Washington, D.C. Dining

Whether you're in the mood for a fine dining experience, a casual dinner, or a quick lunch, the city sure has a restaurant to satisfy your desire. Visitors to Washington, DC will find the restaurants and dining options to be a pleasant mixture of diverse cuisines and ambiance with something for everyone.

Some of the best food experiences are to be found in one of the following places:

Ardeo
3311 Connecticut Ave. NW (Macomb St. NW), Washington, DC 20008
202-244-6750
The cooking at Ardeo is contemporary and well conceived and executed, using ingredients such as baby greens, diver scallops and portobello mushrooms, which end up in unique dishes such as a spinach salad with strawberries and Stilton dressed with a red onion mixture.

The Iron Gate Restaurant
1734 N Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
202-737-1370
The Iron Gate provides a romantic urban escape, especially when warm weather allows for outdoor eating. The restaurant's mostly Mediterranean menu stars such dishes as a goat cheese torte and wild mushroom salad, a Mediterranean vegetable tagine with couscous, braised lamb shank with orzo or lamb shish kebob. All in all, the ambiance is cozy and warm, and the food is excellent. 

The Oval Room
800 Connecticut Avenue, Washington DC, 20006
202-463-8700
The oval room is a critically acclaimed restaurant, serving modern American cuisine in a sophisticated contemporary setting. The delectable entrees include butter poached lobster, charred corn ravioli and caramelized beef tenderloin with cauliflower, paprika and mint. The dinner may include slow baked salmon, roasted chicken, lamb, carmelized beef tenderloin and a wide variety of wines.

Zaytinya
701 Ninth St. NW, Edison Place, Washington DC, 20001
 202.638.0800
Zaytinya, which means olive oil in Turkish, is a unique restaurant with middle eastern tapas. It serves Greek, Lebanese, Mediterranean, and Turkish dishes. The place offers a beautiful, large dining space decked out in Greek blue and white. Candles are sprinkled liberally about the space to give it a good vibe. The crowd is mixed between locals and tourists. The food is fantastic and the menu is large and there's an extensive list of wines too.

Le Paradou
678 Indiana Ave. NW, Washington DC, 20004
202-347-6780
Le Paradou is a chic and elegant restaurant, serving French specialties. The space consists of taupes and beiges, midcentury modern chairs, oversized floral arrangements, and a grand crystal chandelier. Besides the à la carte menu, there are fixed-price menus. Wines are mostly French. You might want to try the lamb chops with tomato confit and olive sauce.