202 Best Restaurants in Washington, D.C., USA

The Royal is both a Michelin-recognized Bib Gourmand restaurant and a well-priced, local favorite for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or just for a matcha latte while working on your laptop at the bar. The second concept by owner Paul Carlson is a celebration of his family’s international roots, with a strong emphasis on vegetarian and gluten-free options. Stepping inside is like walking into a Colombian coffee shop or full restaurant, depending on the time of day. In the morning, grab a homemade fried-chicken biscuit with your cold brew; for lunch or dinner, enjoy the famous grilled avocado or a Bird Dog (chicken and poblano sausage). If you’re looking for something stronger than coffee, have a classic Aperol spritz or a house cocktail with fun, unusual Latin flavors.

This cozy gem strikes the perfect balance between keep-it-simple affordability and adventurous flair. Beyond the ramen bowls, other memorable fuel for a night on the town or a long winter's walk includes juicy marinated bulgogi beef buns and gyoza, crispy fresh Japanese dumplings.

Breezy charm and a casual ambience helped to vault this pizzeria to the top of the list of D.C.'s best. Each pie is named for a nearby neighborhood—the zesty mating of basil and anchovies on the "Southwest Waterfront" is matched only by the creamy goat cheese of the "Eastern Market." Pizzas pair well with the small lineup of bottled beers. Make sure to save room for the decadent Nutella dessert calzone.

Bright, loud, raucous, and fun, with a brightly lit bar and long, communal tables, this branch of the New York City original makes it hard not to meet people. An "American" brasserie, it's an ample space with an even bigger menu. Bright hanging chandeliers and smoked mirrors accent the dining room. High ceilings and tile everywhere raise the decibel level, but this is not the spot you come to for a quiet, intimate conversation. The dinner menu is ravenously eclectic, offering everything from a skirt steak to pastas to Korean bibimbap to a lobster roll. It's also open for breakfast at 8 am daily.

This chic, multilevel wine bar has pours aplenty (in both tasting portions and full glasses) along with well-thought-out charcuterie boards piled with prosciutto and fluffy, grill-charred focaccia. There's more-filling fare, too, like braised bone-in oxtail. By day, the crowd skews to congressional staffers and lobbyists cutting deals over thin-crust pizza, but by night, the place becomes a hipster hub in the bar on the second level—think low tables and sofas—while a youngish crowd shares cheese plates and sips wine in the crowded street-level dining room.

Grilled meats are the specialty of this neighborhood Union Market tavern, with creative dishes including lamb leg steak and bone-in skate wing, along with the more traditional butcher’s steak. Don’t bypass the sides, including potato salad and broccoli—grilled, of course.

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. 

Some of the city’s best sushi is found at this unassuming Pan-Asian restaurant with a sense of humor on H Street. Innovative favorites include 2000 Leagues (tempura octopus with eel sauce) and Godzirra roll (crunchy prawns with spicy sauce). The Mongolian beef noodles (with your choice of noodles), teriyaki-glazed Tokyo burger, and poke with sesame-flavored tuna highlight the simple but delicious menu. Be sure to check out the events page—everything from karaoke to DJ dance parties.

At the city's self-touted first raw-fish restaurant, the cuts are always ocean fresh, the cocktails fruity, and the presentations classic. Think blue crab topped with avocado and tuna crowned by jalapeño, while hot delicacies like melt-on-the-tongue fried tempura are always reliable. Dessert is not an afterthought, as it is in so many Japanese restaurants.

The inn is historical, with its fireplaces and antique furnishings, but the restaurant's culinary sensibilities are thoroughly modern. The menu changes seasonally but consistently offers excellent seafood and vegetarian options. If you come for brunch, you can dine in the ivy-draped patio surrounded by eclectic sculptures. If you come for dinner, make time for a nightcap—perhaps a craft cocktail or a straightforward glass of whiskey—in the intimate lounge.

One of the newest additions to the trendy brunch scene beloved especially of young professionals in D.C., Tatte in Dupont Circle sits in the triangular point of a building, with windows on both sides—ideal for letting in the right light for the Instagram pictures you'll be inspired to take in this aesthetically pleasing café. From biscuit-and-egg sandwiches to quiche to the North African poached-egg dish, shakshuka, there's something here for every palate.

The imposing exterior belies the spare yet serene two-story space offering breakfast specialties, healthy Japanese and Thai-style entrées that make for great comfort food and desserts. Don't sleep on the homemade cookies! There's a lovely street view from the second level.

