Eat Your Way Through Washington DC—The District Delivers On Cuisine

When visiting DC, it is next to impossible to visit it without getting upended by some capitol or capital business, whether it is by a caravan of government cars for a NATO summit or a swarm of 8th graders on their national rite-of-passage school tour. It is also impossible to not be impressed by the architecture and museums, which truly become the framework of the city and an automatic must-see. But, what will quickly be added to the must list is D.C.’s ever-evolving fine dining scene, its sure-fire kitchen kick-assery, happening alongside our political epicenter.

The guide below merely scrapes the surface of the growing list of restaurants in D.C. offering remarkable experiences. So view as an appetizer, per se, a place to start and whet your appetite.

The Dabney

Quite likely one of the most unique dining experiences around, The Dabney not only offers guests exceptional food and wine amidst a multi-course tasting, but couples the affair with an all out declaration to its patrons. In a town where proclamations are ingrained in the DNA, The Dabney follows suit. In what looks like a historic document each guest gets to take home, Chef Langhorne, with signature to boot, declares the restaurant’s mission: “to showcase and redefine Mid-Atlantic cuisine.” And they do just that.

Just as many restaurants in D.C. set out to celebrate the melting-pot, The Dabney, in the area’s historic Blagden Alley, focuses on the bounty of the vicinity. Langhorne grew up nearby in Virginia, so after cooking in various parts of the world, he yearned to celebrate the land and waterways near in his backyard, which has quite a storied history. For nearly a decade now, Langhorne has charted a course in D.C. that supports the area’s many farmers, foragers, and watermen, “from the wilds of the Appalachian Mountains, to the inlets and rivers of the Eastern Shore.”

Most chefs will tell you they do what they do for the sheer love of cooking, for the love of ingredients, for the love of cooking for others, and not for accolades or awards. And Chef Jeremiah is no exception, he has frankly said so. And yet, we’d be remiss if we didn’t tell you, that he’s swept them all. From the Michelin mountaintop to the James Beards, Food & Wine, The New York Times, and local Washington metro media, it is impossible to deny what he has done for Mid-Atlantic cuisine, and the American culinary industry at large.

Using techniques, like dry-aging, more common amongst chefs in Asia and in Australia, and experiences he’s had from Noma in Copenhagen to Sean Brock’s in Charleston, South Carolina, Langhorne and his formidable crew are still bringing their all to We, The People.

Highlights: From an ever-surprising, ever changing Tasting Menu, which included a day-before catch of Sheepshead fish in the Chesapeake Bay and Oysters from Valliant Oysters, there were terrific bites of Shenandoah Lamb Skewer Toasted Benne, Mustard Black Trumpet Mushroom Tart Blackberry Jam, Asian Pear Fireside Farm Cucumber Scallop, Lardo, Toast Aged Chesapeake Bay Rockfish Crudo Aji Dulce, Melon Broth Garner’s Fresh Corn Grits Anson Mills White Corn, Gernika Pepper Relish, The Dabney Garden Black Hawk Farms Wagyu Beef Ribeye Cooked on the Coals, Whey Quaker Valley Stone Fruit Popover Brown Sugar Bourbon Ice Cream, Virginia Peanut.

Immigrant Food

Immigrant Food is not only a shining example of how best to represent a nation built upon a myriad of cultures, but to have them all sizzling under one roof, at one table, on one menu in the nation’s capital is nothing short of genius.

Co-founded by the formidable, Téa Ivanovic, who has been named on Forbes 30 Under 30 List (2022), Washington Business Journal’s 25 Women Who Mean Business, FSR’s 40 Restaurant Stars on the Rise, and DC Fray’s 8 Trailblazing Women in Hospitality, alongside co-founder, world-traveler, author, and political adviser, Peter Schechter, the two have redefined the mission of a restaurant beyond serving delicious food. As they state in their mission, “We serve World Flavors with a Mission…and because restaurants have always been the place where immigrants made a living, created community and showed off the cooking of their heritage…We’re taking it a step further and also making this restaurant a place to advocate. Call it gastroadvocacy.”

Immigrant Food activates gastroadvocacy by engaging diners in conversation and learning opportunities in the form of community events as well as The Think Table, their online magazine and multimedia forum which instigates thought around particular national policy issues. In light of the current election, “mass deportation” is the issue’s current theme.

Orchestrated by Executive Chef Ben Murray, whose own background illustrates the epitome of the nation’s cultural diversity, the menu is a feast for the palate, and a way to travel without going too far. Immigrant Food has recently added to its list of locations with a new brick and mortar in Arlington, Virginia.

