A Navigation Tool for Dining in DC
Image: Finesse without fussiness. Last Updated: July 2026 Overview: Marcus Samuelson gained fame as the chef at New York’s Aquavit cooking in the niche tradition of Swedish cuisine. He shifted to soul food opening Red Rooster in Harlem. That combination of fine dining and casual, European, American, and African roots create the elements of Marcus […]
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Image: ‘Chokes and Truffles. Last Updated: June 2026 Overview: We think Poplar qualifies as a hidden gem. It shares attributes with another hidden gem, Izakaya Seki (or it was under the radar until the Washington Post’s new critic gave it 4 stars). With Seki it is a commitment to a specific approach to Japanese cuisine. […]
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Image: Where dreams come true… Last Updated: October 2025 Overview: Chef Elias Taddesse managed to capture the public’s food imagination twice despite not having a stable home for his food. First, he did it with a great burger spot in Mt. Vernon also called Mélange, but he had the misfortune to open in the middle […]
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Image: Golden. Last Updated: December 2025 NOTE: Rosedale closed in late 2025 (sadly). Will soon be a coastal Indian spot from the same restaurant group. Overview: D.C. restaurateur Ashok Bajaj continues a post-covid trend of going where the people are. In the work-from-home world that means getting out of downtown for his new place and […]
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Image: Ducking. Last Updated: December 2024 Overview: Mallard is a crowd-pleaser of a restaurant taking over the space previously occupied by Birth & Barley. It is also a personal restaurant from one of D.C.’s best chefs, Hamilton Johnson. Johnson hails from South Carolina, which provides the theme of the menu. The name Mallard is also […]
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Image: Stocked up mushrooms. Last Updated: November 2024 Overview: Equinox carved out a reputation as a fine dining power spot around the corner from the White House. Over time it also added a reputation for doing right by those looking for plant-based options, including a vegan brunch. Then in 2023, after more than two decades, […]
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Image: Catfish and spaghetti. Last Updated: September 2024 Overview: NOTE: Almeda closed at the end of August 2024. Chef Danielle Harris opened Little Food Studio on Upshur in 2021, where she made great sandwiches on freshly-made focaccia and served up other treats. As the name implies, the space was small but it got some notice […]
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Image: Potatoes Pau Gasol Last Updated: May 2026 NOTE: The space remains largely the same, but the restaurant has rolled over to Bazaar Meats with some menu items carried over but with a lot more meat. Overview: The Bazaar is a grand space, a giant machine, and a smorgasbord of a menu. It occupies a […]
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