The Top 100 Restaurants Near Serenata

Updated June 17, 2026

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  1. Rank 1. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    1280 4th St NE, Washington, DC · Washington
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    On the Way What's Around

  2. Rank 2. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    1340 4th St NE, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    Tock
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    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  3. Rank 3. Serenata

    Latino

    Awards
    Address
    1280 4th St NE, Washington, DC · Washington
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    On the Way What's Around

  4. Rank 4. SHIA

    Awards
    Address
    1252 4th St NE, Washington, DC · Washington
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  5. Rank 5. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    417 Morse St NE FL 2 Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  6. Rank 6. YELLOW Union Market

    Levantine Middle Eastern

    Awards
    Address
    417 Morse St NE, Washington, DC · Washington
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  7. Rank 7. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    399 Morse St. NE, Washington, DC · Washington
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    On the Way What's Around

  8. Rank 8. Chai Pani

    Awards
    Address
    1325 5th St NE, Washington, DC · Washington
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    On the Way What's Around

  9. Rank 9. Marcus DC

    Awards
    Address
    222 M St NE, Washington, DC · Washington
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    On the Way What's Around

  10. Rank 10. Minetta Tavern

    Awards
    Address
    1287 4th St NE, Washington, DC · Washington
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  11. Rank 11. Tapori

    Awards
    Address
    600 H St NE, Ste E, Washington, DC · Washington
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  12. Rank 12. Eunoia

    Awards
    Address
    320 Florida Ave NE, Washington, DC · Washington
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  13. Rank 13. Cordelia Fishbar

    Awards
    Address
    550 Morse St NE, Washington, DC · Washington
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  14. Rank 14. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    325 Morse St NE, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  15. Rank 15. St. Anselm

    Awards
    Address
    1250 5th St NE, Washington, DC · Washington
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  16. Rank 16. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    1822 First St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
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  17. Rank 17. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    403 H St NE, Washington, DC · Washington
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    On the Way What's Around

  18. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    1351 H St NE, Washington, DC · Washington
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  19. Rank 19. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    732 Maryland Ave NE, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  20. Rank 20. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    250 K St NE, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  21. Rank 21. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    1401 Okie St NE, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    Tock
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  22. Rank 22. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    901 Fourth St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  23. Rank 23. 2fifty

    Awards
    Address
    414 K St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
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    On the Way What's Around

  24. Rank 24. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    1451 Maryland Ave NE, Washington, DC · Washington
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  25. Rank 25. Andy's Pizza

    Awards
    Address
    51 M St NE, Washington, DC · Washington
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    On the Way What's Around

  26. Rank 26. King Street Oyster Bar

    Awards
    Address
    22 M St NE, Washington, DC · Washington
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    On the Way What's Around

  27. Rank 27. Amazonia

    Amazonian Peruvian

    Awards
    Address
    920 Blagden Alley, Washington, DC · Washington
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    On the Way What's Around

  28. Rank 28. Baan Siam

    Thai

    Awards
    Address
    425 I St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
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    On the Way What's Around

  29. Rank 29. Ethiopic Restaurant

    Traditional Ethiopian

    Awards
    Address
    401 H St NE, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  30. Rank 30. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    501 Florida Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington
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  31. Rank 31. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    1234 H St NE, Washington, DC · Washington
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  32. Rank 32. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    1356 Okie St NE, Washington, DC · Washington
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  33. Rank 33. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    103 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  34. Rank 34. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    200 Massachusetts Ave NW, Ste 100, Washington, DC · Washington
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    Tock
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    On the Way What's Around

  35. Rank 35. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    1440 8th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
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  36. Rank 36. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    200 Massachusetts Ave NW, Ste 150, Washington, DC · Washington
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    Tock
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    On the Way What's Around

  37. Rank 37. Kayu

    Authentic Filipino

    Awards
    Address
    1250 H St NE, Washington, DC · Washington
    On the Way What's Around

  38. Rank 38. Baan Mae

    Awards
    Address
    1604 7th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
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  39. Rank 39. Vera Cocina & بار

    Awards
    Address
    2002 Fenwick St NE, Washington, DC · Washington
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    On the Way What's Around

  40. Rank 40. Dear Sushi

    Sushi

    Awards
    Address
    200 Massachusetts Ave NW, Unit 150, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
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    On the Way What's Around

  41. Rank 41. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    601 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  42. Rank 42. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    501 Ninth St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
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  43. Rank 43. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    122 Blagden Alley NW, Washington, DC · Washington
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    On the Way What's Around

  44. Rank 44. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    455 Eye St, Washington, DC · Washington
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    On the Way What's Around

  45. Rank 45. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    920 Blagden Alley Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  46. Rank 46. The Dubliner

