Jessica Sidman

DC's Newest Omakase Counter Is Already Gunning for a Michelin Star Globe-trotting chef Tadayoshi Motoa will serve 20 courses for $200.

The chef behind DC's newest omakase counter earned a Michelin star in Spain. Can he do it again here?

www.washingtonian.com/2025/10/02/d...

Government Shutdown Is the Latest Blow to DC's Beleaguered Restaurant Industry "It feels different, like there's more things that we're coming up against."

DC restaurant owners are among those who are particularly anxious about this government shutdown.

"We’re just getting back up and now this."

www.washingtonian.com/2025/10/02/g...

oh noooooo. They got it right in the actual story, is this from a newsletter?

A TikTok-Ready Pan-Asian Restaurant and Karaoke Bar Is Opening in Union Market Singing Tiger offers showy cocktails and an eclectic menu at Hotel Nell.

A private room karaoke bar and pan-Asian restaurant is opening in Union Market with plenty of TikTok bait.

www.washingtonian.com/2025/09/29/a...

Is the Political Cocktail Dead? The DC specialty has been notably absent since Trump retook the White House.

Did the political cocktail—a staple of DC life—quietly die since Trump returned to the White House?
www.washingtonian.com/2025/09/25/i...

Try West African Ramen and Ghanaian Comfort Food at Eric Adjepong's DC Takeout Spot The Elmina chef offers a fast-casual version of his contemporary Ghanian restaurant..

Elmina chef Eric Adjepong is now offering a fast-casual takeout-only version of his contemporary Ghanaian restaurant washingtonian.com/2025/09/24/t...

lol moms and dads can both win here

Shibuya Eatery Goes Fast-Casual With Ramen and Rice Bowls in Chevy Chase Chef Darren Norris offers customizable bowls using many of his old recipes.

Shibuya Eatery, the Japanese restaurant formerly in Adams Morgan, has been reinvented as a fast-casual spot in Chevy Chase with customizable ramen, rice bowls, and salads www.washingtonian.com/2025/09/18/s...

Looking for Some of DC’s Most Exciting Cooking? Hit the Bar. Here's why top DC chefs are opening wine bars and cocktail spots.

The most exciting new restaurants are actually bars www.washingtonian.com/2025/09/15/f...

Joe Biden Dines Out at DC Italian Restaurant L'Ardente He was greeted by applause and took selfies a day after Trump was protested at a DC restaurant.

A day after Trump was protested at a DC restaurant, Joe Biden hit up L'Ardente, where he was greeted with applause.
www.washingtonian.com/2025/09/11/j...

How Protesters Got Into the DC Restaurant Where Trump Dined Activists chanted, "Free DC. Free Palestine. Trump is the Hitler of our time.”

How did protesters get inside the restaurant where Trump was dining?

I've got the behind-the-scenes story:

www.washingtonian.com/2025/09/10/h...

Donald Trump Dines at Joe's Seafood Next to the White House It's his first visit to a DC restaurant this term.

Armed with Secret Service, President Donald Trump headed one block from the White House to Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak, and Stone Crab to prove how safe DC is following his federal law enforcement takeover.

www.washingtonian.com/2025/09/09/donald-trump-dines-at-joes-seafood-next-to-the-white-house/

working on some stuff!

🙏🙏🙏

A Country Western Bar With Live Music and Mechanical Bull is Opening in Union Market Desert 5 Spot will feature live-band cowboy karaoke, line-dancing, and a house band.

There's a new country western bar and live music venue in town—and it has a mechanical bull!

www.washingtonian.com/2025/09/05/a...

Why Trump Should Not Dine Out in DC No restaurant wants to end up in the center of a political maelstrom.

I wrote about why Trump should not dine out in DC.

It's already been a rough year for local restaurants, and like it or not, hosting the president would undoubtedly invite an onslaught of backlash in DC.

No one wants to become a political target.

www.washingtonian.com/2025/09/04/w...

This Paris-Inspired Wine Bar Is One of DC's Top Fall Openings Maison Bar à Vin. 1834 Columbia Road, NW. Georgetown's tiny, popular neo-bistro Lutèce has just six bar seats. "You can't just come in and be like, 'Can I get a drink? That's the one complaint we have...

