The Resy Hit List: Where In D.C. You’ll Want to Eat Right Now
There’s no question we hear more often: Where should I go eat? And while we at Resy know it’s an honor to be the friend who everyone asks for restaurant advice, we also know it’s a complicated task. That’s where the Resy Hit List comes in.
We’ve designed it to be your essential resource for dining in and around Washington, D.C.: a monthly-updated (and now expanded!) guide to the restaurants that you won’t want to miss — tonight or any night.
Four Things In D.C. Not to Miss This Month
- Rooftops with a Fireworks View: DC sparkles on July 4th as tourists and locals alike flock to the National Mall for a monumental fireworks display. The city also offers several rooftops to view the show with food and friends. Our top picks this year include rooftop events at L’Ardente, Treehouse, and Tiki TNT on the Potomac River.
- Films and Food Al Fresco: Summer also means outdoor movie screenings. Hi-Lawn at Union Market is the place to be this summer for food and flicks. Every Thursday at 9 p.m., this rooftop bar and restaurant sets up lawn chairs and curates a menu of summertime snacks and cocktails to sip while you watch some of the best Hollywood films.
- Celebrate Bastille Day in Stanton Park: In July, Washington also pirates hard for the National Day of France. Celebrate Bastille Day at Bistro Cacao on Capitol Hill with a delicious three-course French dinner and live music. Dishes include white bean cassoulet, stuffed chicken, and crêpes made to order. And find more D.C. events here.
- Cheer on Team USA: The Summer Olympics kick off on July 26 from Paris, and D.C. bars are gearing up for early morning and delayed viewing parties. Across the city there are plenty of sports pubs with primetime viewing, including Lou’s City Bar in Columbia Heights, The Dubliner on Capitol Hill, and The Tombs in Georgetown. And we’ve always got plenty of recs for where to get great drinks.
New to the Hit List (July 2024)
Albi, Ama, Amparo Fondita, Tiger Fork.
1. Pascual Capitol Hill
Easily one of the year’s most anticipated restaurants. The wife-and-husband team Isabel Coss and Matt Conroy, of Lutèce fame, have opened an intimate Mexican restaurant in Capitol Hill in what was formerly a barbecue shop. The space is reminiscent of one of Mexico’s beach-chic eateries, and all that remains of the barbecue joint is the smell of wood-fired coals. Dishes that take on those smoky flavors include lamb-neck barbacoa, and tacos al pastor with each tortilla made in house. And crucially, don’t miss the parsnip tamal, with its spice-rich mole blanco. While seating is limited to indoors, there are bar seats for walk-in visits and plans for a patio, should a mezcal margarita be calling your name.
2. Medina 14th street
This is the third restaurant and bar concept from restaurateur Rose Previte, after Maydān and Compass Rose, and it has the power to transport you to Morrocco thanks to its stylings: colorful tapestries, muraled walls and glowing lanterns. Cocktails, wines, and shareable spreads designed to take you to the Mediterranean region. That includes Tunisian brik (a flaky filo pastry), traditional mezze platters, or your choice of chicken, lamb, or vegetable tagine. Not to miss? The signature drink from beverage director Drew Hairston: Rose-Tinted Glasses blends Bombay Bramble gin with txakolina and pickled raspberry-rose sorbet.
3. Albi Navy Yard
Chef Michael Rafidi is fresh off a win as James Beard Best Chef of 2024 for a restaurant that exults in wood-fired Levantine cooking. The result is smoky flavors, including dips and spreads like coal-fired mushroom hummus, which are meant for sharing. Those looking to snag a table at can opt for either à la carte or the signature Sofra menu. This roughly translates to “a table set for you” in Arabic, and it highlights the richness of seasonal ingredients and local produce. This includes Chesapeake rockfish kebabs served with green tomato yogurt, snow peas, and zested Meyer lemon. Dishes come served family style, in a semi-spontaneous, multi-course menu format priced at $145 per person.
4. La Bonne Vache Georgetown
A college-esque sub shop (Booeymongers of Georgetown) has been dramatically transformed into an all-day French cafe to celebrate the good life. Executive chef Robert Aikens (Starr Restaurants) works in the kitchen with sous chef Ann Cashion (Cashion’s Eat Place and Johnny’s Half Shell) and chef de cuisine Scheyla Acosta to create a D.C. dining destination that brings the Côte d’Azur a little bit closer to the nation’s capital.
La Bonne Vache, which translates to the good cow, will absolutely fill the sandwich-sized hole in your heart — try the roti de boeuf or chicken paillard — and save room for the burgers made with a blend of NY strip, hanger steak, brisket, and boneless short rib. Are you salivating yet?
Find more info here.
