Wine Spectator Award-Winning Restaurants in Washington DC

1789 Restaurant

Washington DC, United States

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

A Georgetown institution since its namesake year, 1789 operates from a Federal-period townhouse whose six dining rooms across three floors carry as much weight as the menu. Classic French-American cooking, veteran front-of-house staff, and a deeply local sense of occasion make it the de-facto formal table for the neighborhood — and among the more historically grounded dining rooms in the capital.

Annabelle

Washington DC, United States

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Annabelle Washington DC occupies a modest brick building on Florida Avenue NW, where a marble bar gives way to an artwork-lined dining room beneath a green skylight. The contemporary American menu follows seasonal and regional rhythms, earning a Michelin Plate in 2024. At the $$$ price point, it sits in a mid-tier bracket that prioritises atmosphere and ingredient-driven cooking over formal ceremony.

Also recognized by Washingtonian

Apéro

Washington DC, United States

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

A Michelin Plate-recognised French address on Georgetown's P Street, Apéro centres its menu on Champagne and caviar while a 730-selection wine list anchored in Burgundy and Bordeaux handles the rest. Owner and wine director Elli Benchimol steers an intimate room of midnight-blue walls and gold accents toward the kind of Parisian boîte that Washington rarely does this convincingly. Two-course meals fall under $40, making the caviar-and-Champagne premise more accessible than the room's atmosphere suggests.

Barcelona Wine Bar 14th Street DC

Washington DC, United States

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Barcelona Wine Bar on 14th Street NW holds a 3-Star accreditation from the World of Fine Wine and a North America Regional Winner designation, credentials that reflect among the more serious Spanish wine programs operating in Washington, D.C. The seasonal tapas menu draws from Spanish and Mediterranean sourcing traditions, pairing small-plate formats with a list that covers Spain and South America with unusual depth.

Also recognized by Star Wine List, World's Best Wine Lists Awards

Bazaar Meat by José Andrés

Washington DC, United States

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Bazaar Meat by José Andrés sits at 1100 Pennsylvania Ave NW, where Spanish-inflected technique meets the American steakhouse tradition in a format that goes well beyond the conventional cut-and-sides formula. The kitchen applies José Andrés's modernist instincts to prime beef, producing a program that occupies its own tier in Washington's high-end dining scene. For anyone working through the capital's serious restaurant options, this is a clear reference point.

Blue Duck Tavern

Washington DC, United States

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

Ranked #596 in Opinionated About Dining's 2025 North America list and holding a Michelin Plate, Blue Duck Tavern operates from inside the Park Hyatt West End as one of Washington D.C.'s more durable American restaurant addresses. The kitchen anchors its menu around a wood-burning oven and sourced-farm provenance, running breakfast through dinner seven days a week across a soaring, walnut-paneled dining room and a separate cheese-and-charcuterie lounge.

Also recognized by Forbes, Opinionated About Dining

Bourbon Steak DC

Washington DC, United States

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Inside the Four Seasons Washington, D.C. on Pennsylvania Avenue, Bourbon Steak DC operates at the intersection of celebrity-sighting and serious cooking. Executive Chef Robert Curtis oversees a menu that moves beyond conventional steakhouse territory, pairing prime dry-aged and Wagyu cuts with French-inflected seafood. The bar program and brick patio make this Georgetown address as much a scene as a restaurant.

Also recognized by Forbes

Bresca

Washington DC, United States

1 Michelin star · Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

On 14th Street NW, Bresca occupies a tier Washington D.C. dining rarely sustains: ambitious French-inflected cooking in a room designed to be memorable without being austere. Chef Ryan Ratino holds a Michelin star and a top-35 ranking on Opinionated About Dining's North America list, while wine director Alexandra Padron oversees a 500-bottle list weighted toward France. The format is dinner-only, Wednesday through Sunday.

Also recognized by James Beard Award, Opinionated About Dining

CUT Washington D.C.

Washington DC, United States

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Wolfgang Puck's steakhouse brand arrives in Georgetown with the sourcing discipline and open-flame technique that defines CUT's reputation across its global outposts. Set on 31st Street NW, the restaurant positions itself within Washington's serious dining tier, where provenance-led menus and precise cookery compete with the city's most ambitious kitchens. For beef-focused dining in D.C., it occupies a distinct bracket.

Del Mar

Washington DC, United States

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

At The Wharf on Washington D.C.'s Southwest waterfront, Del Mar frames Spanish coastal cooking against a backdrop of Potomac views, polished brass fixtures, and an extensive wine list anchored by Spanish, Californian, and French selections. Owner Fabio Trabocchi's restaurant earns a Michelin Plate and an Opinionated About Dining ranking, with a menu that moves from Andalusian gambas al ajillo to precision-prepared whole fish, all sourced and presented with care.

