ethiopian restaurants in and around D.C.
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- Eater The 15 Best Coffee Shops Around D.C.
- Washingtonian Best Coffee Shops in DC
- Time Out The 20 Best Coffee Shops and Cafés in Washington, DC
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Seng Luangrath's Columbia Heights dining room has been serving as the city's steadiest interpreter of Laotian cooking since 2014, a place where crispy coconut rice salad and tamarind-salted pig ears share menu space with gentler curries and the essential sticky rice. The kitchen cooks for groups, for sharing, for the kind of dinner where the table fills with dishes and nobody orders alone.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Washington, D.C., Right Now
- Washingtonian 2026 · #42 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
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Rank 44. 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.
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic · Esther Lee
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- The Washington Post The 40 Best Restaurants In and Around D.C.
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Rank 46. El Secreto de Rosita
Peruvian
A narrow room lined with smoky mirrors and art creates the intimacy for Peruvian cooking that ranges from coastal tiradito—ahi tuna in passion fruit and orange—to ají de gallina and an arroz chaufa that draws from three continents. The kitchen's creativity extends to dessert, where seasonal flan arrives with genuine charm, while gracious service and a full bar complete the soothing spell.
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Rank 47. Queen's English
Chinese
A neon-fronted Columbia Heights spot serves Hong Kong cooking with meticulous balance—lotus root with anchovy dust, Wagyu in mala broth. The spare dining room, lined in white and blue, feels intentionally intimate.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic · Henji Cheung
- Time Out #9 · Best restaurants in Washington, D.C.
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- Washingtonian 2026 · #7 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
- Washingtonian 2025 · Cacio e Pepe Bomboloni · Our Favorite Dishes of the Year in the DC Area
- Washingtonian 2025 · #10 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
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Rank 50. Sura
Authentic Thai
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants Around D.C.
- Washingtonian 2026 · #93 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
- Washingtonian 2025 · #71 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
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- Spirited Awards 2026 · Top 10 Nominee · World’s Best Cocktail Menu
- The Pinnacle Guide 2 Pins
- 50 Best 2026 · Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Award 2026 · North America's 50 Best Bars
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Rank 52. New Heights
New American
A muted dining room in Woodley Park where quiet competence and restless ambition meet on the plate: broccolini with black garlic, crispy oysters with pickled cauliflower, tempura mushrooms dusted in Moroccan spice. The kitchen strikes a balance between familiar comfort and subtle surprise that most restaurants spend years chasing.
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Rank 53. Amazonia
Amazonian Peruvian
- Spirited Awards 2026 · Top 10 Nominee · World’s Best Spirits Selection
- Spirited Awards 2026 · Top 10 Nominee · Best U.S. Restaurant Bar
- Eater 2022 · The Best New Restaurants in America
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Rank 54. Martha Dear
Neapolitan Pizza
- Washingtonian 2026 · #67 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
- Washingtonian 2025 · #65 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
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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.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- The Rammys 2025 · Finalist · Favorite Gathering Place of the Year
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Rank 56. 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.
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Rank 57. Dolcezza
Italian Dessert
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Rank 61. Rasika
Indian
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Ashok Bajaj - Knightsbridge Restaurant Group
- Eater The All-Time Eater 38
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Washington, D.C., Right Now
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Rank 62. Letena
Ethiopian
- Washingtonian 2026 · #70 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
- Washingtonian 2025 · #66 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
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Rank 63. Hank's Oyster Bar
Seafood
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.
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Rank 65. Call Your Mother
Jewish American
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Rank 66. The Pembroke
French
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.
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Rank 67. Izakaya Seki
Japanese
- Washingtonian 2026 · #40 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
- Washingtonian 2025 · #54 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
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Rank 69. 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.
