On our many trips to Washington D.C. over the years, we have enjoyed (or not enjoyed) many Washington DC restaurants. This is a 2022 updated summary of our dining experiences at Washinton DC restaurants. Unfortunately, many of the places we previously loved have permanently closed.

Washington DC Restaurants (alphabetical)

Café du Parc

2011: We were very pleased with our lunch here: trout with a light cream sauce and mussels steamed in a white wine garlic broth with fries.

Central Michel Richard

2013: We ate lunch here on a previous visit and enjoyed it. We thought it would be a good light dinner on the evening we arrived from the west coast. Many other people apparently still enjoy it, since the restaurant was filled from the time we walked in 20 minutes early for our reservation until we left at about 10:00 PM. This time we were disappointed. Although we definitely liked the sommelier and thought his descriptions and recommendations were spot on, we did not feel the same about our server or our food. Our gougeres were dry and lacked the fluffiness and deep cheese taste that we expected. The fillet mignon tartar was far too vinegary for our tastes. The loup de mer with mushrooms was okay, although it could have been done with a sauce to add a bit of moisture and flavor. The sautéed frog legs and creamed spinach were probably our favorite dishes, although we have had other preparations of both that we enjoyed far more. Overall, it was a big disappointment. However since we enjoyed it so much on a previous visit, it is worth another try.

Cranes Spanish Kaiseki

2022: We had 4 dishes at this Spanish tapas and kaiseki restaurant for lunch. Two were quite good: Iberico ham with grated tomatoes, bonita flakes, and sesame seeds with coca bread; and shrimp tempura with lime aioli, togarashi, and nori. The other two dishes were less enjoyable: a tasteless duck rillette gyozas with noisette vinaigrette; and the overly-salty squid with chorizo, sake, and lentils. The service was very good. 

Estadio

2015: We would have preferred dinner or lunch at this Spanish tapas restaurant. However, we were there for a brunch, which had an abbreviated menu. Still, we found some interesting dishes that we enjoyed. Our dishes were toasted country bread with jambon, manchego, and tomato; smoked salmon with yogurt and honey on toasted bread; scallops and roasted cauliflower on roasted honey purée; and roasted wild mushrooms with garlic. All were very good.

Equinox

2022: Our two entrees and a dessert were all nice, but not inspiring. The entrees consisted of grilled, honey-miso-glazed swordfish with bok choy, shitakes, and tomato jus; and Cola-BBQ grilled Jarl Island salmon with delicious corn succotash with black-eyed peas and corn. We also shared a key lime tart dessert with mojito whipped cream, raspberry coulis, and blueberries. Our wine was the always reliable and enjoyable 2018 Penner-Ash Willamette Valley Pinot Noir.

2019: We sat at an outside table at Equinox, enjoying the nice spring weather. We both enjoyed the large, lightly fried softshell crab with julienned vegetables on a bed of Middle Eastern rice and saffron tomato sauce. Tom was quite happy with his East Coast Bouillabaisse with giant prawns, octopus, rockfish, and saffron aioli crostini.  Joyce was quite disappointed with her starchy pappardelle with a bland wild mushroom Bolognese with sweet basil. The Mendocino county Grenache (2017 Elizabeth Special Cuvee) was lighter than the Spanish Grenaches with which we are familiar and lighter than we would have preferred with our dishes. However, it was still quite nice. We were quite pleased with both the service and the atmosphere.

Fiola Mare

2015: We split a Fiola Mare Raw Bar which included half a chilled Maine lobster, a large king crab claw, six raw mid-neck clams, six assorted oysters, six mussels, and small but very adequate-sized dishes of salmon tartare, calamari salad, wakame salad, and sea urchin. Our feast was complemented by a table overlooking the Potomac, the Kennedy Center, and the Watergate complex. The only negative was the two server assistants who could not manage to bring anything until it was requested two or three times.

