Restaurant in Washington DC, United States
Champagne-first French, serious wine list.
Apéro is Georgetown's strongest case for a Champagne-and-caviar focused French dinner: a small, Michelin Plate-recognised room with a 730-bottle wine list deep in Burgundy and Champagne, food pricing that stays reasonable, and a back garden that earns its own reservation. Book hard in advance — this fills fast.
Yes, if French classics and a serious Champagne list are what you are after. Apéro is the closest thing Georgetown has to a proper Parisian cave à manger: small, considered, and built around caviar and Champagne as a genuine menu philosophy rather than a marketing hook. For that specific experience in Washington, D.C., there is nothing quite like it at this address.
Apéro sits at 2622 P St NW in Georgetown, a neighbourhood that skews toward white-tablecloth institutions and expense-account steakhouses. That context matters, because Apéro reads as a deliberate counter-programme: midnight-blue walls, gold accents, a Persian rug underfoot, and sheer curtains filtering the light from the windowed façade. The room is intimate by design. A garden at the rear functions as the better seat in the house for a quieter, more private meal.
Owner and wine director Elli Benchimol built the programme around what she knows leading: France. The wine list runs to 730 selections and 1,700 bottles in inventory, with particular depth in Champagne, Burgundy, and Bordeaux, plus strong Italian coverage across Piedmont and Tuscany. Corkage is $25 if you bring your own. At the $$$ wine pricing tier, expect most serious bottles to clear $100, so factor that into your budget before you sit down.
The food programme, led by chef Jennifer Castaneda-Jones, is French in the classical sense. Caviar is available at multiple price points, served with chopped egg, capers, chives, and crunchy waffle batons. The lobster bisque with croutons and deviled eggs finished with sweet potato, bacon, and brown sugar are among the documented dishes on the carte. Two courses typically land under $40 per person on the food side, which makes the wine list the real variable in your final bill. Michelin awarded Apéro a Plate in 2024, which signals a kitchen operating at a consistent, noteworthy level without yet reaching star territory. For Georgetown, that credential carries weight.
Apéro fills a specific gap in D.C.'s French dining options. La Bise and The Pembroke offer different registers of French-influenced cooking in the city, but neither centres the Champagne-and-caviar format the way Apéro does. If you are travelling to D.C. and want one French meal that leans into the wine programme as much as the food, this is the booking to make. If you are looking for a broader tour of the city's dining scene, our full Washington, D.C. restaurants guide covers the full range.
Georgetown itself adds to the case. The neighbourhood's relative calm compared to Penn Quarter or 14th Street means the walk to and from dinner is part of the experience. Apéro functions as a genuine anchor for the area's food scene, the kind of place that gives a neighbourhood dining credibility beyond its tourist footfall. For context on where else to eat, drink, and stay nearby, see our Washington, D.C. bars guide, hotels guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide.
Booking difficulty is rated Hard. The room is small, the concept is specific, and Michelin recognition draws a crowd. Plan ahead. Walk-ins at a venue this size are a gamble, particularly on weekends. The phone number is not publicly listed in our data, so use the restaurant's own reservation channels directly.
Lead with the caviar — it is the menu's centrepiece, served with egg, capers, chives, and waffle batons at multiple price points. Follow with the lobster bisque or the deviled eggs with sweet potato, bacon, and brown sugar. Pair with something from the Champagne section of the wine list, which is where the programme is deepest.
The menu is French and leans heavily on seafood, dairy, and egg-based preparations. If you have significant restrictions, contact the restaurant directly before booking. No specific dietary accommodation policy is listed in our data.
Bar seating details are not confirmed in our data. Given the intimate room size, counter or bar spots may be available, but treat them as unconfirmed. Contact the venue directly to check availability before assuming a walk-in bar option exists.
At the food pricing tier, yes: two courses for under $40 is reasonable for the quality and the Michelin Plate recognition. The bill climbs fast once you order from the wine list, where most serious bottles exceed $100. Budget accordingly. If you want a similarly priced French experience in D.C., La Bise is the closest comparison, but Apéro's Champagne depth is its clearest differentiator.
No tasting menu format is confirmed in our data. The menu appears to operate à la carte with a French classical structure. Verify the current format directly with the restaurant before booking around that expectation.
The intimate room and wine-bar atmosphere make solo dining workable, particularly at the bar or counter if available. The food pricing is accessible solo (under $40 for two courses), and the wine list by-the-glass options , likely strong given the sommelier team of three , should cover you without committing to a bottle. Confirm bar seating availability when you book.
No dress code is listed, but the Michelin Plate recognition, $$$$ overall pricing, and Georgetown address suggest smart casual at minimum. Treat it like a serious French bistro rather than a casual neighbourhood spot. Overdressing slightly is the safer call.
The room is described as intimate, which typically means limited capacity for large groups. The back garden may offer more flexibility for small parties of four to six. No private dining or group booking policy is confirmed in our data. For groups larger than four, contact the venue directly well in advance. For larger group dining options across the city, see our Washington, D.C. restaurants guide.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apéro | French | $$$$ | Hard |
| Oyster Oyster | New American, Vegetarian, Vegetarian (Sustainable) | $$$ | Unknown |
| Albi | United States, Middle Eastern | $$$$ | Unknown |
| Causa | Peruvian | $$$$ | Unknown |
| Rooster & Owl | Contemporary | $$$ | Unknown |
| Rose’s Luxury | New American, Contemporary | $$$$ | Unknown |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
Caviar is the centrepiece here — Elli Benchimol's team offers it at multiple price points with accoutrements including chopped egg, capers, chives, and crunchy waffle batons. The lobster bisque and deviled eggs with sweet potato, bacon, and brown sugar are French classics worth anchoring a meal around. If you are spending $$$$, lean into the caviar programme — that is where Apéro earns its price tag.
The menu is French-focused with a strong emphasis on caviar, egg dishes, and classic preparations, so pescatarian and flexitarian diners will find options, but the kitchen's DNA is not plant-forward. Confirm specific dietary needs directly with the restaurant at 2622 P St NW before booking, as menu details are not publicly documented.
Bar seating is not confirmed in available details, but the intimate room and Champagne-forward format make counter or lounge dining plausible for solo diners or couples. The secret garden at the back is the more characterful option for a two-person visit. Call ahead to ask about walk-in availability if you want flexibility.
At $$$$, Apéro is worth it if Champagne and caviar is your format. The 730-label wine list (France, Burgundy, and Champagne are the strengths) and a Michelin Plate recognition in 2024 back up the price point. If you are looking for a broader French bistro at lower spend, Georgetown has other options — but nobody else in the neighbourhood is doing caviar at multiple price tiers with this wine depth.
A formal tasting menu is not documented in Apéro's available details. The kitchen runs à la carte French classics alongside the caviar programme, so the experience is build-your-own rather than a set progression. That suits diners who want to anchor the meal around Champagne and caviar rather than follow a chef-directed sequence.
The intimate room and wine-bar sensibility make Apéro a reasonable solo option, particularly if you want to work through the Champagne list without committing to a full group dinner. The secret garden seating is better suited to pairs. Solo diners should book in advance given the small room size.
The midnight-blue walls, gold accents, and Persian rug set a deliberately polished tone, and the $$$$ price range suggests the room expects more than casual dress. Business casual at minimum is appropriate; the Champagne and caviar format pulls toward something closer to cocktail attire for dinner. There is no published dress code, but arriving underdressed will feel out of place.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
