The Ultimate Resy Guide to Splurge-Worthy Dining in D.C.

There’s a reason Michael Rafidi’s restaurant continues to receive much acclaim. Translating to “my heart” in Arabic and inspired by his Palestinian heritage, Albi is where chef-owner Rafidi excels at bringing forth exemplary dishes from the restaurant’s wood-burning hearth, including lamb pies and potato pitas filled with blue crab, sweet corn, and green-garlic tatbili. The optimal way to enjoy a meal here is to fully indulge in the nightly Sofra, an ever-changing tasting menu, with a prime view of the hearth and open kitchen.

Translating to the Korean word for dishes best served alongside alcohol, Anju fits the bill with its colorful, funky atmosphere and playful menus. The menu by chef-owner Danny Lee (who co-opened regional chain ChiKo in 2017) and executive chef Angelo Barreto includes the signature masterfully pan-fried pork mandu, brisket fried rice, the favorite ssam board to make wraps, and a section of hearty dishes dedicated to Lee’s mom. The traditional banchan is available in a set of three for everything from cubed kimchi radish and pickled cucumbers to sweet lotus root. End your visit with the stunning, amber-hued panna cotta made with sparkling Korean rice wine.

Cost: While it’s possible to dine here on a budget à la carte, a meal for two, including drinks, will likely cost more than $125 per person. Mains range in price from $26 to $42 each, banchan and starters are $6 to $25 each, and cocktails are priced from $13 to $18.

Opened by D.C. restaurateur Ashok Bajaj (Rasika Penn Quarter, Bombay Club), Annabelle offers produce-forward, modern American cuisine in a vibrant setting of fucshia and emerald green. The seasonally rotating, succinct menu from chef Michael Fusano exhibits classic French techniques for its beef tartare, branzino drizzled with saffron beurre blanc, and Rohan duck breast with huckleberry mostarda. Pastry chef Bella Paul turns out works of art, like a swirl of chocolate mousse dotted in candied kumquats with pink peppercorn crumbs and topped with a tuile.

Cost: A meal for two, including drinks, will likely cost more than $125 per person. Starters range in price from $17 to $24, mains are $35 to $45, and desserts are $15 with a $24 cheese cart option.

Walk into Barbouzard’s glitzy dining room and the first thing you’ll notice are stunning, hand-blown glass chandeliers that resemble a cluster of fish eggs. It’s a sign of things to come from French American chef Cedric Maupillier’s exquisite menu, which leans happily toward Mediterranean seafood. Order from the raw bar, indulge in caviar service, or go diving for scallops swimming in a peppery lobster bisque. The housemade pasta, fish entrees, and expert wine list are all an ode to the French Riviera.

Transport yourself to Argentina while overlooking the C&O Canal at Brasero Atlántico, which opened its American location last year in a converted Georgetown firehouse. Ironically, flames are always on display from the open kitchen as wood-fired chorizo, tenderloin, and rib eye arrive charred and juicy from the grill. The nautical-themed menu also includes empanada varieties such as king crab and ossobucco, and a host of pasta and Argentinian staples to choose from. Keep the merriment going with a visit to its companion basement lounge Florería Atlántico for maritime-themed cocktails and DJ sets.

Cost: A meal for two, including drinks, will likely cost more than $125 per person. Starters and pasta range in price from $18 to $58 each, with a special squid ink seafood linguini for two for $85, entrees are $31 to $79 each, and grilled meats such as Argentinian angus and prime cuts from the U.S. and Japan range from $71 to $330.

Escape to a beautiful Montgomery County farm, vineyard, and restaurant from the team behind Old Westminster Winery. Burnt Hill Farm debuted last year with chef Tae Strain (of Ggoma Supper Club and Momofuku CCDC) helming the kitchen. For the ultimate splurge, book a seat at the 12-seat chef’s counter to indulge in a tasting menu of Maryland ingredients with Asian influences while overlooking a sunset over the Piedmont Plateau. Through nine courses, every dish has a story behind it — from the starting glass of blanc de blancs with Japanese milk bread with honey butter to a BYO Mangalista pork ssam board with lettuce wraps, kimchi, and a myriad of toppings.