Fiola Ristorante & Bar

2013: We ate on the patio and shared two satisfying items from the “Bite Menu” at this high-end Italian restaurant: (veal meatballs with buffalo mozzarella fritters and sugo fonts and a Venetian sautéed calamari with controne chiles and mayonnaise. We followed this with two very reasonably priced ($38) three-course pre-theater menus. One menu consisted of a Rosi Parma prosciutto (with arugula, balsamic, and basil pesto), Tajarin (with ragu Bolognese), and panda cotta (with cassis and Amarena cherries) The other meal was buffalo mozzarella burrata (with roasted tomatoes and basil pesto), arctic char (with rosemary, zabaglione, Swiss chard, and olives), followed with cioccolato (a dark chocolate ganache with cassis sorbet and cocoa nib tuile). We enjoyed this with a bottle of Vino Nobile do Montepulciano. The food and the service were both very good.

Jaleo

2013: Jaleo is one of Chef Jose Andres’ Spanish small-plate restaurants. We stopped at the packed restaurant for a small, pre-fireworks July 4th dinner. We began with a bite of the restaurant’s interesting “liquid olive” (concentrated olive juices in a water/alginate gel), followed by three small dishes. The mussels, steamed in olive oil and bay leaf, and shrimp in garlic sauce were okay, although not overly flavorful. We fared better with our next two dishes: fried dates wrapped in bacon with apple mustard sauce; and a particularly tasty grilled quail with rosemary sauce and honey aioli. The latter dishes, in particular, went well with both fino and especially Manzanilla sherries.

Kushi

2013: We visited this Japanese izakaya restaurant for lunch. Many of the more interesting items were not available on the limited lunch menu. However, we were happy with what we had. After beginning with an obligatory (at least for us) edamame, we shared three rolls (tuna avocado cucumber, spicy tuna, and shrimp tempura) and a number of grilled skewers. We particularly liked the duck breast with scallion, breast, and pork belly. The pheasant sausage was dry and not especially tasty. The beef short rib was in between. Overall, the restaurant was good, but not great.

Le Diplomate

2015: At this very busy classic French Bistro, four of us shared frog legs provincial and duck liver pate appetizers and each had our own entrees. Tom had the veal scallop with morels, spring onions, and mushroom cream sauce, and Joyce had moules frites. Our friends had steak frites and Moroccan braised lamb. Our wine began with a white Croze Hermitage Rhone blend, followed by a red, Cote de Nuits Burgundy. While the conversation was challenging in the packed, noisy restaurant, we all enjoyed the food. It was nothing extraordinary, but it was well-prepared standard bistro fare with good service.

Luke’s Lobster

2013: This Georgetown branch of the small New York-based chain is more of a fast-food joint than a restaurant. The menu consists of a small selection of rolls–lobster, crab, and shrimp: It has seating at a couple of tables and a bar. For an extra $2, you get to select from a number of different Cape Cod chips and upscale bottled sodas. But, with a healthy dose of fresh, tasty lobster salad with tarragon on a buttered, toasted bun, we had no complaints. Even if we had, we had no doubt that the very friendly staff would have competently addressed them.

Maialino Mare

2022: This Italian restaurant is in the reimagined Navy Yard complex. We started with 2 antipasti. The prosciutto and cantaloupe was very refreshing and the pan-fried Sicilian sardines with pesto and lemon was good. Our suckling pig primi was mixed with the pasta and a light sauce. While good, we would have preferred more pig. On the other hand, we both loved the sucking pig ribs on the secondi menu. They were tender and juicy and were accompanied by crisp, almost chip-like skin and potatoes. Our 2014 Macchioni Vino Nobile di Montepulciano complemented and did not overpower the dishes. And to finish off the evening, we took a trip up the building’s elevator to the Anchovy Social roof deck where we each had a glass of red wine from their limited bar menu while enjoying the views over the southeast section of the city, the Potomac and RFK Stadium.

Rasika

2022: We had to restrain ourselves in ordering only the amount of food that we could actually eat, rather than what we wanted to try. We enjoyed the goat cheese kolcha (a naan stuffed with goat cheese), the sweet potato and peanut kabob with tapioca pearls, green chili, and curry leaves and our reorder of the same mango shrimp with cashews, ginger, and mango pulp we so enjoyed in 2013. This place continues to please us.

