The D.C. Restaurants We Loved in 2025
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It’s that most wonderful time of year where Team Resy and Tock have scrolled through our respective camera rolls to pin down the meals that’ve stood out to us the most. It’s never easy to be pick favorites, but our 2025 picks have proven yet again what we know and hold dear to our hearts: Restaurants are our homes away from home, acting as the perfect backdrop for all of life’s moments, both big and small.
From the places where we’ve felt like regulars to the restaurants that hosted our engagements, birthdays, and everything in between, here are Team Resy and Tock’s favorite restaurant meals of 2025.
We are such fans of…
… chef Peter Chang. I had visited Q by Peter Chang years ago, and was elated to be able to share this experience with my family. My parents loved the Peking duck (they best they’ve ever had), my son devoured the crispy eggplant, I ate all of the green beans, and my husband got to meet chef Chang. It was a truly magical experience.
— Amanda Kaderavek, Senior Partner Success Manager
One of my favorite restaurants this year…
… was a late entry: Koryouri Urara. I’m not Japanese, but some of my happiest childhood memories revolve around Japanese comfort food — things like katsu kare and Every Burger cookies. And chef Urara Iwasaki’s intimate, multi-course Georgetown experience is my gustatory dream come true: from her truffled chawanmushi to cheese-covered black cod, she trains her chef’s eye on cuddly home cooking that speaks to my soul.
— Alice Levitt, D.C. Writer, Resy Editorial
On a Wednesday this summer…
… I saddled up to the bar at Fiola for one of their weekly pizza parties. I was with friends and we shared three pies (one white, two red) with an array of excellent toppings — everything from tomatoes, caramelized onions, and anchovies to housemade chorizo and meatballs. It was a treat to see this special menu, but even more so to enjoy the delicious dough that the kitchen bakes in house. Also, don’t ever skimp on dessert!
— Jill Zankowski, Senior Partner Success Manager
I’m still feeling the warm fuzzies…
… after an indulgent yet nourishing feast hosted by Ama and Slow Food DC to showcase their shared values of good, clean, and fair food for all. The meal was a family-style holiday affair with festive platters of Ligurian focaccia and marjoram roast chicken, capped off with a perfectly rich and nutty buckwheat tiramisu. It brought people together in community to support and celebrate our local food system, and left us all full — literally and figuratively.
— Lani Furbank, D.C. Writer, Resy Editorial
I had the coziest dinner this year…
… at Primrose. From the flickering candles to the rustic hardwood floors, Primrose wraps you in warmth as soon as you walk through the door. And that’s before you even meet their team or sample the food. We tried dishes from every section of the menu, from snacks of warm soup shooters and thick hunks of country bread slathered with cultured butter, to small plates that showed off the best of the season’s produce. Think charred sunchokes — their signature starchy sweetness soaked in an herb-infused green sauce — and roasted Hokkaido pumpkin draped in a pumpkin seed sauce. A creamy cranberry bean casserole entrée was peak comfort food, and a s’mores pot de crème was the perfect close to the meal. This gem just celebrated its 8th birthday, and it’s clear why it has such a loyal following: it’s everything you want in a neighborhood restaurant and more.
— Priya Konings, D.C. Writer, Resy Editorial
More D.C. staff picks, right this way.
The views expressed in this article reflect personal experiences of American Express employees at the applicable restaurants — not American Express — and do not constitute professional business advice.