Cost: $375 per person for the nine-course chef’s counter tasting menu, but guests can also opt for the à la carte menu.

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Locally sourced, wood-fired dishes might not sound like a novelty now, but chef Jeremiah Langhorne’s menu was revolutionary when he opened The Dabney in 2005. The rowhouse in historic Blagden Alley has since earned itself a Michelin star for its innovative take on Mid-Atlantic cuisine and now offers dishes à la carte. But arguably the best way to experience Langhorne’s cooking is via his five-course prix fixe. That might mean broiled Virginia oysters topped with bacon and spring onion butter, country ham and cantaloupe, and grilled swordfish with fresh corn grits. You’ll feel a little fancy and a little country all at once.

Located inside The Potomac Hotel, Dōgon defies every expectation of a hotel restaurant. Chef Kwame Onwuachi returned to D.C. with a concept inspired by Benjamin Banneker and West Africa’s Dogon tribe, marrying the flavors of Nigeria, Jamaica, Trinidad, and Creole. Despite all the history behind them, each dish feels fresh and inventive: flaky pastry stuffed with slow-braised oxtail served with tamarind aioli, coconut-curry branzino accompanied by garlicky calaloo, and the showstopping blue crab meat served inside a shell with plantain hoe cakes and a Ghanaian pepper sauce. Don’t miss the cocktail list curated by low- and no-alcohol drink expert Derek Brown.

Cost: A meal for two, including drinks, will likely cost more than $125 per person. Small plates range in price from $15 to $38, and large plates are anywhere from $33 to $110 each.

About an hour west of D.C., the unincorporated farm town of Marshall is home to the seasonal fine dining restaurant Field & Main. Here, co-owners and couple, Neal and Star Wavra, converted a 200-year-old historic building into a restaurant space with a custom wood-burning heath. Chef Anthony Nelson procures ingredients from nearby Pleasant Vale Farms and Whiffletree Farms. For their five-course tasting menu named The Present Menu, the results are rotating dishes like ember-roasted salmon alongside miso-braised turnips, oyster mushrooms, black lentils, and crisp kale drizzled with calamansi vinaigrette. The optional wine pairing highlights an impressive Virginia-centered wine list to complement each dish.

Cost: $150 per person for the five-course Present Menu tasting menu; $75 per person for an additional wine pairing.

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With an original location in Ballater, Scotland, and ties to a global art gallery, Fish Shop might not sound elegant by name alone, but one step inside reveals it is elegance incarnate. There’s a giant fish sculpture made with Scottish willow, a rainbow-hued scarf installation, and nautical-themed motifs throughout. Design aside, the menu is, of course, seafood-focused and chef Ria Montes champions sustainable and local Chesapeake Bay cuisine. The signature crumpets toasted in brown butter, are topped with Maryland crab in season and smoked trout the rest of the year. And a grilled trout entree is prepared with black garlic adobo and a side of bok choy. If the weather permits, dine on the waterfront patio.

Cost: While it’s possible to dine here on a budget à la carte, a meal for two, including drinks, will likely cost more than $125 per person. Snacks range in price from $7 to $12, raw bar selections are $23 to $27, and mains are $32 to $160.

Kappo’s minimalist, 21-seat omakase is a very specific experience: a reservations-only, eight-course tasting menu where wagyu is always the star. Chef Minoru Ogawa makes frequent trips to Japan for inspiration and sourcing, and that dedication shows up in every course. The menu includes a wagyu appetizer, sashimi, nigiri, sukiyaki-style hot pot, and dessert. Wagyu also appears in various forms such as wagyu tataki, wagyu miso soup, wagyu-topped chawanmushi, and even a wagyu fat-washed Old Fashioned with Japanese whisky. There are four nightly seatings from Tuesday to Thursday, two seatings on Friday, and three on weekend evenings.

Cost: $150 per person for the tasting menu.

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While Persian, French, Indian, Turkish, and Korean cuisine may seem wildly different, the 4,000-mile Silk Road is what ties them together. That is the vision behind chef Sanjay Mandhaiya’s menu at Karravaan, which celebrates the historic trading route and fittingly, is near Union Station with its global approach and train motifs. One meal could include Lebanese fish croquettes, potato mandu with chile crisp, tandoori butter chicken, and Parisian gnocchi. The bar reflects its myriad influence, too, with selections of arak, sake, Mezcal, and baiju. End the meal with a slice of mango-chai cheesecake.

