50 Best Wine Bars in Washington

“I absolutely love this restaurant! The food is unique, beautiful, and delicious. The service is phenomenal. I would plan around 2.5 hours for the chef's tasting menu versus 1.5 to 2 for the 4 course, but I definitely enjoyed the chef's tasting menu. I would've never ordered the tuna, but it was one of my favorite dishes ever!!“

“There’s something magical about Little Black Bird. It’s the kind of place that draws you in quietly, then stays with you long after the night ends. From the moment we walked in, we were wrapped in a sense of calm sophistication — every detail, from the lighting to the music, felt just right.
The food? Thoughtful, elegant, and deeply satisfying. Every dish told a story, and you could taste the care that went into each bite. Chef Ryan is clearly cooking from the heart — there’s a quiet confidence in his food, a respect for ingredients, and a creativity that never feels forced. It’s refined, yet incredibly approachable.

The service was equally unforgettable. Sara, the general manager, is the kind of hospitality professional every great restaurant needs. She has an innate grace, a genuine warmth, and a gift for making each guest feel like they’re the most important person in the room.

It’s rare to find a restaurant that feels both special and unpretentious, but Little Black Bird nails it. We came in for dinner — we left already planning our next visit. What a gift to have a place like this in DC.“

“Grace is one of the best hosts/guest service technicians I have ever had the experience of being served by. She was consistently attentive with the perfect balance of space for the guest and attentiveness. The food was cooked as desired, however the branzino was definitely the best entree on the table, alongside the duck confit and specialty steak. The chicken + liver charcuterie was to die for IMPO and I consider myself to be very bougie about my cheese. Delicious food, wonderful service. I was indecisive about wine choices and Grace was particularly helpful with that process. We loved the drinks and the whole experience.“

“Easy Company is an absolutely beautiful space. I hosted a group of women business owners for a happy hour. The staff was wonderful to work with in arranging our event, and they took great care of our group while we were there! The wine and drinks were delicious.“

“All of my experiences at L’Ardente have been phenomenal. The food, the atmosphere, and the service are all top notch!!!“

“Last week we enjoyed dinner with Edgar Allen Poe. Okay, so maybe not the man himself- but about as close as I could imagine the experience to be. Dark, decadent, and full of surprise. We got to try their seasonal Poe themed menu, and it’s not just dinner- it nears theatre on a plate.“

“Great place!! The atmosphere was charming and the food was great! The staff was very knowledgeable about the wine and provided great customer service.“

“What a nice dinner! We were hesitant as my idea was to go to the Red Hen opposite the street, but I’m glad we did. Sitting on the terrace on a summer night was very pleasant (but bring a repellent). The waiter (Terry) was super friendly and relaxed, made a great pasta recommendation. The puttanesca fettuccine were indeed a treat, everything homemade and perfectly balanced, with a kick from the pepper flakes. The price is reasonable and we will gladly be back.“

“The Eastern is just a couple of blocks from my daughter and son-in-law and is our go to place when we visit them in DC. They have a fabulous menu, however, we love the small shareable plates. The pork sliders, glazed carrots and pimento cheese dip are wonderful. The wait staff is knowledgeable and attentive and always ready to suggest a wine to pair with our food. We love the atmosphere and the local vibe and are warmly greeted like old friends. Love this place.“

“Consistently excellent. The calamari, the jamon, the pan tomate, the cheeses... you can't go wrong. Staff is superb and very attentive: my wine glass stem snapped when I had very little left in my glass... they rushed to clean up & still replaced it with a full glass. Recommend sitting at the bar & watching the chef at work.“

“Love the foods and place . All employee are very good .“

“Great tasting food with ample portion sizes! 😋 Truly impressed by the quality! Fun atmosphere and friendly staff. 🌞 Bonus: All Day Breakfast! 🤤🍳 Also, 50% off for furloughed govt workers with Govt ID during the shutdown! 🙏🏻😊“

“Nice little neighborhood wine bar. Nice selections, friendly bartenders / waitstaff.“

“Welcome addition to the neighborhood. Super cozy and buzzy spaces (bar area especially can get a bit loud) with a great wine and spirits list and an interesting and innovative take on French cuisine. Maybe more of the classics are coming, but for now few dishes on the menu were anything we recognized as typical French bistro fare, but that departure was also refreshing. We’ll be back (if we can get a table… that wasn’t an easy thing to do for a Saturday night at 7 PM). Good for them!“

“#AmazingRestaurant #LeSelRestaurant 🥰“

“Great ambiance and great drinks 🍹 totally recommend for a fun night out 🥂“

“It is finally nice to eat a meal the marries spices from different continents together to create/perfect comfort foods. Phenomenal.... A party in your mouth!!!“

