The Top 16 Tasting Menus Near 2Fifty

Updated July 15, 2026

Categories

  1. Rank 1. Elcielo Restaurant

    Colombian

    A Michelin-starred fine dining tasting menu that reads as a love letter to Colombia, right next to Union Market. The chef's cooking is personal and theatrical, the kind of place where dishes arrive with a little drama and a story behind them. The crowd leans toward date night and special occasions, everyone dressed up just enough. Go hungry, go curious, and let the warm staff walk you through it.

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

  2. Rank 2. Oyster Oyster

    American

    A Michelin-starred vegetable tasting menu in Shaw that will make you forget you're not eating meat, and actually mean it. The chef turns local farm produce into nine courses of genuinely surprising food, the kind where a potato or a squash does something you didn't expect. The crowd skews thoughtful and curious rather than preachy about it. You leave feeling weirdly good, which isn't something tasting menus usually pull off.

    Awards
    Address
    1440 8th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    Resy
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  3. Rank 3. Causa

    Nikkei Peruvian

    Tucked into Blagden Alley, Causa is a Michelin-starred tasting menu spot for about 20 people, so it already feels like a secret. The chef blends Japanese technique with Peruvian ingredients in a way that actually makes sense, moving you from Lima's coast up through the Andes and into the Amazon over the course of a meal. The crowd leans date-night and serious-eater, the kind of people who researched this place weeks ago.

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

  4. Rank 4. Bresca

    Contemporary New American

    Bresca is a Michelin-starred bistro on 14th Street that somehow feels like your neighborhood spot and a special-occasion splurge at the same time. The room is pretty wild, with a moss wall and surreal gold accents that make first-daters and dressed-up regulars feel equally at home. The cooking is genuinely creative without making you feel dumb for enjoying it, and the service hits the rare sweet spot of polished but not precious.

    Awards
    Address
    1906 14th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  5. Rank 5. Little Pearl

    Contemporary

    A one-star Michelin tasting menu that won't make your eyes water when the bill arrives, which is a rare thing. The room feels like a sunroom someone accidentally made beautiful, all glass and green views. The cooking is seasonal and genuinely inventive, rotating constantly except for a signature amuse that anchors every meal. First-daters and food people who've done their homework fill the room, all quietly impressed they pulled it off.

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

  6. Rank 6. The Duck & the Peach

    American

    Awards
    Address
    300 Seventh St SE, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  7. Rank 7. Centrolina

    Italian

    Awards
    Address
    974 Palmer Alley NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  8. Rank 8. Imperfecto

    Latin American

    A Michelin-starred fine dining room in DC's West End where modernist Latin cooking gets a serious workout. The glass-and-marble space looks like it's trying to impress someone, and honestly it pulls it off. Snag a counter seat directly under the chef's perch and you're basically inside the kitchen, watching an elaborate tasting menu unfold. The crowd dresses like they have reservations somewhere important, which, to be fair, they do.

    Awards
    Address
    1124 23rd St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    OpenTable
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  9. Rank 9. Karma Modern Indian

    Modern Indian

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

  10. Rank 10. Beloved BBQ

    Japanese

    A Japanese steakhouse in Capitol Crossing where the dark walls, neon hallway, and circular tabletop grills make it clear you're not at a regular chophouse. The crowd leans toward expense-account dinners and special-occasion splurges, which makes sense once you see the A5 Wagyu on the menu. The chef keeps things sharply Japanese in spirit, and the server folding your fried rice tableside is the kind of move that makes everyone at the table stop talking.

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

  11. Rank 11. Casa Teresa

    Spanish

    Spanish home cooking done with real technique, inside a light-filled dining room and patio at the Square food hall. The team came up through serious kitchens, and you can taste it, especially in the meats off the oak-and-charcoal grill. The crowd skews stylish without trying too hard, the kind of people who order a second round of croquetas without apology. Save room for the Basque cheesecake, which quietly earns every compliment it gets.

    Awards
    Address
    919 19th St NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Online
    WebsiteInstagram
    On the Way What's Around

  12. Rank 12. Xiquet

    Spanish

    A Michelin-starred fine dining room on the third floor of a Wisconsin Ave townhouse, and yes, it's as intimate as that sounds. The kitchen runs on a wood-fired hearth and channels the flavors of Valencia with real conviction. A handful of tables, dressed-up couples and serious food people who did their research. After dinner the team moves you to a lounge for coffee, which is a very civilized way to end the night.

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

  13. Rank 13. Shilling Canning Company

    Awards
    Address
    360 Water Street SE Washington, DC · Washington
    On the Way What's Around

  14. Rank 14. Lutèce

    French

    Georgetown has a lot of restaurants competing for your credit card, but this snug French neo-bistro on Wisconsin earns it. The room does exposed brick and pressed-tin ceilings without feeling like a prop, and the menu is short on purpose, rotating with the seasons. Couples on first and fifth dates fill the place, the cocktails are genuinely good, and the whole thing hums with a warmth that's harder to fake than the décor.

    Awards
    Address
    1522 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    Resy
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

  15. Rank 15. Dear Sushi

    Sushi

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

  16. Rank 16. Kappo

    Wagyu Omakase Japanese

    A counter-only kappo spot tucked just below street level, serving a focused eight-course tasting menu built around Wagyu and seafood. The kitchen is precise without being fussy, and the whole thing feels intimate in the way that only a handful of seats can. It ends with Wagyu miso soup and rice, which sounds simple but lands like a proper send-off. Bring someone you actually want to talk to, because you're going to be there a while.

    Awards
    Address
    4822 MacArthur Blvd NW, Washington, DC · Washington
    Reserve
    Tock
    Online
    Website
    On the Way What's Around

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