Owners Henji Cheung and Sarah Thompson arrive from New York with warm smiles and a charming story. He’s the husband and chef trading in the Italian noodles he used to make for a lineup of Hong Kong-style dishes cribbed from his mother’s kitchen. She’s the wife and general manager stirring up cocktails with Chinese herbal syrup and sourcing natural wines from everywhere from Greece to Texas. Together they spend their days doing prep work for 24-hour golden chicken, twice-cooked lamb ribs, and steamed egg custard. A no-reservations policy means people may have to be patient to land a table.

The brick-lined townhome that used to house Piola reemerged in April as an ivy-covered Latin fusion destination, starring artfully presented dishes from an acclaimed Venezuelan chef. Chef Enrique Limardo most recently made a name for himself in Baltimore, helming Alma Cocina Latina for the past five years. For his first D.C. venture, Limardo presents his menu in seven sections: snacks, small plates, medium plates, large plates, desserts, cocktails, and wines. The format aims to unite flavors from his native country with those from Peru, the Amazon rainforest, and the Caribbean. The space just grew with the addition of a patio area for 30, outfitted with lounge seating and a full bar. 

The latest piece of Great American Restaurant Group’s three-piece culinary complex in Tysons Corner is a soaring 300-seat destination serving all-star dishes from the prolific restaurant group’s regional portfolio (Sweetwater Tavern, Carlyle, and Mike’s “American” grill, to name a few). Look around the old railway station-inspired venue to spot a real Picasso and sprawling mural of political legends at dinner. Along with a raw bar slinging oyster shooters, a late-night menu at its 150-seat back bar features a top-selling fried chicken sandwich served until 2 a.m. daily.

Stellina Pizzeria brought the booming Union Market neighborhood a whimsical atmosphere for patiently fermented pizza crust, Don Ciccio cocktails, house-made pasta, and street foods from Italy’s southern coast. Chef Matteo Venini and restaurateur Antonio Matarazzo worked together at Lupo Verde. Fans of Venini’s cacio e pepe can sample the Italian staple in both pasta and pizza form. Another white pie is blanketed in mortadella. Other recommended orders include Sicilian arancini, a breaded swordfish sandwich, and an eggplant Parmesan-based Il Cuzzetiello panino built on pizza dough. The owners’ European fashion sense is evident inside, with artwork of a legendary Italian comedian sporting a colorful suit by Dolce & Gabbana. 

The month-old modern replacement to the historic Hamilton Hotel’s outdated 14K restaurant is attracting a fresh crop of customers craving Southern Italian fare and pizzas parading out of a Neapolitan wood-fired oven. Executive chef Colin Clark, the former chef de cuisine at Fabio Trabocchi’s Fiola Mare, weaves lots of fish dishes into the menu at the the 96-seat restaurant. There are three types of crudo to go with black bass accented with asparagus tips and whole branzino built for two. Don’t miss the gnocchi with Maryland crab and sea scallops. Adjacent lobby bar, Society, is ideal for an after-dinner drink.

There may be no better ambassador for Burmese food in D.C. than Jocelyn Law-Yone, the retired English and Art history teacher donning an apron covered in patterns inspired by tribal textiles to cook dishes she grew up on in the capital city of Rangoon (now Yangon). Law-Yone, her daughter Simone Jacobson, and business partner Eric Wang have now expanded from Toli Moli, their Burmese bodega in Union Market, to a full-blown restaurant in the former Sally’s Middle Name space on H Street NE. There customers can find lahpet thoke, a traditional salad of fermented tea leaves mixed with other veggies, sesame seeds, and crunchy broad beans, as well as a range of snacks, noodles, and curries that will give many Washingtonians a memorable introduction to the cuisine.

Trinidadian-born Peter Prime and his sister Jeanine are recreating the vibes of rum shops from back home in this narrow restaurant on H Street NE. Prime turns his fine-dining pedigree towards doubles — rounds of fry-bread stuffed with curried chickpeas and spicy chutney — grilled oxtails, and smoked coconut soft serve. Fresh juices make up the base of rum-heavy cocktails and punches.

A $50 million renovation to the W Washington DC includes an opened up restaurant in the lobby powered by a 15-foot wood-burning hearth, billed as the largest in the D.C. area. Without the aid of gas burners, chef Will Morris (formerly of Vermillion) is taming the flames with an enclosed firebox for gentle smoking and two wood-burning ovens. Early standouts include a plate of oven-roasted shrimp — in a rich sauce with chorizo, caper berries, piquillo peppers, herbs, and butter — and a grilled rockfish in cilantro lime butter atop a helping of creamy farro.

With his counter in the new Quarter Market food hall in Ballston, Himitsu chef Kevin Tien gives Nashville hot chicken a Sichuan-laced twist. Fried chicken comes in four spice levels (too hot, O.G. hot, dry hot, not hot) with an assist from a crisp made of numbing peppers, fennel seeds, star anise, and Thai chiles. Elsewhere in the complex, people can head to a sit-down soccer bar, Copa Kitchen, that serves Spanish comfort foods and sangria samplers. Turu’s, a New York-style pizza place from Timber Pizza Co., is also inside the market.

Chef-owner Reid Shilling’s long-delayed passion project in Navy Yard draws from Mid-Atlantic traditions from his Baltimore-area upbringing, Southern touches from his time as sous chef at the Dabney, and the ingredient-first approach he studied at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bistro in Napa Valley. Named after the farm and processing business run by Shilling’s great uncles, the restaurant will ramp up canning and meat-curing production throughout the summer. Following its early July opening, customers can expect to order from an ample raw bar and sample small plates like a salad of heirloom tomatoes, preserved cucumbers, purple basil, and fried squash blossoms, or larger dishes like a wood-grilled lobster in bourbon lobster butter with grits and pole beans on the side.

Peter Chang’s grand return to Fairfax, where the former embassy chef first developed a culinary following while cooking under pseudonyms, is this home-style Chinese restaurant that honors the women in his life with fiery dishes from his native Hubei province along with signature Sichuan specialities. Check out ultra-buttery sesame shaobing brad from the pastry expert expert Lisa Chang, the chef’s wife. People with a high tolerance for heat will want to check out the family-style flounder pot laced with pickled peppers.