26 Best American Restaurants in Washington

“Me and my husband came to the bar for a la carte dining, had an amazing time with a very personalized beverage pairing (s/o to Chris our bartender!) We'll DEFINITELY be back to do the entire tasting menu. Lovely atmosphere, not stuffy, great music, GOOD LIGHTING (hard to come by in DC) and overall stellar food. Come here for your next date night or special occasion dinner, you won't regret it!“

“The environment is great, the menu is very diverse, and seemingly commonplace dishes manage to be innovative in flavor“

“Great food and excellent service. John was fantastic. 100% recommend“

“Had dinner before the Oh He Dead concert on Saturday December 17, 2022. We arrived a little before our seating and immediately were greeted and taken to our spots. Ian was outstanding! He was attentive, descriptive and helped create a good experience. Dan, our bartender, was magnificent. He created delectable cocktails and we also chatted along the way (we had bar seats which I highly recommend). This was very reasonably priced, we left very filled and happy. I want to give the highest possible compliments to Ian and Dan. The entire experience was perfect, largely because of the great food, but they took the experience well beyond a 1 star evening!“

“5 stars isn't enough!! From the moment we walked in until the end of our night we were satisfied. The decorations, food, and service was amazing! They even offered me a quiet place to pray :). Give this place a try-trust me (portions may seem small, but it was very filling- we ordered the bowl of fries, which came with a delicious sauce, CROQUETTES, fish burger, beef burger, and gnocchi pomodoro. It felt like we were in nyc enjoy :)“

“Wife and I live in DC. We go 4 or 5 times per year. Best dinning experience in DC. Don’t even read the menu. Let Bonnie great server, just bring you food and wine pairings. Blow you away. We usually sit at the upstairs bar. Chefs table was great as well. The wine flight is worth every penny. Bring your Amex!“

“Came for dinner with some of my foodie friends who were in town. We got a bunch of appetizers to share. The Greek wings and the miso salad was out favorite!!The wings were crispy, hot and the dip was a great addition. The salad was super fresh and the crispy wontons on top was perfect.The queso taquitos and garlic olives were really good too. The ceviche was decent and the pork belly was really good. Everything was good and the items came out pretty quickly. We got there around 6:45 and it began to fill up after that.“

“Amazing service, food, presentation, libations, decor, comfort, on and on. From 1st picture my welcome cocktail all the way to final cocktail and wine in between 2nd picture to 1st course caviar bigger purse with no silverware 3rd picture to 2nd to last course truffle ice cream with all the toppings, including caviar My words don’t do this dining event Justice. Oh, and when I got back to the hotel, I found an incredible burger in a box that I carried back to the hotel without opening. That was breakfast! Will be back.“

“This food was delicious! The owner & chef, Keem is amazing and personable. I would visit this restaurant again 10x!“

“Had a great experience. I would definitely come back next time we are in DC.“

“Buzzy place, quite busy for Sunday brunch. The cronut was fresh and delicious. The gravlax mezze plate was unusual which is why I ordered it. The food was good. But the music blasting spoiled the experience for me - and I was solo so wasn't trying to chat, which would have been impossible to hear anything!“

“One of the best dining experiences in DC. Chef Jeremiah is outstanding; the meal is creative but accessible, and each course is better than the previous. We are so grateful to have Dabney in DC!“

“My wife and I went here for a first date anniversary recently, and it was fantastic! We've been to several Michelin star restaurants around the world, and this was one of the best. The food was just amazing course after another amazing course. The level of innovation and flavor was just off the charts. The service was also impeccable, with super friendly chefs and staff. The interactive experience is something truly memorable. Special shout-out to Sean, who was super helpful to me when I was trying to figure out which cocktails to order!“

“Delicious neighborhood haunt.“

“I love this neighborhood gem or a bar/restaurant. Great vibes and elevated food. My only suggestion is to take the Triple H sandwich off the menu. There's no honey flavoring and for a person that loves Nashville Hot Chicken this was incredibly hot to the point of being nauseating. Unless there's some insane hot chicken eating contest this is not for regular human consumption.“

