2401 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Advanced Sommelier and restaurateur, Elli Benchimol, has opened Ellizabetta La Strega in Foggy Bottom - West End, transforming the space formerly home to Marcel’s into a bar, restaurant and private dining destination where guests may experience Italian conviviality in different ways throughout the day. The 3600 square-foot space can host up to 170 guests in its dining rooms and bar/lounge and an additional 25 on its patio. At lunchtime, Ellizabetta will offer a place to pause and recharge. As the workday ends, La Strega will become a gathering place for an Italian-style aperitivo, with spritzes, micro-seasonal cocktails, and cicchetti. The Witching Hour is their interpretation of that ritual. In Ellizabetta’s dining room, the experience becomes more familial with food meant for sharing. Small plates, pastas, and larger dishes for the table create a meal centered on generosity and togetherness. The open kitchen connects the culinary team with the dining room, making the energy and craft behind each dish part of the shared experience. The wine program is Italian-forward and expansive, featuring Italian bubbles, Champagne, and wines from both Italy’s celebrated regions and places still waiting to be discovered. For more information, click here.Photo Credit: Steve Parke 

1155 Dahlia Street NW Giulio Adriani has opened a second location of his concept, Slice & Pie, at the Parks at Walter Reed. Guests can get excited for an expanded menu at this new location, with menu options such as paninis, pizza, smash burgers, and more. This new location has 26 seats for guests to sit and enjoy their food, making it larger than it’s U Street predecessor. For more information, visit Slice & Pie’s website here.

4914 Hampden Lane, Bethesda, MD Husband-and-wife team Raymond and Amy Yu have officially opened their new concept, Sushi Masato, a family-owned Japanese restaurant in downtown Bethesda. Drawing on authentic Japanese techniques and a commitment to exceptional craftsmanship, Sushi Masato celebrates the beauty of seasonal seafood, carefully sourced ingredients and thoughtfully prepared Japanese cuisine. Sushi Masato offers an extensive menu of traditional nigiri and sashimi, chef-selected sushi combinations, signature specialty rolls and three omakase-inspired tasting menus priced at $58, $78 and $98 per person. Guests can also enjoy premium seasonal seafood, as well as signature dishes and creative specialty rolls complemented by a curated selection of Japanese sake, beer and wine.Photo Credit: Courtesy of Sushi Masato

6220 Old Dominion Drive, McLean, VA Sweetgreen has opened its first Sweetlane in the greater Washington area in McLean’s Chesterbrook Shopping Center. Available in only a handful of markets nationwide, Sweetlane combines the convenience of a drive-thru with the brand's commitment to freshly prepared food and a digital-first customer experience. Designed specifically for pickup orders placed through the Sweetgreen app or website, the format allows guests to skip the traditional drive-thru menu board and pick up meals through a streamlined lane dedicated to digital ordering, with team members ensuring every order is fresh and ready for a seamless handoff.Photo Credit: Courtesy of Sweetgreen

69 Q Street SW Croix, a Caribbean restaurant and Botanic Bar that brings the full breadth of Caribbean cooking and botanical tradition, has opened atop the Cambria Hotel Washington D.C. Navy Yard Riverfront. Croix adds a unique and elegant dining experience to the city's rooftop landscape through a menu rooted in Crucian culinary heritage, an immersive botanical cocktail program, and a hospitality experience designed around connection, culture, and discovery. Croix is not a Caribbean-inspired concept—it is a Caribbean-rooted one. The restaurant's culinary program draws from generations of Caribbean tradition, celebrating ingredients such as breadfruit, callaloo, sorrel, pigeon peas, cassava, and Scotch bonnet peppers through both classic and contemporary techniques and refined presentation. The dinner menu showcases 25 dishes spanning five categories honoring the culinary traditions that define St. Croix and the broader Caribbean region. At the heart of Croix is the Botanic Bar, anchored by a dramatic backlit infusion wall featuring ten Caribbean botanicals infused in-house and displayed in glass vessels. Launching with the restaurant is Croix Veranda, the outdoor extension of the space.Photo Credit: Rey Lopez

4828 St. Elmo Avenue, Bethesda, MD After coming and going from Bethesda with their mobile trolley, Call Your Mother has opened a permanent Bethesda location in the space formerly home to Hardwood Artisans in Woodmont Triangle. Guests can get excited for their coffee, bagels, sandwiches, and much more.

2153 P Street NW La Merna, from husband-and-wife duo, G. Bradley Shorten and Meg Schmitt, has opened in Dupont Circle; offering Midwest hospitality, inventive cocktails and an in-house cheese program. Chicago tavern-style pizza and scratch-made pasta anchor the menu, while a cocktail program rooted in classics shares the bar with a curated list of Italian wines and local beer. The 2,000-square-foot space is decorated piece-by-piece with vintage finds from the Chicago and DC areas. The floor-to-ceiling wood panelling and lived-in tile honors decades-old Chicago taverns, with moody lighting and vintage lamps washing the dining room in a warm, familiar glow. The dining room seats 50 with an additional 25-30 seats at the bar. La Merna is open Thursday-Sunday for dinner. Reservations on RESY.Photo Credit: Brad Bobrow

1309 5th Street NE Gina Chersevani has opened a pop-up liquor lair at Union Market, and the whole thing runs on one Italian phrase- cogli l'attimo, seize the moment. It's called Not For Long, and the name is not a metaphor, it’s a warning. Tapping into his and Chersevani's Italian heritage, Beverage Director Michael Saccone developed a menu of Negronis, Spritzes, Bellinis, and cocktails. This menu has an expiration date, and nobody's telling you when. Guests can enjoy dancing to Italian 70s music under disco ball, transporting you to Amalfi coast. Not For Long DC is open Thursday from 3:00 - 9:00 p.m., Friday from 3:00 - 11:00 p.m., Saturday from 12:00 - 11:00 p.m., and Sunday from 12:00 - 9:00 p.m. Once it’s done, it’s gone, so check it out while you can!

1 Bethesda Medical Center, Bethesda, MD Agora, from husband-and-wife team Betul and Ismail Uslu, have opened its third location within the Hyatt Regency in Downtown Bethesda. Agora offers an elevated Mediterranean dining experience featuring vibrant mezze platters and wood-grilled entrees. Currently only open for dinner, the restaurant will serve lunch, breakfast (the first location to offer), and brunch later this Summer. Agora Bethesda features the restaurant group’s signature mezze-style menu inspired by the culinary traditions of Türkiye, Greece, and Lebanon. Guests can expect an expansive selection of small plates, grilled meats, fresh seafood, house-made spreads, and traditional favorites designed for sharing. The new Bethesda location is Agora’s largest location. The space features private rooms with space for up 50 guests, semi-private accommodations for up to 120 people, and a patio with room for 100 guests. For more information, visit their website here.Photo Credit: Courtesy of Agora Bethesda

1776 K Street NW Public Interest, DC’s newest destination for elevated American dining, is now open within the newly opened Tempo by Hilton Washington DC Downtown. Public Interest aims to bring a modern brasserie experience to its guests. Led by Executive Chef Arnaldo Pujols, the menu is a curated balance of French brasserie craftsmanship and American comfort. The cocktail program is equally dynamic, featuring classics reimagined with a distinct DC edge. Daniel Price serves as the Director of Food and Beverage at Public Interest. Public Interest is open Sunday - Thursday from 4:00 - 10:00 p.m., and Friday - Saturday from 4:00 - 11:00 p.m. For more information, visit their website here.