Hummus With Escargots

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La’ Shukran

Before his hit Palestinian and Levantine restaurants Albi and Yellow, chef Michael Rafidi worked in French kitchens. He’d always loved escargots with maître d’ butter—why not put them on hummus? “That’s where the concept kind of started, bringing a couple different worlds together,” Rafidi says of La’ Shukran, his French-meets-Middle Eastern bistro/bar in Union Market. The clever combination of silky chickpea dip topped with smoky snails and herby, arak-spiked butter is now a signature on the menu. Swipe it up with sesame-crusted bread.

 

Dadinhos de Tapioca

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Cana

Come for the caipirinhas and vinyl vibes, stay for the Brazilian bar snacks at this lively Adams Morgan spot. In particular, no bite is more alluring than these crispy tapioca squares with creamy, mochi-like centers made with Brazilian Canastra cow’s-milk cheese—ideal for dipping in a sweet-spicy guava sauce. Pair the dish with the Romeu e Julieta, a rum-and-sherry cocktail infused with guava and cream cheese.

 

Bulgogi Baek Ban

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Baek Ban

Served on gleaming polished metal trays, the eponymous baek ban (rice-based set meals) at this Chantilly spot have as many variations as chef/owner Young Sun Han has recipes for banchan, traditional Korean side dishes. Alongside a main dish of smoky-sweet bulgogi, you might end up with cubed radish kimchi, an omelet sandwiched by whole perilla leaves, dried anchovies glazed with soy sauce, potato-apple salad, or sweet-potato-starch noodles stir-fried in sesame oil. The permutations are endless—and wonderful.

 

Arrosticini

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Bar del Monte

These rustic, dainty skewers of lamb are grilled and served up with such offhand confidence that they feel somehow timeless, like something you might order at a century-old wine bar in Abruzzo. In fact, they’ve been around only since 2024, when Bar del Monte opened in Mount Pleasant. Brushed with chili oil and lemon, they’re the perfect prelude to Oliver Pastan’s pizza, the progeny of the pies his parents serve at 2 Amys.

 

Tuna Tartare

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Brasserie Royale

Tuna tartare often skews toward Asian flavors. At this pretty French place in Sterling, the kitchen takes a different tack: Cubes of yellowfin tuna, briefly cured in brown sugar and salt, are dressed up like steak tartare, with capers, shallots, cornichons, and a healthy dollop of the tangy, mustard-and-mayo “house sauce” that elevates several dishes here.

 

Grilled Whole Branzino

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Bouboulina

This refined Pike & Rose restaurant feels like a classic American steakhouse, and it’s easy to forget that it has Greek roots. (The owners are also behind Cava and the nearby Melina.) A wonderful reminder: the whole grilled branzino both procured from Greece and prepped with Mediterranean technique. The fish is cured in sugar, salt, coriander, and citrus, then air-dried for a few days so the skin gets extra crispy when it’s grilled. The tangy accoutrements—cured-lemon vinaigrette, pickled fennel, capers, and gremolata—show it off beautifully.

Buffalo Wings

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Upstate FTW

It’s a question we get almost monthly: Who makes the best Buffalo wings in town? You’ll find the answer inside the U Street bar Sport & Social, where Anju co-chef (and upstate New York native) Scott Drewno has taken over the food side of the operation. The wings arrive at your table just the way you’d hope—hot, perfectly crispy, and drenched in Frank’s hot sauce and butter. What sets them apart is the behind-the-scenes technique: The chicken is brined overnight, chilled for two days, then fried and sauced to order.

 

Oysters With Beurre Blanc

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The Occidental

This appetizer at Stephen Starr’s chic revamp of the historic Occidental is the definition of quiet luxury. The dish sounds simple enough, but the result is exceedingly elegant thanks to its parts: Chesapeake Bay oysters, top-notch Petrossian caviar, and a lovely beurre blanc to buffer all the brininess.

 

Cacio e Pepe Bomboloni

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Gemini

What this wine-and-pasta shop/cafe/carryout does best is simple dishes with the absolute best ingredients, workshopped to perfection over weeks and weeks. Look no further than these fried dough balls, encapsulating all the creamy-sharp flavors of cacio e pepe pasta. They’re light and airy yet gooey on the inside with Pecorino Fulvi (an aged Romano cheese made in Lazio) and a few different types of black peppercorns for floral, multidimensional spice.

 

Fried Tamal de Elote

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El Viejo Central American Kitchen

When we ordered a sweet-corn tamal at El Viejo, owner Henry Blanco offered us a choice: steamed or fried. We didn’t realize the latter was possible. The fried tamal de elote here, it turns out, is surprisingly addictive—a crispy, golden-brown exterior gives way to a rich, sunflower-yellow interior with the texture of pound cake. It’s like the best cornbread you’ve ever tasted, and to gild the lily, there’s a side of crema for dipping.

 

Nashville Hot Chicken Bánh Mì

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Bánh Mì Oi

This Eden Center newcomer is already serving some of the best bánh mì around, but it’s worth venturing beyond the traditional Vietnamese deli cuts for this Nashville-meets-Saigon sandwich. The chicken is brined for 12 hours, double-fried for extra crunch, and tossed in a fiery wet rub with a medley of chilies. Garlic aïoli and pickled daikon and carrots help balance the heat, which sings more than it screams. Best of all: Bánh Mì Oi bakes its own crackly, airy-as-can-be baguettes.

