Diners' Choice: Neighborhood gem restaurants in Washington, D.C. Area

OpenTable

Updated January 05, 2025

Looking for the best restaurants that are the best neighborhood gems in Washington, D.C. Area? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Brx American Bistro

4.8

4.8 (952)

$31 to $50

American

Great Falls

About the restaurant

Brx is a place where you can take your family or meet with your friends for some quality time and good food and drink. We wanted to create an atmosphere where people could gather casually in a sophisticated, yet down to earth locale.

Brx's large dining room and outdoor patio offer a casual and comfortable ambiance to enjoy our American cuisine influenced by your favorite comfort foods. Our casual bar area is the perfect place for a glass of wine from our extensive wine list, or a round of beers with friends.
Brx's large dining room and outdoor patio offer a casual and comfortable ambiance to enjoy our American cuisine influenced by your favorite comfort foods. Our casual bar area is the perfect place for a glass of wine from our extensive wine list, or a round of beers with friends.

Top review

Lindsay

Dined on Dec 15, 2024

Best place in town. Very warm and welcoming. Excellent food

District Bistro

4.8

4.8 (49)

$30 and under

Bistro

Kensington

About the restaurant

District Bistro,Located at 11230 Grandview Ave, offers classic American Cuisine utilizing simple, high quality ingredients from local farm Co-ops and Creameries in Pennsylvania. Founded and headed by Chef Pedro Matamoros who has been crafting spectacular American cuisine for the past 30 years in locations such as the Tabard Inn, Nicaro, 8407 Kitchen Bar, Bluebird Cocktail Room in Baltimore and more.
After Embarking on the journey to create Franks Burger Place in Wheaton with his two sons, Marlon and Derek Matamoros. Chef Pedro, Inspired by his love of cooking and community, Fell upon the opportunity to Bring to Wheaton what he believed was missing, a casual Eatery to enjoy great food, and classic hand crafted cocktails.

Top review

Varda

Dined 5 days ago

Firstly, for a modern bistro the noise level was quite low. This is helped by the absence of music playing in the background. The food was delicious and the service was friendly and efficient. If you are looking for a delicious meal served in a leisurely manner, this is the place.

New Heights

4.7

4.7 (1488)

$31 to $50

American

Woodley Park

About the restaurant

New Heights Restaurant, led by Michelin-nominated Chef Jose Molina, offers an unparalleled dining experience where contemporary elegance meets classic flavors. Nestled in the heart of the city, our menu showcases the finest local ingredients, artfully crafted under Chef Molina’s celebrated culinary expertise. From farm-fresh produce to sustainably sourced seafood, each dish is a testament to his dedication to innovation and flavor, perfectly complemented by an extensive selection of wines and craft cocktails. Whether you're joining us for a sophisticated dinner, or a private event, New Heights is where Chef Molina's award-worthy creations elevate every occasion. Experience the art of dining above the ordinary—where each meal truly reaches new heights.

** Please note that our historic building does not have an elevator and that our Dining Room is only accessible by staircase **

Top review

Janet

Dined 5 days ago

Everything was excellent: the appetizers (Brussels sprouts), the entrees and the dessert. Our entrees were the Brazilian steak and the duck confit. Both entrees were flavorful and the duck was so tender it fell off the bone. We had the pistachio ricotta cake for dessert and it was light and not too sweet. It was quiet in the restaurant and easy to carry on a conversation. No one hurried us through our 2 hour meal. It was a lovely experience all around.

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Popular dish

Filet Mignon

Experience

🇺🇸 Inauguration Special Menu 🇺🇸

Experience

🍽️ Winter Restaurant Week 🍽️

Lebanese Taverna - Westover

4.7

4.7 (577)

$30 and under

Middle Eastern

Arlington

About the restaurant

The original restaurant of Lebanese Taverna, this recently renovated location is a local favorite. Lebanese Taverna serves authentic Middle Eastern fare in a casual yet stylish setting. The menu boasts over 25 appetizers and salads as well as a variety of grilled lamb, beef, chicken and fish entrees. There is a large selection of vegetarian dishes, too. To complement your dining experience, choose from our award-winning wine list or specialty cocktails. The restaurant is child-friendly and great for groups of all sizes. Please note, menus listed are samples and prices are subject to change.

Top review

Maggie

Dined 1 day ago

Met a longtime friend for lunch. The service and food were excellent as always. The wait staff were accepting / tolerant of us sitting for 3 hours to talk and catch up. No pressure to open the table for others which we both appreciated.

A La Lucia

4.7

4.7 (2003)

$30 and under

Italian

Alexandria

About the restaurant

Summer Vacation Dates: July 1st-7th a la Lucia will be closed.
We will reopen on Friday July 1, 2022

a la Lucia is a neighborhood restaurant in Old Town Alexandria. We specialize in homemade traditional Italian Fare and Italian Wines. Owner Michael Nayeri has been in the Washington Restaurant Business for over 20 years. We offer Brick oven Pizzas, Patio Seating, and Kids Menus. Our Private Wine Room is available for all types of parties up to 40 guests. We have a Full bar, specializing in Wine, where we broadcast all major sporting and news events.

