About 1789 Restaurant
This 53-year-old Georgetown gem remains as elegant as ever. Six dining rooms sprawl across the stately mid-1900s house, their walls festooned with floor-to-ceiling antique prints. We especially love the warmly lit chamber up front, where nattily dressed diners await their parties at a pretty marble bar. Throughout, the sense of history is palpable, and you can’t help but imagine all the important conversations that took place there. In fact, they still do—it’s not uncommon to spy a senator or two tucking into chef Anthony Lombardo’s handsomely plated dishes.
Among the best: a fluke-and-plum tartare with lime aïoli and purple potato chips and a decadent foie gras torchon brûlée featuring grape jam and aged maple syrup. Seafood fans will appreciate Lombardo’s deft way with fish—potato-crusted black bass and buttery halibut served over nutty, lobster-enhanced farro are can’t-miss dishes. For dessert, order the sampler of bright sorbets and rich ice creams. Flavors shift with the seasons, and we’ve yet to try one we didn’t love.
Open daily for dinner.
