The Top 100 Restaurants Near Laos in Town
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Rank 1. Laos in Town
Thai
In a Northeast DC storefront, Laotian flavors arrive with genuine heat and uncommon ingredients—green papaya salads sing with fermented fish sauce, tender dill curries fold in eggplant and bright vegetables. The kitchen honors both omnivores and vegans with equal care, backed by an ambitious cocktail program that refuses to coast.
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- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Emerging Chef · Anthony Jones
- Washingtonian 2026 · #32 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
- Eater Rising Chef · The 2025 Eater DC Award Winners · Anthony Jones
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- James Beard Awards 2026 · Nominee · Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic · Suresh Sundas
- Eater 2025 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- Washingtonian 2026 · #43 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
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Rank 4. La' Shukran
Levantine Middle Eastern
A hidden Levantine bistro reached by climbing stairs behind a green door, where retro funk and inventive cocktails frame impeccably executed sharing plates. The soujek dumplings—lamb and beef in smoked corn broth with urfa chili—justify the reservation difficulty alone.
- The New York Times 2025 · The Restaurant List
- The New York Times 2025 · Falafel Jibneh · The Best Restaurant Dishes We Ate Across the U.S.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
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Rank 5. Cane
Trinidadian Caribbean
A narrow storefront with pastel walls and bright shutters channels Trinidad's sugar-cane legacy through street food that arrives vivid and alive: doubles puffed and tender, snapper escoveitch crackling with pickled heat, pepperpot breathing cinnamon and smoke. The kitchen executes each dish with a clarity that makes the spice sing rather than merely burn.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Washingtonian 2026 · #19 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
- Washingtonian 2025 · #17 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
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Rank 6. Masseria
Puglian Italian
A former warehouse with exposed brick and a gleaming steel kitchen opens onto gardens and a wine cellar—a place where staff and diners alike seem genuinely settled in for the evening. Nicholas Stefanelli's cooking threads Puglian tradition through dishes that balance restraint with richness, as in turbot with brown butter artichokes or a lemon soufflé that knows when to stop.
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Rank 7. Elcielo Restaurant
Colombian
Chef Juan Manuel Barrientos stages a theatrical love letter to Colombia in two intimate dining rooms near Union Market, where pristine plating and choreographed service frame dishes built on Colombian ingredients and culinary memory. A corn broth arrives as revelation; dessert ventures into chocolate territory with playful intent. This is cooking rooted in place and purpose, executed with warmth.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service · Andra "AJ" Johnson
- The Rammys 2025 · Finalist · Formal Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year
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Rank 8. YELLOW Union Market
Levantine Middle Eastern
- The Rammys 2025 · Finalist · Pastry Chef or Baker of the Year · Alicia Wang
- The Rammys 2025 · Finalist · Fast Casual Restaurant of the Year
- Eater The Best Bakeries Around D.C.
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- Esquire 2025 · 50/50 · The Best Martinis in America
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants Around D.C.
- Washingtonian 2026 · #37 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
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Rank 10. Ethiopic Restaurant
Traditional Ethiopian
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Rank 11. Stellina Pizzeria
Neo-Neapolitan Pizza
Matteo Venini turns out blistered, chewy Neapolitan pies from a wood-burning oven at a bright, casual counter in Northeast D.C. The coppa and Taleggio pizzas arrive whole, meant for slicing yourself, with crisp fritti and fresh tiramisu bookending the meal.
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Rank 12. Pascual
Contemporary Mexican
Isabel Coss and Matt Conroy's casual Mexican spot imports Mexico City cooking to Northeast D.C., where blue corn tamales and lamb neck barbacoa arrive meant for sharing. Reservations vanish quickly at this energetic kitchen that needs no blessing beyond its own technical precision.
- The New York Times 2024 · The Restaurant List
- Eater 2024 · The Best New Restaurants in America
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic · Matt Conroy and Isabel Coss
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Rank 13. Serenata
Latino
- Spirited Awards 2025 · Top 10 U.S. Nominee · U.S. Bartender of the Year · Andra “AJ” Johnson
- Spirited Awards 2024 · Regional Honoree · Best U.S. Cocktail Bar – U.S. East
- Eater The Best Cocktail Bars in D.C.
