Electric Bull’s piquillo-pepper “carpaccio. Photograph by Greg Powers.
Bizzeria
location_on3246 Prospect St., NW.
Michael Rafidi, who helms the celebrated Albi and La’ Shukran, has always had an interest in pizza. At Yellow, his line-generating Georgetown cafe, pastry chef Alicia Wang’s wood-fired pies were part of the “(not) pizza” dinner menu for three years. Soon, Rafidi will give them a more permanent home on a Georgetown side street. Expect 48-hour-fermented sourdough pies plus mezze, charcuterie, and natural wine.
Botiwalla and Spicewalla
location_on4000 Wisconsin Ave., NW (Botiwalla); 1317 Wisconsin Ave., NW (Spicewalla).
Indian spice blends at Spicewalla. Photograph courtesy of Spicewalla.
Chai Pani, chef Meherwan Irani’s vibrant Asheville-born Indian street-food restaurant, was a welcome addition to Union Market last year. Irani’s company is following that up with two new ventures this fall. Tenleytown’s Botiwalla will be a fast-casual kebab counter with chick-en tikka, masala fish, and grilled paneer—wrapped in naan or atop a rice bowl—along with lamb burgers and snacks like vada pav and masala smashed potatoes. Then there’s Spicewalla, a Georgetown shop selling the company’s gift-ready tinned spice blends and hot chai.
Capellini’s
location_on22850 Brambleton Plaza, Ashburn.
Known for his Ballston Italian-American spot, Carbonara (also soon to open in Gainesville), chef Mike Cordero is launching this latest classic red-sauce place in Loudoun County’s Brambleton Town Center. He’ll serve such standards as chicken parm or pasta presented in a giant wheel of Parmesan, but he’s also taking more cues from Northern Italy—think cream sauces, filled pastas, good wines, and modern presentations.
Chandelier
location_on1201 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.
The wave of grandiose, luxurious club-like restaurants continues with this Pennsylvania Avenue arrival from the team behind Urban Roast. Its opulent dining room, indoor waterfall, “concierge-style” entrance, 30-foot chandelier, and modern steak-and-seafood menu should appeal to power players and would-be power players alike.
Ebbitt House
location_on1860 Reston Row Plaza, Reston.
DC’s Old Ebbitt Grill will bring its famed raw bar to Reston. Photograph by Birch Thomas.
DC’s Old Ebbitt Grill is primarily known for its age (170 years old) and for its status as both a tourist magnet and a political hangout a block from the White House. Come fall, the city’s oldest eatery will get a brand-new sibling in the Reston Station development. One similarity with the original? The mighty raw bar, with tons of options for oysters on the half shell, clams, and shrimp on ice.
Electric Bull
location_on176 Maple Ave. W., Vienna.
Taco Bamba chef/restaurateur Victor Albisu originally planned to open this steakhouse inspired by South American butchery traditions more than a year ago. After a delay with inspections, it’s finally set to debut in September. Don’t expect plain old rib eyes and mashed potatoes. The menu boasts unusual steak cuts, honey-smoked lamb ribs, sweetbreads, and chorizo from a recipe by Albisu’s mother, who runs a butcher shop in Falls Church.
Ellizabetta/La Strega
location_on2401 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.
Lemon pasta with caviar at Ellizabetta/La Strega. Photograph courtesy of Ellizabetta/La Strega.
With a name meaning “Ellizabetta the Witch,” this double-barreled concept is coming to the former Marcel’s space in September. Apero sommelier/restaurateur Elli Benchimol is behind the place, where you’ll find pastas including lemon tagliatelle with caviar and crème fraîche, salads, and small plates such as tuna crudo with olives and toasted pistachios. La Strega is the adjoining modern cocktail bar.
Itiyah
location_on1416 11th St., NW.
A rendering of the dining room at Itiyah. Photograph courtesy of Itiyah.
This cozy 20-seat restaurant in Shaw will be DC’s first-ever Haitian fine dining spot. Chef Sebastien Salomon, who’s worked in kitchens at the White House and the Haitian Embassy, is planning a tasting menu with dishes like coconut-milk brioche; grilled pigeon with caramelized leeks and breadfruit purée; and smoked-herring raviolo with epis, the herby paste that forms the backbone of many Haitian dishes.
La Omri
location_on7750 Capital One Tower Rd., Tysons.
The Capital One headquarters in Tysons may not be the first place you picture when you think of booming nightlife. But the restaurateurs behind Georgetown’s Villa Yara intend their latest spot to be as much an evening drinking destination as an upscale Mediterranean restaurant.
Major Yum
location_on3226 11th St., NW.
The former Bad Saint space in Columbia Heights has felt a bit like hallowed—or cursed—ground since the pioneering Filipino restaurant closed in 2022. A short-lived bar that took its place shuttered after a feud between the owner and a local Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner. This fall, look for Major Yum, a Chinese-Korean fast-casual spot from chef Scott Chung, formerly of the Sparrow Room and Bun’d Up. Expect “Chung’s chicken,” a blend of Korean fried chicken and General Tso’s, plus banchan and beer and wine.
Maurizio’s
location_on10120 River Rd., Potomac.
The trio of Montgomery County natives who founded Cava haven’t left the area behind since their fast-casual juggernaut went national. In fact, Ted Xenohristos, Ike Grigoropoulos, and Dimitri Moshovitis have opened three one-off restaurants in North Bethesda’s Pike & Rose development in recent years. Next up is this polished modern Italian dining room in Potomac, with classics like fritto misto, spaghetti carbonara, and Barolo-braised beef, plus a Negroni bar.
Prato
location_on7278 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda.
Florida transplant Prato will serve up Italian snacks and pastas in downtown Bethesda. Photograph by Birch Thomas.
A stylish restaurant serving wood-fired pizza and grilled octopus, Prato has anchored the tony main street of Winter Park, Florida, for years. This fall, its second location lands 850 miles north in downtown Bethesda, with crowd-pleasing house-made pastas such as summer-corn agnolotti and rigatoni bolognese. Locations in more cities will soon follow.
Skillette
location_on3246 Prospect St., NW.
Skillette founder Kelly Singer with chefs Joshua Jarvis and Nadia Montague. Photograph courtesy of Skillette.
Formerly a pop-up in La Cosecha food hall, the cooking school Skillette will open its own 1,525-square-foot teaching kitchen in Georgetown, in the same building that houses Bizzeria. Inspired by Julia Child, who lived nearby, the school is meant to feel like a chef’s home. Founder Kelly Singer developed her love of cooking in Paris and has stocked the kitchen with copper cookware and high-end appliances. Classes include core techniques and knife skills; French pastry; fresh pasta; and cooking for kids.
This article appears in the September 2026 issue of Washingtonian.
Staff Writer
Ike Allen covers politics, food, culture, and transportation in DC and writes the monthly Hidden Eats column for the magazine. He grew up in DC.