5. Oyster Oyster Shaw
Rob Rubba led the way as James Beard’s 2023 Outstanding Chef of the Year, with a sustainability-driven menu including Chesapeake Bay oysters and vegetables sourced from the mid-Atlantic region. This may be the toughest table in town to book, for his $135 per person tasting menu, with the option to add wine pairings or nonalcoholic beverages. Don’t worry, we have the inside scoop on how to score a table.
6. Ama Capitol Riverfront/ Navy Yard
Ama brings the essence of Northern Italy to the Navy Yard. Chef Johanna Hellrigl and husband Micah Wilder have pulled from regions around the Ligurian Sea and the “Pale Mountains” of Alto Adige to create a dining experience that is inviting and unrushed. Mornings begin with Caffè Vergnano espresso “al banco” and a delicately flaky cornetto, followed by focaccia Genovese sandwiches and seasonal salads. As the sun sets, Wilder has conjured up spritzes, seltzers, and carbonated frozen drinks to complement signature Northern Italian flavors and dishes, including Tyrolean knödel and Ligurian langoustines.
7. La Tejana Mt Pleasant
The go-to spot for breakfast tacos in Washington, with the line to prove it on most weekends. What first started as a pop-up is now a brick-and-mortar in Mount Pleasant, offering a handful of tacos like the Tio Willie. Said taco combines scrambled eggs, bacon, fried potatoes, and a drizzle of queso — no surprise it’s one of the more popular picks on the menu. Or go for the Super Migas, a vegetarian option, loaded with fixings to see you through the day. This shop also partnered up with 2Fifty BBQ to offer an Austin-themed taco known as the 512. It’s a taco stuffed chock full of Texas-style brisket, cheesy scrambled eggs, queso, and pico de gallo.
8. Shilling Canning Company Navy Yard
Shilling Canning Company sources some of the Mid-Atlantic region’s best ingredients by partnering with local farms and picking garden-fresh produce grown on their front patio. Under each menu item, including the 72-hour braised short ribs and dry-aged porterhouse pork chop, you’ll find the local farm where animals were raised. The seven-course tasting menu (priced at $150 per person) also includes dishes cooked within view of the wood-fired oven. Also, Ampersandwich is back by popular demand for lunch. This pandemic-era pop-up recently returned; chef Reid Shilling turns out selections like a Baltimore pit beef sandwich and the McReid — his take on a barbecue rib sandwich.
9. 2Fifty BBQ Riverdale Park, Maryland
There is no better way to enjoy a barbecue feast in D.C. than with premium brisket, ribs, and pulled pork found at 2Fifty BBQ. Owner Debbie Portillo González is a Salvadoran restaurateur, who along with husband Fernando González smokes some of the finest Hill Country-style barbecue in our nation’s capital. That includes their take on signature Salvadoran dishes like brisket pupusas. The restaurant is open on a first come, first served basis at the flagship shop in Maryland’s Riverdale Park, as well as another restaurant coming soon to Mount Vernon Triangle.
Walk-ins welcome.
10. L’Avant-Garde Georgetown
L’Avant-Garde honors the French tradition of dining with pleasure. Chef Sébastien Giannini has stepped in and revised the menu to include a new lunch offering, plus updated French Riviera-style cuisine for dinner. That includes salade Niçoise and sea bass seared in olive oil and a generous helping of eggplant caviar. Still, duck remains one of the most prominent features on the menu. You can try it in one of two ways: A foie gras cooked in terrine with cognac, cherries, and toasted brioche. Or a seared duck breast served with cherries, red cabbage, and a duck demi-glace with caramelized gala apples. Pro tip: Giannini also serves up one of the best burgers in town.
11. Aventino Cucina Bethesda
Aventino has brought sleek Roman cuisine to the Maryland suburbs. The menu from chef Mike Friedman (Red Hen) has nods to Roman-Jewish influences, including carciofi ‘alla Giudia’ — fried artichokes served with mint and salsa verde. His pizza rossa is a must order dish, too; this ode to the classic snack tastes like what you might find wandering the streets of Trastevere. And why sample just one pasta when you easily try multiples in one sitting? Friedman prepares smaller-scale versions of cacio e pepe, amatriciana, and tortellini.
12. Hiraya Restaurant H Street Corridor
Chef Paolo Dungca celebrates his Filipino roots with a spirit of “bayanihan” — a concept that centers on community and uplifting others. But what defines Hiraya is a sense of fun, one that permeates all day long, from ube and rainbow-colored lattes to happy hour cocktails, like a pandan daiquiri, as well as a brisket, egg and cheese served on a golden-brown laminated bun, with an optional McDonald’s-style hash brown. Dungca has also taken that spirit upstairs, literally: He recently debuted a tasting menu on the second floor, with options to try all of his best dishes in a seven-course ($145) offering.