Top review

RachelVIP

Dined on Dec 24, 2024

Another excellent Christmas Eve at A La Lucia. We will miss this place— thanks for the memories and wonderful food!

RT's Restaurant

4.7

4.7 (2262)

$30 and under

Creole / Cajun / Southern

Alexandria

About the restaurant

RT's Alexandria's renowned neighborhood restaurant has been the place for fresh seafood in Northern Virginia for over 34 years. RT's has been a fixture on the Washingtonian Magazine's "Top 100 Restaurants" list in the metropolitan area and is one of the highest rated seafood restaurants in the nationally acclaimed "Zagat Survey". Their unique menu features many Creole and Cajun specialties including Jack Daniel's Shrimp, Spicy She-Crab Soup, Crawfish Etouffée , Jambalaya and their popular "Death" by Gumbo . This "Little Gem" is located in the heart of Alexandria only steps away from The Birchmere music hall and not only features a great menu but also has an extensive special list that changes on a weekly basis.

Top review

SusanVIP

Dined 6 days ago

Things often change over the years and often not for the best. I take great comfort in knowing over the several decades I’ve been a faithful customer, RT’s has never changed in all the ways that count - top food, top service, fun ambiance, and always a special place to bring out-of-towners. (Just wish they’d bring back the Ginger Rogers cocktail!). Thank you, RT’s, and here’s to many more years.

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4.7

4.7 (1897)

$30 and under

Italian

Downtown

About the restaurant

Executive Chef and owner Noé Canales welcomes you to experience his vision of contemporary Italian cuisine in his lovely new neighborhood restaurant designed to transport you to a trattoria in Tuscany.

Top review

BeverlyVIP

Dined on Jan 1, 2025

Tortino is one of our go-to favorites. Excellent and reasonably priced with great service. We highly recommend it.

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Popular dish

Fettucine alla Bolognese

Popular dish

Classic Tiramisu

Gregorio's Trattoria - Cabin John Village

4.7

4.7 (874)

$30 and under

Italian

Potomac

About the restaurant

Gregorio's Trattoria (trat•to•RI•a, an informal restaurant or tavern serving simple Italian dishes) is a local, family-owned restaurant where we want you to feel right at home, like you're eating at our house. Our goal is to create a comfortable, warm atmosphere with consistently fresh, delicious food and amazing service. Owner Greg Kahn and staff will do everything possible to make your visit a pleasure from the moment you walk in the door. We're not a franchise restaurant, and serve only the freshest food made with locally grown ingredients whenever possible.

Top review

Amy or JaredVIP

Dined 1 day ago

Great service and great food. Love this restaurant

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Popular dish

Margherita

Giovanni's Trattu

4.6

4.6 (820)

$30 and under

Italian

Dupont Circle

About the restaurant

Giovanni's Trattu may be the only restaurant in DC to capture the feel of Venice. Formerly known as Trattu, this cozy little restaurant provides the lighter cuisine of Northern Italy, which is known for its unique flavor. The extensive menu changes every fall, winter and summer. Seating 60 in the main dining room, Giovanni's Trattu is candlelight at night and it entertains guests with friendly style of service, providing classic Italian music. Highlighting the ambiance is a collection of colorful pottery and venetian masks that hangs from the walls. Giovanni's Trattu is ideal for private parties, business lunches and dinners, romantic dates and family celebrations.

Top review

JohnVIP

Dined on Dec 24, 2024

Excellent in every way. I had the delicious fish stew from the menu. My wife had the grouper special. The prices are very good, especially given the high quality of food and service.

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Popular dish

Spaghetti Carbonara

Haikan

4.6

4.6 (655)

$30 and under

Ramen

Shaw

About the restaurant

Haikan is our second Sapporo Ramen shop in DC after Daikaya. Haikan means, “pipe works” in Japanese, an ode to Atlantic Plumbing Building where we are located. At Haikan, we focused on creating the taste of ramen from the showa period, the golden age of ramen in Japan. There are over 1000 ramen shops in the city of Sapporo alone, and we are excited to share a completely new line-up of traditional Sapporo style ramen in DC. In addition to ramen, we are serving a playful selection of Japanese-inspired kozara (small plates) to share, or to start with, or to make a whole meal of by picking a few of them. Haikan's bar serves a collection of Japanese-inspired cocktails, and a concentrated selection of Japanese sake, shochu, beer, whisky, and more.

Top review

JulianaVIP

Dined 4 days ago

We loved the ramen! Great desserts! Excellent service as well :)

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Popular dish

Spicy Shoyu

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