The Top 100 Restaurants Near The Red Hen
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Rank 1. 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 2. 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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Rank 3. 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 4. 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 5. 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 6. 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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- 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 8. 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 9. 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 10. 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 11. 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 12. 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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- Esquire 2025 · 50/50 · The Best Martinis in America
- Washingtonian 2026 · #37 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
- Eater The 38 Essential Restaurants Around D.C.
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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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Rank 15. 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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- 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 17. YELLOW Union Market
Levantine Middle Eastern
- The Rammys 2025 · Finalist · Fast Casual Restaurant of the Year
- The Rammys 2025 · Finalist · Pastry Chef or Baker of the Year · Alicia Wang
- Eater The Best Bakeries Around D.C.
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Rank 18. 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 19. 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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Rank 20. 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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- 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 22. 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 23. 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 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. 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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- 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 27. 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 28. 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 29. 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 30. 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 32. 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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Rank 33. 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 2026 · #6 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
- Washingtonian The Hot List: 10 Restaurants Around DC We’re Loving Right Now
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Rank 38. Centrolina
Italian
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Restaurant
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Chef · Amy Brandwein
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic · Amy Brandwein
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Rank 39. 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 40. Unido
Panamanian
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Rank 41. 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 42. 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 43. 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 44. Cranes
Spanish/Japanese
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Rank 46. CherCher Ethiopian Restaurant
Ethiopian
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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 50. 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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- 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 53. All-Purpose
Italian-American Pizza
- Washingtonian 2026 · #85 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
- Washingtonian 2025 · #69 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
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Rank 54. 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 55. Izakaya Seki
Japanese
- Washingtonian 2026 · #40 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
- Washingtonian 2025 · #54 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
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Rank 56. 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 57. 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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Rank 58. 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 59. 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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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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Rank 62. 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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Rank 63. 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 64. Shouk
Middle Eastern
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Rank 67. 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
- The New York Times 2021 · The Restaurant List
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Rank 68. Dear Sushi
Sushi
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Rank 69. 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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Rank 72. 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 77. 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 80. 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 81. 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 82. 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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Rank 83. 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 84. Ethiopic Restaurant
Traditional Ethiopian
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Rank 86. Michele’s
French-inspired New American
The brasserie lives in the Eaton Hotel as a monument to Chef Matt Baker's Gulf Coast roots—Houston grit, New Orleans soul. Roasted oysters and crawfish linguine sit comfortably alongside smashburgers and Nashville hot chicken; a bowl of pozole arrives as both sustenance and small mercy. This is American food in its most honest register, touched lightly by France, uninterested in pretense.
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Rank 87. 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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- 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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Rank 89. The Dubliner
Irish British
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Rank 90. 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 91. 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 92. The Bazaar by José Andrés
Avant-Garde Spanish
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Rank 94. 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 95. 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 96. 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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- 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 98. 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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- 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 100. 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