Best of The Hit List Washington D.C.
The 10 Restaurants That Defined D.C. Dining in 2024
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We asked our contributors to the Resy Hit List to share their top dining experiences in their cities this year — to choose 10 restaurants that define the state of great dining right now. Welcome back our Best of The Hit List for 2024.
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Washington, D.C. is not only our nation’s capital but also a dining capital. Our chefs offer the comforts of hospitality and a range of cuisines that span the globe.
Look no further than Pascual. What was once the fictional location for the “House of Cards” barbecue joint known as Freddy’s is now one of the best examples of Mexican cuisine in the country, thanks to the talents of Mexico City-born chef Isabel Coss.
And you might confuse Chef Michael Rafidi’s La’ Shukran or restaurateur Rose Previte’s Medina for a Middle Eastern club or market, all thanks to the dishes and décor, which evoke the Levant region.
This was also a big year for celebrity chefs. The dynamic duo of Stephen Starr and Nancy Silverton entered the D.C. restaurant scene, opening one of Georgetown’s largest restaurants inside the historic Georgetown Market. And we saw the triumphant return of chef Kwame Onwuachi with Dōgon, with a menu of African diaspora dishes that also pay tribute to D.C. Black history.
No doubt, our nation’s capital continues to lead the way among American dining cities. And so, it’s time to highlight the 10 restaurants that defined eating and drinking in 2024, as we close out an incredible year and look forward another one ahead.
1. La’ Shukran Union Market District
D.C.’s hottest restaurant of 2024, and one of the year’s most anticipated openings, period. Unlike the Michelin-starred Albi and its focus on live fire, or Yellow’s sunny cafe disposition (now with kebabs and pizzas), Michael Rafidi’s newest concept — years in the making — oozed nocturnal energy with a casual bar-focused offering that emphasized music, and celebrated the Levantine region and his own Palestinian roots. In fact, the whole experience at La’ Shukran was meant to celebrate an immersive experience in Arabic traditions and ingredients. But … Rafidi style — hence the decadent foie gras with halva butter and pickled huckleberries, and a side of puffed ras-el-hanout beignets. It pairs perfectly with a Bedouin coffee — bar director Radovan Jankovic’s better take on the espresso martini, here infused with cardamom spice. Plus, there’s an entire hummus section of the menu. Rafidi’s favorite: escargot hummus with poppyseed sourdough, ordered with a side of falafel jibne. Who are we to disagree?
2. Pascual Capitol Hill
Contemporary Mexican cuisine has matured enough in the United States to have prompted a second generation of restaurants, as it were. Pascual is a perfect example, in that Matt Conroy and Isabel Coss, the couple who run the two halves of the kitchen, met at New York’s Empellón. (Coss also worked at Cosme, while Conroy helmed the kitchen at plant-based Oxomoco in Brooklyn.) The duo also opened Lutèce after coming to D.C., which brought a very East Paris neobistro sensibility to Georgetown. Pascual similarly shows that freewheeling, curious sensibility. Yes, there’s a trompo for al pastor; and wood-fired coals bring a smoky punch much of the menu. Tortillas are made in-house, as are Coss’ exceptional pastries. But the menu reveals a springboard of creativity — Conroy’s parsnip tamal with a mole blanco, or Coss’ pear millefeuille with parsnip, a retuned French classic. This is the very definition of where groundbreaking Mexican American cooking sits today: not haute, not rustic, but familiar and new and endlessly compelling.
3. Cucina Morini Mount Vernon Triangle
Delicious deals abound at Cucina Morini. It’s why chef Matt Adler had us returning again and again to his unbeatable Italian bar and restaurant. On TikTok, this restaurant was known for its $7 martinis and $10 pasta specials. But that overlooked a delicious cappuccino and cornetto pairing for just $10 available on weekend mornings. Adler’s extensive travels of Italy’s coast inform the menu — from fresh crudi to pastas for sharing. And then the zuppa de pesce, a must-order dish. This seafood stew almost boils over with crustacean delights including fresh shrimp, scallops, clams, calamari, snapper, and more. If you’re doing it right, you ask for more focaccia to help soak up all the juicy bits.
4. Dōgon by Kwame Onwuachi Southwest Washington
Dōgon was Kwame Onwuachi’s third act of sorts. Having established himself in D.C., he opened the critically acclaimed restaurant Tatiana in New York about two years ago, and before that he had two restaurants in D.C.: Shaw Bijou and Kith and Kin. And then he came back, with this entry named for the Dogon people who inhabit what are now parts of Mali and Burkina Faso, and whose mythology is strongly tied to the stars, specifically Sirius. The menu also pays homage to the American historical leader Benjamin Banneker, and features African diaspora dishes, including Mom Duke’s shrimp, the must-order dish alongside a Chesapeake-influenced hoe crab topped with crunchy bits and shitto (a hot sauce from Ghana). It was the triumphant return to the District some wondered if Onwauchi would ever make.