“Our son lives in the area and we have been here 4-5 since January ( every time we visit) The owners are wonderful and the staff very attentive The fish taco appetizer is wonderful ( can be enough for an entree if not wanted a big meal) I’ve had many of the entrees and never a bad meal . The chocolate dessert is my go to“

“There are few restaurants in the city that offer the full package. Quality of food, service, top notch beverage options, and a price that matches the offerings. Reverie slams it out of the park and we cannot wait to be back. Thank you so much Johnny Spero and team for having us.“

“Five stars all around. This was our first time at LuLu’s and we’ll definitely be back. 100% a place you want to bring a date or friends and family from out of town. Food was good, decent portions for the price, and the vibe was great - lighting that wasn’t obnoxiously dark or bright, music that was meant to be in the background so you could hear it but also talk at a normal volume, and cool seating near heaters if you just wanted to chill with a drink instead of having a whole meal. The Manager was the best I’ve interacted with, when I brought up missing avocado on my sandwich she was awesome about it; and when it turned out I was wrong - I didn’t actually check the box for avocado - the she was so gracious, didn’t give me grief, and still hooked us up with some cake (don’t let the picture fool you into thinking it’s boxed cake, it’s not, it’s the most amazing leche cake). Seriously, not a flaw to be found.PS The whipped feta is going to be the best you’ve ever had and the avocado ceasar is delish.“

“We were celebrating a birthday, and asked for a quiet table, and we were seated in the Wine Room, and it was perfect. We shared a calamari appetizer, and had halibut and crab cakes for the entrees. We shared key lime pie for dessert, and the restaurant provided a special birthday dessert. Service was excellent, and the food was delicious.“

“My partner and I walked in at 6:30 PM on a busy Friday night without a reservation (I didn’t realize they had started taking reservations!) The host said the only options were bar seating or outdoor seating under heat lamps. We didn’t really want either of those options, but understood that since we didn’t have a reservation, we could not be very choosy. The host then kept looking at his reservation app and offered us a very nice table as long as we could be finished by 8:30 PM. We said that two hours is plenty of time! He said he felt bad that there wasn’t room for us but we assured him this was perfect and we would definitely be finished by the time he needed the table back. He was so kind and accomodating. The rest of the staff was also excellent (as always!) and the food was outstanding. I have always loved Purple Patch and will certainly return soon. Thank you PP team for being awesome!“

“This my first time here and it was probably one of the best experience I’ve ever had at a bar in DC . I’ll definitely be back for my birthday next week. Love the atmosphere“

“From perfect candle lit lighting, pleasant staff, exceptional mixologists, and unique plate settings.. wow! Love the food, love the orange wine selection. Brussel sprouts plus the sauce, oh my god. Need that recipe, chef! Enjoy the pic. Cannot wait to come back to try the chicken.“

“We had an amazing dinning experience, especial thank you to Mohamed who was exceptionally dedicated to ensuring that our expectations were all met. Actually, everything was beyond our expectation. Everyone that we came across was very pleasant and caring. They highly value of their customers as demonstrated by their superior customer service from start to finish--a great team! Food was great as well and we even were provided small treats to take home! Anyone in the hospitality wishing to improve their customer satisfaction should learn from this great place--no one would want to go to a restaurant to eventually leave disappointed!“

“It’s an outstanding establishment to eat & drink!!“

“Eubin took excellent care of my husband and I on our visit to barmini. It was our first visit (of many more to come) and every single cocktail was mind blowing. I had originally booked a flight, only to have to change it to a la carte in order to make dinner reservations. I wish we had cancelled dinner and stayed at barmini! I cannot find enough positive words to describe this experience. Worth every single cent and more. A must visit! We will be back! (And sit at the bar. The show of every cocktail being prepared truly adds to the experience!) the cake for my birthday was a spectacular gesture as well!“

“we loved it the food and service was great“