Himitsu co-founder Carlie Steiner revamped the former Petworth hit to reflect her colorful personality, which means there are bright, fuzzy pompoms blanketing the 24-seat dining room and more puns on the menu. Steiner brought on young talent Amanda Moll to lead the kitchen, and the chef arrived toting za’atar, labneh, and a plan to preserve lemons. There are still Latin and Southeast Asian flavors on the shared plates here, but Steiner and Moll have differentiated it from its past with a smattering of Middle Eastern influences. So there’s a Persian tahdig, but the mound of grains with a crispy exterior is formed out of Peruvian green rice. Try the steak and kisses, a wagyu beef tartare brightened by lots of beet cubes, chimichurri, gochujang, and toasted hazelnuts.

The glow-up in this old Chipotle location in the heart of Cleveland Park includes Neapolitan pizzas with uniformly thin crusts that don’t fold under the weight of farm-fresh ingredients like fennel or honeynut squash. Sticky-sweet “shallot goo” replaces tomato as a base sauce on some pies, like a fig and gorgonzola number with soppressata and arugula. It’s a tight space with counter service, but the friendly staff finds small ways to leave an impression.

This three-level complex from the owners of the Jack Rose whiskey bar finally opened on Adams Morgan’s Southern border after nearly five years of construction and regulatory headaches. The Imperial aims to draw in customers with more than “cobblered” cocktails and vintage spirits. A food menu giving off whiffs of Continental nostalgia features an epic seafood tower, sorghum risotto with black truffles, anchovy-bread crumb bucatini, beef Wellington, and a large-format, koji-aged sirloin cap. The full menu isn’t available until the grand opening on Wednesday, November 13.

Chiko chefs Danny Lee and Scott Drewno have revived the fire-damaged Mandu space on 18th Street by installing a modern Korean pub that serves pork shank stew, 100-day kimchi, and fried chicken with three sauces (jujube mole, white barbecue, gochujang). Protege Angel Barreto is leading the kitchen and taking notes from Lee’s mom.

This former New York City food truck has grown into a group of restaurants that now includes a location with prime real estate on 14th Street NW. An expanded selection of agave spirts (tequila, mezcal, raicilla, sotol) and a Maryland crab tostada are unique to D.C. Pulled pork tacos, Mexican jambalaya “quessaritos,” and cornbread grilled with chipotle butter have traveled with the brand.

Dupont Circle’s splashy new two-level cafe draws inspiration from the Mediterranean coastline, complete with swaying palms, a super chic design, and menu that swings from matcha lattes and colorful granola bowls by day to chickpea fritters with carrot-tumeric hummus or Kobe beef at night. Espresso martinis are the star behind the bar, served with vodka, rum, or bourbon.

An outgrowth of 2019 hit Bombay Street Food, Butter Chicken Company takes a straightforward approach to lunch. Huge copper pots built in Jaipur, India, hold hot portions of butter chicken built on a generous foundation of ghee, chicken tikka masala, vegetable biryani, saag paneer, and spicy stewed chickpeas. An $11 tray allows customers to configure an entree portion and two sides however they want. Early lines have been snaking far, and the shop closes down after it sells out of roughly 300 servings.

Despite its name, taken from the city known for Parmesan and balsamic vinegar, the rebooted restaurant in the former Bibiana space plays fast and loose with Italian food from a number of regions. Chef John Melfi, formerly of the Oval Room and Fiola Mare, is configuring options for salads and snacks — like shaved prosciutto and a ricotta tart with seasonal vegetables baked in — that roam the dining room on an imported trolley. Innovative pastas include a risotto Nero topped with fritto misto and a chitarra with jumbo lump crab, sea urchin, and Calabrian chile.

Former RPM Italian executive chef Gabe Thompson and wife/pastry chef Katherine Thompson honed their resumes working at some of NYC’s top Italian restaurants. For their first D.C. area restaurant, they gave the old Argia’s space an eclectic refresh that includes a “Pasta Power” neon and ’80s and ’90s rock posters. The one-page menu includes spicy pork meatballs, watermelon panzanella, and pasta dishes like ricotta gnocchi in lamb ragu and spiraled gemelli with shrimp fra diavolo. Look for one or two specials every night — like a large steak or whole fish — and save room for Katherine’s famed olive oil cake, which is still on the menu at L’Artusi in New York.

Chef Kevin Tien left Himitsu in September to branch out on his own with Emilie’s, where he’s deploying an all-star brigade of culinary talents from D.C. hot spots to execute a vision of New American food that blends up Japanese, Vietnamese, and Chinese traditions with domestic comforts. The format favors communal dining, so Emilie’s has rolling carts carrying dips, spreads, pickles, and ferments to pair with breads, small plates — try the miso butter-coated champon noodles that mirror cacio e pepe — and large-format dishes like Vietnamese pork blade steak and ranch-flavored fried chicken with Texas toast and caviar deviled eggs.

Sapporo-sourced ramen noodles from the city’s chief experts at Daikaya Group (Daikaya/Izakaya, Haikan, Bantam King) now have a home in Navy Yard. Innovations include a red miso clam broth and a vegan variety with curry and a whole tomato. The inside of the shop is covered in bowls and brushes, a nod to the owners’ affinity for Tokyo’s Kappabashi Street, a go-to district for kitchen supplies.