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Rank 14. Fiola
Modern Italian
Stone walls and retro glamour frame Fiola's elegant dining room, where servers guide you through a menu that marries Roman tradition with Venetian flavors and playful modern invention. Duck-filled pasta squares arrive in their own jus; lamb plays against red pepper gel and eggplant caponata. Regional Italian cooking here feels both grounded and restless.
- 50 Top Italy 2025 · #6 · The Best Italian Restaurants In The World
- AAA Four Diamonds
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
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- James Beard Awards 2026 · Nominee · Outstanding Restaurateur · Meherwan Irani and Molly Irani - Chai Pani Restaurant Group
- Washingtonian 2026 · #29 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
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Rank 16. Cucina Morini
Sicilian Italian
A lively Sicilian outpost where the crowded bar hums with energy and Chef Matt Adler's kitchen turns out sfincione topped with stracciatella and hand-rolled pastas—thick gramigna noodles with sausage and egg yolk, finished with a whisper of heat—that prove comfort food need not sacrifice skill or care.
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic · Matthew Adler
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic · Matt Adler
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
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- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic · Fernando Gonzalez
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic · Fernando Gonzalez
- Time Out #8 · Best restaurants in Washington, D.C.
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Rank 18. Maketto
Asian
The storefront reads like a boutique until you're inside, where chef Erik Bruner-Yang's menu dissolves borders across Southeast Asian cuisines: shrimp dumplings in Cambodian fish sauce and dill, pork laab spiked with Thai heat, five-spice caramel glazing fried chicken. Everything is built for the table, communal and restless in ambition.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Washington, D.C., Right Now
- Eater The 15 Best Coffee Shops Around D.C.
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Rank 19. minibar by José Andrés
Contemporary
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.
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Rank 20. Baan Siam
Thai
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Washington, D.C., Right Now
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants Around D.C.
- Washingtonian 2026 · #76 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
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Rank 21. L’Ardente
Italian
The soaring dining room at Capitol Crossing frames Chef David Deshaies' Italian cooking with the same care he lavishes on his layered lasagna—tender short rib and truffled pasta sheets that justify their reputation. Wood smoke from the grill and pizza oven seasons everything here, from bucatini cacio e pepe to lamb ragu, each plate worth the attention it receives.
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Rank 23. Bar Chinois
Cocktail Bar
The room hums with the particular electricity of a French wine bar transplanted into dim sum service, cocktails threaded through with kombu and bonito flakes, dumplings arriving in half-moons and clouds. A pork meatball braised in its own jus achieves an almost impossible lightness, the kitchen's seriousness evident in every plate.
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Rank 24. 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 25. Beloved BBQ
Japanese
A Japanese steakhouse in Capitol Crossing where tableside grills and neon hallways set the stage for A5 Wagyu and prime cuts finished with citrus and heat. The kitchen coats each grain of fried rice in umami-rich yolk, turning each dish into theater.
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
- Eater The Best Tasting Menus in D.C. Right Now
- Washingtonian 2025 · #26 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
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Rank 27. The Red Hen
Rustic Italian
Exposed brick and reclaimed timber frame a narrow dining room where reservations vanish fast, though the three-sided bar welcomes walk-ins into an Italian kitchen that treats its pasta with the seriousness of doctrine. Mezzi rigatoni arrives draped in fennel sausage ragù and pecorino; sticky toffee pudding with eggnog gelato suggests the chef understands pleasure as a moral obligation.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- The Rammys 2025 · Finalist · Chef of the Year · Mike Friedman
- Washingtonian 2026 · #18 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
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Rank 29. Daru
Indian
Dante Datta and Chef Suresh Sundas, both Rasika veterans, reimagine Indian classics with unexpected flourishes—blue cheese on tandoori chicken, saffron-coconut lamb shank. The corner dining room, ringed with Sanskrit lettering and a lively bar counter, channels neighborhood vitality without pretense.
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- 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 31. Karravaan
Silk Road Middle Eastern
Chef Sanjay Mandhaiya charts a Silk Road route through bold, shareable dishes that announce themselves with confidence—smoky eggplant layered with labneh and pomegranate arrives on crackling house-made flatbread. Duck breast glazed in harissa honey over forbidden rice and vegetables nestled in a tagine prove he understands how flavor and presentation work in concert.
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Rank 32. Dear Sushi
Sushi
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Rank 33. 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.