2013: Although Indian food is not normally among our favorites, we had previously eaten here and loved this upscale, modern Indian restaurant. The chef uses unusual combinations of ingredients that produce deliciously complex tastes. The service is knowledgeable and attentive, without being ostentatious. We split two breads (truffle naan and goat cheese kulcha), an appetizer (barbequed mango shrimp with cashews), two entrees (a mixed grill with tandoori salmon, khatta meetha tikka and seekh kebab, and a black cod with dill, honey, star anise, and wine vinegar) and a vegetable (flash-fried crispy baby spinach with yogurt, date, and chutney). The kulcha and khatta meetha tikka were both very good and the mango shrimp and black cod were delicious. The only quasi-disappointment was the seekh kebab, which was spicier than we had expected. We are already looking forward to returning to Rasika on our next trip.

2011: We had a delicious lunch here. Although it was packed, the service was extremely prompt and efficient. We loved our wonderful shared appetizer (the shrimp in mango sauce) and entrée (halibut in a yellow curry sauce), although we were a bit disappointed, particularly with the sauce, for the fig dumpling side dish. All, went well with naan and glasses of Gruner Veltliner and White Rhone.

Red Hen

2015: This is another very popular restaurant. Along with our friends, we shared five small plates, and each of us had an entree. The appetizers were all excellent. The best were the grilled octopus with a pea hummus, chickpea salad, fennel, and tonnato sauce; and the burrito with grilled asparagus salad, salami, toasted sesame, and oregano vinaigrette. Almost as good was the Tuscan chicken liver mousse with fig conserve, thyme, and grilled rustic bread; and the baby tomato and cucumber salad with fried pita, onions, feta, and lemon vinaigrette. We also all enjoyed an additional dish brought by our server–an al dente picci pasta which added some of the pasta’s water, butter, and pepper. While it was simple, it was very good. One of the two entrees also stood out: the sea scallops with English peas, bacon, greens, and soft polenta. Another entree (roasted halibut with fregola, chickpeas, carrot cream, falafel spices, and green Harissa) was okay, although the Atlantic halibut lacked the taste and texture of Alaskan halibut and the dish was somewhat over spiced, at least for our taste. We had the meal with a Slovenian Sauvignon Blanc (Movia 2011) and a couple of glasses of one of the house specialties–an “orange wine”, which is a white wine grape fermented with the skins and seeds to produce more pronounced tastes and tannins. The one we tried, the 2013 Biggio Hamina Willamette Valley Pinot Grigio was a bit harsh but settled down a bit as it warmed. Apparently, it is an acquired taste.

Rose’s Luxury

2015: Given the ultra-long line at this place, we never imagined that we would get in. We had to make a major compromise (sitting outside in 90-degree heat and 100 percent humidity), but we got in. The Vietnamese pate with peanuts and herbs; and the crispy soft shell crab with white asparagus and white balsamic vinaigrette were extraordinary. The grilled avocado with tomatillo, poblano, cotija cheese, and cilantro stems was very good. The grilled asparagus with pineapple, jalapeño, and chives was okay, but nothing to write home about. We had it all with a bottle of Albariño. Overall, it was a very good experience–even if we had to bear the temperature and humidity.

St. Anselm

2021: Another return to one of the restaurants we enjoyed in 2019. This time we loved the moist, flaky buttermilk biscuits. We were satisfied, but certainly not excited by steamed middleneck clams in a non-distinct broth. We enjoyed their version of an iceberg wedge, with a full baby iceberg served with chopped eggs, a large slab of artisan bacon and blue cheese dressing. The star, however, was the perfectly cooked ribeye steak. The wine was a very nice, reasonably-priced Right Bank Bordeaux, a 2016 Maison Blanche “Le Columbier” de la Metarie from Montagne-St. Emillion.