13. Tiger Fork Shaw
This contemporary Cantonese restaurant tucked away in Shaw’s historic Blagden Alley is sporting a newly appointed chef. Executive chef Simon Lam features a playful menu of modern takes on street food, traditional dim sum and classic Chinese dishes inspired by the bustling city of Hong Kong, including Lam’s take on congee, a savory Chinese rice porridge, which comes laden with roasted mushrooms and a soft-boiled egg. And it’s not just a place to book for your next dinner. Tiger Fork recently debuted a “Hei Hei Café” menu with brunch and lunch classics on weekend afternoons. It’s inspired by traditional Cha Chaan Teng (Hong Kong’s quintessential East-meets-West diner culture) and offered from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends.
14. Pastis – DC Union Market District
The latest D.C. rendition from Stephen Starr has the look-and-feel of its New York City sibling but with a je-ne-sais-quoi factor that has quickly made it the “it” power dining destination in Washington. And of course there are several original dishes to this menu including beef tongue, Wiener schnitzel, and roast chicken for two. By far, the bar is the centerpiece. Order-up Starr’s favorite cocktail, the Monsieur Marmalade. (Guess the secret ingredient.) Or, it being Pastis, there’s also Parisian-inspired cocktail classics and easy-drinking spritzes.
15. Joia Burger Mount Pleasant
In the mood for a smashburger? La Joia has both meaty and veggie burger options with Filipino flare. Patrice Cleary, also the owner of Purple Patch (another Mount Pleasant institution) took inspiration from this Filipino restaurant to compose a menu of colorful dishes, including soft-serve ube ice cream. The restaurant is open for both lunch and dinner and you can spot this burger joint by the line that typically snakes out the door during the 9-to-5 meal-time rush. The all-beef smash burgers are made with premium wagyu, while the vegan vegan burger, made from wild oats, rice, and a three-bean patty, stacks up to any competition.
Walk-ins only.
16. Omakase @ Barracks Row Capitol Hill
Ricky Wang’s pop-up omakase counter got so hot on the local sushi scene that the noted chef (formerly of Nakazawa DC) just had to make it permanent with this exquisite omakase bar above Han Palace. Climb the steps to a sushi counter experience perfect for your next date night. There are only two seatings each night. Wang’s concept consists of small dishes followed by a nigiri tasting totaling about 20 courses. Right now, the menu also features seasonal favorites like Chesapeake soft shell crabs. Pro tip: Don’t miss his otsumami — Japanese bar food — options.
17. Amparo Fondita Dupont Circle
Chef Christian Irabién brings a taste of Mexican cuisine to Dupont Circle, with a focus on the country’s coastal regions and an homage to his mother and grandmother’s cooking from Chihuahua, Mexico. The restaurant’s seafood-focused menu transports diners to the beach with offerings like citrus-cured fluke ceviche or red snapper with esquites and salsa macha. Consider even a simple a side of black beans: Irabién works with heirloom beans from Rancho Gordo in Napa Valley, and cooks via a time-intensive process that uses avocado leaves and traditional Mexican spices, an homage to the traditional agricultural practice known as milpa.
18. Padaek Falls Church
Two Padeaks are definitely better than one. This Falls Church restaurant has been serving award-winning Laotian fare for over a decade, and late last year welcomed a sibling restaurant in Arlington. This second location includes an open kitchen, full-service bar, private dining room, plus a covered patio. And on special occasions (follow along on Instagram to be kept in the loop), chef Seng Luangrath invites other guest chefs for takeover tasting menus. The menu at both locations represents chef Seng Luangrath’s life through food, including family recipes from her grandmother, aunt, and friends, passed along in a refugee camp in Thailand. Must-order dishes include her chicken larb.
19. The Duck & The Peach Capitol Hill
After wooing diners with roast chicken at dinner, and exceeding expectations at brunch with a spicy chorizo benedict, Duck & The Peach now has its sights set on a new lunch menu coming later this month. It adds to the easy-come, easy-go vibe at the restaurant with a menu that reads farm-fresh, and dishes you can walk in and order on a whim or get dressed up and savor during an extravagant date night for two. The restaurant is led by Hollis Silverman, a James Beard finalist for best restaurateur, who brings a California cool to the light and airy dining room under the direction of chefs Kat Petonito and Rochelle Cooper.
20. Ellē Mount Pleasant
This Mount Pleasant gathering spot seamlessly merges from all-day cafe to moody date night spot with a well-curated Mediterranean wine list that pairs to a prix-fixe menu by candlelight. Menu items center on vegetable-centric dishes like roasted purple carrots with baba ganoush, Szechuan zhug, duqqa, and honey labneh. Dining here also means fresh-baked bread, so go crazy on the sourdough basket. Beyond wine, the beverage program also highlights coffee from small-batch roasters, and craft cocktails, like an Oolong Island inspired by a Long Island Iced Tea — except this one includes fresh oolong tea mixed with shochu, yuzu liqueur, Japanese whisky and gin, shiso bitters, and a splash of soda.
