Washington, D.C., is known for museums, monuments and a bustling restaurant scene with an abundance of options. Start with our guide to particularly wine-focused spots, from destinations led by superstar chefs to a spot celebrating the cuisine of Italy’s Puglia region, plus the area’s first Wine Spectator Grand Award winner. Thirteen selections in all, these diverse eateries show that the District of Columbia is both a national and a culinary capital.
This is just a sampling of the approximately 60 Restaurant Award winners in Washington, D.C.’s metro area. To check out more wine-and-food destinations around the world, see Wine Spectator’s more than 3,700 Restaurant Award winners, including the 94 Grand Award recipients worldwide that hold our highest honor.
Do you have a favorite you’d like to see on this list? Send your recommendations to restaurantawards@mshanken.com. We want to hear from you!
Fiola
601 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.
Telephone (202) 525-1402
Website fioladc.com
Grand Award
A short walk from the National Gallery of Art, Fiola is chef Fabio Trabocchi’s flagship restaurant and Washington’s sole Grand Award winner. Native to Italy’s Marche region, Trabocchi is known for his elevated takes on regional Italian fare. Recent dishes on Fiola’s menu include wine-braised beef cheek with polenta, roasted scallops with salsa verde and charcoal-grilled lamb with caponata (a Sicilian staple similar to ratatouille). Longtime wine director Casper Rice manages Fiola’s cellar of 11,100-plus bottles, in addition to overseeing the wine programs at Best of Award of Excellence winners Del Mar and Fiola Mare—two of Trabocchi’s other restaurants in the capital. Fiola’s 2,405-selection list concentrates on well-known wineries across Italy, particularly from Piedmont, Sicily and Tuscany, including verticals from the likes of Marchesi di Barolo and Antinori’s Tignanello. There are ample selections of half-bottles and magnums, as well as choice offerings from across California and France.
Annabelle DC
2132 Florida Ave. N.W.
Telephone (202) 916-5675
Website annabelledc.com
Best of Award of Excellence
On the edge of the lively Dupont Circle neighborhood, Best of Award of Excellence winner Annabelle DC serves elevated American cuisine inside a charming brick building. Chef Frank Ruta, whose career includes 11 years as the executive sous chef at the White House, offers a dinner menu that draws inspiration from across the globe—think Parisian gnocchi with Italian pork sausage, crispy pork belly with a Vietnamese fish sauce and risotto with shrimp and English peas. Pulling from a cellar of 2,400-plus bottles, wine director Gary Russell’s 410-selection list primarily focuses on France and California. Burgundy is a particular strength of the program, with bottles from the likes of Jean Grivot, Patrick Piuze and Vincent Girardin.
The Bazaar by José Andrés
Waldorf Astoria hotel, 1100 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.
Telephone (202) 868-5088
Website thebazaar.com
Best of Award of Excellence
Inside the luxurious Waldorf Astoria hotel, a historic 1890s building that was formerly the U.S. Post Office headquarters, the Bazaar by José Andrés offers expansive views of the National Mall from its multilevel dining space. This Best of Award of Excellence winner is one of several establishments in the capital from chef and philanthropist José Andrés, which include fellow Restaurant Award winners Jaleo (the tapas spot that helped make Andrés a star) and minibar (a chef’s table destination that experiments with new methods in culinary science). In D.C., Bazaar chef Manuel Echeverri serves lunch and dinner tasting menus ($60 and $165 per person, respectively) in addition to à la carte offerings, focusing on Spanish and American cuisine with contemporary twists. Recent menu items include a Philly cheesesteak made with Wagyu beef, croquetas (Spanish croquettes) filled with blue crab and béchamel and a surf-and-turf entrée of tempura oysters and braised lamb. The 400-label wine list and 1,000-bottle cellar are overseen by Jordi Paronella, corporate wine director for the José Andrés Group. The program primarily features Spanish and U.S. wines, with several Rioja verticals from producers such as López de Heredia and Remírez de Ganuza and sparkling options from Spanish producers such as Raventós i Blanc and Recaredo Mata Casanovas. There is also a selection of wines from Virginia, including Linden and RdV.
Bourbon Steak
Four Seasons Hotel Washington D.C., 2800 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.
Telephone (202) 944-2026
Website theminagroup.com
Best of Award of Excellence
A few blocks from the Potomac River on the same avenue as the White House, chef Michael Mina’s Bourbon Steak delivers a refined yet relaxed dining atmosphere inside the upscale Four Seasons hotel. The Best of Award of Excellence winner is one of six Restaurant Award–winning Bourbon Steaks, with additional sibling locations in Las Vegas, New York City and Delray Beach, Florida. Chef Quentin Welch leads the Bourbon Steak kitchen in D.C., serving a variety of steaks slow-poached in rendered beef tallow, as well as signature Mina dishes such as Michael’s Tuna Tartare (with Asian pear, pine nuts and peppers) and the Caviar Twinkie (homemade cornbread stuffed with yuzu-flavored crème fraîche and topped with caviar). Wine director Winn Roberton manages the 5,500-bottle cellar and 700-label list, offering 50 wines by the glass and employing the Coravin preservation system for rarer pours. Producers such as Diamond Creek, Joseph Phelps and Philip Togni are among the Napa Valley options, while France is represented with bottlings from Burgundy’s Méo-Camuzet, Champagne’s Billecart-Salmon and the Loire Valley’s Didier Dagueneau.
Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab
750 15th St. N.W.
Telephone (202) 489-0140
Website joes.net/washington-dc
Best of Award of Excellence
One of three Best of Award of Excellence–winning locations across the country, Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab in Washington is steps from Lafayette Square and the White House. Operated by the Lettuce Entertain You restaurant group, Joe’s has signature dishes such as chilled Florida stone crab with a house mustard, prime bone-in steaks with a variety of savory accoutrements, and a chopped salad made with tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, black olives, peanuts, feta and a house vinaigrette. Wine director Kevin Bratt oversees the wine programs for each Joe’s location. Pulling from a cellar of 4,600-plus bottles, the D.C. location’s wine list boasts 450 selections and shows strength in California and France. Expect top labels from Burgundy and Napa Valley, such as Albert Bichot and Schrader Cellars, as well as choice selections from farther afield.
Jônt
1904 14th St. N.W.
Telephone (202) 773-9989
Website jontdc.com
Best of Award of Excellence
Situated in the lively 14th Street corridor, with Award of Excellence winner Le Diplomate just down the road, is chef and restaurateur Ryan Ratino’s Jônt. A Best of Award of Excellence winner since 2022, the restaurant fuses French and Japanese culinary traditions for its tasting menu ($375 per person), which is limited to just over a dozen diners at a time and served across a chef’s counter. Jônt often highlights ingredients sourced from Japan across its menu, as with the recent dishes of medai and sawara fish from Nagasaki and anno imo (a type of sweet potato) from Kagoshima. Beverage manager Gabriel Corbett oversees the 360-selection wine list, which draws from a 1,100-bottle cellar and shows strength in California and France (particularly Bordeaux and Burgundy). Notable producers on the list include Marquis d’Angerville in the Côte de Beaune and Shafer in Napa Valley, with a vertical of Krug Brut Champagne Grande Cuvée also on offer. Guests can also opt for a beverage experience, with a classic wine pairing available for $205 per person and a “F*** It” pairing of more exclusive bottles for $660; a nonalcoholic pairing option is also offered at $99.
Masseria
1340 Fourth St. N.E.
Telephone (202) 608-1330
Website masseria-dc.com
Best of Award of Excellence
A two-minute walk from Union Market, known for its shopping and community events, Best of Award of Excellence winner Masseria specializes in the dishes of Puglia, with a robust program of wines sourced from across the Italian peninsula. Owner and chef Nicholas Stefanelli serves a four-course prix fixe menu and an eight-course tasting menu ($145 and $270 per person, respectively) that change regularly and channel the flavors of southern Italy. (An à la carte menu is offered at the bar.) Recent menu items include foie gras with Bosc pear, hay-smoked sweetbreads with bagna càuda (a traditional Piedmontese dip with anchovies and garlic) and moeche (soft-shell crabs native to Venice) with ramps. Wine director Roberta Scampoli curates the 1,330-selection wine list and 5,580-bottle cellar, predominantly highlighting French and Italian producers. Notable labels on the list include Campania’s Mastroberardino, Piedmont’s Giacomo Conterno and Tuscany’s Biondi-Santi.
RPM Italian
650 K St. N.W.
Telephone (202) 204-4480
Website rpmrestaurants.com
Best of Award of Excellence
One of three Best of Award of Excellence–winning RPM Italian restaurants, the D.C. location is near the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in the heart of the Mount Vernon neighborhood. As with each RPM Italian, this one showcases pasta made in-house with flour imported from Italy. Italian mainstays such as carbonara, cacio e pepe and chicken Parmesan are joined by small wood-fired pizzas, steak cuts, seafood plates and rotating menu specials. Wine director Nicholas Schulman’s program of 1,300 wines, with 7,500 bottles in the cellar, champions labels from California and Italy (particularly Piedmont and Tuscany). The list notably features rarer bottles from the likes of Tenuta dell’Ornellaia from the early aughts and Gaja dating back to 1976.
