Aaron Silverman's playful, family-style tasting spot on Barracks Row that helped put DC's new dining scene on the map.
🛡️ Independent — no pay-to-rank🔎 Graded for who you are✓ Verified 2026-06-17How we grade →
The verdict
Worth the table for…
Great for
If you've only got a day
Couples
Solo travellers
Foodies
Depends
Travellers on a budget
Local-life seekers
Photographers
Romantics
Not for
Families with kids
Worth it for if you've only got a day, couples and solo travellers; not for families with kids.
What to order
The plates that decide it
Pork sausage, habanero and lychee salad — the first dish Silverman ever put on the menu and the legend that built the place — sweet, spicy, herbal, and the one constant on a rotating menu; mix it thoroughly
Whatever the family-style main of the night is — designed to be shared across the table
A 2014 James Beard 'Best New Restaurant' nomination and Aaron Silverman's 2016 Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic win cemented its reputation, and the kitchen still leans into the unexpected sweet-salty-spicy flavor combinations that made its name.
Not independently verified — estimated
The hype and the prix-fixe format mean it's a destination night out, not a casual drop-in — go for the experience, not a quiet quick bite.
Not independently verified — estimated
What it feels like
Reading the room, traveller by traveller
Couples
The convivial, shareable format makes for an easy, low-pretension date that still feels special.
With friends
Built for a table that likes to pass plates and order a little of everything.
Good to know
Before you go
Cost
Prix fixe, upper-moderate per head + wine
Time
2–2.5 hours
Last verified
2026-06-17
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