Apple Dumplings at Wye Oak Tavern. Photograph by Nicolas Castro. Bird Song location_on 5507 Connecticut Ave., NW. language Website This spring, Thai chef Kitima Boonmala will bring khao soi, garlicky sen lek, jungle curry, tapioca dumplings, and spicy boat noodles—thickened with beef bl ood—to the Chevy Chase DC space formerly occupied by Blue 44. It’s a collaboration between Boonmala and the owners of Little Beast, the nearby restaurant that hosted one of the chef’s many noodle pop-ups.   Cooper Mill location_on 10 Duke St., Alexandria. language Website This tavern—in a 170-year-old wood-beamed warehouse along Old Town’s waterfront—serves pizzas, bar food, and “zepps,” restaurateur Noe Landini’s signature flatbread sandwiches. There’s also a grab-and-go market with breakfast fare and a handsome private-event space.   Ebbitt House location_on 1860 Reston Row Plaza, Reston. language Website Old Ebbitt Grill, DC’s oldest eatery, is getting its first-ever spinoff this spring. Like its great-grandfather, the Reston outpost will serve raw-bar fare and American tavern classics. But it’ll have a different vibe, with a patio bar, a sleek glassy look, and proximity to Google’s and Spotify’s futuristic offices.   Fish Shop location_on 610 Water St., SW. language Website This Wharf restaurant, set to open in April, has an unusual pedigree. It’s the brainchild not of a chef or restaurateur but of a high-end art gallery. Tartan-painted walls nod to the original Fish Shop, near Balmoral Castle in the Scottish Highlands, but here, seafood comes from the Chesapeake. Check out cabinets for dry-aging fish, hidden behind porthole-shaped windows along one wall.   Karravaan location_on 325 Morse St., NE. language Website Pappe chef/owner Sanjay Mandhaiya’s Union Market spot, opening in March, is a tribute to travel—or at least the routes of travel and trade that brought the influence of Persian, Turkish, and Portuguese cuisines to the Indian subcontinent. A whole branzino with saffron rice takes cues from Iran, while pork-chop vindaloo with onion-garlic confit is the product of Goa, a former Portuguese territory.   Marcus DC location_on 222 M St., NE. language Website Celebrity chef/TV personality Marcus Samuelsson has made one foray into the DC area before: a restaurant at MGM National Harbor that closed after a year. But this seafood-focused brasserie, which will anchor NoMa’s Morrow hotel starting in the spring, feels like an important step for the Ethiopian-born Swedish chef. His maritime menu will feature raw, cured, and dry-aged fish, and he’ll also oversee the rooftop bar.   Mikey & Mel’s location_on 1828 L St., NW. language Website Downtown DC was clearly starved for a classic Jewish deli: Mikey & Mel’s opened in early January, and waits for corned-beef sandwiches soon crept past 45 minutes. Also a draw: housemade bagels, smoked-fish platters, latkes, knishes, matzo-ball soup, hamantaschen, and—crucially—a pickle bar.   The Occidental location_on 1475 Pennsylvania Ave., NW. language Website The Gilded Age seems to be back in vogue in American politics. And Stephen Starr, a hospitality power player accustomed to catering to the political elite, is embracing that era—at least on an aesthetic level. His glamorous revamp of this Willard hotel restaurant, which first opened during the Teddy Roosevelt administration, offers tableside martini service and throwbacks like lobster Newburg and pheasant under glass.   Tapori location_on 600 H St., NE. language Website One of DC’s most inventive new-school Indian restaurants, Daru, has finally been joined by the H Street sister eatery long promised by restaurateur Dante Datta and chef Suresh Sundas. Tapori, a Hindi word for “vagabond” or “rowdy,” hops between regional street-food traditions—Kerala to Nepal, Hyderabad to Mumbai—in a vibrant cocktail-bar setting.   Wye Oak Tavern location_on 211 E. Church St., Frederick. language Website Bryan Voltaggio’s steakhouse/tavern, in a former convent converted to a hotel, is a tribute to Maryland foodways: Baltimore coddies are reborn with salt-cod brandade, a crabcake tostada is seasoned with Old Bay, and the slow-roasted prime rib is served with the horseradish “tiger sauce” found at Baltimore pit-beef joints. This article appears in the March 2025 issue of Washingtonian.The post 10 DC-Area Restaurant Openings We’re Excited About This Spring first appeared on Washingtonian. ...read more read less