 

Baked Alaska

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Providencia

This photogenic dessert, developed by chef Paola Velez at her and Erik Bruner-Yang’s back-alley cocktail bar—where bar snacks revel in tropical flavors from Taiwan and El Salvador—is an experience in several acts. First, poke your spoon through a layer of blowtorched Dominican-style meringue into a pile of guava-flavored shaved ice. Hidden underneath it all, you might find coconut or grass jelly, fruit purées, or a matcha cream—the exact flavors and textures vary, but it’s always a fun, interactive experience.

 

Podi Masala Dosa

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Tiffin Hut

The taut menu at Tiffin Hut—a minimalist Herndon strip-mall place that feels like the Apple Store of Bangalorean cuisine—centers on “benne” (or butter) dosas, which might just be the best in the Washington area. A benne dosa is slightly thicker than your typical masala dosa, and it’s folded over just once—like a quesadilla—rather than rolled into a cylinder. The inside is squidgy and filled with masala potatoes and podi (a coarse, orange spice mix sometimes called “gunpowder”). The outside is shellacked with butter and griddled until it’s crunchy.

 

Chicago Dog

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Bun Papa

This carryout inside Bread & Water Co. bakery specializes in big, messy, but painstakingly rendered burgers on housemade buns. That same vibe applies to the menu’s sleeper hit: the Chicago-style hot dog. The oversize frank is quickly deep-fried so its skin remains snappy, and toppings stay traditional—pickle spears, green relish, sport peppers, tomato slices, and yellow mustard. But here, the poppy-seeded brioche bun comes out of the oven, not a bag.

 

Acorn Squash

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Lutèce

Menu descriptions are spare at this Parisian charmer in Georgetown, so there are often surprises. Take the “acorn squash,” which turns out to be a rich bisque hiding beneath cheddar foam and a whiff of vanilla. It arrives inside a whole roasted squash adorned with fresh herbs and dabs of black-garlic gel. We devoured every bite of the savory soup and its vessel—swipe up any last drops with the fantastic sourdough.

 

Scallops a la Plancha

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Barbouzard

It’s been a while since we’ve encountered a scallop dish that has wowed us. Until we ordered this appetizer at Barbouzard, the glitzy southern French dining room from former Convivial chef Cedric Maupillier. He starts with the good stuff—first-rate Hokkaido scallops from Japan. One side gets a caramelized sear on the plancha, while the other stays tender and sweet. The scallops don’t need much, but Maupillier elevates them with a mild and creamy curry sauce, medallions of silky corn custard, and hits of pickled kombu.

 

Bao Bei Bowl

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Bao Bei

Lu rou fan, caramel-colored braised pork over rice, is a classic dish in Taiwan. At the new brick-and-mortar outpost of Kevin Hsieh’s pandemic-born bao operation, it comes in a fast-casual format under a proprietary name, but its flavor is familiar. Pickled mustard greens and cilantro offset the star-anise-scented richness of the pork belly.

 

Roasted-Potato-and-Onion Pizza

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Inferno Pizzeria Napoletana

Tony Conte’s snug neo-Neapolitan pizzeria is always worth a trek up I-270, but his potato-and-onion pie is our favorite reason to get in line before the doors open at 5. Roasted Yukon Golds, onions, and smoked mozzarella meld atop a crisp-chewy crust, every bite a hit of pure comfort. We find ourselves craving the rosemary-scented carb-on-carb masterpiece when temperatures drop, but it’s become a year-round menu staple.

 

Rice-Stuffed Artichoke

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My Little Chamomile

Chef Cagla Onal-Urel—who also operates the next-door cafe and market Green Almond Pantry—focuses this nine-month-old Georgetown dining room on homestyle Turkish and Mediterranean food, much of it inspired by her mother’s cooking. This herb-and-rice-stuffed artichoke, however, is Onal-Urel’s attempt to recreate an Aegean dish she first had at a friend’s house while growing up in Turkey. A shower of fresh herbs and a squeeze of lemon turn the humble plate into something quite elegant. Look for it during peak heirloom-artichoke season in the spring.

 

Thai Papaya Salad Steak Tartare

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Ellie Bird

Tartares border on menu cliché these days, but this is one of the most original and deliciously complex versions we’ve encountered. The dish starts with a punchy Thai papaya salad that’s folded with diced Wagyu teres major, mango, cilantro, and chives. The whole mix is then seasoned with a Thai sweet soy sauce, plus sriracha, lime, and fish-sauce salt. Topping it off: crispy Yukon Gold potato chips dusted with dehydrated scallion and malt-vinegar powder.

 

Crab Rangoon

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Lucky Danger

The crab rangoon at the takeout-focused Arlington original tastes like the crab rangoon you’d find at many Chinese American restaurants. The rendition at its more sophisticated Penn Quarter dining room, which opened in May, is far more memorable. A bit of imitation crab nods to nostalgia, but it’s mixed with sweeter Norwegian snow-crab meat. Old Bay amps up the gingery cream-cheese filling, pearls of tobiko add salty pop, and a blood-orange agrodolce plays the part of sweet-and-sour sauce.

 

Chicken alla Diavola

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Osteria Mozza

One of DC’s biggest hot spots in 2025 has been this Georgetown co-production from Stephen Starr and LA chef Nancy Silverton, which has served folks such as Barack Obama and Jeff Bezos. So come for the people-watching, sure, but also for homey Italian dishes like this Green Circle chicken. It’s split, stuffed with butter and rubbed with spices, then roasted with chicken stock over a fat slice of sourdough bread, which soaks up the juices and concentrates their flavor. It’s indulgent, but a squeeze of charred lemon brightens up the whole thing.

This article appears in the December 2025 issue of Washingtonian.