By Eric Barton | June 2, 2025
Every time I think I’ve nailed down the best restaurants in Washington, the city opens another one that demands a rewrite.
That’s just how D.C. works—ambitious, restless, and always serving something new worth chasing. We last updated this list in February, and after The Adventurist team descended on the city last week, we found a new favorite that wasn’t even on our list back then.
So whether you’re a local searching “best restaurants near me in DC” or just in town for a few nights, start here, with this list of the best Washington, D.C., restaurants for 2025. But don’t get too comfortable—this city doesn’t sit still.
1. Moon Rabbit
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Moon Rabbit, now in downtown, serves the kind of meal that makes you stop mid-bite and reassess your priorities. The canh chua, roasted black cod, rests in a tomato-tamarind broth that managed to be both tart and comforting; like many things here, it tastes like a childhood memory re-engineered into fine dining that’s never fussy. And the fish sauce caramel with the avocado sorbet pictured above? It lands briny, sweet, and way more elegant than it has any right to be, just like Moon Rabbit. —Eric Barton
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2. Mallard
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At Mallard, chef Hamilton Johnson reimagines the Southern food he grew up with—less Sunday supper, more South Carolina on sabbatical in Paris. Think buttermilk biscuits with serious swagger, hushpuppies that flirt with fine dining, and a duck confit that could make your grandmother reconsider her gumbo. It’s Southern comfort, sure—but sharper, smarter, and unafraid to show off a little. —Eric Barton
3. Centrolina
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Amy Brandwein’s James Beard-nominated pasta laboratory in CityCenter turns out cappellacci so delicate they should be insured by Lloyd’s. The market sells her signature nduja alongside truffle grinders – because every home needs a $200 spice apparatus, obviously. —Kelly McMurtry
4. L’Ardente
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L’Ardente is what happens when you give a Roman trattoria a glam makeover and send it out for cocktails with a fashion editor. The lasagna is a 40-layer architectural marvel, the pizza comes blistered and bougie, and the whole place glows like it’s lit for a magazine shoot. It’s Italian, yes—but unapologetically D.C., where the style is half the point. —Eric Barton
5. Cranes
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At Cranes, chef Pepe Moncayo walks the tightrope between Japanese precision and Spanish exuberance—and somehow never loses balance. The menu reads like a dare: toro nigiri with Ibérico lardo, soba noodles with jamón broth, tempura made for wine, not beer. It’s part izakaya, part Barcelona wine bar, and completely its own thing. —Eric Barton
6. Xiquet
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Danny Lledó’s Michelin-decorated paella palace in Glover Park proves Valencia’s flavors translate perfectly to our capital’s marble counters. The bomba rice crackles with soccarat magic, while avant-garde takes on horchata involve barrel-aged rums and cinnamon smoke. Spain never tasted so Beltway. —Kelly McMurtry
7. Elena James
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Nina May’s younger, cooler sibling in Chevy Chase serves lamb za’atar pizza alongside short-rib lasagna in a sun-drenched space that’s equal parts neighborhood hang and culinary laboratory. Their “business meeting approved” cocktail list features a smoked old fashioned that’ll make your PowerPoints sparkle. —Kelly McMurtry
8. Arrels
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Pepe Moncayo’s rooftop aerie at the Arlo Hotel in Penn Quarter is an ode to Spain’s Catalan coast. A 14-seat counter frames his open kitchen theater. The arroz de pato – duck confit mingling with blood sausage and bomba rice – achieves paella nirvana, while cap i pota (veal stew) arrives under a veil of black truffle shavings. Moncayo’s tasting menus blur haute technique and grandma’s hearth, best enjoyed with pours from their sherry-focused wine list. —Kelly McMurtry
9. Beth’s
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The Gulluoglu brothers (of ala fame) went full magpie in Bethesda – glammed-up hummus shares the stage with kimchi-topped fried chicken under a disco ball-lit ceiling. It’s the rare place where your book club and your college roommate’s bachelorette both feel equally at home. —Kelly McMurtry
10. Osteria Mozza