5. Osteria Mozza Georgetown
Hollywood star-power arrived in Georgetown this year, all stemming from a love of focaccia di Recco. Chef Nancy Silverton, a celebrity chef known for her restaurant empire in Los Angeles, enticed restaurateur Stephen Starr to create a D.C. expansion thanks to her cheesy flatbread creation. It’s a lavish dish that took more than two years to perfect, and immediately won over Starr’s stomach. He realized that the District, a touchstone of his restaurant empire, needed to be able to enjoy Silverton’s talents. This was the result of their partnership, combining several of Silverton’s L.A. menus into a massive market and restaurant concept that included a wood-fired hearth, a station for handmade pastas, and, yes, pizza. But stellar dishes are manifest here, including Nancy’s Favorite Trio, mounds of mozzarella di bufala garnished with Cantabrian anchovies, sun-dried tomatoes and peppers, accompanied by Silverton’s crisp, golden brown fett’unta. Think of it as the best garlic bread you’ve ever tasted.
6. KAYU H Street Corridor
This year, Chef Paolo Dungca celebrated the one-year anniversary of his popular Filipino café Hiraya, but he didn’t stop there. He pushed to open Kayu this year (directly above his cafe) with both an à la carte option and tasting menu spotlighting Filipino fine dining and the diversity and evolution of the country’s culture. It takes Filipino staples, like lumpia and chicken adobo, and injects other influences from around the world, including Thailand, France … and even Maryland — yes there’s Chesapeake Bay crab stuffed into Dungca’s lumpia. Also think cassava cakes with crab fat, lardo, and smoked trout roe, crispy pig’s ear salad with fish sauce vinaigrette, and eggplant with roasted peanut sauce. These big swings always connect thanks to a team that includes chefs Julie Cortes (previously with Kaliwa) and Jarreon Felipe (previously Love, Makoto), general manager Bless Barios, pastry whiz Pichet Ong, and Tiki on 18th’s barman Jo-Jo Valenzuela.
7. Ama Capitol Riverfront/ Navy Yard
Ama may be the only place in Navy Yard where you can slam an espresso down as you walk to work. But its greater purpose was to entice you to linger all day — by morning, you could get cornettos with hints of orange zest and vanilla bean. Lunch might bring focaccia Genovese sandwiches. And at dinner, the essence of northern Italy could shine. Chef Johanna Hellrigl and husband Micah Wilder pulled from regions around the Ligurian Sea and the Dolomites of Alto Adige to create an unrushed dining experience. It begins with Wilder’s spritzes, seltzers, and carbonated frozen drinks to complement dishes like Tyrolean knödel and Ligurian langoustines. A lineup of gelatos and sorbets also highlight the very best fruits and flavors of Italy.
8. Medina 14th street
Rose Previte‘s latest awe-inspiring restaurant had the power to transport you to Morocco thanks to beautiful stylings: colorful tapestries, muraled walls and glowing lanterns. It certainly leveled up to her prior efforts at Michelin-starred Maydān and (perfect if you are waiting for one of the first-come, first-serve bar seats) and Compass Rose, whose former chef Sam Molavi designed this menu. We loved returning to this bar again and again, thanks to the warm service Previte has perfected and signature drinks from beverage director Drew Hairston like the Rose-Tinted Glasses, with Bombay Bramble gin, txakolina, and pickled raspberry-rose sorbet. The menu was equally transportive, with Tunisian brik (a flaky filo pastry), traditional mezze platters, and your choice of chicken, lamb, or vegetable tagine.
9. Providencia H Street
Providencia is more than a cocktail bar — it’s a cultural gathering place to enjoy rotating secret menus, seasonal specials and guest chef collaborations. Co-owners Erik Bruner-Yang, Paola Velez, Pedro Tobar, and Daniel Gonzalez came together to entice guests to experience one of D.C.’s most intimate dining spots, with just 22 seats. Dare we say this is the sweetest bar in D.C. too? It’s bright, cute, and comfy — like any neighborhood bar should be — and the menu even sweeter thanks to signature dessert dishes like a Baked Alaska with shaved ice and topped with a Maria cookie, and cocktails like the Lights of the Night Market, a gin-mezcal sour with pandan. We especially loved this partnership because it allowed Velez to bring her creative cultural storytelling to a new physical space.
Find more info here.
10. Aventino Cucina Bethesda
Bethesda may not feel like Rome. Yes, it’s exactly 4,481 miles away from the Eternal City, but who was counting when chef Mike Friedman (of The Red Hen and All-Purpose Pizza fame) made it feel a whole heck of a lot closer? Friedman’s Aventino, which debuted in January, channels a modern look but serves traditional Roman dishes. The result was easily one of the most exciting new additions to Maryland’s dining scene in the past year — one that could function as a swanky date-night option, or the locale for what feels like a small dinner party with friends, or a spot for a proper spritz. We especially love that there was an adjoining pizza parlor with his hit-maker AP Pizza Shop.
Explore our picks from coast to coast:
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Stephen Satterfield's Corner Table
