The Best Fine Dining Restaurants in Washington D.C.

Offering an avant-garde cuisine experience, minibar by José Andrés focuses on Japanese ingredients with a whimsical touch. The dining experience lasts about 3 hours, with a well-orchestrated service and a menu that includes unique dishes like a taco with powdered seaweed and Iberian pork. The restaurant is known for its modernist performance space and offers a variety of courses served by chefs across a smooth wood counter.

Recommended by

Jhonatan Cano

Restaurateur – Washington DC, United States

Best avant-garde cuisine in the east coast Highly recommend experience while in DC. Menu focuses on Japanese ingredients with the known whimsical touch of Jose Andres. Experience is a 3h long with a beautifully orchestrated service. Solid 2 Michelin stars

Read more

This intimate dining spot, Reverie, offers a unique experience with its large sharing plates, including the must-try whole duck with pollen, flat fish, and ribeye. The dishes, crafted by award-winning chef Johnny Spero, are a blend of complexity and simplicity, using both local and global ingredients. The staff at Reverie is known for their friendly and professional service, contributing to the overall enjoyable dining experience.

Recommended by

Beau Clugston

Chef – Copenhagen, Denmark

The restaurant has large sharing plates that are to die for ( whole duck with pollen , flat fish , ribeye ect ) as well as a tasting menu and ala carte . Jonny spero has been able to use his skill and expertise to build dishes that has complexity but hidden under a vail of simplicity . The staff are lovely yet professional.

Read more

Offering an exceptional Italian fine dining experience, Fiola specializes in harmonious menus with perfectly crafted pastas. This Michelin-starred establishment, helmed by acclaimed chef Fabio Trabocchi, is known for celebrating beauty and refinement through its use of exceptional farm-fresh ingredients and award-winning wines. Fiola also takes pride in its unparalleled craftsmanship, honoring the best ingredients with a farm-to-table approach.

Recommended by

Jhonatan Cano

Restaurateur – Washington DC, United States

The best Italian fine dining in DC Fiola is truly giving one of the best fine dining italian experiences in the USA. The pastas are simply perfect and the whole menu is simply harmonious

Read more

Imperfecto is a unique dining destination that combines Mediterranean and Latin American influences under the guidance of Chef Enrique Limardo. The restaurant takes pride in the beauty of imperfection, constantly striving to improve and evolve. Standout dishes include the Burrata and Ancient Salad, as well as the Latin-inspired Tuna Tartare, all of which reflect the fresh and light culinary approach of the establishment.

Recommended by

Carsten Schmidt

Culinary Explorer – Washington/Los Angeles, USA

The second DC restaurant by Seven Reasons’s chef Enrique Limardo, this one in DC’s West End. I will admit I enjoyed Imperfecto more than Seven Reasons, the dishes were extremely fresh and light. The Burrata and Ancient Salad were my favorite dishes followed by a more Latin inspired, ceviche like, Tuna Tartare.

Read more

Immerse yourself in an authentic Parisian dining experience at L'Avant-Garde, where Chef Gilles Epie and Partner Chef, Sébastien Giannini, have crafted a menu that reflects simplicity, yet elevated French cuisine. The restaurant's ambiance is enhanced by its historic Georgetown row house setting, featuring ornate wood-burning fireplaces and hardwood floors. The menu highlights dishes like duck foie gras beignet with port wine reduction and Scottish salmon paired with potato slices enlivened with tomato vinaigrette, all thoughtfully paired with a wide range of French wines curated by Sommelier Samantha McCrimmon.

Recommended by

Tom Sietsema

Food Critic – Washington, DC, USA

A taste of Paris in DC French chef Gilles Epie aimed to create a restaurant that looks and tastes like what you find in Paris, and lo and behold, he accomplishes that lofty goal. The good looks of the dining room, set off with ribs of wood on the wall and gold domed lights over luxe booths, extends to the food: duck foie gras beignet glossed with port wine reduction, Scottish salmon paired with potato slices enliveved with tomato vinaigrette, a snow-white macaron garnished with jewel-like raspberries.

Read more

With a fun name and a serious mission, Oyster Oyster is a newcomer to the dining scene that proves you don't have to eat meat to enjoy a good meal. The restaurant's focus is on sustainability, with an 8-course tasting menu that's a veritable garden of vegetarian and vegan delights. It's also equipped with private dining facilities, making it a suitable choice for those looking for an intimate dining experience.

Recommended by

Tom Sietsema

Food Critic – Washington, DC, USA

No new restaurant has excited me more than Oyster Oyster, a fun name for a serious restaurant. The newcomer, from Rob Rubba, quietly sends the message that you don’t have to eat meat to eat well, and that treating the planet with respect involves baby steps. His 8-course tasting menu is a garden of good eating.

Read more

At Rania, you'll find a menu that changes frequently, reflecting Chef Chetan Shetty's passion for innovation. The restaurant offers a unique Indian dining experience, with dishes like Parsi chicken served in a golden bowl and braised lamb infused with green chiles, ginger, and cilantro. The interior mirrors the regal nature of the food with its arched booths and gold chairs, making for an engaging dining experience.

Recommended by

Tom Sietsema

Food Critic – Washington, DC, USA

Rania delights with some of the most inspired Indian fare in DC No two evenings are ever alike; chef Chetan Shetty is constantly finessing his menu. Appearances are important to him. A gold bowl showcases typically humble Parsi chicken: minced thighs, warm with curry leaves and coriander, supporting a “nest” of shoestring potatoes crowned with a poached egg dusted with red chile blend. Taste is crucial, too. Braised lamb swells with green chiles, ginger and cilantro. Rania translates to “queen” in Hindi and Sanskrit, which explains the the regal cooking and posh interior, including arched booths and slots in gold chairs for bags. Did i mention that the top-notch drinks arrive in illuminated glasses? This is a serious restarant that likes to have fun.

Read more

Situated in a historic Post Office building, The Bazaar by José Andrés offers an expansive menu that both honors tradition and embraces innovation. Highlights include a unique onion soup served both hot and cold, tiny cones filled with crab salad, and a reimagined "Philly cheesesteak" featuring Wagyu beef and airy bread. Housed within the elegant Waldorf Astoria hotel, the restaurant provides an upscale dining experience where sophisticated cuisine meets playful theatrics.

Recommended by

Tom Sietsema

Food Critic – Washington, DC, USA

Jose Andres’s dream come true in DC The splashiest addition yet to his local portfolio, the Bazaar by Jose Andres represents the chef’s decades-long hope to open in the historic Post Office building near the White House. The epic menu looks backward and forward but also lets diners savor the here and now. Imagine an onion soup that’s by turns hot and cold in every spoonful, tiny cones filled with crab salad and a “Philly cheesesteak” reimagined with Wagyu beef and blimp-like “air bread.” The gleaming Waldorf Astoria hotel is the perfect host for the luxe experience.

Read more

Xiquet by Danny Lledó is a Michelin star restaurant that offers a fine Valencian tasting menu with a focus on seafood. It is known for its wood-fire kitchen and signature Mediterranean flavors, paired with thoughtful wine selections. The restaurant provides a multi-course culinary experience, featuring a variety of dishes including paella and other traditional cuisine of Valencia, all prepared in an open wood-fire kitchen.

Recommended by

Jhonatan Cano

Restaurateur – Washington DC, United States

Best Spanish fine dining in the East Coast The king of paella is curating a beautiful multilevel experience showcasing his Valencian cuisine. Seafood is the leading cast on the menu but the star of the show is the paella / rice course which the chef has perfected. The service and beverage program are top notch. Special occasion restaurants with a well deserved Michelin star.

Read more