Washington DC Restaurants

Maydan
Thip Khao
Tail Up Goat
Kinship
The Dabney
Red Hen
Bad Saint
Bourbon Steak
Blue Duck
All Purpose
Convivial
Ivy City Smokehouse

Always my favorite

1789 Restaurant

For steakhouses I'd recommend any of the following

Joe's Seafood and Steak
Oceans Prime
Capital Grille

For small plates I've found these to be fantastic spots

Zaytinya(Greek-ish)
The Source(asian)
Proof('merican)
Doi Moi(southeast asian)
Estadio(spanish)
Jaleo(spanish)
Oyamel(Mexican)

If you're a whiskey fan, especially scotch you MUST go to Jack Rose. The food there is fantastic as well.

For an amazing dining/drink experience check one of the several michelin restaurants

Minibar(**)
Blue Duck Tavern(*)
Komi(*)
Rasika(*)

Minibar is great and is def a once every few years type of dining experience

*skip Old Ebbitts. Yes it gets flak because people who visit and stop in after seeing the white house love it but you're not getting anything interesting or that you can't really get at any other restaurant. It's like going to NYC and hitting up Sbarro's for pizza. Just don't

Marcels 2400 Penn Avenue is a wonderful experience not on the standard tourist list. GREAT pre-event restaurant for Kennedy Center. They have a car to take you there after dinner and pick you up post event to return to the restaurant for drinks and desert. She'll LOVE it.

Founding Farmers
Mini bar

My favorite all time restaurant when I lived in DC was Granville Moore’s on H street, they specialize in mussels/fries... it’s a locals hole in the wall Belgium style pub, not much seating so need to arrive early. But they’ll text you and you can go to bars nearby... hit up dangerously delicious pies afterwards across the street and get the Baltimore bomb

Filomena in Georgetown. Don’t miss it, awesome food in an awesome environment.

My sister and a few friends live in DC, but I'm not out there a whole lot. However, a few places that I've enjoyed for food: Birch & Barley, Tail Up Goat and Red Hen.

MiniBar


If you can get in here do it. It is one helluva an experience.

My office is in DC but I don’t get to the office often. Not a memorable meal but I would recommend the top of the W hotel for a drink. In April they should have the POV wide open (basically no see through wind barriers). Love that place.