Old Ebbitt Grill
Bartenders in suspenders work the bars at Old Ebbitt Grill under cherry wood and brass.
Why go
The house calls itself Washington's oldest saloon
and dates it to 1856, when, according to legend, innkeeper William E. Ebbitt bought a boarding house
(Old Ebbitt Grill). The owners of Clyde's bought it at a tax auction in 1970. After several moves, it reopened on 15th Street in October 1983. Omnia Saed of The Infatuation lists Grant, Johnson, Cleveland and Roosevelt among the presidents who stopped in, basically making it the Studio 54 of 19th- and 20th-century Washington
(The Infatuation). José Andrés put it more simply to the MICHELIN Guide in 2025: Maybe the most classic of classics is Old Ebbitt Grill, which opened even before Lincoln lived in the White House, one block away
(MICHELIN Guide).
The chefs who eat here come for the raw bar. Andrés goes for some of the best oysters in the area, drinking a beer or a glass of sparkling wine, having a conversation with the bartenders.
Masako Morishita, the chef at Perry's, told Fine Dining Lovers about her platter: I love their seafood platter called orca, and they have a killer happy hour every day from 3 to 5pm and after 11pm, [when] their platters, oysters and the seafood are discounted. I go home happy
(Fine Dining Lovers). Ryan Ratino of Bresca and Jônt told the same site about his late nights here: We eat copious amounts of raw bar items and shrimp cocktails here. We love the burgers, the fried calamari, and we always get the grand shellfish platter, the Grand Plateau
(Fine Dining Lovers). Saed had crisp, briny Pink Moons from the Chesapeake and sweeter Martha's Vineyard oysters in 2024 and wrote: They're all incredibly fresh and reliably delicious.
Away from the oysters, Saed's jumbo lump crab cakes were decadently moist
and gave Baltimore a run for its money.
Her strip steak was solid. Her one complaint was the watercress beside it, which, let's be honest, we could probably do without.
Matthew Klint, a travel blogger who has eaten here since 2005, admits that District residents might find this restaurant a little touristy or kitschy, but I love it
(Live and Let's Fly).
Ratino's warning is the one to plan around: It's fun, it's always busy… at 1am they're busy, at 8pm they're busy
(Fine Dining Lovers).
Order this / avoid
- Order: oysters at the happy hour, $16 for six when Saed went in November 2024.4
- Order: a shellfish platter, the orca for Morishita or the Grand Plateau for Ratino's table.3
- Order: the jumbo lump crab cakes, on Saed's word in 2024.4
- Order: the burger, Ratino's pick after the raw bar.3
What locals & experts say
- Matthew Klint, Live and Let's Fly (2023):
I've never regretted any of the food I've tried here, like a steak topped with gorgonzola cheese.
5 - RAMMY awards (2026): Favorite Gathering Place of the Year, in the category the public votes on.8
Good to know
- Happy hour: the oyster happy hour runs every day, once in the late afternoon and again from late evening into the small hours.7
- Booking: book on OpenTable a week or more ahead, or plan to eat late. Klint found it "consistently crowded" in 2023.
- Late: Ratino told Fine Dining Lovers that the kitchen served food into the small hours and the doors closed an hour after it.
- Where: 675 15th St NW, across from the Treasury.
Jeff's take (his words)
- Note: A DC icon for burgers and steak. Be sure to sit in the Victorian dining room, not the atrium. Perhaps overpriced and too touristy. open late for night time eats
Verdict
should-visit — Go to Old Ebbitt Grill for oysters and a shellfish platter at the bar, the order José Andrés and two other DC chefs give. Come at the oyster happy hour, in the late afternoon or late at night, when six oysters were $16 in November 2024. Book ahead or expect a crowd at any hour.