The open kitchen at Albi. Photo by Scott Suchman Washingtonian’s annual 100 Very Best Restaurants list drops tomorrow, but here’s an early scoop: this year, the top spot in our rankings goes to Albi, Michael Rafidi’s Levantine dining room in Navy Yard.  What makes Rafidi’s restaurant, which opened just before the pandemic, so very special? Well, everything. The design anchored by the kitchen’s huge, sparking hearth. The terrific cocktails, such as a refresher conjured from mango, rum, and clarified yogurt. The sharp (but warm!) service. But most of all of course, it’s the food, which has gotten better and better over the restaurant’s five year existence. Rafidi’s family is Palestinian, he grew up in Maryland, and he trained for years under California chef/restaurateur Michael Mina. He synthesizes all of that life experience here (Albi translates to “My heart”) and channels it into plates that are as visually stunning as they are delicious.  Rafidi tends to stay behind the scenes, but last year was a huge one for the chef: he won the James Beard award for best chef in the country, and he opened two instant-hit Union Market restaurants—his casual cafe Yellow and his sexy, French/Middle Eastern lounge La’ Shukran. Both land on our 2025 list, too.  A Levantine feast at Albi. Photo by Rey Lopez. During my last dinner at Albi, about a month ago, the server came to check on us and the many, many dishes that crowded our table. “What’s your favorite?” he asked.  It was the culinary equivalent of a trail of falling dominos.  “The oil-cured labneh…until we tried the octopus shish. It was the octopus…until the beef-cheek-stuffed cabbage hit the table.” And so on. If you’re a lamb lover, Albi should be at the top of your own list, if only for its spectacular barbecue lamb kebab. If you’re a vegetarian or pescatarian, you’ll eat just as wonderfully well.  Check out the 99 other top restaurants tomorrow when the list drops online, or grab a hard copy on newsstands Thursday.The post Albi Is Washingtonian’s #1 Restaurant in 2025 first appeared on Washingtonian.