The Georgetown landmark where Thomas Jefferson once drank is now the home of a bar reviving forgotten cocktails from the late 18th century. Try the 500-year-old Syllabub (a mix of German wheat ale with Cognac) at the Fountain Inn’s atmospheric, dimly-lit bar, or order from over 250 unique spirits across the intimate, two-level space.

Parisian gnocchi and grilled octopus are among the seasonally rotating, “neo-bistro” dishes available at this hip reboot of Georgetown classic Cafe Bonaparte. Go a la carte or opt for chef Matt Conroy’s tasting menu ($120 per person, with wine pairings for $70 more), which includes five courses and a view of the kitchen. Highlights include bluefin tuna with watermelon, Thai chili, and fig leaf or Parisian gnocchi with green garlic, English peas, and burrata.

The too-tall sandwiches (from grinders to pastrami) and sausages at this local butcher shop are legendary. Dinner special options range from paella to burgers to stuffed quail.

Chef Jenn Crovato’s welcoming Georgetown restaurant splashed with inspirational quotes and rocker-chic artwork serves every meal of the day. A catch-all comfort foods menu includes buttermilk pancakes, vegan lasagna, dry-aged burgers and fries, chicken pot pies, and a large number of salads and gluten-free options. Stock up the freezer with heat-and-eat versions of its dishes.

Brothers chef Maziar Farivar and Shahab Farivar own this decades-old staple that servers a range of vibrant salads, sandwiches, pastas, and vegetarian chili nachos. Chef Maziar draws from his Persian roots with specials like mahi torsh-o shirin, a pistachio-crusted cod with a sweet and sour sauce of dried apricot, figs, sour cherries, and almond. Dine inside or on the patio.

Lined with stones and collegiate sports memorabilia, Clyde’s Restaurant Group’s long-running underground bar and Georgetown student hangout is the spot for well-executed American fare (try the turkey BLT). Clyde’s also runs fancier neighborhood sibling Fitzgerald’s, serving up cocktails and Korean chicken wings in a very preppy lounge. The same row home’s fine-dining fixture 1789 offers dressed-up dishes like brioche-crusted halibut.

A dreamy Lebanese restaurant filled with flowers and ’70s-chic decor rose in Georgetown’s old Le Pain Quotidien space last spring. The meze-style menu for M Street NW includes a parade of small plates like baba ghanoush, hummus, dips, kibbeh nayyeh, fattoush, and tabbouleh. Gorgeous desserts made in-house follow age-old recipes from the northern region of Lebanon, and family-style weekend brunch is also not to miss.

Partner-chef and hospitality vet Sébastien Giannini taps into his French Riviera roots at recently rebooted L’Avant-Garde, where debut lunch service brings nicoise salad, sea bass seared in olive oil, and a wagyu burger smothered in raclette to the table. Over at next-door sibling L’Annexe, a library-like cocktail lair caters to Georgetown’s stylish set at the zinc-topped bar, a back lounge surrounded with vats of colorful, glowing infusions, and a petite patio up front.

The team behind outer Arlington’s raw fish hit Yume Sushi sauntered into D.C. last summer with the anticipated opening of an flashy flagship called Kyojin. Tucked inside the tony mixed-use cluster of Cady’s Alley, the striking sushi cave from executive chef Saran “Peter” Kannasute and co-owner Jeff King breathes fresh life into the old home of L2 lounge. A full kitchen with a hood gives the Bangkok-born chef more room to build upon his boundary-pushing menus and unleash hot izakaya offerings for the first time. Kannasute taps into his Thai roots in July with the opening of Rimtang, a fast-casual street foods spot in the nearby space that formerly housed Kintaro.

This hidden-away restaurant serves European-style salads, savory tarts, and entrees like schnitzel and grilled salmon. The patio with fountain just off M Street is also a draw during nice weather. Call to place an order for pickup or use Postmates for delivery.

This Chinese standby serves hand-pulled noodle bowls, smashed cucumbers, Hong Kong-style sausage with fried rice, and steamed pork dumplings. Order online for takeout and delivery.

Shaw’s hit Mediterranean lunch counter run by Cagla Onal-Urel made the jump to Georgetown in 2021, bringing along excellent focaccia, salads, eggplant confit sandwiches, and heat-at-home dinners like beef bolognese or stuffed peppers. Online ordering is available. Right next door, Onal will soon add a sit-down sibling full of Turkish-Mediterranean influences called My Little Chamomile.

Georgetown’s only Michelin-starred tasting room, forced to go dark in August 2022 after suffering extensive fire damage, made its long-awaited return to D.C.’s dining scene in March. At chef Johnny Spero’s completely rebuilt Reverie, modernist meals stretching 16 courses long ($255 per person) continue to draw culinary influences from Nordic countries, Japan, and his native Maryland. Reverie 2.0’s revised look takes a dramatic turn, swapping slick subway tiles for a striking new aesthetic full of pitch-black finishes. Spero’s resurrected flagship, hidden in a cobblestone alleyway since 2018, joins Bar Spero — his downtown D.C. ode to Spain’s Basque region.

Restaurateur Fabio Trabocchi’s waterfront restaurant and longtime favorite of the Bidens focuses on seafood, with some of the most expensive Italian cooking in the city (think: caviar and Dover sole) — but the quality and execution are top-notch. Pickup is available in addition to in-person dining.

Georgetown’s decades-old waterfront stalwart sources from Profish, D.C.’s largest fresh seafood wholesaler. Highlights include Rhode Island calamari, Boston clam chowder, whole fried branzino, oyster shooters, and whole steamed New England lobsters with huge helpings of roasted potatoes, broccoli, and carrots. Swing by on Mondays for a one-pound lobster special (with a beer) for $30. It’s easy to make friends at its no-frills outdoor bar next to Washington Harbor’s fountain, with ample indoor seating too.