Tabard Inn

"The charming dining room in D.C.’s century-old boutique hotel hideaway got a big menu boost under executive chef Matthew Zafrir, a fine dining vet who honors his Maryland roots with memorable meals marked by mid-Atlantic ingredients. Highlights include crab fritters, local oysters doused homemade hot sauce, honeynut squash, duck confit atop Carolina gold rice, and bone-in Berkshire pork chop with kohlrabi slaw, plus homemade doughnuts during brunch. The eclectic bar up front is the place to be for whiskey Wednesdays, when beverage director and Fabio Trabocchi alum Dominik Lenikowski pulls a rare bottle from the cellar to sip until it’s gone." - Tierney Plumb, Emily Venezky

"You never know who you’ll run into at the Tabard Inn & Restaurant. An old colleague? An old flame? Your grad school professor? The over 100-year-old establishment is an in-the-know revolving door for DC, and even though it’s located in well-trodden Dupont Circle, chances are whoever you bring here didn’t even know this place existed. A wood-burning fireplace, live jazz on Sunday and Monday nights, and cozy, low-slung ceilings make this a great place to come for a cocktail while half listening to the music, half listening to the person you’re with." - omnia saed, tristiana hinton

"The charming spot near Dupont Circle offers a textbook date night. Start with a seat on a comfortable couch to snuggle up with a glass of wine by the homey fireplace, with live jazz a few nights a week in its living room-style lobby. The century-old boutique hotel hideaway with French-Southern flair doesn’t stop there. Retire to a cozy dining room lined with black-and-white checkered flooring and funky art for memorable meals from Maryland native and fine dining vet Matthew Zafrir." - Tierney Plumb, Stephanie Carter

"D.C.’s century-old boutique hotel hideaway got a big 2023 menu makeover full of French-Southern flair under culinary partner Ian Boden, the James Beard-nominated chef behind The Shack in Staunton, Virginia. Overseeing the fine-tuned changes in the charming Dupont dining room is executive chef Matthew Zafrir, a fine dining vet who honors his Maryland roots with memorable meals marked by mid-Atlantic ingredients. Highlights include crab fritters, local oysters doused homemade hot sauce, honeynut squash, duck confit atop Carolina gold rice, and bone-in Berkshire pork chop with kohlrabi slaw, plus homemade doughnuts during brunch. Zafrir’s close ties to family-run farm Earth N Eats also pay off on the plate, where wonderfully unique veggies show up morning to night (as do herbs plucked from Tabard’s outdoor garden). The eclectic bar up front is the place to be for whiskey Wednesdays, when beverage director and Fabio Trabocchi alum Dominik Lenikowski pulls a rare bottle from the cellar to sip until it’s gone." - Tierney Plumb, Emily Venezky

"The living room-style lobby at the boutique hotel hideaway is ideal for date night because of its comfortable couches and dim lighting. Enjoy conversation, company, and a glass of wine by the homey fireplace; there’s also live music." - Mekita Rivas, Eater Staff