RAMMYS 2026: Here's who won Washington's biggest bar and restaurant awards

Anna Spiegel

Chef wearing a brown apron presents a large, browned loaf on a wooden board. Two plates: a mushroom and truffle dish on a pale bowl, and a green sauce with small round bites on a pink plate. — Albi, from Palestinian-American chef Michael Rafidi, took home the RAMMYS Award for best fine dining restaurant. Photo: Scott Suchman/For The Washington Post via Getty Images

The D.C. area's best chefs, bars and restaurants were celebrated Monday night at the 44th annual RAMMYS Awards, with winners across nearly two dozen categories.

Why it matters: The RAMMYS are Washington's biggest night for the restaurant industry — think the local equivalent of the James Beard Awards. Even landing a nomination is brag-worthy.

Driving the news: Among the 2026 RAMMYS winners:

Formal Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year: Albi, chef Michael Rafidi's acclaimed Levantine restaurant, which also recently earned a rare four-star review — and first outside NYC — from The New York Times.
New Restaurant of the Year: The Occidental, restaurateur Stephen Starr's polished revival of the downtown classic near the White House.
Upscale Casual Restaurant of the Year: Perry's, home to James Beard Award-winning chef Masako Morishita's Japanese cooking in Adams Morgan.
Chef of the Year: Matt Conroy and Isabel Coss of The Popal Group, the team behind Lutece, Maison Bar à Vins and Pascual.
Restaurateur of the Year: Fernando González of 2Fifty Texas BBQ, the Salvadoran-owned barbecue destination known among the region's best.
Cocktail Program of the Year: Amazonia in Shaw, known for one of the city's most ambitious pisco programs.
Casual Restaurant of the Year: Tsehay Ethiopian, the Adams Morgan favorite for injera and generous Ethiopian feasts.

👉 See the full list of winners here.

Zoom in: Winners in judged categories were selected by a panel assembled by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington. The public also voted for several fan-favorite honors:

Hottest Sandwich Spot of the Year: Joia Burger for wagyu smashes and ube shakes.

Favorite Gathering Place of the Year: Old Ebbitt Grill, a D.C. classic.
Best Brunch of the Year: Unconventional Diner — a plus for brunch every day.
Best Bar of the Year: Shaw's acclaimed Service Bar.

What's new: The RAMMYS introduced a "Content Creator of the Year" award, recognizing the growing influence of food creators on the local dining scene.

The winner: DCFoodGod, the Instagram account from Tessa Alimahmoodi and Jason Fisher, which has more than 119,000 followers.

Also honored: Mayor Muriel Bowser received the Capital Achievement Award, while milestone anniversaries were recognized for The Diner (25 years), La Chaumière (50 years) and Giant Food (90 years) and others.

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RAMMYS 2026: Here's who won Washington's biggest bar and restaurant awards

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