For the 42nd year, you voted on your top places to eat.
New Restaurant
1. Rooster & Owl, Columbia Heights
Carey and Yuan Tang pair inventive four-course tasting menus with playful touches such as house-made gummies, which arrive with the check.
2. Hot Lola’s, Ballston
James Beard Award–nominated Kevin Tien, the former Himitsu chef who just opened Emilie’s in DC, puts his spin on the ubiquitous spicy fried-chicken sandwich.
3. El Sapo, Silver Spring
This bright Cuban hangout is always loud and always fun.
Best in DC
1. Le Diplomate, Logan Circle
Six years old—that’s like 60 in restaurant years—and Stephen Starr’s French bistro shows no sign of slowing down.
2. The Dabney, Shaw
Jeremiah Langhorne’s hearth-driven restaurant homes in on Mid-Atlantic ingredients such as pawpaws and sugar toads.
3. Rose’s Luxury, Capitol Hill
This mod-American spot is home to DC’s most famous line. (It finally started taking same-day reservations last year.)
Best in Virginia
1. Ambar, Capitol Hill and Clarendon
These Balkan restaurants—there’s also a location in Belgrade—are best known for their all-you-can-eat brunches.
2. The Inn at Little Washington, Washington, Virginia
Patrick O’Connell’s Rappahannock County cottage is the only area restaurant to have earned three Michelin stars.
3. Peking Gourmet Inn, Falls Church
Mahogany-skinned ducks, carved at the table and served with translucent pancakes and spring onions, are the thing here.
Steakhouse
1. St. Anselm, Union Market
The prized cut at this antiestablishment steakhouse is the shareable ax-handle rib eye.
2. Bourbon Steak, Georgetown
Michael Mina’s team serves up A5 Wagyu in the dining room and excellent burgers and fries at the bar.
3. Medium Rare, Cleveland Park, Capitol Hill, Bethesda, and Virginia Square
A $23.95 set menu is composed of bread, salad, fries, culotte steak, and a fabulously rich secret sauce.
Service
1. Rose’s Luxury, Capitol Hill
The friendly servers are known to sometimes throw customers a gratis dish.
2. Le Diplomate, Logan Circle
The staffers tend to stay attentive even when the dining room is full.
3. The Inn at Little Washington, Washington, Virginia
Patrick O’Connell once brought in a ballet instructor to help his waitstaff move more gracefully.
Restaurant Desserts
1. Le Diplomate, Logan Circle
Home of the best profiteroles in town.
2. Brothers and Sisters, Adams Morgan
Pichet Ong puts whimsical spins on towering layer cakes.
3. Elle, Mount Pleasant
Lizzy Evelyn’s goat-cheese cheesecake is justifiably famous.
Special Occasion
1. The Dabney, Shaw
This woodsy former carriage house feels especially idyllic in winter.
2. Rose’s Luxury, Capitol Hill
You can book the rooftop table for an all-you-can-eat feast.
3. The Inn at Little Washington, Washington, Virginia
A sumptuous experience with antiques and miles of taffeta and silk.
Seafood
1. Fiola Mare, Georgetown
The glittery dining room on the Potomac offers $60 lobster ravioli and the occasional celebrity sighting.
2. The Salt Line, Navy Yard
Golden-fried, New England–style seafood mixes with Kyle Bailey’s cheffier pastas and crudos.
3. Hank’s Oyster Bar, Capitol Hill, Dupont Circle, the Wharf, Old Town Alexandria
You already know about the killer lobster roll—the sleeper hit is the cocktail roster.
Brunch
1. Le Diplomate, Logan Circle
You might be thinking of ordering French, but our heart lies with the all-American pancakes and the eggs Norwegian.
2 Ambar, Capitol Hill and Clarendon
All the Balkan-style dishes you can eat for $34.
3. Unconventional Diner, Shaw
French chef David Deshaies cooks up vegetarian stews and soups alongside diner classics.
For Kids
1. Ted’s Bulletin, Capitol Hill, 14th Street, Ballston, Reston, Merrifield, and Gaithersburg
Much of the menu—save for the boozy milkshakes—has kid appeal.
2. 2 Amys, Cathedral Heights
Many nights, this pizzeria has the din of a school cafeteria.
3. Comet Ping Pong, Forest Hills, DC
Big booths and a loud room make it especially toddler-friendly.