We might as well refer to Georgetown as Little Paris at this point, with its proliferation of French restaurants. When it debuted in 2022, L’Avant-Garde was one of the most highly anticipated additions, joining its adjacent bar L’Annexe. At the elegant yet bustling restaurant, guests can order à la carte, but we highly recommend opting for the rotating tasting menu if possible, which most recently featured a lobster theme: a fall salad of tart apples and grapefruit, bouillabaisse swirled with turmeric aioli, and Thermidor on a tarragon sabayon. The dessert options are perfectly classic French brasserie, including Mardirofolo chocolate mousse, citrus crème brûlée, and opéra on a dacquoise biscuit.

Cost: $99 for the four-course tasting menu paired with wine by the glass that ranges in price from $18 to $30.

Though its interior is starkly industrial, with lots of chrome, steel, and concrete, so much about Michelin-starred Masseria plays on personality. Every server and bartender seem genuinely excited to showcase chef Nicholas Stefanelli’s menu, which includes options for five or six courses of Southern Italian cuisine. The meal often starts with a crudo, maybe cobia with watermelon rind and basil, then might transition to linguini tossed with XO sauce. Entrees include squid ink cuttlefish or veal with bone barrow and salsa verde. An impeccable Italian wine list and gelato flavors like tiramisu and lemon verbena round out the experience.

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Since it opened in 2019, everything about Nina May feels like a breath of fresh air. With a great takeout program during the height of the pandemic and a commitment to only sourcing ingredients within 150 miles of D.C., chef Colin McClimans and restaurateur Danilo Simic always aim to please. The coastal-chic dining room turns out new American comfort food, including bread and pasta from scratch, innovative veggie preparations like pistachio-crusted eggplant, and family-style entrees including braised lamb shoulder with sage gremolata. The rotating, inventive cocktail list is also a nice touch, and indulging in the Negroni Flip with lime foam is definitely recommended.

Cost: While it’s possible to dine here on a budget à la carte, a meal for two, including drinks, will likely cost more than $125 per person. Snacks range from $16 to $24, entrees are priced from $22 to $64, and cocktails are $16 each.

Open since 1906 with a glow-up in 2025 by restaurateur Stephen Starr, the downtown dining room of this power dining stalwart represents the best of old-school D.C. The Occidental’s midcentury menu pulls out all the classics: martini variations, raw oysters, king crab legs, caviar, crab cakes, shrimp cocktail, a wedge salad, and steaks from the broiler. But there are touches of modern flair here, too, with sea bream ceviche floating in leche de tigre and Chilean seabass marinated in miso. And, if a meal is ever feeling too stuffy, just ask for an order of pigs in a blanket for the table.

James Beard Award-winning chef Rob Rubba has transformed the way diners in the District think about vegetables. At his Michelin-starred Oyster Oyster, know that it’s definitively not a seafood restaurant. Instead, it focuses on sustainable dining and the tasting menu reads like a foraging treasure trove, starting with a warm and welcoming broth of mushroom, kelp, and ginger. From there, you might eat a cracker made from carrot tops, “pastrami” created from pickled kohlrabi, and shortbread baked with porcini mushrooms. The intimate dining room, and neighboring Shroom Room for private events, makes every dinner feel special.

Cost: $135 per person for the tasting menu.

When you really want to impress a dinner date, book an omakase experience at Sushi Taro. For the past 40 years, this Dupont legend has a reputation for top-notch sashimi, nigiri, and hand rolls featuring premium seafood. But the non-sushi options from chefs Nobu Yamazaki and Masa Kitayama are just as impressive. Think salt-grilled salmon belly on rice, fatty bluefin tartare with dashi vinegar jelly, and housemade udon noodles dotted with spicy pollock roe. The extensive sake menu, organized by categories like full-bodied umami or fragrant and light, just adds to the VIP vibe.

Cost: $275 per person for the omakase counter experience; $150 per person for the additional sake pairing.