Also recognized by Opinionated About Dining, Washingtonian

Dōgon

Washington DC, United States

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

Opened in September 2024 inside the Salamander Washington DC hotel, Dōgon brings Kwame Onwuachi's Afro-Caribbean vision to the capital with a shareable menu that moves between West African, Jamaican, Trinidadian, and Creole traditions. The Michelin Plate recipient earned a spot on Esquire's Best New Restaurants list for 2024 and Resy's Best of the Hit List in 2025. Chef de cuisine Martel Stone, a Chopped Next Gen winner, executes a tightly edited menu where every dish earns its place.

Also recognized by Bon Appétit, Esquire, Food & Wine, New York Times

Estuary

Washington DC, United States

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

A Michelin Plate-recognized seafood restaurant on New York Avenue NW, Estuary operates at the upper end of Washington D.C.'s dining market, where the coordination between kitchen and floor determines whether high-ticket seafood feels worth the price. It holds a consistent position in the city's serious restaurant tier.

Fiola

Washington DC, United States

1 Michelin star · Wine Spectator Grand Award

Set behind stone walls and Warhol-esque accents, Fiola is where classic Roman rigor and Venetian lyricism converge in a sumptuous ode to regional Italian cuisine. Attentive, gracious service gently guides guests through a menu that marries tradition with playful ingenuity—think Ravioli alla Genovese cloaked in smoked beef ragù and mozzarella di bufala, or 48-hour dry-aged branzino glossed with silken lemon butter. Each course is an invitation to linger: delicate textures, perfumed sauces, and a finale of caramel corn budino with poached apricot and yuzu sorbet that shimmers with sweet-saline brightness. For the affluent traveler seeking intimacy and polish, Fiola offers a transportive dining experience where sophistication feels effortless and every detail whispers of care.

Also recognized by Opinionated About Dining, RAMMYS, Star Wine List, Washingtonian

Fiola Mare

Washington DC, United States

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Fiola Mare brings Italian-focused seafood cooking to a terrace perch on the Georgetown waterfront, with Potomac views that make the setting among the more visually arresting in Washington. Ranked #216 on Opinionated About Dining's 2025 North America list and holding a Michelin Plate, it offers a lunch service that delivers comparable kitchen quality at a notably lower price point than the dinner menu.

Also recognized by Opinionated About Dining

Hitching Post

Washington DC, United States

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

A Petworth institution holding a Michelin Bib Gourmand and a spot on Opinionated About Dining's 2025 Casual North America list, Hitching Post serves made-to-order Southern classics in a deliberately retro room on Upshur Street NW. Chef Jesus Montano's fried chicken is the anchor dish, but a 140-bottle California-weighted wine list and a $25 corkage fee make this an atypical neighbourhood find in its price bracket.

Also recognized by Opinionated About Dining

Jaleo

Washington DC, United States

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

Washington D.C.'s original tapas destination, Jaleo brought Spanish small-plate culture to Penn Quarter before the format had any real foothold in the city. The expansive, art-filled dining room runs dinner nightly with three tasting menu formats alongside à la carte options, a 200-selection Spanish wine list, and a sherry and vermouth program that treats those categories with the same seriousness as the kitchen.

Also recognized by Opinionated About Dining

Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab Washington DC

Washington DC, United States

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

A Washington outpost of the storied Joe's brand, this 15th Street NW address brings stone crab, prime steak, and a serious wine program to the heart of the capital's downtown corridor. Recognised on Star Wine List with a White Star designation in 2022, it occupies the premium end of D.C.'s surf-and-turf category, drawing a crowd of power lunchers and pre-theatre diners in equal measure.

Also recognized by RAMMYS, Star Wine List

Jônt

Washington DC, United States

2 Michelin stars · Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Washington D.C.'s two-Michelin-starred tasting counter at 1904 14th Street NW, Jônt sits above Bresca and operates within the Relais & Châteaux network. Chef Ryan Ratino's progressive menu draws on Japanese ingredients and French technique, earning placement at No. 13 in Opinionated About Dining's 2025 North America ranking and 92 points from La Liste in 2025.

Also recognized by La Liste, Les Grandes Tables du Monde, OpenTable, Opinionated About Dining

Karravaan

Washington DC, United States

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

At Karravaan in Washington's Union Market corridor, Chef Sanjay Mandhaiya structures his menu along the arc of the Silk Road, from Levantine eggplant and labneh to harissa-glazed duck and North African tagine. Generous portions and a sharing format define the meal's pacing and sequence. The kitchen draws across Central Asian, Middle Eastern, and North African culinary traditions with consistent technical discipline.

