Diners' Choice: Best Overall restaurants in Washington, D.C. Area

OpenTable

Updated June 05, 2025

Looking for the best overall restaurants 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!

The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm

5.0

5 (1706)

$50 and over

American

Lovettsville

About the restaurant

Voted 2024 #1 Northern VA Magazine - "Michelin inspectors, take note."

Sourcing food and supporting local artisan growers and producers and utilizing our farm as the chefs pantry gives us the opportunity to create an evolving menu that draws its inspiration from the seasons and in harmony with the earth. The venue has a breathtaking view and natural setting overlooking the Potomac River.

We offer a tasting menu Thursday through Sunday evenings. Please visit our website at www.patowmackfarm.com for the menu.

Weddings, rehearsal dinners, corporate or special events – we strive to exceed your dreams. Innovative and skillfully executed dishes follow the lead of nature, being mindful of the environment.

Due to the style of menu on special events and holidays and the complexities involved with individual and specific food allergies, we are unable to accommodate dietary restrictions on those days. We make every effort to provide vegetarian and accommodate gluten sensitivities.

Top review

Amanda

Dined 3 days ago

Beautiful experience! This was a favorite dining experience for us. Right up there with The Inn at Little Washington.

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Experience

Father's Day Take Out - SUNDAY, JUNE 15, 2025

dLeña - Chef Table

5.0

5 (94)

$50 and over

Contemporary Mexican

Mount Vernon Square

About the restaurant

Join dLeña, as featured in the 2022 edition of The MICHELIN Guide DC, at our signature chef’s table tucked behind the main bar with an exquisite leather banquette facing directly into the open kitchen. Chef will prepare eight courses for 160.00 per guest, with an optional beverage pairing for 75.00 per guest. Each of our guests will receive a take-home surprise to enjoy the morning after. ¡Salud!

*Kindly note we are not able to accommodate menu substitutions for our Chef’s Table experience.

Top review

Merritt

Dined 5 days ago

First, and most importantly, the food was wonderful. Just about every one of the eight dishes was well-conceived, beautifully constructed, and often presented with some dramatic surprise. I enjoy watching our dishes being plated before our eyes, and am always impressed by the extreme attention to detail that goes into that effort at this level. Service was everything to be expected in a Michelin-star restaurant. The interactions with Chef Carlos were an important part of the evening, with information about the inspirations for some of the dishes letting us appreciate the art more fully, and the descriptions with the wine service were very good. dLeña is highly recommended by all four of us. Really, the only significant negative about the whole experience was the ambient noise level. The restaurant is very noisy, and for me it was loud enough to distract from all the other wonderful things going on. If not for the noise, I'm sure all the rating factors would have been full fives.

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Experience

Chef's Table Experience

Gute Leute

5.0

5 (82)

$31 to $50

Café

Arlington

About the restaurant

Gute Leute Coffee Bar is one of the most popular coffee bars in Korea,
known for its own unique signature coffee creations.

In German, gute Leute means "good people"
and it is with this idea that gute Leute strives to create a space
in which good people can enjoy good company.

Our logo is inspired by the pine tree
because it stays green all year long like our enthusiasm for coffee.
Every branch in Seoul has its own signature menu created by baristas.
We also present seasonal coffee courses that are constructed with their
own stories.

Instagram : gute_leute_usa

Top review

Michael

Dined on May 19, 2025

Such a fun espresso flight (omakase)! We did the seasonal 1-year anniversary for a birthday and it was so memorable as both a show and delicious. Highly recommend for a unique experience!

Afghan Bistro

4.9

4.9 (1412)

$30 and under

Afghan

Springfield

About the restaurant

Afghan Bistro, located in Springfield, VA provides guests an authentic Afghan cuisine with a modern flair.

Top review

Tracy

Dined 2 days ago

Food was delicious and the server made great recommendations. Will be back soon.

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L'Auberge Chez Francois

4.9

4.9 (9498)

$50 and over

French

Great Falls

About the restaurant

Welcome to L'Auberge Chez François, our French country inn a short distance from the nation's capital that has captivated visitors for over 66 years. L'Auberge Chez François is the ideal spot to celebrate special moments, private parties, luncheons, weddings, and cooking demonstrations. Our menu is extensive and full of the flavors of Alsace and traditional French cuisine. Excellent food and service, attention to detail, and a casually elegant atmosphere are hallmarks that have made L'Auberge Chez François a Washington favorite! We hope that you will enjoy your visit with us. Should you not see your preferred time to dine with us, please call us at 703-759-3800.

Top review

William

Dined 3 days ago

As always, the food was absolutely amazing and the service impeccable. Julio did a wonderful job as our server. Dinner in the gardens was a wonderful experience.

