12 Best Restaurants in Downtown, Washington, D.C.

This upscale gastropub chain just a block from the convention center offers more than 40 beers on tap and loads of bottles. The high ceilings, reclaimed wood walls, and copper bar give the large spot a warm, rustic feel. Expect standard American pub comfort food with a few upscale plates like grilled ahi tuna and miso-glazed salmon. There's also a solid brick-oven-pizza selection. It gets a nice crowd, but you never feel crowded in the spacious bar–dining room. The jumping happy hour offers great prices.

L’Ardente serves traditional Italian flavors in a glamorous setting (think Missoni curtains) in the heart of the city. The buzzy restaurant, known for its 40-layer lasagna and tiramisu flambé, is a place to be seen by politicians and celebrities, including former president Barack Obama. The best seats in the house are at the chef's counter, where you can see the team assembling pizzas and crafting their indulgent pasta dishes.

This sophisticated urban dining room with soaring ceilings is a local favorite for meeting friends or dining with a group (and popular enough that reservations can still be difficult to get). Here chef José Andrés devotes practically the entire menu to Turkish, Greek, and Lebanese small plates, known as meze. To get the full experience, make a meal of three or four small plates, perhaps the spicy lamb bahar served with tabbouleh and tahini or the hearty fattoush shepherd's salad in a bright pomegranate dressing. Finishing the shareable roasted lamb shoulder is a worthy quest for diners with big appetites. So many options make this an excellent choice for both vegetarians and meat lovers. Reservations get snapped up quickly here, but you can snag a meal when a roomy bar table opens up. Eating at the bar itself is fun since the bartenders are attentive and friendly.

Give in to sensory overload at this homage to the railway dining rooms that catered to the prewar European elite. The food is just as rich as you'd expect: entrée-size salads with Belgian frites, fruits de mer platters with enough shellfish for a small army, and a dizzying lineup of artisanal beers. Every detail of Beck's interior exudes luxury, from the vintage-accented clocks that stand above mahogany booths to the exposed stainless-steel kitchen. The production is impressive, and you'll remember the food fondly after returning home—but you might consider a fast the next day.

The José Andrés formula is pleasantly familiar to D.C. diners who have visited his ever-growing empire of small-plate restaurants since Jaleo first opened in 1993. This hybrid of Peruvian and Chinese-Japanese styles, inspired by a 19th-century wave of migration to South America, is a popular spot amongst locals. Find chili-speckled dim sum alongside ceviches, donburi bowls, and Peruvian-style fried rice. Cocktail stars are the macerados, Peruvian pisco liquors infused with fruit flavors.

Inside trendy Hotel Monaco, Dirty Habit woos diners with a towering skylit space that until 1901 was the general post office. Homing in on globally inspired shared plates, the chef conjures up such satisfying dishes as poached hen dumplings and smoked Chilean sea bass. In warmer months, the neoclassical courtyard is a popular spot for fruit-infused cocktails and brunch. The bar is a mix of travelers, people coming in for pre- or post-concert drinks, and locals ready for a night out. 

Make a meal of the long list of tapas at celebrity chef José Andrés's lively Spanish bistro, although the five types of handcrafted paella are the stars of the ample entrée menu. Tapas highlights include the gambas al ajillo (sautéed garlic shrimp), tender piquillo peppers stuffed with goat cheese, and the grilled homemade chorizo, which also comes draped in creamy mashed potatoes. Cocktail specialties range from sweet and fruity sangria to a half-dozen herbal riffs on the gin and tonic.

Nestled in a hidden alley between L and M streets (Midtown Center), Little Chicken is a fun spot serving all things fried chicken. Start with a locally brewed beer or a glass of champagne if you're feeling fancy. You can order cocktails like margaritas and hard cider by the pitcher, perfect for lingering around and playing shuffleboard on the patio. The restaurant offers crispy fried chicken, either bone-in or boneless, and spicy or regular. From waffle fries to mac and cheese, there's a long list of sides to choose from. 

Visitors and employees from surrounding offices flock here to drink at the several bars, which seem to go on for miles, and enjoy well-prepared buffalo wings, hamburgers, and hearty sandwiches (the Reuben is a must). Old Ebbitt also has one of Washington's best-known raw bars, a 160-year-old institution (it claims Teddy Roosevelt may have "bagged animal heads" at the main bar). Pasta is homemade, and the late-night menu runs from hummus to tacos until 1 am seven days a week. Despite the crowds, the restaurant never feels cramped, thanks to its well-spaced, comfortable booths. Nevertheless, service can be slow at lunch and during happy hour when the oysters are half-price.

The specialty at chef José Andrés's Mexican stunner are antojitos, literally translated as "little cravings." But the high ceilings, gracious service, and gorgeous Frida Kahlo–inspired interior are anything but small, and even the smallest of dishes is larger than life when doused with chocolate mole poblano sauce or piquant lime-cilantro dressing. Standouts include homemade margaritas topped with a clever salt foam, the seared Chesapeake perch with serrano and cilantro, and grasshopper tacos—yes, those are bugs basted in tequila and chili sauce, and they're delightful. Museumgoers shouldn't miss the filling and fanciful lunch specials.

For those craving authentic Italian pizza, head to Stellina Pizzeria. The latest outpost of this locally owned company is the work of native Italians Antonio Matarazzo and chef Matteo Venini. Start your meal with Italian starters like arancini (fried rice balls) and fried artichokes. The pizzas based on Italian classics such as cacio e pepe and amatriciana are always in demand. Try to grab a seat at the lively bar for more intimate service and a closer look at the bar and kitchen.