    Irish British

    Awards
    Address
    4 F St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
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  47. Rank 47. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    1114 Ninth St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  48. Rank 48. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    425 I St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
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    On the Way What's Around

  49. Rank 49. Love, Makoto

    Awards
    Address
    200 Massachusetts Ave NW, Unit 150, Washington, DC · Washington
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  50. Rank 50. 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
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    On the Way What's Around

  51. Rank 51. Bronze

    New American

    Awards
    Address
    1245 H St NE, Washington, DC · Washington
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  52. Rank 52. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    453 K St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  53. Rank 53. Cranes

    Spanish/Japanese

    Awards
    Address
    724 Ninth St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
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  54. Rank 54. Karma Modern Indian

    Modern Indian

    Awards
    Address
    611 I St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
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  55. Rank 55. Arrels

    Awards
    Address
    333 G St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
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  56. Rank 56. Centrolina

    Italian

    Awards
    Address
    974 Palmer Alley NW, Washington, DC · Washington
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  57. Rank 57. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    1207 Ninth St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    Tock
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  58. Rank 58. L'Ardente

    Italian

    Awards
    Address
    200 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington
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  59. Rank 59. Stellina Pizzeria

    Awards
    Address
    508 K St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
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  60. Rank 60. 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
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  61. Rank 61. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    633 D St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
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  62. Rank 62. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    640 L St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
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    On the Way What's Around

  63. Rank 63. Shouk

    Middle Eastern

    Awards
    Address
    655 K St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
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  64. Rank 64. Qui Qui

    Awards
    Address
    1539 Seventh St NW, FL 2, Washington, DC · Washington
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  65. Rank 65. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    701 Ninth St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
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    On the Way What's Around

  66. Rank 66. Chiko

    Awards
    Address
    423 8th St SE, Washington, DC · Washington
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  67. Rank 67. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    1330 Maryland Ave SW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  68. Rank 68. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    1501 Ninth St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
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  69. Rank 69. San Lorenzo Ristorante + Bar

    Italian

    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.

    Awards
    Address
    1316 9th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
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  70. Rank 70. Tonari

    Awards
    Address
    707 6th St NW Washington, DC · Washington
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  71. Rank 71. CherCher Ethiopian Restaurant

    Ethiopian

    Awards
    Address
    1334 Ninth St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
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  72. Rank 72. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    1414 Ninth St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  73. Rank 73. All-Purpose

    Italian-American Pizza

    Awards
    Address
    1250 Ninth St NW, Unit 2, Washington, DC · Washington
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  74. Rank 74. The Bazaar by José Andrés

    Avant-Garde Spanish

    Awards
    Address
    1100 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington
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    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  75. Rank 75. The Duck & The Peach

    Awards
    Address
    300 Seventh St SE, Washington, DC · Washington
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  76. Rank 76. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    922 N St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
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  77. Rank 77. 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
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  78. Rank 78. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    1346 Fourth St SE, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  79. Rank 79. 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
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  80. Rank 80. Ghostburger

    Awards
    Address
    1250 9th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
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    On the Way What's Around

  81. Rank 81. Le Diplomate

    Parisian French

    Awards
    Address
    1601 14th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
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    On the Way What's Around

  82. Rank 82. Lucky Danger

    Awards
    Address
    709 D St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
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  83. Rank 83. Andy's Pizza

    Awards
    Address
    808 V St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
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  84. Rank 84. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    2436 14th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    Resy
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  85. Rank 85. 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
    On the Way What's Around

  86. Rank 86. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    715 Eighth St SE, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    Resy
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  87. Rank 87. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    427 11th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  88. Rank 88. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    717 8th St SE, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  89. Rank 89. Bourbon Steak

    Awards
    Address
    2800 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  90. Rank 90. Chiko

    Awards
    Address
    2029 P St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  91. Rank 91. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    2017 14th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  92. Rank 92. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    1100 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    Resy
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  93. Rank 93. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    1346 Florida Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  94. Rank 94. Dragon Hero

    Awards
    Address
    2016 Ninth St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  95. Rank 95. Xiquet

    Spanish

    Chef Danny Lledó's wood-fired kitchen channels Valencian cooking with dill-cured bonito and rice dishes built over the hearth, their smoke and char cutting through delicate preparations. The sparse third-floor dining room feels like a private conversation, ending with coffee and sweets upstairs.

    Awards
    Address
    2404 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  96. Rank 96. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    2208 14th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  97. Rank 97. Upstate FTW

    Awards
    Address
    1314 U St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  98. Rank 98. 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
    On the Way What's Around

  99. Rank 99. I Egg You

    Awards
    Address
    517 8th St SE Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  100. Rank 100. 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.

    Awards
    Address
    1205 11th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

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