- 50 Best 2025 · North American's Best Pastry Chef Award 2025 · Susan Bae
- 50 Best 2025 · #17 · North America's 50 Best Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Nominee · Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker · Susan Bae
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Rank 35. Toki Underground
Noodles
Climb the stairs past The Pug Bar into a cramped room of raw wood and dangling lights, where the ramen program moves through five freshly made broths with remarkable depth. Fried enoki mushrooms and pork dumplings set the pace; the yuzu custard closes it with grace. Reservations only, one hour to eat.
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Rank 36. 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 37. The Dubliner
Irish British
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Rank 38. Cranes
Spanish/Japanese
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Rank 39. 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 40. Rasika
Modern Indian
A few blocks from Metro Center, Rasika fills a high-ceilinged room with the sound of satisfied diners working through kebabs and curries built on careful spicing and restraint. The lamb rogan josh arrives in glossy, layered depth; the naan—order extra—arrives warm and charred. A place equally at home hosting a casual dinner or a business meal, executed without pretense.
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Ashok Bajaj - Knightsbridge Restaurant Group
- Eater The All-Time Eater 38
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
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Rank 42. Your Only Friend
Gastropub
A sandwich bar that carries itself with cocktail-bar sophistication, Your Only Friend pairs clever-titled handheld meals—the "Hot Nug" topped with Nashville sauce, mortadella and mozzarella on the "Mortz & Mootz"—with rotating specials like blue cheese-brined wings and a sharp cocktail program. The mood is neighborhood casual, the execution deliberate.
- Spirited Awards 2026 · Regional Top 10 Honoree · Best U.S. Restaurant Bar – U.S. East
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- Washingtonian 2026 · #89 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
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Rank 44. Karma Modern Indian
Modern Indian
- The Washington Post The 40 Best Restaurants In and Around D.C.
- Eater The Best Tasting Menus in D.C. Right Now
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Rank 45. Kayu
Authentic Filipino
- The Rammys 2025 · Finalist · New Restaurant of the Year
- Washingtonian 2025 · #63 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
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Rank 46. 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 47. Ottoman Taverna
Turkish
The dining room stages Istanbul through honeycomb tilework and a Hagia Sophia mural, all whitewashed walls and deep-blue pendants, while apple-rose tea steadies the hand before meze arrives. Modern Turkish cooking—adana kebab with red pepper, house-made baklava, the ceremonial coffee—moves with the confidence of a place that knows what it does.
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Rank 49. Centrolina
Italian
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurant
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic · Amy Brandwein
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Chef · Amy Brandwein
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Rank 50. Mandu
Korean
Chef Yesoon Lee and her son Danny serve the kind of Korean cooking that moves beyond the familiar—pointed stews, vibrant banchan, plump dumplings—in a Mount Vernon space with soaring ceilings and a long bar. The gamjatang, a bone-in pork rib soup swimming in gochugaru-fired broth, is the kind of dish that justifies a return visit in any season.
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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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Rank 52. 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 53. L'Ardente
Italian
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic · David Deshaies
- The Washington Post The 40 Best Restaurants In and Around D.C.
- Washingtonian 2025 · #21 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
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- James Beard Awards 2024 · Nominee · Outstanding Restaurateur · Hollis Wells Silverman - Eastern Point Collective
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Washington, D.C., Right Now
- Washingtonian 2026 · #54 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
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Rank 56. Zaytinya by José Andrés
Mediterranean
José Andrés' sleek Mediterranean dining room excels at mezze—mushroom kapnista with dates and labneh, spreads with warm pita, braised lamb—executed with unfussy confidence. The wine list honors Greek and Lebanese producers; the room suits power lunches and quiet dinners equally.
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Rank 57. PhoXotic
Noodles
At this no-frills counter in Bloomingdale, diners order via QR code for spring rolls and pho bowls built from a butcher's precision—brisket, bone-in rib, torched marrow. Chef Hai Le's background in meat work shows in the broth's richness and the care taken across each straightforward, deeply satisfying bowl.
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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 59. Unconventional Diner
Modern New American
White walls and seafoam booths frame a kitchen that treats diner conventions as a starting point rather than gospel: kale nachos, meatloaf spiked with sriracha and morel gravy, roasted cauliflower with tahini and fried chickpeas. The chicken pot pie bites are nearly impossible to refuse. Expect a wait.
