The Best Restaurant Openings in Washington, D.C. – October 2026

Botiwalla in Tenleytown is all about kababs, chaat, and color. The energetic, fast-casual Indian street-food spot comes from the James Beard Award-winning team behind Chai Pani. Chef Meherwan Irani, who recently published the SEO-friendly No. 1 Best Indian Cookbook in the World with Jamie Feldmar, built the menu around charcoal-grilled kababs of chicken tikka, lamb, paneer, and masala fish. Smaller plates include crispy okra fries and masala smashed potatoes, while sandwiches include a lamb burger. Drinks range from boozy slushies to nonalcoholic options such as a tangy, savory cumin soda.

The kaleidoscopic, 3,200-square-foot space takes its cues from Irani cafés, Iranian-style tea and kabab houses first opened by Zoroastrian immigrants to British India in the 19th century. Hand-painted vintage advertisements, floral elements, and Indian tchotchkes fill the dining room. In November, the group plans to open Spicewalla in Georgetown, a shop devoted to small-batch spices and seasoning blends.

South Korean café chain Twosome Place made its U.S. debut in Old Town Alexandria on October 17. The dessert case leads with its signature Strawberry Chocolate Cream Cake, a cookies-and-cream Ice Box Cake, and chocolate sponge layered with black sesame cream and chewy injeolmi rice cakes. Other choices range from tiramisu to red velvet. Korean-inspired drinks include black sesame and strawberry matcha lattes, a Banana Espresso Latte, the Dalgona Cream Top, and a Misugaru Frappe made with toasted grains.

Altair opened October 15 inside Arlo Washington DC in Penn Quarter. The 82-seat New American restaurant is the second location of the New York concept from Renwick Hospitality, whose portfolio includes Lindens, Foxtail, and Lulla. Earth, air, fire, and water inform the restaurant’s theme, from its menu to its cocktails. A live tree strung with lanterns rises beneath the glass roof, giving the dining room a greenhouse-like glow.

The kitchen uses a wood-fired oven and changes its menu with the seasons. Current starters include a Parker House roll with maple butter and acorn squash, foie gras terrine with port-shallot jam, and crispy fingerling potatoes with pistachio romesco and Sichuan pepper. More substantial options include honeynut squash ravioli with brown butter, pancetta, and agrodolce; diver scallops with celery root and crispy leeks; and filet mignon with a Roquefort crust and petite root vegetables.

Bramble & Rye opened September 16 in Bloomingdale, taking over the former Établi space. Married co-owners Jeremiah and Anthony Brooks live nearby, and they have built the restaurant around wood-fired coastal cooking. Jeremiah leads the kitchen, drawing from Mediterranean and Caribbean flavors in dishes such as octopus carpaccio with white bean purée and preserved lemon, fire-roasted scallops with miso beurre blanc, Creole shrimp scampi, and branzino with roasted red pepper emulsion and a citrus herb salad.

Outside, the 30-seat covered patio welcomes dogs with its own “Pawtio” menu featuring peanut butter biscuits, salmon “puppy poke,” and a banana-and-berry pup-sicle.