Pretend you’re at a surfside crab boil (instead of in North Bethesda) at Hello Betty, which serves seafood feasts like blue crabs tossed in Old Bay vinegar with potatoes and corn on the cob. The restaurant at the Canopy by Hilton in the Pike & Rose development is modeled after the original Hello Betty located in Oceanside, California. That translates to Baja-esque decor at this new location, with some East Coast touches too, like Natty Boh served on ice in Igloo coolers and a fried chicken sandwich slathered in mumbo sauce. e & Rose neighborhood, has officially opened its Boat Bar for the summer season. A repurposed 40-foot boat that functions as a full-service bar debuted on the patio in late May, as did daily happy hour and weekend brunch.

Tysons Corner dim sum destination Han Palace branched out with a D.C. location in Woodley Park (another is headed to Barracks Row soon). While there aren’t pushcarts, dim sum dishes like roasted pork buns and scallion pancakes head out of the kitchen to order, along with Peking duck and homemade soup dumplings.

While Eater DC’s 2019 Chef of the Year Peter Prime is no longer involved (and now cooking at Bammy’s), his sister Jeanine Prime pushed the long-awaited culinary ode to their native Trinidad past the finish line in May. St. James, named after the bustling district in Trinidad’s capital, Port of Spain, breathes life into brick-lined Quarter + Glory’s former home. At 2,800 square feet, the remodeled space with an incoming 14th Street NW patio is almost three times larger than its popular H Street NE sibling Cane, which focuses on Caribbean street foods. A list of rum-forward, floral cocktails like a hibiscus highball comes from Service Bar’s Glendon Hartley, who’s the son of West Indian immigrants. Small and large-format dishes that pay homage to the melting pot port city include West Africa’s callaloo, a stew full of leafy greens, Trini-style Chinese steamed buns stuffed with spicy pork, and curry crab.

Rose’s Luxury alum Rachael Jennings breaks out of the fine-dining world with a new “bastardized Neapolitan” pizza place for Dupont. One pie takes tips from McD’s Big Mac, while another cold cut and fontina-topped pizza mimics the taste of the popular G-Man Italian sub at Capitol Hill’s Mangialardo. The eatery’s playful spirit is evident in everything from her pizzeria’s name (Boogy is a tribute to her beloved dog), a 30-seat dining room with bright blue tones and neon signage and squiggles, and the names of the pizzas (one of the pies is her friend’s Instagram handle).

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.

Three years in the making, Midtown Center’s scene-y Japanese showpiece brings D.C. a symmetrically pleasing sushi counter, wide Japanese spirits selection, and robata grill that cooks an array of fish, meats, skewers, poultry, and produce. London-based restaurateur Arjun Waney’s collective of brands also includes Zuma, a high-end sushi and izakaya concept with 18 locations around the world. The group’s go-to designer, Noriyoshi Muramatsu of Tokyo-based Studio Glit, is behind a luxe look largely assembled and sourced in Japan.

Stellina Pizzeria, known for cacio e pepe pizza and fried snacks, just opened up a third location with retro diner roots on K Street. Stellina replicated D.C.’s old Waffle Shop and inserted original details like its serpentine bar to go along with a huge Marra Forni pizza oven and murals of Italian film stars. In honor of the diner’s history, the Mount Vernon outpost’s menu includes a waffle panini.

The pint-sized box that housed D.C. fried fish institution Horace and Dickie’s for three decades flipped in May into a Mexican street food stand centered around tequila and top-notch tortillas. Chef Rolando Frias opened the original Taqueria Al Lado in Adams Morgan last spring and quickly drew attention for being one of the few spots in town that grinds its own masa on-site. At its sophomore location across town, patrons choose a taco, quesadilla, huarache, or salad and a protein from a list that includes al pastor, lengua, chicken tinga, vegan barbacoa, tempura-battered cod, and more. Taqueria Al Lado II is smaller than the first, with just eight seats inside plus a 12-seat patio out front.

The palace-like Penn Quarter space that formerly housed Punjab Grill reopened this week as a luxe new Indian restaurant called Rania, which means “Queen” in Hindi and Sanskrit. Chef Chetan Shetty, who recently cooked at acclaimed New Delhi restaurant Indian Accent, guides diners through a multi-course dinner of inventive Indian cuisine that goes way beyond the expected (as in dishes like braised lamb shank accented with spinach, coconut foam, ghoda masala spice blend, and mustard frills). The 4,700-square-foot showpiece from international restaurateur Karan Singh drew lots of attention when it opened in 2019. Unlike Punjab Grill, Rania will focus on prix-fixe menu of either three courses ($75) or four courses ($90). An a la carte menu will be available at the restaurant’s Sundowner Bar.

The all-day American eatery and market with a knack for local produce, meats, wine, and beer comes from first-time restaurant owner and Virginia native Thomas Harvey, an alum of Partisan, Red Apron Butcher, and Tuskie’s Restaurant Group in Virginia. Downtown Falls Church guests can kick off the day with La Colombe coffee and egg sandwiches, followed by fried calamari, fire-roasted onion dip, Bavarian pretzels with beer cheese, burgers, and pastrami sandwiches. Homey mains include spaghetti carbonara, porter-braised Seven Hills beef short ribs, a chicken Cobb salad, and steak frites, all served on decorative vintage plates.

Roasted harissa cauliflower tacos and al pastor tacos made with meat from a gyro wrapped around a pineapple make the menu at the re-opened Santa Rosa Taqueria. It’s in a new Capitol Hill location right next to the original, which shut down with the pandemic. Santa Rosa 2.0 includes a lengthy margarita list from mixologist Gina Chersevani of Buffalo & Bergen and a colorful Day of the Dead-themed mural in the dining room.