🏆 THE RAMMYS 2026
2026 Semi-Finalists
Announced
Semi-Finalists were revealed from Monday, March 16, through Thursday, March 19, via RAMW's social media channels and TheRAMMYS.org.
For the first time in the awards' four-decade history, the Semi-Finalist announcements offer an early look at the chefs, restaurants, and hospitality professionals in the running for one of the region's most prestigious industry honors.
“The RAMMYS have always been about celebrating the people who make Washington's dining scene so dynamic. Introducing Semi-Finalists allows us to expand the circle of recognition of chefs, restaurateurs and hospitality professionals who are pushing the industry forward and making Washington one of the most exciting food cities in the country.”
🌟New Restaurant of the Year
- 1Barbouzard
- 2Casamara
- 3Chai Pani
- 4Elmina
- 5ISLA
- 6Maison Bar à Vins
- 7Marcus DC
- 8Minetta Tavern
- 9The Occidental
- 10Tapori
🍷Wine Program of the Year
- 1a.kitchen+bar DC
- 2Bourbon Steak
- 3Cork Wine Bar & Market
- 4CUT by Wolfgang Puck
- 5Fiola
- 6Lulu's Wine Bar
- 7Lutèce
- 8Maydan
- 9Primrose
- 10Sixty Vines DC
🍽️Upscale Casual Restaurant of the Year
- 1Anju
- 2Aventino Cucina
- 3Casa Teresa
- 4Cucina MORINI
- 5Joon
- 6Moon Rabbit
- 7NUE: Elegantly Vietnamese
- 8Osteria Mozza
- 9Pascual
- 10Perry's
⭐Rising Culinary Star of the Year
- 1Paolo Dungca — Kayu
- 2Ria Montes — Fish Shop
- 3Guy-Rene Gerin — L'Ardente
- 4Sebastian Moreno — elcielo
- 5Hamilton Johnson — Mallard
- 6Robbie Reyes — Lucky Danger
- 7Anthony Jones — Marcus DC
- 8Jarrad Silver — Silver and Sons BBQ
- 9Alam Mendez — Apapacho Taqueria
- 10Martel Stone — Dōgon by Kwame Onwuachi
👔Manager of the Year
- 1Avery Beach — Mandu
- 2Todd Hunt — Oak Steakhouse Alexandria
- 3Trisha Custodio — Sfoglina Van Ness
- 4Boo Kim — RPM Italian DC
- 5Kelly Duong — KYOJIN Sushi
- 6Lauren Montana — Pizzeria Paradiso
- 7Kenia Euceda — Neighborhood Restaurant Group
- 8Debby Portillo — 2fifty Texas BBQ
- 9George Forman III — Philippe Chow
- 10Juan Ramirez — Bastille Brasserie & Bar
🏆Employee of the Year
- 1Ingrid Arteaga — Open Road
- 2Jackie Mason — Willowsong
- 3Estela Catarino — Ama
- 4Raul Pineda — Perry's
- 5Kodjo "Olivier" Elenda — The Popal Group
- 6Daren Prasad — Chloe
- 7Adam Mathews — a.kitchen+bar DC
- 8Damali Saddler — Apéro & La Bohème
- 9Jose Martinez — MITA
- 10Jose Luis Salgado — Zinnia
🤝Service Program of the Year
- 1Causa
- 2Elyse
- 3Filomena Ristorante
- 4ilili
- 5Imperfecto
- 6Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab
- 7MITA
- 8Old Ebbitt Grill
- 9Perry's
- 10Xiquet by Danny Lledó
🍸Cocktail Program of the Year
- 1Amazonia
- 2barmini by José Andrés
- 3Cucina MORINI
- 4Death and Co.
