The Resy Hit List: Where In D.C. You’ll Want to Eat in April 2026

You’ll want to be a regular at this Northwest restaurant, thanks to its neighborhood appeal and sustainability-minded menu. Named after Rock Creek Park’s towering poplar trees, the 24-seat winner zeroes in on all things hyper-local with a lineup of foraged and farm-fresh dishes from Arcadia Venture’s Iulian Fortu. Inside, Anxo Cider’s Sam Fitz fuels a fittingly artisanal drinks program, and the red-tiled pizza oven roasts everything from lion’s mane mushrooms to Mangalitsa pork coppa steaks. Poplar offers a single prix-fixe menu that changes weekly and gets posted by Wednesday morning. Per person cost ranges from $45 to$60 before service and tip and includes locally sourced Manifest bread, four main dishes, and dessert.

For more than a decade, the Patch has served Filipino fare under the direction of chef and owner Patrice Cleary. Cleary’s dedication to her craft and her ability to fuse traditional Filipino dishes with modern touches extends to pancakes and waffles injected with ube’s purple color, and pork and chicken adobo brunch bowls. At dinner, an order of Mama Alice’s (her mom’s) lumpia is a must, as is the crab fat lechon kawali with a fiery edge thanks to habanero peppers. But this isn’t just a D.C. restaurant institution: It’s a gathering place for the Filipino community in D.C., with a goal to continue to be a place that preserves and elevates Filipino cultural heritage for years to come.

Chef Carlos Delgado is here with Nikkei cuisine, a combination of Peruvian and Japanese flavor widely known in Lima, but new to the District. In fact, this is D.C.’s first and only Nikkei-style hand roll concept, in an intimate 25-seat space where reservations go quickly. A 15-course tasting menu changes nightly, guided by exceptional seasonal seafood. Guests are seated at the counter for a curated progression of small courses prepared and served by Delgado in real time, from pristine sashimi and hand rolls to tiraditos; prepare for unexpected pairings like Peru’s Inca Kola with a specialty caviar hand roll. In addition to that experience, Maru San features a first-come, first-served counter offering hand rolls, à la carte dishes, and a selection of beer, sake, and pisco highballs.

D.C.’s hottest neighborhood tavern is a corner pub called Eebee’s in Shaw, serving up a perfect 50/50 martini alongside steakhouse burgers, club sandwiches, and fried mozzarella sticks. The bar menu, which was inspired by McSorley’s Old Ale House in New York’s Greenwich Village, and even has a cracker snack plus a light and dark beer served in a frosty mug similar to the Manhattan original. But wait — there’s more. Save room for dessert because this bar serves a banana split sundae that is part childhood nostalgia (with rainbow sprinkles) and part grown-up decadence, thanks to brûléed bananas and fresh whipped cream.

No reservations. Find more info here.

Bethesda may not feel like Rome. And 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 comes into the new ywar offering a modern look to counterbalance its traditional Roman dishes. It’s still a great space for special occasion dining or a small dinner party with friends, while also serving for a quick stop-in for a spritz at the bar. 

What was once Compass Rose has been reincarnated into an global cafe that channels the look and feel of restaurateur Rose Previte’s original vision, but now with all-day hours, plus a robust coffee and natural wine bar. Her globe-trotting restaurant is now known as Sook. And it recently opened with breakfast including Lebanese platters and cheesy Georgian khachapuri. Soon it will expand to all-day service and include other bar snacks and a market with grab-and-go sandwiches, spices from her restaurant Maydan, and an extravagant shrimp cocktail that’s easy to pair with one of the many spritzes served at the bar for happy hour. Consider this your all-day D.C. hangout for the new year.

Find more info here.

This Japanese culinary collection from internationally celebrated chef Makoto Okuwa, part of a giant food hall, plays host to a full-service sushi omakase experience for dinner, featuring “new school” and “old school” sushi techniques, plus an omakase express lunch, and plenty of à la carte options like hand rolls and Japanese A5 wagyu that you grill over a tableside hot stone. The latest addition here is Japanese breakfast. Their all-you-can-eat Sunday brunch features sushi, skewers, carving stations, salads, and desserts for $65 per person. Need something sweet a little sweeter? Head to the back of the food hall and order one of the many heart-shaped donuts offered at Love on the Run.