2019: We made a meal of small plates at this American tavern. Tom enjoyed the grilled clams with chanteuse, but Joyce felt they were too salty. The grilled king crab leg with melted butter was very good. The lamb tartare with flatbread was nicely spiced. But the hit of the meal was a veggie dish: grilled cauliflower coated in tahini and puffed amaranth. Our wine was a pleasant 2017 Bow & Arrow Vitae Springs Vineyard Pinot noir.

Sweet Home Café

2019: Sweet Home Cafe is a multi-station cafeteria-style spot in the National African-American Museum. We were very surprised at how good the meal was. They had many different types of food stations. You lined up at the station of choice and then choose your food. Tom had shrimp and grits. The bowl was piled to overflowing and included 10 large shrimp and a tasty sauce. Joyce had an equally generous and tasty barbequed pulled pork sandwich. We both had cornbread and a pecan tart, which were nice complements to the meal. While the cuisine may not be particularly innovative, our very limited experience was very positive. The food was well-prepared, tasty and the portions were generous. The servers were friendly and the facilities were spacious and clean. The bad news is that you have to have a museum ticket to get in. But if you are going to the museum, it is one of the better lunch options in the area.

Vidalia

2011: We had visited the restaurant before for lunch and enjoyed it. This time we came for dinner, which was another good experience. The buttermilk-fried frog legs were tasty, although the sauce (with peppers) slightly overwhelmed the delicate frog legs. Tom had a rabbit loin wrapped in bacon and rabbit legs stuffed with sausage. Joyce had a wonderful shrimp and grits dinner. While we  never thought we would ever “complain” about this,  there were too many shrimp for the modest amount of grits. The service was very attentive and the Daedelus Willamette Valley Pinot Noir complimented all three dishes. 

Zaytinya

2013: This is another Jose Andres restaurant but with a take on Turkish food. After devouring the hummus with Zatinya’s puffed pita bread, we shared four small plates. The keftedes kapama (beef and lamb meatballs with feta and tomato sauce) and octopus santorini (grilled with onions, capers, and pea puree) were quite good. Our two lamb-based dishes, a bit less so. Arayes, which is essentially a mini gyro, was okay, but the small amount of meat was overwhelmed by the bread. The lamb kebab was dried out.

Not Recommended

China Chilcano

2019: China Chilcano is a Jose Andres restaurant that specializes in contemporary Peruvian food. This translates into a blend of traditional Peruvian, Japanese, and Chinese food. Our lunch consisted of three dishes. The big-eye tuna ceviche with soy-cured egg yolk, ponzu, puffed quinoa, avocado, and jicama was the best of the meal. The fried crispy shrimp and pork dumplings were tasty, although we erroneously expected them to be pan-fried, rather than deep-fried. The Xiao Long Bao was disappointing in its total lack of soup in the dumpling. Not high on our return list.

The Dabney

2019: We were anxious to try this very popular restaurant. Unfortunately, we cannot recommend it.  While the somm and our server were fine, the food took forever to come out of the open, wood-fired kitchen. And when the dishes did come out, we were disappointed in many of them. The shaved radishes & fried oysters contained a full plate of tasty, fresh radishes, but only three nickel-sized oysters. The grilled Chesapeake rockfish was okay, although was over-salted for our tastes. The grilled quail was okay but the sweet/sour agrodolce sauce overwhelmed the taste of the bird. We were particularly disappointed with the skillet-flamed cornbread which had a burnt taste and barely a note of corn taste. Ironically, our favorite dish was the complimentary ciabatta with delicious sorghum butter. We also appreciate the somm’s surprising recommendation of a Riesling (2017 Peter Lauer Riesling) with our dishes. We will not return.

Hank’s Oyster Bar

2019 At Hank’s Oyster Bar, we enjoyed the lobster deviled eggs and the fried oysters (although we thought the serving to be small for the price). Meanwhile, some of the fried clams (also a small portion for the price), had not been soaked long enough to wash out their bellies, which were full of disgusting black grit. Another less-than-stellar experience.