This is definitely one of the openings I'm most excited about this fall.

Maison Bar à Vin, a Paris-inspired wine bar from the team behind Lutèce, opens in Adams Morgan on Sept. 13.

www.washingtonian.com/2025/09/03/t...

REPORTER: Will you visit a restaurant in DC?

TRUMP: I might. Sure.

REPORTER: You haven't gone to one in either of your terms that wasn't--

TRUMP: How do you know?

Meet the DC Tech CEO With a Flip Phone and No Social Media Danny Hogenkamp is part of a budding offline movement. He wants you to join in.

Harper is partnering with Danny Hogenkamp, the tech CEO I profiled this spring who's become the unlikely champion of DC's offline movement.

Fun fact: I introduced the two!

www.washingtonian.com/2025/06/11/m...

No Phones Allowed at This New DC Bar. Seriously. Rock Harper transforms Hill Prince on H Street into Hush Harbor, a fully offline bar.

No phones allowed at this new DC bar, from chef Rock Harper.

You will have to secure up your phone in a magnetically locked pouch to enter.
www.washingtonian.com/2025/09/02/n...

Many DC Restaurant Workers Fear Going to Work Amid Trump's Immigration Crackdown It's not just undocumented workers. Many immigrants with legal status worry about being detained too.

One DC chef says 4 employees have been detained by ICE, a handful are calling out, and 2 have resigned amid Trump's immigration crackdown. "They say they were scared, and they’re not going to show up to work."
www.washingtonian.com/2025/08/26/m...

Melange!

30 Best Burgers to Bite Into in the DC Area Our favorites burgers, from juicy bistro burgers to double-stacked smashies—plus, great fries.

The 30 best burgers in the DC area.... let's goooooo
www.washingtonian.com/2025/08/07/b...

Modern Filipino Restaurant Kayu Makes a Comeback in Dupont Circle Chef Paolo Dungca serves up sweet corn agnolotti with curry and ribeye with burnt coconut sauce.

Modern Filipino restaurant Kayu makes its comeback in Dupont Circle on Wednesday.

Check out photos and the menu:
www.washingtonian.com/2025/08/05/m...

What Happens With Restaurant Service Fees Now? The DC Council gutted Initiative 82, but what does it mean for dining out?

What happens with service fees now?

What changes to Initiative 82 and the DC tipped wage—and also "no tax on tips"—might mean for dining out:

www.washingtonian.com/2025/08/01/w...

love to have a listening bar with a concrete floor

(also the fast-evolving “listening room” category in the US seems to have settled at “it’s a restaurant that can have a DJ or a band”)

DC Council Votes to Slow Down and Cap Tipped Minimum Wage Increases "No one is happy 100% here."

🚨The DC Council has voted to slow down and cap tipped wage increases—basically a partial repeal of Initiative 82.

The restaurant association calls it "a win for the industry.”

One Fair Wage calls it "a betrayal of democracy."

More details here:
www.washingtonian.com/2025/07/28/d...

A Japanese-Inspired Record Bar With Sushi Opens in Arlington Oasis: The Listening Bar is the latest from the owners of Sisters Thai.

Yes, another vinyl bar! This one in Arlington has over-the-top sushi:
www.washingtonian.com/2025/07/23/a...

A Flower Shop With a Hidden Bar and Argentinian Restaurant Are Coming to Georgetown Brasero Atlántico and Florería Atlántico—one of the World's 50 Best Bars—come to DC from Buenos Aires.

A Buenos Aires cocktail bar hidden in a flower shop—named one of the World's 50 Best Bars—is opening a location in Georgetown, alongside an Argentinian restaurant with a massive live-fire grill.

www.washingtonian.com/2025/07/15/a...

5 Vinyls Bars Around DC Spinning Groovy Records These hangouts take their record collections as seriously as their drink menus.

Vinyl bars are very in right now. Here are 5 to check out around DC:

www.washingtonian.com/2025/07/15/b...