Washington's oldest and most historically atmospheric restaurant — a saloon and oyster bar operating continuously since 1856 (pre-Lincoln White House), one block from the White House, with a premier raw bars in DC, the mahogany-and-gas-lamp atmosphere of the 19th-century American saloon, and the distinction of being the restaurant that José Andrés himself cites as a DC institution worth preserving.
Why It Belongs on the List
Old Ebbitt Grill has been operating since 1856 — before Lincoln was president, before the Civil War, before the Washington Monument was completed — making it not merely the oldest restaurant in DC but one of the oldest continuously operating restaurants in America. The current location (one block from the White House) houses Victorian mahogany booths, gaslit sconces, mounted animal heads, and the marble-topped raw bar that serves what is rated the finest oyster selection in Washington. The bar and restaurant operates at high volume, all day, every day — it has never needed to be fashionable because it has always been necessary, the gathering place of every administration's support infrastructure (the lobbyists, lawyers, journalists, and staffers who keep the American political machine running) regardless of which party holds the White House. José Andrés describes it as the DC equivalent of the classic Spanish tavern — a place that survives because it serves genuine need. The East and West bars (both Victorian mahogany) have the atmosphere of the 19th-century American saloon that no reproduction can achieve. Oysters are rotated through their national selections with a seriousness that rivals dedicated oyster bars anywhere in the country.
What Stands Out
- Operating since 1856: the oldest restaurant in Washington, pre-dating the Lincoln administration
- Finest oyster raw bar in DC: the most serious rotating oyster selection outside a dedicated oyster bar — José Andrés's personal recommendation
- One block from the White House: the political support infrastructure's daily gathering place for 170 years
- Victorian mahogany booths and gas-lamp atmosphere: the authentic 19th-century American saloon that no reproduction achieves
- Open all day, high volume, no reservations required for bar seats: the most accessible great restaurant experience in downtown DC