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Rank 60. Gravitas
Contemporary
Matt Baker's Ivy City tasting room transforms local ingredients into austere, technically assured dishes within a raw industrial shell. The yellowfin sashimi and tagliatelle with sweetbreads justify the Michelin star and the pilgrimage north.
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Rank 61. Shouk
Middle Eastern
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Rank 62. Bronze
New American
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Rank 63. Rumi’s Kitchen
Persian
A soaring dining room wrapped in earthen and jewel tones frames a display kitchen where a tandoor glows behind the bar. Rumi's Kitchen works through Persian classics with assured technique—green tahini hummus with urfa chili, lamb shank braised in tomato—and closes with rosewater pistachio ice cream or baklava. The space manages grandeur without pretense, a room built for lingering.
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- Food & Wine 2023 · Mentaiko and Corn Pizza · Best Dishes Our Editors Ate This Year
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants Around D.C.
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- Washingtonian 2026 · #21 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
- Washingtonian 2025 · Crab Rangoon · Our Favorite Dishes of the Year in the DC Area
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Rank 66. The Bazaar by José Andrés
Avant-Garde Spanish
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Rank 68. Ivy City Smokehouse
Smokehouse Seafood
A warehouse converted into a seafood smokehouse, complete with ground-floor market and rooftop tavern, trades in impeccably sourced fish—salmon, trout, whitefish—smoked daily and served with bagels and the full Jewish delicatessen complement. The staff's warmth and occasional live music suggest a place built less for occasion than for becoming someone's regular haunt.
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Rank 69. Jaleo
Spanish
Inside a maximalist dining room of vivid tile and glass, José Andrés' tapas flagship pulses with the kind of energy that makes strangers lean toward each other across shared plates. Marinated olives give way to squid in its own ink, chicken fritters, paella with rabbit—a menu of Spanish classics executed with enough confidence that repetition across a dozen cities hasn't dulled the formula.
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Rank 70. Rania
Indian
Rania treats Indian cuisine as a living thing, evolving through unexpected dishes like chana masala panisse and hay-aged pork vindaloo that honor tradition while refusing its constraints. Each plate arrives with the precision of fine dining and the soul of a kitchen that knows exactly what it's doing.
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Rank 71. 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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Rank 72. Little Pearl
Contemporary
A glass-walled carriage house serving seasonal tasting menus that balance luxury with restraint—think oysters with seaweed remoulade, poached pears with bay leaf ice cream. The cooking shows boldness and care at a price lower than comparable menus in the city.
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Rank 73. Sushi Nakazawa
Sushi
Dark wood and gold frame marble counters where Nakazawa's team moves with surgical precision, each of twenty courses—from Japanese squid to torched belly—arriving like a small revelation. A luxurious two-hour omakase that justifies every minute of attention.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- Washingtonian 2026 · #48 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
- Washingtonian 2025 · #42 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
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Rank 74. Pineapple & Pearls
Contemporary
Oversized Champagne bottles and velvet jackets set the tone at Aaron Silverman's glorified dinner party, where absinthe cocktails arrive tableside and gnocchi floats in parmesan cream. Each course arrives with theatrical flourish and narrative—a condensed, joyful evening where the sommelier's suggestions matter as much as the marinated tuna and compressed watermelon on your plate.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Outsdanding Restaurant
- The Rammys 2025 · Finalist · Formal Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year
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Rank 75. All-Purpose
Italian-American Pizza
- Washingtonian 2026 · #85 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
- Washingtonian 2025 · #69 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
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Rank 76. Rose's Luxury
Contemporary
Strung bulbs cast a warm glow over the open kitchen at this convivial spot where a family-style prix fixe unfolds with playful charm. The cooking balances accessibility with invention—spiced pork meets coconut cream and lychee; Korean rice cakes swim in a gochujang-vodka sauce—while even dessert surprises, sticky toffee pudding darkened with mole negro and crowned with horchata ice cream.
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- The Washington Post The 40 Best Restaurants In and Around D.C.
- Washingtonian 2026 · #23 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
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- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurateur · Scott Drewno and Danny Lee - Fried Rice Collective
- The Rammys 2025 · Finalist · Casual Restaurant of the Year
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Massimo Fabbri's casual Tuscan spot, named for his son and lined with Tuscan photographs, dispenses with the formality of his previous restaurant for something warmer and more intimate. Squash blossoms stuffed with truffled goat cheese and handmade pasta crowned with black truffle announce a kitchen uninterested in restraint.
