D.C.’s Newest Restaurant Openings, Now on Resy
Want to know the latest — and greatest — restaurant openings in Washington D.C.? You’re in the right spot.
From the reopening of a dazzling tasting menu restaurant to a smash-hit French brasserie straight from New York, we have you covered with this continuously updated list of hot new debuts.
And if you’re seeking out some beloved D.C. spots that are now bookable on Resy, we’ve got you covered here.
Cucina Morini Mount Vernon Triangle
Newly added!
Like its mothership, you’ll find classic pastas (including some ripped straight from Osteria Morini’s original menu) and lighter Southern Italian fare at this handsome Mt. Vernon Triangle sibling. Squid-ink tagliolini with shellfish ragu, spaghetti with clams and leeks, and curly-cue gramigna with pork sausage are just a few not-to-miss plates.
Reverie Georgetown
Johnny Spero’s Michelin-starred Georgetown establishment, known for its exquisite ingredient-driven, multi-course tasting menus, closed down in 2022 after a devastating fire, but it has come roaring back in full force, and it’s just as excellent as you might remember.
PLANTA Cocina, DC Downtown
Like other Planta restaurants, you get a jaw-droppingly beautiful space in Logan Square for vegan food turned on its head. The Cocina outposts are known for everything from ahi watermelon nigiri to hearts of palm “crab” tostadas, noodle dishes (truffle mushroom cream, yes), and robata specialties.
CARBONARA Arlington
Arancini, wispy thin carpaccio, baked clams, chicken parm, and stuffed cannoli are just a few staples at this ode to Italian American classics in the Ballston Gateway Building. Start with a fresh twist on classic cocktails, stay for a nice glass of red before dessert.
Pascual Capitol Hill
Matt Conroy and Isabel Coss are best-known to D.C. diners for their Lutèce “neo-bistro,” but both have solid Mexican credentials: He was a chef at Brooklyn’s Michelin-starred Oxomoco; she worked for Enrique Olvera in Mexico City and New York — and their live-fire-focused establishment brings a new level of excitement to the city’s south-of-the-border food scene.
Ceibo Adams Morgan
Heating up the Adams Morgan restaurant scene with the vivid flavors of South America’s myriad cuisines, Juan and Manuel Olivera, Uruguay-born brothers who are longtime restaurant pros, offer up veal tongue with quail eggs, chorizo dumplings, and strip loin steak with chimichurri at this airy, clean-lined place. (And be sure to stop by the seductive basement bar.)
Enigma U Street Northwest
This 3,400-square-foot multi-level “social space” — i.e., cocktail lounge and wine vault — promises an out-of-the ordinary experience, with evocatively if briefly named food and drink (nibble something Succulent or Graceful; sip a Flamboyant or a Smoldering), décor that runs from Baroque to Berkeley, and a layout that encourages collective fun.
Balos Estiatorio Downtown
With a dining room that looks like it’s been plucked right out of an upscale Mediterranean beach resort, Balos Estiatorio offers a seafood-heavy menu that includes whole fish flown in from Greece and an unexpected selection of sashimi. But don’t overlook the Greek appetizers (superb) and the treasure trove of delicious Greek wines, either.
Pastis – DC Union Market District
Dress to impress for the D.C. offshoot of the smash-hit Pastis in Manhattan. Legendary New York restaurateur Keith McNally (Balthazar, Minetta Tavern) and Philadelphia-based dining magnate Stephen Starr collaborate here, to give the city its version of this ultra-stylish Parisian brasserie, serving everything from onion soup to duck à l’orange.
Padaek Arlington Ridge
Laos-born chef Seng Luangrath (Thip Khao, Baan Mae), who helped kick-start the Southeast Asian food scene around D.C., moved her Padaek from Falls Church to Arlington (the original is now a more casual concept), and her versions of classic Laotian and Thai dishes here are better than ever.
Omakase @ Barracks Row Capitol Hill
Ricky Wang’s Monday and Tuesday pop-up omakase counter at Ginza BBQ Lounge and Karaoke got so hot on the local sushi scene that the noted chef (formerly of Sushi Nakazawa) just had to make it permanent with this exquisite omakase bar (along with otsumami — Japanese bar food — options) above Han Palace, just next door.
Bistro Du Jour – Capitol Hill Capitol Hill
The second D.C. iteration of this authentically French, breakfast-to-dinner bistro serves every Gallic classic you could wish for, from quiche to steak frites to soufflé au fromage — and of course, French apéritifs, beers, wines, and classy cocktails (including a definitive French 75).
Coco B’s Arlington
Whether it’s Barbie or Miami pink, right down to the “Pink As F**K” neon, Coco B’s has it, and we love it. Flamingos, too, and which makes you feel like you’re somewhere warm, even in the dead of a Washington winter. You’ll find lots of Caribbean influences, from the oxtail patties and mahi mahi ceviche to the cocktails. The rooftop is made for frozen drinks and lollipop wings.
PLANTA Queen, DC Downtown
Leave it to chef David Lee to reengineer plant-based cuisine for a high-energy, well-heeled crowd. From Coconut Grove to New York City, Planta Queen has unleashed its meatless brilliance in the shape of a wild pan-Asian menu, where the sushi rolls and wok-fried noodles are as craveable as “the real thing.” Don’t sleep on the cocktails — we like the kyu-kiki.
Philippe Chow DC District Wharf
As sleek and shiny as the New York original (including lots of gold accents), this sexy outpost at the Wharf has all the markings of Philippe Chow, where elaborate lighting, white tablecloths, honey-glazed ribs, bright orange chicken satay, and glistening Peking duck are the norm.
San Matteo Petworth
This Petworth charmer is kryptonite for pasta-loving locals. The mezzaluna with zucchini, pappardelle with mushrooms, lasagna — try them all. A mixed greens salad, a slice of tiramisu, and you have the makings of a perfectly laid-back dinner any night of the week.
Milk & Honey – The Wharf DC Washington D.C. Wharf
You won’t be able to resist the seductive New Orleans- and Lowcountry-inspired Southern fare at this outpost of the ever-growing D.C.-area Milk & Honey chain, from the group behind Hen Quarter and Makers Union. Among the essentials: the signature honey Old Bay wings and chef Sammy’s award-winning shrimp and grits.
Lucy Pizza Bar Columbia Heights
This take-it-easy bar and restaurant from the Tin Shop restaurant group (Franklin Hall, TallBoy) is creating a buzz on U Street by concentrating on two of the essentials: perfect cocktails and great Neapolitan-style pizza — with oysters, pasta, and other basics added, just in case.