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 Kwame Onwuachi’s return to D.C. to an exciting Brazilian cocktail bar, 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.
Dōgon by Kwame Onwuachi Washington D.C.
Newly added!
Stories and history fill Kwame Onwuachi’s Afro-Caribbean restaurant, from paying homage to the land surveyor who drew up the lines for Washington D.C. to the chef’s own Nigerian, Jamaican, Trinidadian, and Creole heritage. At its core, though, Dōgon’s all about good food — grilled Wagyu short rib with red stew jam, greens with beef bacon, peanut crustacean stew with burnt carrots, and rum cake — with fantastic cocktails to boot.
Cana – Caipirinha Bar Adams Morgan
Newly added!
Sipping the national drink of Brazil or any featuring cachaça, rum’s cousin made with fresh sugarcane, tastes that much sweeter with Brazilian funk and soul vinyl playing in the background. A picanha burger, salt cod croquettes, cheese bread, and farofa — it all fits the vibe.
Ama Capitol Riverfront/ Navy Yard
Newly added!
It’s as close to a trip to Italy as you’ll get in Southeast D.C. The bouncy focaccia recipe is borrowed from a family in Santa Margherita, Italy; the curtains hanging along the wall like art, upcycled from the owner’s father’s Merano hotel. It’s like a love letter from Italy (the name Ama means “love” in Italian, after all) with all the trappings, right down to Ligurian specialties like ravioli stuffed with greens and ricotta in a walnut sauce and braised rabbit stew. A Negroni or a spritz is a must.
Dockside Restaurant & Bar The Wharf
Newly added!
The relaxing brown, beige, and gray color scheme sets the stage at this breakfast through lunch, brunch, and dinner dining room at the InterContinental at The Wharf, and the easy-going menus star just the kinds of things you like, from eggs Benedict to a crab cake sandwich, to crispy-skin salmon with lemon-dill vinaigrette.
Immigrant Food – Ballston Ballston-Virginia Square
Newly added!
This concept continues to pay tribute to immigrants who’ve enriched our nation and how we eat — and continues to grow. This first location outside the District features the same culinary world tour with dim sum, Japanese meatballs, Filipino fried chicken, and more.
TALEA Cathedral Heights
Newly added!
The green-and-white patio isn’t the only eye-catching thing at this Cathedral Heights stunner. Inside, the sleek, mod vibe comes complete with prints of Frank Sinatra and Sophia Loren. It’s a delightful spot for mainstays like ricotta gnocchi, whole branzino, or chicken parm. Sip on a limoncello and gin number before, and definitely have the cannoli after.
Evelyn Rose Vienna
Newly added!
This handsomely chic restaurant might be named for two grandmothers, but there’s nothing old-fashioned about it. Golden onion rings smothered in braised beef short rib and smoked cheese, ricotta and spinach cavatelli and meatballs, and kombu-poached halibut are just a few standard dishes; others change with the seasons. A tight list of cocktails and wines pulls everything together.
Amelie DC Logan Circle
Newly added!
An offshoot of wine bars from San Francisco and New York, this Francophile’s dream has all the requisites: beef tartare, moules, seared hanger steak with wispy, crisp frites, and Niçoise salad. The long and airy space is unfussy and vibey, just what you want when enjoying an earthy Côtes du Rhône or Frenchified cocktail.
Neutral Ground Bar + Kitchen Downtown McLean
David Guas (Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar + Eatery) lays down some culinary roots closer to home, which means chef-driven American fare with produce from the Mid-Atlantic and Virginia for McLean. It might not have the same New Orleans streak as its sibling, but that down-home hospitality is there.
Tamashaa Columbia Heights
Nothing feels like an afterthought at this Columbia Heights hot spot. Rich colors, dripping chandeliers, and neon are just a few things that add to the vibe. The menu covers the entire country, from spicy Northern Indian fare to Southern specialties, and everything is creatively vibrant. Don’t miss the cocktails.
La Tejana Mt Pleasant
You know La Tejana for their breakfast tacos made in their most sublime, simplest form. But head upstairs come nighttime and you’ll discover another facet of the award-winning taco shop: a cozy cocktail bar where the agave list runs deep and the snacks (think those excellent housemade flour tortillas, but wrapped around carne asada and roasted poblanos this time around) are mighty.
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.
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
Photos by Birch Thomas and Rey Lopez, courtesy of Pastis D.C.
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.
Photos by Birch Thomas and Rey Lopez, courtesy of Pastis D.C.
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.
Cucina Morini Mount Vernon Triangle
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.
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.
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.
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