Diners' Choice: Best Ambience restaurants in District of Columbia

OpenTable

Updated 05 December 2024

Looking for restaurants with the best ambience in District of Columbia? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyses nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favourite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you book, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Lafayette Restaurant

4.8

4.8 (1615)

$31 to $50

American

Downtown

About the restaurant

Washington’s destination for power dining, the Lafayette Restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. With large windows opening onto Lafayette Park and the White House, this sun-lit dining room is one of the most elegant settings in the capital and is certain to complement any dining experience.

Top review

Oscar

Dined 2 days ago

we had a great time, great welcome, beautiful environment, good food too and William very polite and kind. Thanks to everyone

Elizabeth's

4.9

4.9 (1284)

$50 and over

Vegan

Downtown

About the restaurant

Elizabeth's offers an extraordinary dining experience every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. We merge our gorgeous venue with a prix fixe Vegan Tasting Menu at $110 per person. Elizabeth's is a destination for special occasions and adventurous cuisine.

Our sommelier curates a pairing of wines and beverages sourced from around the world at an additional $85 per person. We also offer a non-alcoholic beverage pairing comprised of non-alcoholic wines, mocktails, and infusions for $65 per person.

Fully raw menus are not available. Please call the restaurant (202-347-8349) in reference to any allergies prior to making your reservation. Regarding reservations of 5 or more, please call the restaurant directly.

We source and prepare the freshest ingredients for our exclusive fine dining experience. For this reason, reservation confirmations are required 24 hours in advance. Thank you for your understanding of the commitment that is made to creating a memorable dining experience.

Top review

Dined 2 days ago

Going to Elizabeth’s is a sensory sensation. Experiencing very creative edible delights in beautiful surroundings, with perfect but unpretentious service, is something everyone should enjoy as often as possible. Can’t wait to go back.

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4.8

4.8 (3452)

$50 and over

American

Downtown

About the restaurant

D.C's premier steakhouse with tuxedoed waiters and a 1940s Manhattan supper-club setting since 1976. Top five romantic restaurant in America (Food and Wine magazine). Live piano nightly. Valet parking. business casual for gentlemen.

Top review

Colonel WinstonVIP

Dined 3 days ago

Our server Juan provided impeccable service of outstanding cuisine. The Prime Rib gets it right every time!

Bombay Club

4.9

4.9 (5322)

$31 to $50

Indian

Downtown

About the restaurant

The Bombay Club emulates characteristics of the old clubs of India. The elegant environment with pale pastels, ceiling fans, and a profusion of greenery is designed to create a warm and inviting gathering place for relaxation and regeneration. The cuisine is the finest of India, utilizing only the best quality ingredients to create a harmony of subtle flavors. Specialties prepared by Executive Chef Nilesh Singhvi, include tandoori salmon and green chili chicken. The sophisticated cuisine is enhanced by refine service and live piano music. Distinguished Restaurant of North America Award.

Top review

Vinay

Dined 2 days ago

Loved our dinner at Bombay Club. We ordered the fish in naan leaf and scallop chettinad for appetizer. Both were delicious. For main course, we ordered railway lamb curry, halibut mapas, chicken tikka, daal makhani with naan, rotis. all dishes tasted awesome - freshly made and very authentic. The ambience is also very good. A very good Indian restaurant! Highly recommend it.

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The Greenhouse at The Jefferson, DC

4.7

4.7 (1084)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Downtown

About the restaurant

Located in downtown DC, just four blocks from the White House, breakfast, lunch, dinner and weekend brunch are served under The Jefferson’s historic skylight in The Greenhouse. Natural light streams from above, creating an airy atmosphere that complements the light, fresh and energizing fare on our seasonal menus.

Top review

HowardVIP

Dined 5 days ago

Christmas Day lunch was great! Food was delicious and the service was great. The Jefferson is an unusual hidden gem downtown - a really elegant and interesting ambiance.

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Experience

The Wine Cellar at Greenhouse

Experience

New Year's Eve at the Jefferson Hotel

Causa

4.9

4.9 (60)

$50 and over

Peruvian

Shaw

About the restaurant

Causa is our Michelin-Starred tasting room where the world of Peruvian culinary tradition comes to life, thanks to the artistry of Chef Carlos Delgado. Here, you'll embark on a journey through the gastronomic heritage of the Peruvian geographical regions.

