Now on Resy: Baan Siam, Méli Wine & Mezza, Stellina Pizzeria, and More Local Favorites

Don’t expect to find pad Thai here. No, Baan Siam deals in delicious curries, khao soi, tapioca-skin dumplings filled with chicken and fermented radish, and other traditional specialties from around (and often rarely found outside of) Thailand.

Here’s a club that’s definitely worth joining: Local zoning laws let Méli serve only the residents of its home building — unless you become a lifetime member by buying a $25 bottle of house wine or the equivalent. And when you dig into the tantalizing Greek menu here, you’ll agree that it’s one of the best investments you’ve ever made.

Everybody loves a comeback story. The D.C. outpost of this upscale steak-and-seafood international chain shut down in Dupont in 2016 after only two years … But you can’t keep a good restaurant down, and now it’s back, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel, complete with power lunches and Japanese Wagyu, and carnivores couldn’t be happier. 

We’ve come to believe that all cocktails simply taste better in a place masquerading as a speakeasy. And sure, this Alexandria spot isn’t a speakeasy per se — rather it’s a semi-discreet basement cocktail lounge — but it was made for delightfully reimagined classics like a milk punch with mezcal, oolong tea, and coconut cream.

What makes a smokehouse epic? All of the smoked meats, from ribs and pulled pork to thick slabs of prime rib. But there are fun things, too, like Kahlua pig eggrolls and jumbo lump crab cakes. Brunch is pretty bodacious, too.

The little Stellina galaxy, created by restaurateur Antonio Matarazzo and chef Matteo Venini, keeps expanding — luckily for pizza and pasta fans. At this Village at Shirlington location, Sophia Loren smiles from one wall, comedian Totò looks glum from another, and the food and wine are splendidly Italian in the best Stellina style.

A little literary lore with your ceviche and steak? The Pilar was Ernest Hemingway’s beloved 1934-vintage fishing boat, and this landlocked tribute to both boat and man sprinkles its menus with Hemingway quotes and serves international dishes with nods to his beloved Cuba — including both a classic Cubano sandwich and a unique jackfruit version.

You’ve never seen anything like this Midtown Center stunner from Zuma’s Arjun Waney) — a dazzling upscale izakaya, with 25-foot wooden-grid ceilings, electric hearths set into a wall of greenery, custom ceramics, volcanic stone, and more, and of course, a treasure-filled menu, ranging from sushi, tempura, and robata dishes to unique potato-chip-shell tacos.

Come hungry to this standout from Italian-born restaurant veterans Antonio Matarazzo and chef Matteo Venini, where the pizza and pasta are just what you dream of. Pro tip: For a quick but indulgent lunch, try Stellina’s impeccable pizza bento box (small pizza, arancini, mozzarella, potato chips, and cannoli).

You’ll love this addition to the Stellina family (after locations in Union Market and Arlington) — an instant Mount Vernon star with two parts: one a pizzeria bright with Italian film star murals on the walls; the other, the glistening diner-like Waffle Shop, where Italian-style waffle sandwiches ramp up the panini/pizza/pasta menu.

Joining the original location in Shaw, this Mt. Pleasant charmer stands out brilliantly in the thriving D.C. Thai restaurant scene. The family-recipe-inspired fare created by chef Aschara Vigsittaboot is all done superbly, and there are innovations like Thai-style empanadas and house specialties like crispy tilapia with spicy basil sauce.

If you don’t already know this animated Capitol Hill pub-grub mecca, open for almost a decade, what are you waiting for? Chef Walfer Hernandez’s you’ll-want-everything menu ranges from corn dogs to pulled pork sliders to (housemade) tagliatelle carbonara, and the whiskey/whisky list is one of the best in town.

You might think you’re in Madrid or Seville when you walk into this animated, casually stylish Capitol Hill Spanish place, with its tile floors, café chairs, marble tabletops, walls crowded with vintage photos, and above all, its menu serving just the kind of food you’d get in Spain, from traditional gazpacho and salt cod fritters to fisherman’s rice.

Named for the year Georgetown University was founded, this long-running restaurant from the group behind Clyde’s and Old Ebbitt Grill earns well-deserved classic status for its antique-filled Federalist-era townhouse premises and its 21st-century American-European menu. Don’t miss the escargot croissant with Chartreuse butter and chanterelles. Yes, you read that right.

Next door to its sibling, 1789 Restaurant & Bar, Fitzgerald’s is hardly your typical college-adjacent hangout — not with its plaid-backed bar seats and caramel-brown banquettes, its menu full of tasty twists (Asian pear with the tuna crudo, peanuts with the chicken wings), and its knockout list of rare Japanese whiskies.

Talk about tradition: For more than 60 years old, this neighborhood haunt and collegiate hangout underneath 1789 Restaurant has been an essential part of the Georgetown community — and it’s still the place to come for food you know and love, from nachos to smash burgers to eggplant Parmesan.

Expect elevated but soulful Ethiopian dishes, including fresh teff injera made daily. Family recipes inspire the menu, and it makes all the difference (Michelin’s taken note, too). Everything from the lamb and beef tibs to the vegan platter are not to be missed.

Add this one to your Hit List — a low-key, surprisingly roomy cocktail lounge concealed beneath the beloved Afghan restaurant Lapis, where the coffee is stupendously good, the cocktails weave in Middle Eastern flavors, and the small plates from the Lapis kitchen are just what you want to nibble on.

Classic Georgetown dining on the Potomac with stunning views and art to match. Spread out in the sprawling space or outside on the patio for massive shellfish towers, crab cakes, lobster flatbread, and more. When the sun is shining and the sky is blue, family brunch here is an automatic yes.

It’s everything Rose’s Luxury is downstairs, only more personalized and catered to you and your favorite people, be it friends, family, or someone you invited off the street. The rooftop garden feels like the terrace at your best friend’s apartment, plants, bistro chairs, and all. The food, of course, is way better. There’s a good chance the pork and lychee salad will be at least one of the courses.