“Nice wine pair with mussels. Reasonable pricing.“

“The service was amazing and the food was good.“

“We had our wedding afterparty here in the spring and it was amazing. Chas, the owner, was super responsive and welcoming and made sure we had the best time. Drinks were great, vibes were awesome. Highly recommend for your events - or just pop by if you’re in the neighborhood!“

“if you ever have a chance to go to the vines Foggy Bottom then do so! it is a lovely environment it's laid back the staff is very friendly and informative. they have a delicious assortment of wines. the food is also very good too. they don't rush you after you finish eating you can sit there and chit chat with your family and friends and drink different types of wine they have a wonderful menu. So if you ever in town please give the Vines Foggy Bottom a visit.“

“Great food, wines and service.“

“the food 😋is delicious and the service is great“

“what a perfect vibey spot for some incredibly delicious italian food! definitely get the treviso salad and the fried blossoms to start. i could eat so many plates of their mushroom cream ravioli! i’ll be returning for more of that next time for sure. the lamb chops were also so flavorful. the service was also fantastic and they were so nice! adding this spot to the dinner night rotation“

“If you are on a gluten free diet, this restaurant is a real treat. This is the ONLY restaurant I know of in the entire DC area that offers gluten free French toast!!! It is really yummy. It is gluten free cinnamon raison bread that they make into French toast. It is served with maple syrup that has few slices of bananas in it. It is always served warm. (Be sure to look for the bananas. If the French toast is served with sliced strawberries, that is the wheat based French toast.) This restaurant also has gluten free bread so most of their sandwiches can be made gluten free upon request. And they can make their eggs benedict gluten free by using their gluten free toast. It is a very pleasant experience dining here. I usually dine outside. They are located on a small street in Georgetown. Georgetown can be crowded but on this small street, it is never very busy. On a nice weather day, it is a pleasant experience to eat the gluten free French toast while enjoying the weather. The service is always good too. I enthusiastically recommend this restaurant.“

“We had never tried Afghani food before, and I am so glad we did. The staff was so friendly and helpful with any questions we had. They recommended the Mini Taste of Arocostia for our first time. Everything was FANTASTIC!!! The food was cooked perfectly. The service was great! We never had to ask to have our beverages filled up, because they were already on top of it before we had to ask. They packed all our leftovers into boxes for us for our way home. We will definitely be going back!“

“We had a wonderful time during a reserve wine tasting experience. Our ‘guide' for the tasting (Kareem) was so very knowledgeable about the wines and regions they came from and made it all so interesting and approachable. He made the day for sure! Our food was delicious, the wines were fantastic, and the service was top notch! Highly recommend!“

“My experience at Oyster Oyster was wonderful. Every dish was creative and beautifully executed, and I loved hearing the stories behind where each ingredient came from. Everything we tried was flavorful and unique. The only thing keeping this from being a perfect five was that the main entrée (the eggplant dumplings) didn’t quite deliver the same punch as the earlier courses. It was still good, just not quite the showstopper I expected as the final savory dish. Overall, though, a memorable and thoughtful dining experience.“

“My husband friend and I needed an early dinner near Adams Morgan so i did a quick search and found Ceibo. It was fantastic! The mushroom appetizer and the eggplant appetizer were both amazing. We all ordered the black cod entree. It was stupendous. Ill definitely return.“

“The best Italian meal I’ve ever had in a restaurant! The Sunday Sauce reminded me of my mom’s!“

“This place is MOST AWESOMENESS! A definite must come eat!“

“There’s very few times when you walk into somewhere and can tell immediately that the owner loves what they’re doing, Cynthia is most definitely one. Cocktails were unique and delicious and the food was exactly what I hoped it would be.“

“We recently dined at this restaurant for our anniversary dinner. The food, drinks, service, and ambience were all really good, and we had a great experience overall. The only thing that disappointed me was the lack of response to my calls. I left several phone messages before visiting, but no one ever got back to me. I would have given five stars if the communication had been better.“

“Exceptional throughout from the rooms to dining to sophisticated and attentive staff - thank you for having us.“

“**updated to 5 stars they’ve made the change and now seal it

I LOVE their pizza! The Macha Ron is to die for! The kale Cesar is delicious The only thing is I wish when you ordered through delivery that they taped the box close so that you know it’s sealed/safe, giving them 4 stars for that. Hoping an owner/manager sees this so they make the change“

“I had such a great experience here! Ori and Alia were absolutely wonderful – so welcoming and attentive from start to finish. As a visitor to the city, they made me feel like a local, and I highly recommend stopping in and asking for their recommendations – you won’t be disappointed!“

“We are tourist & was searching for a place too eat since our first choice for dinner totally ignored us after we sat there 30 minutes we left. This pizza joint is absolutely delicious. The thin crust was delicious especially on the cheese pizza. The only negative thing I have too say is y’all charging too much for a house salad. I mean if you gonna charge $14 @ least give me something other than basic lettuce.“