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Nancy Silverton’s marble-clad temple to carbs in Georgetown (Michelin-starred, naturally) still serves DC’s best $28 plate of pasta – the orecchiette with fennel sausage pictured here that’ll make you want to slap your nonna. Pro tip: The bar pours obscure Italian amaros that’ll convert even the staunchest Aperol loyalists. —Kelly McMurtry
11. Albi
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This Michelin-starred hearth in Navy Yard is where Middle Eastern tradition meets DC swank, like these coal-roasted mushrooms with black garlic and an oozy, decadent confit egg yolk. The kubaneh bread service – served with toum whipped into cloud-like submission – should be classified as emotional support carb. —Kelly McMurtry
12. SOST
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This tri-level love letter to the African diaspora in the U Street Corridor will have you sipping Ethiopian spiced tea in the café before dancing between Berbere-spiced chicken and Nigerian suya skewers in the vinyl lounge. The soundtrack’s as curated as the menu – expect Fela Kuti remixes with your hibiscus gin fizz. —Kelly McMurtry
13. MITA
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You’d be forgiven for thinking a restaurant this sleek, run by two Michelin-starred chefs, would lean into fine-dining theatrics. But MITA, from chefs Miguel Guerra and Tatiana Mora, is more interested in showing what happens when you let vegetables lead a Latin kitchen. There’s smoke and spice and a confidence that comes from a team that’s earned the accolades but doesn’t need to brag about them. —Maria Rodriguez
14. Rosedale
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There’s something about Rosedale that feels like it’s been there forever—maybe it’s the toy tractors on the shelves or the steady, hypnotic spin of chickens on the rotisserie. From the team behind Rasika, this Van Ness newcomer opened with the quiet swagger of a place that already knows it’s essential. The five-spice rotisserie bird is reason enough to go, but skip the Tidal Basin pizza—sourdough-fed since the Reagan era—and you’ve missed the point entirely. —Maria Rodriguez
15. Karizma
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Ajay Kumar’s restaurant in Chinatown is like two concepts in one: an a la carte menu from Karizma and then Karma, a chef's tasting menu with four, six, or nine courses with wine pairings. Whichever path you take, the dishes are explosions of flavors and ingredients that highlight what makes Indian food great. Example? The 37-ingredient Nirvana salad arrives like Jenga at a toddler party – servers theatrically dismantle the tower into a riot of textures that somehow includes both pomegranate molasses and edible silver leaf. It’s both delicious and an experience, just like dining at Karizma. —Kelly McMurtry
16. Yellow
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Michael Rafidi’s Levantine powerhouse in Union Market moonlights as a kebab speakeasy after dark. Daytime regulars swear by the ras el hanout croissants, but night owls know the real magic’s in harissa-glazed quail skewers paired with jaffa orange cold brew martinis. —Kelly McMurtry
17. Minetta Tavern DC
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Keith McNally’s Gotham institution landed in Union Market like a velvet glove slap – red banquettes, that infamous Black Label burger, and bartenders who’ll school you on proper Vesper construction. The upstairs Lucy Mercer lounge does things with champagne that should be illegal in three states. —Kelly McMurtry
18. The Inn at Little Washington
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Patrick O’Connell’s three-Michelin-starred fantasyland (technically in Virginia, but we’re claiming it) still serves the East Coast’s most decadent shrimp tartlet. The dining rooms look like Liberace’s hunting lodge, complete with staff who’ll crumb your table like it’s the Shroud of Turin. —Kelly McMurtry
19. The Fried Rice Collective
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Scott Drewno and Danny Lee’s Korean-American trifecta of restaurants (Anju’s kimchi fried rice, Chiko’s orange-ish chicken, I Egg You’s DL egg drop) earned them James Beard nods. Their secret weapon? All three restaurants are terrific, but the Saam Jang Blood Mary promises to cure what ails your Saturday morning. —Kelly McMurtry
20. Bar Cana
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D.C.’s best new cocktail den in Adams Morgan isn’t shy about its Latin roots – expect mezcal flights paired with banana leaf-wrapped canapés and a soundtrack heavy on Bad Bunny remixes. The house special involves clarified milk punch infused with tamarind and tajín. Trust me. —Maria Rodriguez
