What to order at The Dabney

Must order
The cast-iron cornbread with sorghum butter; the kitchen pulls it from the hearth on a long handle.
Signature dishes
Wood-hearth oysters, Cast-iron cornbread
Editor tip
Book the bar seats facing the hearth; the show is the kitchen, not the dining room. The Cellar wine bar is the quieter alternative.
CuisineNew American
Price$$$
NeighborhoodShaw
HoursTue-Thu 17:30-21:30, Fri-Sat 17:30-22:00
Last verified

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Location

Address: 122 Blagden Alley NW, Washington, DC 20001, Washington DC

More restaurants in Washington DC

Maydan ★ 4.7

$$$ Middle EasternLogan Circle

Maydan in Washington DC is Rose Previte's James Beard award-winner above 14th Street, a courtyard around a live-fire pit serving North African.

OrderThe lamb shoulder cooked over fire for ten hours, ordered as a family-style bookend.

TipThe booth seats face the fire; ask for one. The pre-shift cocktail flight at the upstairs bar is the value pick.

Le Diplomate ★ 4.4

$$$ French BrasserieLogan Circle

Le Diplomate in Washington DC is Stephen Starr's 14th Street brasserie at the P Street corner, the city's anchor French room since 2013 with a wraparound.

OrderThe steak frites with bearnaise.

TipThe walk-in bar takes the same menu and runs at a third the wait. Brunch is the busiest slot of the week.

Jaleo ★ 4.4

$$$ Spanish TapasPenn Quarter

Jaleo in Washington DC is Jose Andres's 7th Street Spanish tapas room, the kitchen that opened ThinkFoodGroup in 1993 and codified DC's modern small-plates.

OrderThe paella valenciana with rabbit, snail and green bean; ordered table-wide and finished with a torch.

TipLunch is the easier reservation; the sherry list runs deep into Manzanilla pasada that the bartenders will pour by the glass.

Zaytinya ★ 4.4

$$$ Eastern MediterraneanPenn Quarter

Zaytinya in Washington DC is Jose Andres's Penn Quarter Eastern Mediterranean room on 9th Street since 2002, a high-ceiling space drawing from Greek.

OrderThe Greek-style spiced fries with feta; the most-ordered single dish in the room.

TipPre-theatre reservations from 17:00 are the fastest seat; the upstairs bar runs the full menu without the reservation pressure.

Fiola Mare ★ 4.6

$$$$ Italian SeafoodGeorgetown

Fiola Mare in Washington DC is Fabio and Maria Trabocchi's Georgetown waterfront seafood room on K Street, a Potomac-facing dining hall with a crudo bar.

OrderThe crudo platter to start; the kitchen builds it from whatever was unloaded that morning.

TipThe patio runs from April to October; Sunday lunch on the water with a glass of vermentino is the room's editorial best moment.

Old Ebbitt Grill ★ 4.0

$$$ AmericanDowntown

Old Ebbitt Grill in Washington DC is the city's oldest saloon, founded 1856 and now serving 1.5 million guests a year across four bars at its 15th Street.

OrderThe crab cake plate; the kitchen runs through 1000 cakes a week and the binder is invisibly thin.

TipThe 15:00-18:00 oyster Happy Hour is the city's best seafood deal at $1.95 each; sit at the Old Bar.

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