This informal teahouse stocks more than 50 imported teas (black, white, and green) and also serves light and delicious Japanese, Indian, and Thai food. You can mix small dishes—like udon noodle salad and grilled avocado—to create meals or snacks. There's also a Korean brisket sandwich or the winter-beating ochazuke, hot green tea poured over seasoned rice with a protein. Save room for tea-friendly sweets like the locally famous chocolate salty oat cookies. The smaller Connecticut Avenue branch, tucked neatly on a corner adjacent to Lafayette Park and the White House, is a perfect spot to grab lunch after touring the nation's power center. Another outpost, in Dupont Circle, caters to locals looking for a quick bite.

One bite of the grilled cheese with tomato soup or the all-American burger will convince you that the kitchen's skills are no joke. There are plenty of other options at this popular neighborhood eatery, too, including creative salads, entrées such as filet mignon and salmon, crab cakes—and all-day breakfasts. Kids will love the 12 clever milk-shake flavors, and their parents will love the ten adult shakes that come with a kick of liquor added. (The "Nutty Professor," made with hazelnut liqueur, is worth writing home about, as are the homemade Pop-Tarts.) 

Chef-owner Seng Luangrath learned to cook as a young girl in a refugee camp and later brought the cuisine of Laos and Thailand to northern Virginia and then D.C. The atmosphere at her Columbia Heights outpost might be casual, but the flavors of its food are complex. Order fist-size helpings of sticky rice served in wicker baskets (which give the restaurant its name) to dip in spicy sauce alongside the addictive minced-meat salads known as laab. The drink list is short, but its options (bourbon and ginger cider) are impeccable matches for the spicy menu items.

One of Boston's celebrity chefs, Michael Schlow, scored prime real estate when it came to finding a spot in which to serve his fast-paced parade of small American plates—all infused with big personality and given Latin American twists. The half-dozen ceviches are witty and inventive; the tacos thrill with creative ingredients on top of shrimp, chicken, and fish; and the vegetables are anything but boring thanks to crispy meat and citrus garnishes. Flavors are bold enough and libations (like the hibiscus margarita) are punchy enough that you probably won't mind that the tiny portions require ordering several dishes to make a meal. And if you can't decide what to eat, consider one of the prix-fixe, multidish options, or let your waiter choose for you.

Come here if you're looking for edgier Hong Kong cuisine, perhaps pork ribs slathered in soy-and-ginger sauce, a tofu claypot, cheung fun with shrimp and flowering chives, or chili wontons. Finish your meal with a traditional street dessert: a bubble waffle topped with “fun stuff” (sprinkles, lychee, Pocky sticks, and dulce de leche). A cocktail created using the principles of traditional Chinese medicine may be able to cure your hangover, headache, or cold. From 10:30 to midnight on Tuesday and Thursday, a late-night menu offers a few choice items, including cold dan dan noodles and smashed cucumber salad.

Bohemian and unpretentious, yet also a D.C. institution of sorts, this coffeehouse–bar serves fancy sandwiches and exotic coffee creations. Comfy chairs and couches fill the big open space, where you can sit for hours sipping a cup of tea—or a martini—while chatting or clacking away at your laptop. Grab an armchair or a seat at a communal table and enjoy an all-day menu. This place really shines in the warm months, when the front windows swing open, and the temperature matches the temperament.

Part bar, part diner, part happy-hour haunt for Hill staffers, this Capitol Hill tradition is one of the neighborhood's last great dives. Opened in 1947, and still run by the same family, the space was upgraded after a fire in 2011 but retains its lodge-like decor, including a healthy display of taxidermied animals staring down from the walls. Pony up to the bar, which boasts the second-oldest liquor license in D.C., beside a loyal cast of regulars, to catch a Commanders game over a beer and a plate of greasy-spoon favorites like chicken fingers and jalapeño poppers. Or amble to the booths in the back for its most famous burger—beer-battered and deep-fried.

All the typical diner and Southern favorites on the menu here have an unusual twist, befitting the name of this restaurant. Start with the kale nachos or potpie poppers, then, if you’re really hungry, dive into a plate of fried chicken or the “French Dip” pappardelle. Weekend brunch includes everything from a bagel with lox to chicken and waffles, while the daily breakfast has some lighter fare. Don’t skip out on the desserts and sweets.

The culinary team focuses on Americanized versions of bistro classics created from regional ingredients in this modern-style West End restaurant in the Ritz-Carlton Washington D.C. In warmer months, the patio is popular with guests and locals alike, and innovative cocktails please the happy hour crowd.