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 a rooftop hot spot from Michael Rafidi, 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.
La’ Shukran Union Market District
Newly added!
This rooftop bar and bistro from Michael Rafidi, the award-winning chef behind Albi and Yellow, promises funky Levantine vibes, and it delivers. From the hidden doorway to dishes like foie gras with pickled huckleberries, orange-blossom jam, and ras el hangout beignets, expect the unexpected. Cocktails, like cardamom-scented hot coffees and elixirs made with arak, highlight Middle Eastern flavors and ingredients.
Rosedale Forest Hills
Newly added!
Because restaurateur Ashok Bajaj (Rasika, Annabelle, Sababa, and more) is behind this Forest Hills gem — need we say more? Taking design cues from an 18th-century farm estate (the oldest surviving house) in D.C., Rosedale is where James Beard Award-winning chef Frank Ruta plates the season’s best. Get whatever comes off the rotisserie, salads like beets with fig and lemongrass vinaigrette, and cocktails around the U-shaped bar.
Elyse Fairfax
Newly added!
Tight as a jewel box, chef Jonathan Krinn’s tasting menus evolve with the seasons: think smoked beef tongue and tendon salad, cornmeal-crusted lamb brains and mango-truffle vinaigrette, and handmade pasta with bone marrow and clams. It’s like a speakeasy for adventurous eaters.
Yalla U Street Corridor
Newly added!
At Yalla (which means “Let’s go!” in Arabic) get ready to share copious amounts of dips, puffy flatbreads, fresh herb-scented salads, Lebanese-inspired beet kibbeh, duck confit hummus, skewers, and expertly crafted cocktails. The penthouse space filled with lush greenery and string lights already feels like a party.
Nero Downtown
Newly added!
It’s as if this Dupont Circle was made for first dates. Start off by sampling self-dispensing wines to gauge their palate. If all goes well, sit for quick snacks — cheeses, charcuterie, fried artichokes — or a truffle-topped pizza if the vibe feels right. If it’s going really well, escape to Sabine, the speakeasy bar hidden in the back, for a nightcap.
Dōgon by Kwame Onwuachi Washington D.C.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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Stephen Satterfield's Corner Table