Things We Loved in 2025
Martinis everywhere
Dirt-cheap martini happy hours
Branded matchbooks
Room for walk-ins
The mirrors at Bar Betsie (IYKYK)
Servers complimenting our orders
The fringed lampshades at La’ Shukran
Successful Resy alerts
Exploring the DMV’s underrated Bolivian food scene
Paying $4 for a fried chicken sandwich at Blue & White Carryout
Eating lasagna layer by layer at Gemini
Fancy dips
Georgetown
The IRS lawyer with the hot dog cart
The jus-soaked bread under the chicken alla diavola at Osteria Mozza
Chungju (refined Korean rice wine) at Shia
Eating at the bar
Mahjong tables at Lucky Danger
Tributes to McSorley’s and JG Melon at Eebee’s
The alleycat outside My Little Chamomile
The new (very) open kitchen at Albi
Rallying around the immigrant community
Argentinian food
Relic bistro dishes (welcome back, ouefs mimosa!)
Japanese-style towels before a meal
The Norwegian embassy chef posting thirst trap videos
Wood-fired grills
Croquettes
Really good bread service (even if we have to pay for it)
Fancy (Aesop, Loewe) soap in the bathroom
Warm napkins at fine-dining restaurants
Rice Market
The return of a la carte at the Dabney
Izakaya-fication of the suburbs
All-day restaurants
Naked and Famous cocktails
$12 cocktails (they exist!)
Illustrated cocktail menus
Wine lists that actually describe the wine
The over-the-top colorful decor at Chai Pani
Brunch that’s just as good as dinner at Ellie Bird
Pentagon Pizza Report
Things We Hated in 2025
Dress codes
Not listing prices online
Michelin
Soulless New York chains
Not mentioning tap as a water choice when you have to pay for bottled water
Caviar add-ons
Truffle add-ons
Comparing Union Market to the Meatpacking District
Manufactured vibe
No hooks/broken hooks in the restrooms
No hooks/broken hooks under the bar
Dining rooms so dark we need a phone light to read the menu
Immigration agents sowing fear across the hospitality industry
Nice streateries being torn down
Not enough sauce
The MAHA-ification of beef tallow
Half-baked food halls
Chewy duck or quail when tender chicken would have been just fine
Parthenon’s gross kitchen on Gordon Ramsay’s Secret Service
Private club restaurants
Crisfield Seafood closure
Woodmont Grill’s abrupt closure
$50 for a dozen oysters
Questionable Google ratings
Blatant rip-offs of DC restaurants
TikTokers mispronouncing restaurant names
The abuse of the word “speakeasy”
“Hidden gems” that aren’t
Cocktails that are all show
Non-alcoholic cocktails that are too sweet
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind DC’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
Ike Allen covers politics, food, culture, and transportation in DC and writes the monthly Hidden Eats column for the magazine. He grew up in DC.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