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Rank 80. Café Riggs
Contemporary French
A polished European brasserie in a historic room of brass, marble, and Art Deco velvet, where sharp service and classical cooking—Wagyu tartare, saffron risotto, chocolate soufflé—meet without pretension. Business lunches and post-work drinks flow through the same convivial space.
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Rank 82. CherCher Ethiopian Restaurant
Ethiopian
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Rank 83. Dōgon
African Caribbean
Inside the Salamander Hotel, Kwame Onwuachi's Dōgon presents small and large plates that blur African and Caribbean traditions with Washington swagger—the hoe crab arrives in its shell with shito and plantain cakes, the rum cake darkened by charred gooseberries. Each dish arrives composed and purposeful, the wine list equally considered, the whole operation bent on flavor over convention.
- AAA Four Diamonds
- Condé Nast Traveler 2024 · The best new restaurants in the world
- 50 Best 2025 · #37 · North America's 50 Best Restaurants
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Rank 85. Tiger Fork
Hong Kong-style Chinese
A Hong Kong-style den tucked away from the main drag, Tiger Fork wraps you in brick walls painted with dragons, warehouse floors, and a sexy dimness. The cocktails—chartreuse and bergamot, say—matter as much as the food, though cheung fun, spicy wontons, and pork ribs glazed with soy and ginger justify the pilgrimage equally. A place that knows how to have fun without winking at you.
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Rank 86. Oyamel Cocina Mexicana
Mexican
José Andrés' spirited Mexican kitchen favors technique and regional precision: crispy chilaquiles, gorditas crowned with duck confit, a haunting black bean soup perfumed with avocado leaves. The ceviche bar hums with activity and strong cocktails, while a generous happy hour menu makes early evening the optimal time to linger.
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic · Omar Rodriguez
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
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Rank 88. Family Ethiopian Restaurant
Ethiopian
Bright walls hung with art and yellow metal chairs set the stage for serious cooking at this sibling-run Ethiopian kitchen. The family platter samples both vegetarian and meat dishes—spongy injera soaking up gomen and kik alicha, while quanta firfir's tender beef glazed with berbere and clarified butter satisfies heartily. Nostalgia and technique arrive together on every plate.
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Rank 89. Chaplin's
Noodles
In Shaw, Myo Htun's restaurant trades in conversation-stopping cocktails and ramen that justifies the hype—his hot broth arrives with silken chicken while the cold version snaps with ginger and cucumber. Gyoza and chocolate lava cake round out a menu built on personal technique and genuine pleasure.
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Rank 90. Ama
Northern Italian
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic · Johanna Hellrigl
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants Around D.C.
- The Rammys 2025 · Finalist · New Restaurant of the Year
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Rank 92. Albi
Mediterranean Middle Eastern
The dining room pivots around a working hearth where Michael Rafidi coaxes smoke and char from eastern Mediterranean staples and local vegetables with equal precision. A seasonal tasting menu calibrates the surprises—wood-fired kefta, brown butter knafeh—better than any à la carte survey could.
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Winner · Outstanding Chef · Michael Rafidi
- Michelin Guide 1 Star
- 50 Best 2025 · #34 · North America's 50 Best Restaurants
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Rank 93. Seven Reasons
Latin American
A bi-level dining room with an open kitchen frames ambitious cooking that draws from Venezuela, Peru, and the Caribbean. Patacón piña colada—fried green plantains layered with pickled pineapple, coconut, cilantro mojo, and caper mayo—exemplifies the generous portions and bold flavors that define the menu. Desserts like cacao and dark chocolate with basil cremeux show equal care and invention.
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic · Enrique Limardo
- Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
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Rank 94. Supra
Central Asian
Georgian cooking executed with genuine care: crusty khachapuri filled with cheese and egg, spreads of tangy cheese and bread, mussels that gleam. The dining room's wood paneling and hanging sheep hats evoke the Caucasus without artifice, and the wine list honors Georgia's ancient traditions.
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- Wine Enthusiast 2025 · Top 50 New Restaurants
- Washingtonian The Hot List: 10 Restaurants Around DC We’re Loving Right Now
- Washingtonian 2026 · #66 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
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Rank 96. 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 97. 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 98. Café du Parc
French
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Rank 99. 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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