Highlights: The dish in honor of VP Kamala Harris (see caption above), called Madam VP Heritage, hit all the notes from taste and texture to presentation and concept; the Shrimp Ceviche Verde served with tostones are a chilled, bright hit with a kick on a hot day; the Venezuelan Tequenos is a hot, pillowy bite that’s always a welcomed comfort; all enjoyed with a tall, tart Pineapple Matcha.

Rigg’s Hotel

Riggs’ Hotel—Café Riggs and Silver Lyan

Let’s talk about the building. Once the Riggs National Bank and called the Bank of Presidents, the Riggs DC Hotel is grand in every way. Still showing off its 19th century facade and bank building signatures, the ceilings are high, the columns tall, and the marble glistens at every turn. And yet, the classic details of its history make way for ultra modern touches on the New American menu at Café Riggs and the chic, and swanky scene downstairs in what was once the building’s vault at the Silver Lyan.

Street level, wide open, with plush tables, chairs, and couches, and a sleek, extensive bar, Café Riggs feels like a dollop of Paris in a modern American city. Where brasserie meets bistro all-day menus include everything from simple, yet delicate pastries and eggs in every form, to a raw bar, tartares and fresh salads, or burgers, Bourguignon, and bouillabaise.

Silver Lyan is the wonderchild of cocktail bartender extraordinaire, London native Ryan Chetiyawardana—who goes by Mr Lyan, who opened his first bar, White Lyan, in London in 2013. It was the first cocktail bar in the world to use no perishables and served as an exploration in sustainability, still replicated in his other bars like Lyaness in London and at Silver Lyan in DC, his first bar outside of Europe.

Highlights: A frothy, bold cappuccino with the delicious, light Quiche including spinach, caramelized onions, and gruyere, served with a generous arugula side salad at Café Riggs; at Silver Lyan, the Buck Hill Freeze with grilled peach was perfectly sweet and tart alongside the salty crunch of their Dill, Buttermilk Ranch Tater Tots.

Moon Rabbit

If you are a foodie in the slightest and have an eye toward DC at all, you have no doubt heard of the creative things happening at Moon Rabbit, catapulted by the extraordinary talents of Chef Kevin Tien and Pastry Chef Susan Bae. From Food & Wine Best Restaurants list to James Beard finalists and media fans in their own backyard, Moon Rabbit has raised the status of Vietnamese food in ways the country hasn’t seen before. From ingredients and execution to presentation and delivery, the array of flavors and textures that really is Vietnamese food is given the star-studded respect and treatment of yesteryear’s high-end French.

And yet, we are talking about a place run by a major Taylor Swift fan—as seen by the restaurant’s cozy living-room-shelving adorned with lots of homey knick-knacks and nods to the Swifty-sphere. Some of the cocktails are named after the megastar as well. From his playful side with his friendship bracelets to the “fine” art on the walls by his toddler, Tien’s and Bae’s Moon Rabbit strikes a balance between the fun and serious sides of ourselves, and those facets when it comes to dining. The food is serious, but the atmosphere is open, inviting, and warm.

Raised in Louisiana, worlds away from his family’s roots and the Vietnam War, there was a time Tien pushed his history aside and focused on being American. But aren’t we lucky that all sides of him are now front and center on his beautiful plates in D.C.

Highlights: You can’t miss the exceptional bar and inventive cocktails. The favorite ten times over was the Thao Mai/Don’t Be Naive with cucumber gin, lime basil syrup and sesame oil. The “Chef’s Visit to Vietnam” tasting for dinner is a must and everything on it will challenge what you thought you knew in the best way, including: the opening bite of the Annatto Bread with condensed milk butter; Scallop Crudo; Shrimp Thermidor; Stuffed Leaf with Wagyu Beef; and Chef Bae’s bright and decorative sweet tribute to Cherry Blossoms

Oyster Oyster

Oyster Oyster is the embodiment of walking the walk and talking the talk when it comes to restaurant sustainability and putting the local ecosystem on the high priority list. Named so for oyster mushrooms and the sea oyster, which does make cameos appearances on the menu—it is very much a vegetarian meets vegan restaurant that is continuously earning high marks for leading the charge for the environment, its creative tasting menu, impeccable service, and oh right, very, very delicious food.

Run by lauded Chef Rob Rubba who carries the baton from places like Eleven Madison Park in New York who shocked the world when it went fully vegan a few years ago, Rubba himself radically changed his cooking, personally and professionally in 2017. After cooking across the nation, in New York, Chicago, and Las Vegas, he landed in D.C. By 2020, during the pandemic, when everyone’s lives shifted dramatically, he joined forces with sommelier Max Kuller to begin formulating the Oyster Oyster that opened its doors in the Shaw neighborhood of the capital in 2021. By 2022, it was winning each award imaginable in the culinary sphere, including Food & Wine Best; and both James Beard Outstanding Chef and a Michelin star in 2023.