Gather a group of friends and head to this transit-themed spot, a sprawling indoor-outdoor hangout built around a decommissioned 5000-series Metro railcar retro-fitted as a bar. The outdoor space is a choose-your-own-adventure beer garden with fire pits, cabanas, rotating-food truck pop-ups, and plenty of room for DJs, trivia nights, and other themed events. Drinks also skew local, with a lineup of District-made beers, wines, and cheeky, Metro-inspired cocktails (color-coded by train line, naturally). Think of this as the District’s playground where the train is always on time and the night tends to go off the rails depending on how many Express Lines you’ve sipped.

Book now on Tock.

A new fast-casual spot from one of D.C.’s most celebrated chefs landed in Tysons this spring. Kevin Tien, the force behind Moon Rabbit, recently opened Chao Ban with longtime partner Alan Vo at Tysons Galleria. The name translates to “hello, friend,” and the menu leans into that easygoing, come-as-you-are energy. Tien and Vo — both first-generation Vietnamese Americans who grew up in Louisiana — pull from Gulf South and Mid-Atlantic influences to shape a menu that blends Vietnamese flavors with familiar, fast-casual formats. Expect a tight lineup built for quick hits: Two kinds of phở, a catfish bánh mì, rice plates, and snackable sides like xíu mại and honey pecan shrimp. Indeed, just eight signature dishes anchor the Vietnamese American menu.

Find more info here.

Brought to you by co-owners chef Nick Palermo and Sam Schnoebelen, this neighborhood restaurant puts an elegant spin on nostalgia. With an ever-changing menu using ingredients from around the world, and anchored by local produce, it offers essential dishes like Maine lobster etouffee, a 42-day dry-aged cheeseburger, Norwegian cod with smoked turnips, and a smoked cheese, ricotta, and spinach cavatelli with meatballs. A tight list of cocktails and wine pulls everything together, whether it’s date night or a casual happy hour with friends.

Chef Aaron Silverman has been making people (and stomachs happy) on Capitol Hill for more than a decade thanks to a menu of fun and fanciful eating. A meal here is an extravagant choose-your-own-adventure. Each bite is more memorable than the last. This includes the pork lychee salad (which has been on menu since day one) to newer hits like the Italian beef sandwich pasta or the miso-glazed cod inspired by celebrity chefs like Joel Robuchon and Nobu Matsuhisa.

Red checkered tablecloths and outfitting gear adorn the walls, making this restaurant campy and fun. But beyond the aesthetics, this beloved neighborhood gem has earned its reputation for down-home cooking with a legacy spanning more than two decades in Chevy Chase. The menu features locally sourced ingredients and changes daily. What does not change? The divine airiness of Buck’s restaurant’s rosemary focaccia bread or the super savoriness of specials like the bone-in pork chop or heritage half chicken. 

Chef Peter Chang’s flagship D.C. restaurant plays like a greatest-hits album of his Chinese dishes. The prolific Sichuan master, known for building a regional empire across the DMV, offers one of the best takeout or dine-in dinner experiences in Dupont Circle. The menu gets split in two: a more casual “Chang Out” for takeout-friendly staples and a dine-in “Chang In” menu that leans family-style, pulling from regions like Sichuan and Hunan, and beyond with a Chinese American diaspora-influenced lens. Think soup dumplings with razor-sharp broth, honeyed walnut prawns, and a whole branzino to share, arriving  steaming hot in chopped chili paste. This is also the city’s top destination for dim sum brunch. Think: a premium service with Chinese high tea, as well as regular rotating dishes like roasted duck bun, crispy flounder rolls, and seafood pork dumplings.

Book now on Tock.

Chef Sanjay Mandhaiya, best known for his Indian restaurant Pappe, delivers new flavors and a menu inspired by the Silk Road by way of Union Market. Dishes here focus not only on Indian cuisine, but also the Middle East, Central Asia, and China, with nods to Morocco and Iberia along the way. Must-order dishes include Georgian khachapuri, Lebanese fish kofte, and wild mushroom biryani. This is also a great place to come with a few hungry friends to explore the ample Turkish-Indian mixed grill options.

Cordelia’s is the place for coastal-inspired dishes, whether you crave a curated selection of crudo or cured seafood specialties, like a shareable turbot or coal-roasted oysters glossed in spicy ‘nduja butter. This Union Market seafood house is also the place for daily oyster happy hour or bottomless weekend brunch — designed to highlight the freshest flavors from both land and sea. For seafood lovers seeking pristine raw bar selections or those just looking for a mouthwatering burger, Cordelia delivers a dining experience that is accessible for the whole family.

Book now on Tock.