A Navigation Tool for Dining in DC
Image: Inky. Last Updated: October 2025 Overview: The team behind the excellent Chicatana previously worked at Boqueria. When they decided to move the Mexican spot down a couple doors, the Spanish-centric La Plaza became the backfill. When Chicatana got hit by a fire, they added some Mexican items to La Plaza’s menu – presumably pending […]
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Image: Sunny on the inside. Last Updated: November 2025 Overview: Bucking the downtown is doomed trend, The Square opened a set of counter-service spots plus a bar and a proper sitdown restaurant spread out across the giant atrium in the International Square building. The two guys behind the project are chefs Richie Brandenburg, who does […]
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Image: Bloomin’ and an onion. Last Updated: April 2025 Overview: Casa Teresa is the anchor restaurant in the large food court at International Square. Chef Rubén Garcia, whose resume includes time at minibar is doing more traditional Spanish here, and it is very good. The traditional focus starts with an open fire oven fueled by […]
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Image: Lamb Shank Last Updated: December 2023 Overview: Taberna del Alabardero is like a grande dame of D.C. dining, holding forth in a large ornate room serving classic Spanish to a still-robust crowd. You can imagine the smoke swirls of yesteryear in the corners of the ceiling above as the downtown cliques of yesteryear gathered. […]
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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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Image: Salads on marble. Last Updated: April 2025 Overview: NOTE: Joselito closed in early 2025. Do you ever find a restaurant that feels like you are being let in on the secrets of a cuisine? Spanish may not be the same as French, Italian, or Chinese in terms of ubiquity in the States, but it […]
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Image: Spread of good stuff. Last Updated: August 2023 Overview: Atxondo is tucked away on an inconspicuous stretch of 14th Street on the south side of 16th Street Heights. The space is bright, simple, and friendly to those that may wander in. The food comes from Rufino Bautista, who previously worked the kitchens at Estadio […]
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Image: Rib-eye, squash, sunchokes. Last Updated: September 2024 Overview: NOTE: Bar Spero closed in September 2024. The setting and the food is modern with playful touches. The dishes can be small, precise, and eaten in a single bite. Or they can be mammoth and tackled only with more than one person. In the same dinner […]
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