In May, restaurateur Jerry Hollinger (The Daily Dish and The Dish & Dram) brought downtown Silver Spring a classic American chophouse with a few modern twists. For instance, kimchi accents a chilled seafood platter at the raw bar, while local quail egg yolk-topped wagyu beef tartare comes with homemade chicharrones. There’s also a robust cocktail program, pastas like linguine and clams, and a lengthy section devoted to steak with add-ons like butter-poached crab or jumbo shrimp and sauces like chimichurri or creamy horseradish.

D.C.’s wildly popular breakfast taco pop-up La Tejana opened its first standalone store in August, bringing the upper Northwest neighborhood a true taste of the tiny taquerias its co-founder Ana-Maria Jaramillo frequented growing up in Texas. La Tejana honors Rio Grande Valley’s beloved border cuisine with five opening tacos — all served on homemade flour tortillas — like the “956” with eggs, bacon, potatoes, refried beans, queso, and cilantro ($4.50 each; three for $13; or six for $24). Open Wednesday to Sunday, 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., with drip and cold brew coffee too. 

Hospitality duo Massimo and Carolyn Papetti (I’m Eddie Cano, Italian Bar) recently unveiled a Roman-style pizzeria in the old Arcuri space in Glover Park. The menu centers around “pizza bassa,” or round pies with a crispy, cracker thin crust by pizzaioli maestro Fulvio de Rosa — and Massimo’s cousin — from Salerno, Italy. There’s also bruschetta, cacio e pepe arancini, spritzes, Negronis, and beers and wines on tap. The lively look from Italian-American designer Esther Konrad is an Italian soccer lover’s paradise, complete with green and red banquettes as an ode to the country’s flag.

A family-run underground lounge landed in Dupont with a star cast of Thai talent behind the wheel. Former sushi chef Billy Thammasathiti teamed up his aunt behind the popular Fat Nomads supper club to kick off Sura’s service with a “One Night In Bangkok”-themed residency. Andy Thammasathiti of Baltimore’s Mayuree Thai Tavern whips up passion fruit daiquiris and Sichuan baijiu cocktails to go along with an opening street foods menu full of quail egg wontons, spicy crudo, fiery papaya salads, and spicy beef or pork skewers. The 50-seat newcomer swings open at 4 p.m., with walk-ins welcome but reservations encouraged.

An indoor-outdoor destination for artfully plated dishes from a tenured chef debuted in May on the first floor of the the posh, 178-room Viceroy Washington D.C., bringing Logan Circle a chic new spot to try trout roe-topped hushpuppies, bright spring asparagus soup poured tableside, grilled Spanish octopus, and plump Roseda Farm burgers. Chef James Gee, who used to feed celebrities at Hamptons hotspot Cittanuova, has amassed an impressive local resume at the helm of Jaleo, China Chilcano, and most recently, I’m Eddie Cano. Dovetail, open for dinner to start, sends out local brews, color-soaked cocktails, and RdV wines from a glossy bar.

In June, mega D.C. restaurateur Hakan Ilhan reactivated a glitzy space near the White House that housed fancy French prix-fixe Mirabelle with a more approachable Italian replacement. Naples native and Al Crostino alum Lina Nicolai mans a comforting menu full of homemade meatballs, arancini, fettuccine alla Bolognese, ricotta gnocchi, eggplant parmigiana, and chicken Milanese. Happy hour starts early (2:30 p.m.) at its gold-plated bar, and weekend brunch brings “build-your-own” Aperol spritz kits to the table.

An art deco-obsessed, two-part venue with separate menus and vibes debuted downtown in July in the 12,000-square-foot space that formerly housed Pennsylvania 6. In the back, white table clothed Carlyle Room revives the Old Town original with a fancy surf-and-turf menu set to live music a few nights a week. Up front, European-style brasserie Brennan’s Bar is a more casual, all-day affair that opens at 11 a.m. daily with bouillabaisse, croque monsieur, lobster rolls, beer-battered fish and chips, crab-topped rarebit toasts, Scotch eggs, and burgers. Cocktails include a whiskey sour and twists on classics like a Guinness-infused Old Fashioned.

The team behind acclaimed Mt. Pleasant bakery Ellē just unveiled a sun-drenched cafe inside Foggy Bottom’s Western Market food hall. Starting at 8 a.m., stock up on tomato and ricotta danishes, apricot-thyme scones, and coffee drinks made with a sleek Slayer machine, followed by muffuletta sandwiches, dessert, and a full bar until 3 p.m. on weekdays to start. Grandma-style pizzas and fresh pastas made up front join Ellē favorites like a pastrami Reuben and folded omelette-and-cheddar sandwich with brisket. Look for dinner and all-day happy hour to start September 8.

A neon-lit street foods spot that pays homage to bustling night markets in Asia zoomed into Ballston in August with dim sum, pad Thai, Korean twice-fried wings, soup dumplings, tiki drinks, and sake (bombs). The lively location, two years in the making, takes up a 4,380-square-foot corner of the Ballston Exchange complex with an indoor-outdoor bar and sleek patio lined with fire pits. Born in Orlando in 2011, Hawkers made its D.C. area debut at Bethesda Row in 2020. Best-selling Malaysian flat breads with curry sauce and other recipes come from co-founder Allen Lo’s family. The Arlington locale debuts dairy-free soft serve topped with taiyaki, Japan’s beloved fish-shaped waffle confection.

Indian restaurateur Asad Sheikh, who has two Bombay Street Food locales in D.C., expanded across state lines in June with a bright new outpost for Maryland. Find biryani, vindaloo, and Bombay street food favorites like vada pav (veggie burger) and bhel puri (a puffed rice mix), along with curry platters for two and masala gin cocktails behind the bright bar. A seafood section plays up its proximity to the waterfront with sous vide lobster tail masala and spicy tempura-battered cod with a Kashmiri chili sauce.