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Rank 70. Sushi Taro
Sushi
- Washingtonian 2026 · #24 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
- Washingtonian 2025 · #34 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
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- Esquire 2023 · Medina's Martini Service · The Best Martinis in America
- The Rammys 2025 · Finalist · Cocktail Program of the Year
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Rank 75. Oyster Oyster
Vegetarian
A vegetable-focused tasting menu that somehow leaves you energized rather than depleted. Rob Rubba's compositions—eggplant agnolotti in corn broth, squash baton with seed ricotta—work from the premise that vegetables need not be a compromise. Even bread arrives reimagined, layered with garlic and accompanied by marigold-flecked sunflower spread, a signal that nothing here is incidental.
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Winner · Outstanding Chef · Rob Rubba
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- Food & Wine 2025 · The Top 15 US Restaurants
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Rank 78. Blue Duck Tavern
American
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.
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- Bon Appétit 2025 · America's Best New Restaurants
- Washingtonian 2026 · #25 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
- The Washington Post 9 of the best restaurants in Shaw
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- Eater The 15 Best Coffee Shops Around D.C.
- Time Out The 20 Best Coffee Shops and Cafés in Washington, DC
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Rank 83. Unido
Panamanian
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Rank 84. Tabard Inn
Southern French
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Rank 85. Causa
Nikkei Peruvian
Chef Carlos Delgado's intimate tasting menu traces a path from Lima's coast through the Andes and Amazon, folding Japanese technique into Peruvian seafood and spice. Causa, the namesake dish of mashed potato and ají amarillo crowned with tuna, and a wagyu finished in Peruvian pepper sauce, chart a precise geography of flavor.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Nominee · Best New Restaurant
- Eater 2022 · The Best New Restaurants in America
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Rank 86. Apéro
French
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.
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Rank 87. 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.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- The Washington Post The 40 Best Restaurants In and Around D.C.
- The Washington Post The 40 Best Restaurants In and Around D.C.
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Rank 88. The Dabney
Mid-Atlantic American
At The Dabney, a wood-fired hearth anchors a spare, brick-walled dining room where chef Jeremiah Langhorne pursues Mid-Atlantic flavors with quiet conviction. His tasting menu moves from delicate snacks through roasted vegetables and charred wagyu with three-way eggplant, each plate a controlled study in restraint.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurant
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Washington, D.C., Right Now
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Rank 92. Sababa
Israeli Middle Eastern
A Mediterranean tile-lined room in Washington devoted to Israeli small plates and the kind of hummus that justifies its own menu line. Salatim spreads, charred vegetables, and tahini-dressed cauliflower arrive in careful succession, each one a minor argument for eating more slowly.
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Ashok Bajaj - Knightsbridge Restaurant Group
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
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Rank 94. Casa Teresa
Open-Fire Spanish
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic · Ruben Garcia
- Eater Chef of the Year · Rubén García
- The Rammys 2025 · Finalist · Chef of the Year · Rubén García Castilla
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- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Ashok Bajaj - Knightsbridge Restaurant Group
- The Rammys 2025 · Finalist · Wine Program of the Year
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Rank 96. ROYAL DC
Latin American
An airy corner spot where Latin American cooking stays unfussy and welcoming. The breakfast arepa—fried egg, tomato, cotija, and avocado sealed in seared masa—arrives wrapped like a gift; at dinner, the upstairs room fills with regulars chasing tender pork empanadas and masa gnocchi studded with braised beef and mushrooms. The prices match the unpretentious spirit.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Eater The 15 Best Coffee Shops Around D.C.
- Time Out The 20 Best Coffee Shops and Cafés in Washington, DC
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Rank 97. Raw Omakase
Omakase Sushi
Chef John Yi works a third-floor counter above 14th Street's din, seating fewer than ten guests across two seatings nightly in a progression that moves from pan-seared tomato through torched belly to honeydew-yuzu sorbet. The nigiri articulate restraint—kinmedai kissed with heat, scallop brined in yuzu, each piece a small argument for precision over abundance.
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Rank 98. Chang Chang
Chinese
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.
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Rank 99. Fava Pot
Middle Eastern
- Washingtonian 2026 · #87 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
- Washingtonian 2025 · #67 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
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