Feb 14, 2025 - Food and Drink
9 exciting new restaurants to try around D.C.
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Dry-aged, smoked chicken and warm milk bread at Willowsong. Photo: courtesy of Anna Kariel
Following a flurry of end-of-year restaurant openings, there's another round of exciting new debuts to try around D.C.
Why it matters: There's something for everyone, at every price point, from craveable sandwiches to date night options.
What's on our hit list:
Buffalo & Bergen | Cleveland Park
- A third branch of Gina Cherservani's popular cocktail-deli just made its long-anticipated debut. Expect all-day favorites — NYC-style bagels, stuffed sandwiches, the famous lox bagel bloody — plus a new lineup of pastries and pizzas starting soon.
Poplar | Brightwood Park
- Chef/forager Iulian Fortu teamed up with the Anxo Cider team for an intimate, boundary-pushing restaurant focused on foraged and locally farmed fare, much from a wood-burning oven. It's only open Friday and Saturday night. Weekly changing menus and reservations are available Tuesdays.
Dōgon Roti Bar | Wharf
- Chef Kwame Onwuachi just launched a new, interactive dining option at his award-magnet restaurant. A 90-minute communal tasting — standing only, offered on select weekends — features hands-on bites like cornbread and caviar or curried goat roti, matched with cocktails and N/A options from bar vet Derek Brown.
Willowsong | Wharf
- The InterContinental boasts a sleek new waterfront restaurant, which replaces Moon Rabbit. L.A. transplant chef Jeffrey Williams serves locally sourced New American creations, breakfast through dinner, like warm milk bread with miso-honey butter and trout roe, or oxtail pasta.
Pink Tiger | Wharf
- The pan-Asian replacement for Kaliwa aims to be fun and playful with dirty dashi martinis, sharing satays and hot rock wagyu cooked tableside. It's open late for post-Anthem crowds, plus there's live music and weekend DJs.
Marufuji Japanese Market | Vienna, VA
- You'll find plenty of Asian supermarkets in the 'burbs, but this is the first Japanese mega-mart. The store is stocked with hard-to-find seafood, produce and wagyu from Japan, snacks and pantry goods. There's also quick-grab sushi and a cafe with seating, serving donburi, curries and more. It's been packed on weekends, so plan accordingly.
Life Alive Organic Cafe | West End
- A popular Boston-based health chain takes over a former SoulCycle with scratch-made grain and noodle bowls, salads, soups, and smoothies, with plenty of organic ingredients and dietary guidance. Plus there's a special mushroom ramen designed by Rob Rubba of Michelin-starred Oyster Oyster.
Alara | Georgetown
- The latest from Hakan Ilhan (Ottoman Taverna, Brasserie Liberté) is this color-splashed coastal Mediterranean restaurant with fare from Turkey, Greece and the Levant. It's open brunch, lunch and dinner, plus late-night (until 1am) for your post-party pide or falafel fix.
Alta Strada | Logan Circle
- Restaurateur Michael Schlow fine-tuned this Italian concept for its new hotel home after closing in Mt. Vernon Triangle, going more upscale with crudos and raw bar, bites like crispy crab arancini, and sumptuous pastas.