Tail Up Goat
Fine dining restaurant · Adams Morgan
1827 Adams Mill Rd NW, Washington, DC 20009
Highlights
Creative Mediterranean fare & Caribbean-inspired drinks in modern surrounds
Creative Mediterranean fare & Caribbean-inspired drinks in modern surrounds
"A long-running, Michelin-recognized neighborhood restaurant is staging a celebratory dinner series through its remaining months before an announced year-end closure, hosting rotating local and national chefs in multi-course collaborations and offering tickets and rolling reservation links via its booking partner to spotlight the community it built over nearly a decade." - Emily Venezky
"Opened in February 2016 on a hidden stretch of Adams Morgan (1827 Adams Mill Road), the restaurant was launched by chef Jon Sybert, his wife Jill Tyler, and their friend Bill Jensen—alums of Komi and sibling Thai restaurant Little Serow—with an intention of cooking food Sybert likes to eat, particularly breads and pastas. With the lease ending in December the partners will close at the end of the year; as Sybert told Axios, “Had the last few years not happened [with the pandemic], maybe we’d be having a different conversation.” Tyler called the venture her proudest accomplishment and added, “We are so fortunate to have been joined along the way by the best team in the game. We feel incredibly lucky that we get to choose to close this chapter on our terms, while there is still so much joy in this place.” The team also opened nearby pasta-and-wine spot Reveler’s Hour in 2019, which is not closing. The restaurant earned a Michelin star in 2017 (the first year of the D.C. Michelin Guide) and has maintained it since; Tyler won the 2024 D.C. Michelin Guide Service Award and Jensen won the city’s Michelin Sommelier Award in 2021. It’s been recognized for service and its cozy space and for specific dishes such as a crudité of radishes and wax beans with white miso dip; a seared strip steak and a crunchy potato pavé with a dusting of green onion powder; and “a rather un-French version” of baba au rhum, with apricot honey, toasted marshmallow, and vanilla gelato. Asked about the biggest rewards a year after opening, Sybert said it was “how responsible I feel for all of the people here,” while Jensen said it’s “being able to play a meaningful part in people’s day-to-day life as a more casual restaurant.” Looking toward the remaining months, Tyler said “There is a lot to look forward to,” including a dinner series with other operators they admire, and vowed, “We’ll push to be the very best version of ourselves until our last service in December.”" - Melissa McCart
"Recommended for Mediterranean toasts and fresh pasta, highlighted as one of the respected restaurants that solidified a neighborhood’s dining reputation." - Eater Staff
"For fancy dates or just treating yourself, hit up Tail Up Goat. You've got two choices here: the à la carte menu at the bar or the $130 tasting menu in the sandalwood-lit dining room (get the tasting menu). The Mediterranean-Caribbean spot serves things like cheese and sorrel brioche buns that taste like the best bread and jam life has to offer, and charred gem lettuce that cuts like butter. The restaurant's neo-soul playlist is the cherry on top, coupled with the incredibly friendly wait staff, and you’re in for an unforgettable night." - omnia saed, mekita rivas
"D.C. diners (and Michelin guide inspectors) love the Mediterranean flavors at this relaxed fine dining spot. The restaurant has both a $135 family style menu (all diners must participate) and recently revived a la carte option featuring smoked rabbit croquettes, coffee-rubbed lamb ribs, and new Nashville hot sweetbreads — a must-try order for daring dates. The move: order breads and pastas whenever possible. The team is also behind Reveler’s Hour in the same neighborhood, also excellent." - Missy Frederick