Reservations can be booked two months in advance. This prix-fixe menu is $179 (tax & gratuity not included). Enhance your experience further with a Remarkable Wine Pairing to compliment your 6-courses or venture into North America's rarest pisco selection and fully immerse yourself in the bounty of Peru's national spirit.

If you have any questions or clarifications on allergens or restrictions, reach out to info@causadc.com prior to booking.

Gift Card? Please use a credit card to book hold your reservation and we will refund you upon completion of your meal. Causa accepts inKind House Account credit and is unable to accept general inKind credits. Please reach out to inKind support for further clarification.

Top review

AnthonyVIP

Dined 2 days ago

Fantastic experience. Came for anniversary and the team at Causa was energetic and very attentive to our needs. We had incredible food with a tremendous wine pairing. The dessert was to die for particularly. Chef Carlos came and talked to us for a while and gave us trials of things he's working on and it was overall incredible. will be back.

Jônt

4.9

4.9 (109)

$50 and over

French / Japanese

U Street Corridor

About the restaurant

At Jônt, we are a team of young and inspired chefs taking down the walls between kitchen and guests and taking you on a culinary adventure. Immerse yourself in a progressive tasting menu focusing on the simple, yet luxurious, ingredients around the world with deep inspiration from Japanese cuisine.

We challenge the seasons, navigate beyond the limits of time and break with tradition— getting playful with process and tricky with techniques at the intersection of place and possibility.

Jônt has been recognized with two Michelin stars since 2021.

Top review

UliVIP

Dined 2 days ago

Hands down the best restaurant in DC. Fresh ingredients cooked in an innovative way.

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Experience

Chef's Tasting Menu

Experience

New Year's Eve at Jônt

Experience

JÔNT x RDV Vineyard

The Dabney

4.7

4.7 (265)

$50 and over

American

Shaw

About the restaurant

Located in historic Blagden Alley in D.C.'s Shaw neighborhood since 2015, The Dabney continues to pay tribute to the wonderful farmers, watermen, and purveyors of the mid-Atlantic region whom provide some of the best and most unique products in the country. We celebrate these ingredients by preparing them in a large wood burning hearth which is the centerpiece of our open kitchen. The current dining room experience is an 8-course tasting menu honoring the Mid-Atlantic's bounty. We offer an additional 3-course experience at our bar and bar area tables. Walk-in guests are welcome to enjoy the bar area as well.

The Dabney has been awarded one Michelin star every year since 2017, James Beard Foundation Best Chef Mid-Atlantic for Chef Jeremiah Langhorne in 2018, and Washingtonian Magazine's #1 restaurant in 2023.

At this time we are unable to accommodate severe allium and dairy allergies as well as vegan and vegetarian diets.

Top review

morgan

Dined on 21 Dec 2024

Food was amazing. Staff was great. Ambience was perfect for the holidays Only minor note would simply be for folks who’ve never done a tasting menu. The portions may small for some people. My wife thought they were perfect, while I left a little bit hungry.

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Experience

3 Courses Prix Fixe in The Bar Area

Experience

8 Course Tasting Menu in the Dining Room

Amazonia

4.7

4.7 (136)

$50 and over

Peruvian

Mount Vernon Square

About the restaurant

Venture into the relaxed ambiance of Amazonia, our inviting upstairs bar, dining room and rooftop hideaway. As one of the first Amazonian restaurants in the U.S., discover the exotic flavors and ingredients from Peru's rainforest, as well as favorite Peruvian staples. Here you can explore a thoughtfully curated selection of pisco and imaginative cocktails. The dishes you'll enjoy in Amazonia are meant for sharing, and are expertly prepared by the very same skilled kitchen team from Causa downstairs.

Top review

Richard

Dined 2 days ago

Wonderful evening sitting at the bar dining. The bartenders were fun to hang out with.

Morrison-Clark Restaurant

4.5

4.5 (559)

$31 to $50

American

Downtown

About the restaurant

The Main Dining Room is highlighted by gilded mirrors, Italian marble fireplaces, and crystal chandeliers. The tantalizing cuisine is innovative and fresh, its style is regional American. The Morrison Clark Restaurant is consistently rated among Washington's finest. Experience the storied legacy of a 19th Century Victorian mansion, now a full-service hotel and restaurant, proud to be on the National Register of Historic Places.

Top review

Gary

Dined 7 days ago

We thoroughly enjoyed our meal. Delightful service and the lobster chowder was amazing.

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Experience

Valentine's Dinner

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