100 Very Best Restaurants 2017: Whaley’s

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Whaley's serves its signature oysters for Restaurant Week. Photo by Scott Suchman

About Whaley's

Cost:

cuisines
American, Seafood
Location(s)
301 Water St SE
Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374

Cousins Nick and David Wiseman made a name for themselves with DGS Delicatessen, but it’s their Navy Yard seafood restaurant that’s one of our favorite newcomers. For its waterside setting and patio, yes (especially at sunset), but even more for its impeccable shellfish and thoughtful service. There are so many ways to make a meal here—you could feast entirely on the family-style seafood risotto thickened with coconut milk; graze across chef Daniel Perron’s imaginative crudos and seasonal plates; or tear into seafood towers stacked with local oysters and sweet clams, barely grilled squid, uni, and poached mussels whose jus you’ll suck from the shells. Better yet, work your way through each section of the menu helped along by a cool glass of Muscadet. Moderate.

Also great: Day-boat-scallop crudo; blue-crab salad; carrots with aji peppers and sorghum; clams casino.


Ann Limpert
Executive Food Editor/Critic

Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.

Food Editor

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.

Jessica Sidman
Food Editor

Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.

Kristen Hinman
Articles Editor

Kristen Hinman has been editing Washingtonian’s features since 2014. She joined the magazine after editing politics & policy coverage for Bloomberg Businessweek and working as a staff writer for Voice Media Group/Riverfront Times.