100 Very Best Restaurants: #21 – Fiola Mare

Photograph by Scott Suchman

About Fiola Mare

cuisines
Italian
Location(s)
3100 K St NW
Washington, District of Columbia 20007

Was that Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron cozied up in a booth? Yes, and the A-plus-list clientele and Georgetown waterfront location make Fabio Trabocchi’s Italian seafood spot a destination for its scene as well as its food. The nearly decade-­old dining room is one of our favorite places to celebrate, whether a birthday or a Friday. Longtime chef Anton Bolling transforms cuts of rare fish and shellfish into edible art—crudos and seafood plateaus are worth the splurge—and fashions lovely shares such as saffron-laced paccheri studded with conch, lobster, monkfish, and more, or an Adriatic mixed grill for two. Though not a “deal,” the $95 free-flowing-Champagne brunch is an excellent way to say cheers for a smidge less than dinner. Very expensive.