“Still a great place after all these years. Lovely atmosphere, great food, attentive service. A wonderful night out.“

“OUT OF THIS WORLD! I am Mexican and this food is just as great as it is in my own country, adding a touch of sophistication, fun and spark! Highly recommend it.“

“My wife & I had a wonderful and delicious dinner while catching-up with our son & his girlfriend last evening. Fantastic meal & our server Michael was outstanding.“

“Capa Tosta is such a cozy and inviting spot. The food is fresh, flavorful, and feels thoughtfully prepared. I especially enjoyed the pasta—it was perfectly cooked and full of taste. The staff was friendly and attentive, making the meal even more enjoyable. It’s a lovely place for a relaxed, delicious dinner, and I’d definitely return.“

“Had the cauliflower shared plate which was very good, and one of the daily specials which was a seared fish with lentils, celery root and fennel and it was outstanding. Service was lovely. We arrived a little early for our 6:15 reservation and she continued to point out the pre-6 pm happy hour options, pointing out that we had 7 minutes left to order them, but was not pressuring or rushing us. There was a very tall slender gentleman who checked in on us, we had a very brief interaction with- bravo to him for converting warmth with an exceptional smile.

I’d highly recommend and the food was really good.“

“Three of us had a perfect dining experience. The dining room is well designed, and it is easy to hear one's companions. The service is crisp and professional. We enjoyed the soup of the day and several tapas, all of which were great. The fried eggplant drizzled with honey were a unique, terrific surprise. Can't wait to go back and have this dish again. One of us was celebrating a birthday, and there was a lovely card on the table when we arrived, and 2 plates of dessert nibbles arrived at the end of the meal. And, a short walk to the Metro was refreshing after dinner! We'll be back soon.“

“Would recommend for a glass of wine and appetizer! Stopped in for dinner and the food was tasty but felt overpriced for the portions. The shrimp dish was good but shrimp were slightly overcooked and felt like a very expensive starter. The hummus was delish! Wine was great and cocktail was less than amazing.“

“If you’re in DC, Quill cocktail bar is the place to go. Its dim lit atmosphere and ambience provides such an intimate setting whether for friends and family or for business. You have your choice of sitting indoors or outside on their raised patio. Oh, and the service here is phenomenal! When you first sit, they bring you mixed nuts and olives and introduce themselves. Their cocktail menu may have only been just a page but if it’s not on there, they can definitely make it for you. My wife requested an Espresso Martini (non-menu) and it was the best of its kind she’s had yet. She also enjoyed the Ventura Highway, from their menu. My personal favorite of theirs was the “Johnny be Woode.” This became my go-to there. They do have a dinner menu as well. Their burger exceeded my expectations! Their desert menu impressed! The presentation was artwork and the flavors will surely make you long for more. Our server two of the three nights we were there was Andrew. Andrew made sure we had everything we needed and could possibly want. He provided absolutely excellent service, great humor, and pleasant conversation. On our third evening here, Amber greeted and served us. Amber is another gem at Quill, making recommendations on menu items as well as local recommendations around the town based off what my taste preferences are. Both Andrew and Amber had an awesome attitude and helped make our stay at the Jefferson Hotel just that much more memorable! The atmosphere, service, and great attitudes made for such a unique and satisfying experience that we ended each of our evenings, visiting Quill. Next time we’re in town, we will definitely be going back to Quill.“

“This place is amazing! We came here for my sisters 21st birthday and our server was Robert! I absolutely adored him he was so incredibly sweet and knowledgeable of the menu and gave the best recommendations. Ask for Robert to be your server he won’t disappoint!:) Thank you for making Katie’s 21st bday so special!“

“A very inviting corner restaurant, great for people watching and cocktails. The drinks were nice and the atmosphere was lux. We went on a Saturday and it just felt like they needed a manager around. Felt like they were really understaffed and not ready for the crowds. There were some people who had worked there longer and were directing others, and the food did come out of the kitchen timely. But there wasn't a sense of table service really, you just catch them when you can, know the candle won't get lit even after you asked and teach the server how to swipe the card. I wish they had someone tending to things, but maybe when it's slower it will be better. The pizza was good, and lots of pepperoni. I wished it wasn't quite as soggy in the middle but it tasted good. And the burrata had no flavor, no nice olive oil or pepper, very bland, but it was a hearty portion. Can't complain about the drinks. I can sense when there's no service concept so I hope they get it together.“

“Nice place and Sol Roots Trio performance was excellent!“

“The place is amazing . The food is good“

“Very good Thai food! The waiters were very patient and considerate. Dining was very smooth experience. The food was well prepared especially the soups and fried rice. I highly recommend anyone around DC area to give this restaurant a worthy try.“