Valentine’s Day reservations for our 100 Very Best Restaurants are filling up fast, and some are booked for February 14th (though we have the intel on waitlists, and where you can check for last-minute availability). Here’s what the top 25 eateries on this year’s 100 Very Best Restaurants have planned, from ultra-splurges to casual fried chicken and singles only dining.
1 Métier Reservations for chef Eric Ziebold’s tasting room are unavailable on their site until Wednesday, March 2 (but you may be in luck with a friendly party of three, or double date with four).
2 Komi Tables for chef Johnny Monis’ Mediterranean-influenced tasting room are notoriously tough (they book a month out), but you’ll find last-minute openings announced on their website–we’d happily celebrate V-Day there on February 22, or anytime.
3 Del Mar Chef Fabio Trabocchi’s luxe Spanish spot serves a special tasting menu that includes five courses for $135, or four courses for $195. The menu also includes additional wines, Spanish cheeses, tapas, and desserts.
4 Himitsu This gem of a nouveau-Japanese restaurant in Petworth is first come first serve, so get there early to score one of the seats (in addition to being awesome, it’s tiny).
5 Pineapple and Pearls Tickets for a special tasting menu ($325 all-inclusive with drinks; $225 without beverages) at chef Aaron Silverman’s Barracks Row hotspot are booked, but guests can be added to a waitlist.
6 The Dabney Online reservations are booked at chef Jeremiah Langhorne’s atmospheric Mid-Atlantic restaurant for Valentine’s Day. You best bet: walk in early to the bar, which is first come and first serve, or try the lovely downstairs wine bar (though again, early arrival is key).
7 Sushi Taro A $135 per person reservation at Dupont’s elegant Japanese eatery includes an eight-course kaiseki tasting with Champagne cocktails, lobster sashimi, Japanese wagyu beef, and a chocolate cake dessert. Add the note “Valentine Tasting” or “Valentine Kaiseki” when making an online reservation.
8 Tail Up Goat Like great food but hate all the stuffiness? Our favorite Adams Morgan neighborhood spot is serving a fried chicken dinner with caviar, truffles, and sparkling wine ($75 per person). Both the restaurant and bar will require reservations, which are made exclusively through the website.
9 Bad Saint Couples need not apply at this ambitious Filipino eatery. The Columbia Heights restaurant is only accepting solo walk-ins for their “Independent Hearts” dinner on February 14. As always, prepare to line up early.
10 Masseria Chef Nicholas Stefanelli serves an Italian prix-fixe menu with options for four courses ($92 per person) or five courses ($108 per person). Additionally, there’s a six course tasting menu created for each guest at $135 per person.
11 Kobo This modern Japanese tasting counter inside Sushiko is closed on Wednesdays (the day Valentine’s Day falls on this year). But Sushiko itself has reservations available for a $65 four-course menu with complimentary Champagne.
12 Inn at Little Washington Enjoy a special tasting menu at this luxurious countryside getaway from February 14 through 17. Chef Patrick O’Connell’s selections include oysters with Champagne hollandaise, pepper-crusted tuna, and lamb loin for $298 per person. Wine parings are available for $165.
13 Field and Main Husband-and-wife team Neal and Star Wavra serve a romantic four-course menu ($75 per person) at their Marshall, Virginia destination.
14 Minibar Online tickets are already sold out for Valentine’s Day, but consider a backup date (or Jose Andres’ adjoining cocktail bar, Barmini).
15 Whaley’s We love this seafood spot for its unfussy fare, and V-Day is no different. Enjoy an a la carte dinner menu featuring a selection of crudos by chef Daniel Perron, and sparkling wine for two.
16 Izakaya Seki Looking for delicious food without all the Valentine’s hooplah? This Japanese izakaya opens at 5 PM on Valentine’s Day, and is only accepting walk-ins.
17 Maydan This atmospheric fire-centric restaurant serves a $70 per person dinner that features cocktails, grilled langoustines, and spiced duck breast. Reservations are full, but hopeful couples or groups can join the waitlist.
18 All-Purpose A pepperoni pizza with spicy honey is the way to our hearts. Chef Mike Friedman’s Shaw pizzeria accepts walk-ins and reservations for Valentine’s Day. You might even consider ordering some delicious takeout from the bar.
19 Rasika/Rasika West End Both of restaurateur Ashok Bajaj’s modern Indian spots offer special Valentine’s menus, which include a wide range of dishes—including plenty for vegetarians.
20 Requin Chef Michael Rafidi created a five-course French feast for $125 per person at the new Wharf restaurant. The menu includes indulgences like escargot croissants, Parisian gnocchi, and lobster thermidor.
21 Plume Few restaurants convey luxury like the one in the Jefferson hotel (think silk-lined walls, purse stools, and a fireplace). For $168 a person, or $258 with a wine pairing, couples get a curated menu by executive chef Ralf Schlegel.
22 Le Diplomate In addition to the regular menu, 14th Street’s buzzy brasserie will serve lobster risotto on Feb 13. Specials for Valentine’s Day include beef rossini with pommes fondue and sauce Bordelaise, butter-poached lobster with a vanilla salsify, and complimentary macarons.
23 Marcel’s This French-Belgian restaurant has a few reservations left earlier in the evening on Valentine’s Day, so call soon. The four-course menu is priced at $165, and a pianist is scheduled for the evening. If you and your date can’t get a table reservation, the restaurant’s bar is still an option.
24 Inferno Pizzeria Napoletana Come as you are (and bring the family) for the best pizza in Washington–no reservations necessary. The Darnestown, MD spot opens at 5 PM per usual until they’re out of dough.
25 Chiko Get fast-casual with your date at this stellar Chinese-Korean spot on Barracks Row, which offers its regular “tasting menu” (basically the entire a la carte menu) throughout the cozy space (typically only offered at the kitchen counter).The $65 ticketed event includes glasses of bubbly for you and your date.
Elliot joined Washingtonian in January 2018. An alum of Villanova University, he grew up in the Philadelphia area before earning a master’s degree in journalism from Syracuse University. His work has also appeared in the Washington Post, TheAtlantic.com, and DCist.com, among others. He lives in Bloomingdale.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