L’Ardente

Washington DC, United States

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

L'Ardente holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand and back-to-back Opinionated About Dining recognition, positioning it among D.C.'s most critically noted Italian kitchens at a mid-range price point. Chef Daniel Deshaies runs a wood-fired program out of the Capitol Crossing development in the East End, where a signature 40-layer lasagna has become among the more discussed dishes in the city.

Also recognized by Opinionated About Dining, Washingtonian

La Grande Boucherie DC

Washington DC, United States

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

La Grande Boucherie DC brings a Parisian brasserie format to 14th Street NW, applying classic French butchery and technique to a Washington dining room built for volume and theatrics. It sits within a city increasingly comfortable with grand-format dining, where high-ceiling spectacle and serious cooking are no longer considered incompatible. For DC diners accustomed to tasting-menu precision, it offers a different register: abundance, confidence, and classical French craft at scale.

Le Diplomate

Washington DC, United States

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

Le Diplomate brings the Parisian brasserie format to Washington D.C.'s 14th Street corridor with enough conviction that it has held Opinionated About Dining recognition every year since 2023. The wine program runs to 4,400 bottles with French-weighted selections, and the room itself — zinc bar, tiled floors, street-facing windows — reads less like a transplant than a building that always belonged on this block.

Also recognized by Opinionated About Dining, Star Wine List, Washingtonian

Lutèce

Washington DC, United States

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

A seasonal French bistro in Georgetown earning Opinionated About Dining recognition three years running and a 2024 Michelin Plate, Lutèce operates on a tightly edited menu that pivots with the market. The exposed-brick dining room on Wisconsin Avenue reads as a proper neighborhood restaurant, while the wine list — 185 selections with French strengths — and thoughtfully constructed cocktails keep the experience grounded in craft rather than spectacle.

Also recognized by Opinionated About Dining, Washingtonian

minibar

Washington DC, United States

2 Michelin stars · Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

Two Michelin stars, a 2025 Opinionated About Dining ranking of #8 in North America, and a curved counter built around a stainless-steel workspace: minibar operates at the precise intersection of science and spectacle that defines avant-garde American tasting menus. Chef Sarah Ravitz leads a progressive format where each course is constructed to upend expectation, from chicharron-and-avocado bites to a fried ice cream donut that closes the meal.

Also recognized by AAA, La Liste, Opinionated About Dining, Robb Report

Mita

Washington DC, United States

1 Michelin star · Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

Mita brings a tasting-menu format to plant-based Latin American cooking in Washington D.C.'s Shaw neighborhood, earning a Michelin star in 2024 and a ranking of #118 on Opinionated About Dining's 2025 global list. Chefs Miguel Guerra and Tatiana Mora work across Brazilian, Bolivian, and Colombian reference points, with fermentation, umami layering, and bold acid at the center of their approach. The wine list runs 300 bottles deep, with particular strength in France and Champagne.

Also recognized by James Beard Award, Opinionated About Dining, Wine Enthusiast

New Heights

Washington DC, United States

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

A Woodley Park veteran that trades flash for substance, New Heights delivers American-Mediterranean cooking with quiet confidence under Chef Michael Wright. The wine list runs to 350 selections across 1,770 inventory positions, with California and France as its twin poles. At a dinner price of $40–$65 for two courses, it occupies a considered middle tier in D.C.'s dining scene.

Old Ebbitt Grill

Washington DC, United States

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

One of Washington D.C.'s most enduring dining institutions, Old Ebbitt Grill has occupied the block west of the White House since the nineteenth century, serving a rotating crowd of lobbyists, journalists, and tourists across its mahogany-panelled dining rooms. Its oyster program and American brasserie format have made it a reference point for understanding how the capital eats when it isn't performing for a Michelin inspector.

Also recognized by RAMMYS

Osteria Mozza

Washington DC, United States

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Osteria Mozza brings the Nancy Silverton-founded California-Italian template to Georgetown's M Street corridor, landing on Resy's 2025 Best of the Hit List in its first full year of operation. The format sits in Washington D.C.'s upper-casual tier: serious pasta and mozzarella bar technique without the formality of the city's tasting-menu circuit. A useful address for the neighbourhood and a credible signal in the city's Italian dining conversation.

Also recognized by Resy

Oyster Oyster

Washington DC, United States

1 Michelin star · Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

C.'s tasting menu scene, where Chef Rob Rubba's vegetable-focused progression earned a Michelin star in 2024, a 2023 James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef, and a place in the Opinionated About Dining North America top 250. The format is a multi-course plant-led menu in Shaw, with a 165-label wine list weighted toward France and Maryland.