People not familiar with vegan cuisine seem to curl up in fear, worried they will have to stop for a slice or a burger after such a veggie-centric affair, but Oyster Oyster will not only challenge that fear, you may likely switch teams. From the plant life adorning the restaurant, the mushrooms growing on the bar right outside the kitchen, to the plant-able menu you might receive at the end of the tasting, Oyster Oyster is one place that is teaching valuable lessons one hearty, veggie bite at a time.

Highlights: Celery Root and Smoked Tofu Puree and Steamed Buckwheat Bread with Spiced Carrot and Black Garlic was a parade of texture and flavor; Pumpkin Seed Gnocchi with Fennel and Mushroom Ragout felt as hearty and tasty as any meat version could be but without the heaviness; and the Rhubarb Cake with Strawberries and Lemon Verbena looked was a star presentation with a bright jus you will slurp its jus with

Maydan

If you haven’t already fallen under the spell of this D.C. culinary darling, be prepared to be transfixed by the experience that is Rose Previte’s Maydān. From the roaring fire in the center of everything to the piles of flatbread cooked right there in clay ovens, Previte and her team transport diners into their gathering place…the very meaning of the restaurant’s name.

Coupled by the bustle of guests, busy bar, and trays and trays of colorful plates, you may come away not sure which aspect of the experience is most exciting. Raised in Ohio, with family roots in Lebanon and Sicily, Previte has now traveled the world personally and professionally to bring D.C. diners a sampling of her favorite flavors from her international travels. In addition to Maydan, Previte also owns Compass Rose, Medina (opened in 2023), Kirby Club (in Virginia); she recently published Maydān the cookbook, and is in the midst of opening Maydan Market, a community food-centric gathering space in Los Angeles.

Experience the “Tawle” menu—table in Arabic—if you are in a group larger than four, and you’ll get a curated sampling of the whole menu. With vibrant, small sharable plates, including a wide range of vegetable or meat dishes, most of which have been kissed by the char from the raging fire, the array is diverse. Even if dining solo, the experience is still a thrill and feast for eyes and stomach.

Highlights: The Ottoman Old-Fashion cocktail was a world of flavors—from spicy and sweet to tart and smoky— in one sip; the flatbread, of course, adds an earthy note to every bite; the Muhamarra is bold and bright alongside the hearth roasted whole cauliflower; and the Omani Shrimp with Toum was bright, light, with clear hints of fire.

Centrolina and Piccolina

Centrolina and Piccolina are two peas in a pod…or, rather, two popular restaurants by one esteemed chef along the same promenade—Palmer Alley—in DC. There’s absolutely no reason to go anywhere else amidst a day of museum visits or in between a stroll along the mall or time peeking through the gates at The White House.

Chef Amy Brandwein’s passion for Italian cooking and Italian ingredients are at the center of each menu and at the markets stationed inside. Centrolina, Brandwein’s first endeavor, opened nearly a decade ago and has garner numerous accolades, including six James Beard finalist nominations. From fresh pasta in the restaurant and dried pastas from every region of Italy represented in her mercato, she and the teams at Centrolina and Piccolina have a regular rotation of classic and specialty dishes, no matter the season.

Almost everything at Piccolina, the “little sister” eatery, is wood-fired, giving each bite a little extra oomph in flavor, aroma, and texture. This certainly comes into play with their greens, skewers, and pizzas.

What has also driven Chef Brandwein up the ranks these days—in addition to the all out D.C. love for her Italian cuisine— is her focus on and passion for giving other women in the industry a voice; it’s a position that has become second nature having grown up with a single mom who did the same while working on The Hill, as she told NBC in an interview earlier this year.

Highlights: At Piccolina, a solid cappuccino with Lemon Ricotta pastry for the perfect breakfast-meets-morning-snack bite; and for a serious breakfast, the puffy egg on brioche with a mound of braised greens gives any breakfast sandwich a run for its money. At Centrolina, during a long leisurely lunch with the Basilico mocktail in one hand, ask for the eggplant frito misto; it is paper thin and melts in your mouth. The tonno is light and fresh and does the same, with an added crunch from crispy shallot and a lil’ something from the nonnata di pesce; lastly, is the Stracci. A chestnut, white bolognese, it was warm, so flavorful, and worth a four hour trek any day of the week.