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The Melting Pot - Fredericksburg

4.9

4.9 (912)

$31 to $50

Fondue

Fredericksburg

About the restaurant

The Melting Pot is Fredericksburg’s premiere fondue restaurant. We offer both a romantic and family friendly atmosphere for your fine dining fondue experience. Our staff operates with one goal in mind - to provide you with the perfect night out.

Top review

JonathanVIP

Dined on May 31, 2025

We’ve been coming to the Melting Pot in Fredericksburg for going on 20 years now and last night was the first time we left thinking that it wasn’t a fantastic experience. Nothing was particularly bad, it just wasn’t at the level we’ve grown accustomed to as long-time patrons. For the price we paid (just under $400 for 5 of us), we were really underwhelmed by the portion sizes, particularly the amount of chocolate we received in each of our 2 pots. Like I mentioned earlier, not bad, but for the first time, not great. We’ll likely look at some other choices for our next special occasion.

Jacques' Brasserie at L'Auberge Chez Francois

4.9

4.9 (2560)

$31 to $50

French

Great Falls

About the restaurant

Restaurants in Alsace traditionally have a formal main dining room as well as a casual dining room known locally as a weinstube or brasserie. At the brasserie, diners may enjoy traditional, hearty Alsatian dishes in a warm and relaxing atmosphere. These friendly establishments are immensely popular with Alsatians and visiting them is always the best part of my trips back to Alsace. I opened Jacques' Brasserie at L'Auberge Chez François to bring the tastes and comforts of the Alsatian brasserie to Great Falls.

Top review

RayVIP

Dined 1 day ago

Always a beautiful venue, excellent food, and wonderful service !!

Meokja Meokja

4.9

4.9 (79)

$30 and under

Korean

Fairfax

About the restaurant

PLEASE CALL US AT (571) 459-2875 OR MESSAGE US ON FACEBOOK FOR ADDITIONAL AVAILABILITES. WALK-INS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME!

Meokja Meokja
Korean Restaurant · Barbecue Restaurant

Top review

Vincent

Dined on May 25, 2025

Our server was excellent and the food was really good!

Sushiko - Chevy Chase

4.9

4.9 (1895)

$50 and over

Sushi

Chevy Chase

About the restaurant

OPEN FOR DINE IN, CARRY OUT & DELIVERY
LUNCH : Thusday - Sunday 12 - 2:30 PM
DINNER : Tuesday - Sunday 5 - 9:30 PM
Monday - Closed

WE ARE OFFERING CARRYOUT AND DOORDASH THROUGH OUR WEBSITE.
You may place your orders online at:

Sushiko's Website: www.sushikorestaurants.com (please note we do not accept orders over the phone.)

Door Dash: https://www.doordash.com/store/sushiko-bethesda-989031/1475147/en-US/?preview=1

The Japanese culinary tradition is one of the strongest in the world, and like any art form, it has no limit. Using the finest ingredients available, our constantly evolving menu provides an experience that is unique to Sushiko. Our approach focuses on tradition as an art form instead of a rule book. To ensure a truly first-class dinning experience, executive chef Piter Tjan keep his eyes and minds open to new ingredients and techniques, without losing sight of the preparation and showmanship at the soul of japanese tradition.

Top review

carolynVIP

Dined 2 days ago

Excellent omikasse experience. Lovely attentive chef who was obviously very well prepared, creative and efficient. Engaged with us throughout the experience. We will be back

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4.9

4.9 (127)

$31 to $50

Tapas / Small Plates

Manassas

About the restaurant

Taste of Old Country provides a truly unique artisan bistro & market experience combining the world of food service, private events & retail gourmet food shopping, all under one roof. Home of the Mega Platter, a Mediterranean themed charcuterie board as well as a variety of small bites, artisan panini's, salads, pizza and desserts, you will definitely have a Taste of Old Country, where everything starts and ends with good food, wine, hospitality and friends.

Our bistro wine bar is ideal for a date night, lunch meeting, friends/social/family gatherings or to host smaller corporate/private events. While our culinary wonders cater to all pallets we kindly recommend and welcome our dining experience to adults and older family groups, as our space is not suited for infants or young children.

Conveniently located 1 mile off Exit 47 on I-66 in Balls Ford Center, across the street from the Holiday Inn on Balls Ford Rd.

Top review

Michael

Dined 2 days ago

Outstanding overall! Went to celebrate Father's Day a week early. Enjoyed a quiet & leisurely evening of drinks and tapas. The food was great & not overpriced. Staff was attentive without being overly present. One minor thing cost a star on atmosphere - because the bistro is well suited to casually paced dining they should upgrade their seating a bit, the flat wood seated chairs became uncomfortable over time. Otherwise everything was great. Looking forward to dining there again.

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