- 5El Secreto de Rosita
- 6Moon Rabbit
- 7Pascual
- 8Rania
- 9Residents Café & Bar
- 10Your Only Friend
🍺Beer Program of the Year
- 1Astro Beer Hall
- 2B-Side
- 3Franklin Hall
- 4Lost Generation Brewing Company
- 5Pizzeria Paradiso
- 6Prost
- 7Red Bear Brewing
- 8Right Proper Brewing Company
- 9Solace Outpost
- 10Wunder Garten
✨Formal Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year
- 1Albi
- 2The Dabney
- 3Del Mar
- 4Dōgon by Kwame Onwuachi
- 5Elyse
- 6minibar by José Andrés
- 7Pineapple and Pearls
- 8Rania
- 9Rooster and Owl
- 10SHIA
🧁Pastry Chef or Baker of the Year
- 1Susan Bae — Moon Rabbit
- 2Bridie McCulla — Northside Social
- 3Ligia Barros — CUT by Wolfgang Puck
- 4Rose Nguyen — Rose Ave Bakery
- 5Lizzy Evelyn — Ellē
- 6Gianpier Pineda — The Occidental
- 7Genesis Flores — Seven Reasons Group
- 8Ana Sofía Pino — Lutèce
- 9Jessica Leung — Osteria Mozza
- 10Rachel Sherriffe — MARCUS DC
👨🍳Chef of the Year
- 1Eric Adjepong — Elmina
- 2Jason Galbao — Alhambra
- 3Matt Adler — Cucina MORINI and Caruso's Grocery
- 4Rubén García — Casa Teresa
- 5Amy Brandwein — Centrolina and Piccolina
- 6Miguel Guerra & Tatiana Mora — MITA
- 7Matt Conroy & Isabel Coss — Lutèce and Pascual
- 8Jeremiah Langhorne — The Dabney
- 9Cédric Maupillier — Barbouzard
- 10Jovana Urriola — Colada Shop
🚀Fast Casual Restaurant of the Year
- 1Andy's Pizza
- 2Apapacho Taqueria
- 3Bantam King
- 4Call Your Mother
- 5Colada Shop
- 6Joia Burger
- 7Queen Mother's Kitchen
- 8San Pancho
- 9Stellina Pizzeria
- 10Yellow
😊Casual Restaurant of the Year
- 1ala
- 2Ama
- 3Duke's Grocery
- 4Ellē
- 5I Egg You
- 6La Bonne Vache
- 7Purple Patch
- 8Taquería Xochi
- 9The Falls
- 10Tsehay Ethiopian
👑Restaurateur of the Year
- 1David Deshaies — Garden Hospitality
- 2Zubair, Omar, Fatima, Mustafa and Shamim Popal — The Popal Group
- 3Fernando González — 2fifty Texas BBQ
- 4Michael Rafidi — Albi, Yellow, La' Shukran
- 5Téa Ivanovic & Peter Schechter — Immigrant Food
- 6Daniella Senior — Colada Shop
- 7Enrique Limardo and Ezequiel Vázquez-Ger — Seven Reasons Group
- 8Stephen Starr — Starr Restaurant Group
- 9Kwame Onwuachi — Dōgon by Kwame Onwuachi
- 10Vikram Sunderam — Rasika, Malabar, Bindaas Bowls & Rolls
🥂Best Bar of the Year
- 1Cana
- 2CODE RED
- 3El Presidente
- 4The Green Zone
- 5Moonraker
- 6Press Club
- 7The Salt Line
- 8Service Bar
- 9Silver Lyan
- 10Whitlow's
🥞Best Brunch of the Year
- 1Ambar
- 2Blue Duck Tavern
- 3Café Riggs
- 4dLeña
- 5I Egg You
- 6Matt & Tony's
- 7Neutral Ground
- 8Ruthie's All Day
- 9The Pembroke
- 10Unconventional Diner
❤️Favorite Gathering Place of the Year
- 1Balos
- 2Boundary Stone
- 3Cafe Milano
- 4Jane Jane
- 5Le Diplomate
- 6Martin's Tavern
- 7metrobar
- 8Old Ebbitt Grill
- 9SOST
- 10Stan's Restaurant
🥪Hottest Sandwich Spot of the Year
- 12fifty Texas BBQ
- 2Bub and Pop's
- 3Celebrity Delly
- 4Fossette Focacceria
- 5Honeymoon Chicken
- 6Joia Burger
- 7Queen Mother's Kitchen
- 8Silver and Sons BBQ
- 9Soko Butcher
- 10Your Only Friend
Source: Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) | TheRAMMYS.org
Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington
2112 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 450 | Washington, DC 20037