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Start a Top 5 for Middle EasternEditor’s picks
Press picks, until locals rank their own Top 5s. Sourced from the local food press. As seen in Washingtonian. Updated August 2026.
YELLOW Georgetown
A daytime Levantine cafe from Albi chef Michael Rafidi, built around a wood-burning oven that turns out fluffy pita stuffed with chicken shawarma and Palestinian pickles, or lamb with smoked peppers, feta, and toum. Mornings bring man'oushe, pastries, and shakshuka, with sfeeha lamb pies and long lines a fixture. A neighborhood hangout, not a workspace.
Ilili · The Wharf
The DC outpost of a well-regarded New York Lebanese restaurant from chef Philippe Massoud, built around a mezze-heavy menu: duck shawarma, kibbeh naye, fried Brussels sprouts with fig jam, and hummus dressed with lamb confit or crab falafel. Citrus trees and a courtyard-garden design frame a room that works for lunch or slower dinners.
Sababa · Cleveland Park
A modern Israeli spot from restaurateur Ashok Bajaj built on affordable, shareable plates: salatim dips, fluffy hummus with fresh-baked pita, fava-bean falafel, and grilled kebabs. Whole fish and lamb shank anchor the larger plates, with harissa and zhug for those who want real heat. One of DC's early full-service Israeli rooms.