
The Dabney, Michelin-starred since 2016, celebrates Mid-Atlantic cuisine with a focus on seasonal and regional ingredients cooked in a wood burning hearth. Chef Jeremiah Langhorne’s innovative dishes have garnered national acclaim, placing The Dabney among Washington D.C.’s top restaurants.
Chef Jeremiah Langhorne serves Mid-Atlantic cuisine at this rustic spot set in a former row house.
Hours
| Monday | Closed |
| Tuesday | 5:30–9:30 PM |
| Wednesday | 5:30–9:30 PM |
| Thursday | 5:30–9:30 PM |
| Friday | 5:30–10 PM |
| Saturday | 5:30–10 PM |
| Sunday | Closed |
Address and Contact Information
Address: 122 Blagden Alley NW, Washington, DC 20001
Phone: (202) 240-2660
Website: http://thedabney.com/
Menu Photos
Order and Reservations
Reservations: opentable.com
Photo Gallery
Related Web Results
The Dabney
The Dabney Restaurant – Washington, DC | OpenTable
The Dabney (@thedabneydc) • Instagram photos and videos
Reviews
The only disappointment was the Roseda Farms Skirt Steak, listed as a family-style dish. The portion was quite small and didn’t feel suitable for sharing, especially given the concept and price point.
Aside from that, everything else was excellent, from execution to hospitality. A fantastic restaurant with a refined yet welcoming atmosphere, and one I would happily return to.
Restaurant Week 2026 Winter Prix Fixe ($65)
Items ordered:
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Sweet potato and fried fish slider
Cornbread (not pictured)
Lobster bisque
Skirt steak
Baked Virginia
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Fantastic service, ambience, sweet potato fish slider snack is a must! Got the steak, but other tables with the fish looked excellent. Not a big dessert person, but the baked Virginia was fantastic as well. Cadence of service was just right pace with a group of three. Definitely worth a visit
Sweet potato sandwich
Arugula Salad
Hearth Vegetables
Pastrami Pork Belly (skip! So tough, could barely cut through it)
Rockfish (the best plate)
Scallop (overpriced)
Non-Alcoholic Cider
Forgotten Sister mezcal cocktail
Starting from the seating, we had reserved seating and were fairly early. We saw several tables by the fire that were open and asked to sit there, and they said no that’s reserved. We saw 40 minutes later one person sit on a table for two .. and a few others come in. If we were first why did they have preferencial treatment, what’s the secret place to book which table specifically you get ?
Food
The salad was good. Our favorite was the lobster cauliflower
The steak was hard to cut ! I was shocked
Fish was decent
Dessert was too sweet for our likings
Restaurant week was in effect ,and they were a little slow in service but overall we left not impressed.
Small note. 20 percent charge is added then taxed. Peeve of mine when the tips aren’t taxed to the employees anymore by law, so the restaurant is just taking the profit.
Michelin stars can sometimes be the making of a restaurant — and sometimes the beginning of the end. I hope that’s not what’s happening at The Dabney, but our experience left me genuinely puzzled.
I’ve worked in Michelin-starred restaurants in Europe, and I think it’s fair to say that a one-star in North America is not equivalent to a one-star in Europe. That hasn’t stopped The Dabney from charging eye-watering prices for very ordinary ingredients — catfish, pork, chicken, rockfish — with little refinement or luxury in execution. See menu pic for prices.
Nothing was bad, per se. The issue was value. At these prices, expectations are high – and they simply weren’t met.
Deviled egg (one egg): exactly that.
Fried catfish sandwich: tasty, but slider-sized and unremarkable.
Beef croquettes: two tiny bites, again tasty, but gone in seconds.
Then things veered into the confusing…
We ordered the Eastern Shore Chicken – described as confit chicken, dumplings, root vegetables, country ham, crispy chicken skin. What arrived was essentially a chicken broth soup. The menu made no mention of soup. Confit chicken becomes just chicken once submerged, and “crispy chicken skin” doesn’t exist in liquid — in fact, it never appeared at all. The dumplings were flat noodles, and the overall flavor was monotone and overly salty.
The scallop was particularly disappointing: one medium scallop covered in foam for $31. If you’re charging that price, the preparation should highlight the quality of the product — not completely disguise it with an overly sweet foam to mask the sweetness of the scallop.
Finally, the rockfish: two bite-sized pieces with an overly fishy sauce and two token leaves of wilted oak leaf lettuce. At $36, this was just baffling. Very weird concept.
I’m just thankful I didn’t order the $89 family style Trout dish that our neighbors at the bar ordered. This was literally a regular sized main course on a regular sized plate. Not Turbot or Dover Sole or Lobster – Trout! It must have been swimming in a creek behind the kitchen just before to warrant that cost.
The much-celebrated wood fire — a central feature of the restaurant — was not evident in a single dish we ate.
Service was generally warm and pleasant, though one manager (black jacket) spent the evening scolding bar staff in full view of us, while wearing a scowl that felt entirely at odds with hospitality.
I understand the economics of running a restaurant – truly. But how long are diners expected to pay these prices for very modest ingredients and basic technique?
If this is what Michelin recognition represents in the U.S., I’ll be steering clear. Mediocre execution plus inflated pricing is not a sustainable recipe for success.