St. Anselm
1250 Fifth St. N.E.
Telephone (202) 864-2199
Website stanselmdc.com
Best of Award of Excellence
Near the Union Market cultural hub, St. Anselm is a steak-focused tavern inside a former warehouse. The restaurant gives off a casual vibe, with red leather–tufted booths and a horseshoe-shaped bar adorned with Shriners fezzes, vintage beer cans and assorted taxidermy. St. Anselm’s dinner menu offers both “Smalls” and “Bigs” from the grill, with items including oysters in herb butter, grilled cabbage with a walnut Caesar dressing and various beef, lamb, chicken and fish options. There are also several shareable plates, dubbed “Little Things,” such as blue crab deviled eggs, pig head croquettes and buttermilk biscuits with pimento cheese. Beverage manager Ian Cruz, who previously worked at Pastis D.C. (STARR Restaurant Group owns both Pastis and St. Anselm), manages the 1,300-label wine list and 2,100-bottle inventory. The program boasts an extensive collection of Madeira, with selections from Blandy’s, Broadbent and D’Oliveiras, with some vintages going back more than a century. Bottlings from Bond, Peter Michael and Ridge are among the Californian labels, while notable European picks include Bordeaux’s Château Lynch Bages, Rioja’s Bodegas Muga and Umbria’s Paolo Bea.
Alhambra
The St. Regis Washington D.C., 923 16th St. N.W.
Telephone (202) 509-8000
Website alhambradc.com
Award of Excellence
Inside the luxurious St. Regis hotel, a Beaux-Arts building situated between Farragut and McPherson squares and a couple blocks from the White House, is Mediterranean fine-dining restaurant Alhambra. A high-ceilinged space decorated with golden curtains, red-leather chairs and sparkling chandeliers, the Award of Excellence winner’s dining room serves dishes that draw culinary influences from Spain, Morocco and France. Recent plates on the dinner menu include aleppo pepper–seasoned smoked chicken with ajvar (a Serbian red pepper spread), Urfa pepper–seasoned roasted cauliflower with zhoug (a Middle Eastern take on spicy pesto) and cherry-dressed short ribs with chives. Featuring 300 selections drawn from an inventory of 1,000 bottles, the wine list focuses on California and Spain, with picks from Rioja’s Cuentaviñas and Ribera del Duero’s Bodegas Emilio Moro, while Napa Valley is represented with options from the likes of Caymus, Dunn and Inglenook.
Bresca
1906 14th St. N.W.
Telephone (202) 518-7926
Website brescadc.com
Award of Excellence
Situated on Washington’s bustling 14th Street, with Howard University less than a mile away, Award of Excellence winner Bresca offers a warm and lively dining atmosphere, with a space accented by a sprawling moss wall, blue-velvet seating and abundant natural light. Owner and chef Ryan Ratino serves French bistro–inspired cuisine with international influences—for instance, foie gras with a black truffle jam, dry-aged duck with tardivo (a variety of radicchio) and black cod with hollandaise. Wine director Alexandra Padron oversees the list of 125 wines, which is backed by a 600-bottle cellar and primarily features French and U.S. labels. Burgundy is strongly represented, with selections from Domaine Parent, Patrick Piuze and Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey. Stateside wineries include California’s Bedrock and Martha Stoumen and Oregon’s Cristom.
Casa Teresa
919 19th St. N.W.
Telephone (202) 856-7979
Website teresadc.com
Award of Excellence
In downtown Washington, about a 10-minute walk from George Washington University and its public museum, is Spanish dining destination Casa Teresa. The restaurant is named after chef and owner Rubén García’s grandmother, an activist imprisoned during the Spanish Civil War who instilled in her family the importance of making great meals from limited resources. García has worked for high-profile chefs, including José Andrés and Ferran Adrià. In addition to tapas, entrées and large-format shareables, two tasting menus are available: “Menú Masía” ($42 per person) centers on dishes from García’s childhood, such as sopa de pollo (a Latin American chicken noodle soup with potatoes and carrots), and “Teresa’s Table” ($140) pays homage to García’s grandmother’s culinary traditions, with plates such as zamburiñas a la Malagueña (bay scallops with a garlic sauce) and tarta de queso (Basque-style cheesecake made with goat cheese). Wine director Sarah Vanags celebrates Spain’s leading winemaking regions across a 235-label list and 1,190-bottle cellar, with picks from Rioja’s Bodegas Muga, CVNE and Marqués de Murrieta and Castilla y León’s Raúl Pérez.
Le Diplomate
1601 14th St. N.W.
Telephone (202) 332-3333
Website lediplomatedc.com
Award of Excellence
Bringing Parisian bistro energy to Washington’s bustling 14th Street, Le Diplomate is part of the STARR Restaurant Group, which also includes fellow D.C. Restaurant Award winners Pastis and St. Anselm. Le Diplomate’s outdoor tables are perfect for sipping espresso and people-watching in the warmer months, and, inside, the essence of Paris carries through with red-leather booths, hanging lamps and plants, tiled floors and rattan chairs. The dinner menu offers a daily rotating soup and French standards such as beef bourguignon, duck confit and steak frites, as well as a cheese plate and raw bar options. The 280-selection wine list and 4,100-bottle cellar also champion France, with picks from Alsace’s Zind-Humbrecht, Burgundy’s Roux Père & Fils and the Rhône’s Château de Beaucastel. Other notable selections include Pinot Noir from Oregon and Cabernet Sauvignon from California.
Edited by Julia Larson, Olivia Nolan, Greg Warner and Megan Tkacy
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