French
1. Le Diplomate, Logan Circle
Come for textbook onion soup, moules frites, and skate grenobloise.
2. Chez Billy Sud, Georgetown
Bistro standards in a pretty, gilded dining room.
3. L’Auberge Chez François, Great Falls
This cozy cottage—which gets seriously decked out for the holidays—specializes in robust Alsatian fare.
Italian
1. The Red Hen, Bloomingdale
A low-lit, leisurely spot for some of the city’s best rigatoni.
2. Sfoglina, Forest Hills, DC; downtown DC; and Rosslyn
Fabio and Maria Trabocchi recently opened a bigger Arlington version of their upscale pasta house.
3. Filomena, Georgetown
It’s been serving giant portions of osso buco and cheesecake for 36 years.
Mexican
1. Taqueria Habanero, Columbia Heights and College Park
Standout sopes and tacos on freshly made and pressed tortillas.
2. Oyamel, Penn Quarter
José Andrés–approved ceviches and small plates.
3. Taco Bamba, Chinatown, Falls Church, Vienna, Fairfax, and Springfield
Chicken nuggets, Kung Pao shrimp, and ramen noodles make their way into Victor Albisu’s madcap tacos.
Japanese
1. Sushi Taro, Dupont Circle
Spring for the omakase, served in a tiny back room.
2. Daikaya, Penn Quarter
Even the vegan ramen is a draw.
3 Sushiko, Chevy Chase
We love lunchtime bentos and sushi happy hour.
Chinese
1. Tiger Fork, Shaw
A chic Blagden Alley spot for barbecue meats and late-night dan-dan noodles.
2. Panda Gourmet, Gateway, DC
Some of the best hotel eats in the area are at this dining room attached to a Days Inn.
3. Peter Chang, Arlington and Rockville
Snack on balloon-like scallion pancakes, then dig into homey clay-pot stews.
Thai
1. Little Serow, Dupont Circle
This tiny, no-reservations northern Thai spot will set your tongue on fire.
2. Baan Thai, Logan Circle
The chili-laced curries and noodle dishes make you forget all about Americanized pad Thai.
3. Mai Thai, Dupont Circle, Georgetown, and Old Town Alexandria
This trio of places brings together sushi and spring rolls.w
Breakfast
1. Call Your Mother, Park View, DC
Home of the city’s best bagels—wood-fired and chewy, with a touch of sweetness.
2. Ted’s Bulletin, Capitol Hill, 14th Street, Ballston, Reston, Merrifield, and Gaithersburg
Cinnamon buns “as big as ya head,” cheesecake pop tarts, breakfast nachos—you get the idea.
3. A Baked Joint, Mount Vernon Square
Scoff at toast “programs” all you want, but this bread bakery sells the best slices in town. Go for the peanut-butter-Sriracha-and-cilantro.
Best in Maryland
1. Bob’s Shanghai 66, Rockville
Bring lots of cash—credit cards aren’t accepted—and fill your table with dumplings as well as Szechuan and Shanghainese share plates.
2. Volt, Frederick
Bryan Voltaggio’s home-base dining room offers modernist dishes and a 15-course tasting menu.
3. Q by Peter Chang, Bethesda
Chinese chef Peter Chang’s most upscale restaurant serves numbing stir-fries and gorgeous dim sum.
Bakery
1. Baked & Wired, Georgetown
It’s best known for cupcakes, but the pies are where it’s at.
2. Seylou, Shaw
The meticulously crafted small-batch breads have won national attention.
3. Bakeshop, Clarendon and Falls Church
Retro icebox pies and layer cakes share space with inventions such as the “Oreo in a blanket.”
Gourmet Shop
1. Glen’s Garden Market, Dupont Circle
Everything from the marshmallows to the Chardonnay is locally produced.
2. Balducci’s, Bethesda, Alexandria, McLean, and Reston
The New York–born store is known for its prepared foods.
3. The Italian Store, Arlington
The Italian subs are worth the inevitable wait. Call ahead to skip the line.
Coolest Decor
1. Maydan, U Street corridor
You can’t get much more dramatic than the giant fiery hearth in the center of Rose Previte’s dining room.
2. Primrose, Brookland
The low-key, French-style wine bar is done up with flouncy marabou chandeliers.
3. Coconut Club, Union Market
An urban tiki extravaganza with plenty of details for the ’gram.
This article appears in the December 2019 issue of Washingtonian.