Also recognized by Esquire, Food & Wine, James Beard Award, Opinionated About Dining

Queen’s English

Washington DC, United States

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

Queen's English brings a modern Hong Kong sensibility to Columbia Heights, where high-heat wok cooking meets a thoughtfully assembled wine list in a compact room that punches well above its price tier. A Michelin Bib Gourmand recipient and a fixture on Opinionated About Dining's North America Casual list, it represents the kind of precise, ingredient-driven Chinese cooking that Washington's dining scene has historically underserved.

Also recognized by James Beard Award, Opinionated About Dining, Washingtonian

RPM Italian Washington DC

Washington DC, United States

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

RPM Italian at 650 K St NW holds a 3-Star Accreditation from the World of Fine Wine & Lifestyle Awards, placing it among Washington DC's more formally recognised Italian dining rooms. The space at Penn Quarter positions it within the city's power-dining corridor, where Italian-American tradition meets a contemporary room built for extended evenings.

Also recognized by World's Best Wine Lists Awards

St. Anselm

Washington DC, United States

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

A fire-driven American steakhouse on Washington D.C.'s Northeast corridor, St. Anselm sits in the Opinionated About Dining Casual North America rankings and pairs a charcoal-and-wood-focused kitchen with a 1,100-selection wine list built across California, Italy, France, and Madeira. Under the Stephen Starr and Joe Carroll partnership, the room operates with a front-of-house and sommelier program that regularly outperforms its mid-range price point.

Also recognized by Opinionated About Dining

STK - DC

Washington DC, United States

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

STK DC occupies 901 Massachusetts Ave NW, placing it at the intersection of Penn Quarter's political energy and the city's increasingly sophisticated steakhouse tier. The format follows the broader STK model — modern steakhouse with a late-night pulse — set against a Washington dining scene that now holds its own against any major American city. For visitors calibrating between neighborhood bistros and full-scale destination dining, it anchors the mid-to-upper steakhouse bracket.

Sushi Nakazawa DC

Washington DC, United States

1 Michelin star · Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

The D.C. outpost of Daisuke Nakazawa's New York sushi operation sits on Pennsylvania Avenue and runs a 20-course omakase underpinned by Jiro Ono lineage and a wine program of 1,550 bottles anchored in Burgundy. Ranked #248 in Opinionated About Dining's North America list in 2024 and awarded a Star Wine List White Star in 2022, it operates at the summit tier of the capital's omakase scene, with lunch and dinner service across the full week.

Also recognized by Opinionated About Dining, Star Wine List, Washingtonian

The Henri

Washington DC, United States

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

Positioned at 1301 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, The Henri occupies one of Washington D.C.'s most politically charged addresses, where the Capitol corridor meets a dining scene that has grown considerably more ambitious over the past decade. The venue sits within a tier of D.C. restaurants where front-of-house coordination and kitchen-to-floor communication define the experience as much as the food itself.

The Occidental

Washington DC, United States

Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence

One of Pennsylvania Avenue's most enduring dining addresses, The Occidental sits at 1475 Pennsylvania Ave NW carrying a 3-Star Accreditation from the World of Fine Wine Awards. The restaurant occupies a position that few Washington tables can claim: proximity to political power combined with a culinary program that rewards attention. For visitors tracking the capital's serious dining tier, it belongs on the shortlist.

Also recognized by RAMMYS, Washingtonian, Wine Enthusiast, World's Best Wine Lists Awards

The Pembroke

Washington DC, United States

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

Set inside the Dupont Circle Hotel, The Pembroke is Washington D.C.'s answer to a certain kind of unhurried Parisian brasserie: marble tables, tufted banquettes, and a menu that roams from Dover sole meunière to lamb tagine without apology. A 205-label wine list and a Michelin Plate recognition round out the credentials for a room that earns its $$$ price point through consistency rather than concept.

Xiquet by Danny Lledo

Washington DC, United States

1 Michelin star · Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

Xiquet by Danny Lledo brings Valencian fire cooking to Washington's upper Northwest, pairing wood-hearth rice preparations and smoke-driven Spanish technique with a compact, spare third-floor dining room. A Michelin star since 2024 and an AAA 5 Diamond rating confirm its place in the city's serious tasting-menu tier. The wine program, curated across 800 selections with Spanish and French depth, matches the kitchen's precision.

Also recognized by AAA, Opinionated About Dining

Zaytinya

Washington DC, United States

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

Zaytinya brings the mezze traditions of Greece, Lebanon, and Turkey to Penn Quarter in a sleek, high-volume dining room that holds a 2024 Michelin Bib Gourmand. The wine list runs to 140 selections with a deliberate lean toward Greek and Lebanese labels. At the $$ price tier, it is one of Washington's most coherent arguments for Eastern Mediterranean cooking at an accessible price point.