Restaurant in Washington DC, United States
Coastal Spanish done right — book ahead.
Del Mar brings Fabio Trabocchi's coastal Spanish cooking to Washington's Wharf, with a focus on fresh fish, rotating seasonal tapas, and a 1,005-bottle wine list. It holds a Michelin Plate (2024) and an OAD Top Restaurants in North America ranking. Book two to three weeks out for weekend dinner; midweek lunch is the easier entry point at this $$$$ price tier.
Getting a table at Del Mar is legitimately hard. The Wharf-side dining room, with its Potomac views and coastal Spanish format, draws a consistent crowd, and reservations at peak hours disappear fast. If you are planning a visit for Friday or Saturday dinner, expect to book at least two to three weeks out. Midweek lunch is your leading entry point if your schedule allows, with the kitchen running from noon Tuesday through Thursday. The effort is justified: Del Mar holds a Michelin Plate (2024) and an Opinionated About Dining Leading Restaurants in North America ranking of #557 (2024), with an OAD Recommended recognition in 2023 as well. That combination of sustained recognition and a Google rating of 4.3 across more than 2,300 reviews tells you this is not a one-season flash.
Del Mar is a Spanish seafood restaurant at 791 Wharf St SW, owned by Fabio Trabocchi and currently running under Chef Josep Coronado. The room is designed around coastal blues and whites, polished brass, and large windows that look out over the Potomac. It reads as resort-chic rather than formal fine dining, which sets an expectation: this is a place for a long meal with good wine, not a quick business dinner. The price tier is $$$$, and the wine list is substantial, with 1,005 selections and an inventory of 8,430 bottles. Spain, California, and France are the core strengths of the list, managed by Wine Director Casper Rice alongside Sommelier Doug Watkins and Sommelier Jaryd Spann. Corkage is $75 if you bring your own. The wine pricing falls in the $$$ tier, meaning many bottles at $100 or above, so budget accordingly.
The editorial angle here is seasonal, and it is worth taking seriously when planning your visit. The kitchen's strongest work is built around what is available and at its peak. Verified menu data points to a few anchors: the fish is the headline, described as barely touched or simply prepared, with presentation as a clear priority. The seasonal tapas rotation is specifically flagged as highly sought-after, meaning availability is limited and timing your visit around what is current is not just nice to have, it is the point of coming here. Documented seasonal dishes include asparagus blanco featuring thick French asparagus, poached over ajo blanco, and Andalusian gambas al ajillo with shrimp, garlic, and chilies, served with bread. The Spanish meats and cheeses selection rounds out the tapas offering. For a first-timer, the practical approach is to check what the current seasonal tapas list includes before booking, then build your order around the fish of the day and two or three tapas rather than trying to cover the full menu.
The flavor profile leans toward clean, saline, and ingredient-led rather than heavily sauced or technically baroque. If you are coming from a background with Spanish restaurants in other cities, Del Mar sits closer to a refined coastal bistro with serious sourcing than to a Basque-influenced tasting menu format. For reference on the broader Spanish fine dining spectrum in the United States, Xiquet by Danny Lledo in Washington offers a different take on Spanish cuisine at a comparable price point, and globally, ZURRIOLA in Tokyo and Arco by Paco Pérez in Gdańsk show the range of what Spanish technique looks like at the leading of the format internationally.
Lunch is the better call for first-timers on a budget or those who want the full experience without the full evening commitment. The kitchen opens at noon Tuesday through Friday, with Saturday and Sunday lunch also available. Dinner on Friday and Saturday runs to 10:30 pm, which is the high-demand window and where pricing and booking pressure are both at their peak. If the Potomac view is part of what you are coming for, a late-afternoon lunch slot on a clear day delivers both the light and the room without the dinner-service crowd. For special occasions or larger groups where you want the full evening format, dinner still makes sense, but go in knowing it will cost more in time and money to secure the booking.
Del Mar is open Monday from 5 pm to 9 pm, Tuesday through Thursday from noon to 10 pm, Friday and Saturday from noon to 10:30 pm, and Sunday from noon to 9 pm. The address is 791 Wharf St SW, Washington, DC 20024, at the Wharf development on the Southwest waterfront. Monday is the most accessible dinner night if you are flexible. No booking method or phone number is listed in our current data, so check directly with the restaurant or use your usual reservation platform. The price range is $$$$ for cuisine and $$$ for wine, with a typical two-course meal running above $66 per person before drinks and tip. Plan your total spend accordingly. For broader context on dining, drinking, and staying in the city, see our full Washington, D.C. restaurants guide, our Washington, D.C. hotels guide, our Washington, D.C. bars guide, our Washington, D.C. wineries guide, and our Washington, D.C. experiences guide.
See the comparison section below.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Del Mar | Spanish | $$$$ | Hard |
| Albi | United States, Middle Eastern | $$$$ | Unknown |
| Causa | Peruvian | $$$$ | Unknown |
| Oyster Oyster | New American, Vegetarian, Vegetarian (Sustainable) | $$$ | Unknown |
| Bresca | Modern French, Contemporary | $$$$ | Unknown |
| Gravitas | New American, Contemporary | $$$$ | Unknown |
What to weigh when choosing between Del Mar and alternatives.
Del Mar works for groups, but the room's design skews toward intimate dining rather than large party formats. For groups of 6 or more, check the venue's official channels and book well in advance — this is a $$$$ venue with consistent demand, particularly on Friday and Saturday evenings when the kitchen runs until 10:30 pm. Smaller groups of 2-4 will have the most flexibility across the full weekly schedule.
Lead with the seafood — the kitchen's simply prepared fish are the editorial highlight, and the seasonal tapas are specifically called out as highly sought-after. The Andalusian gambas al ajillo (shrimp with garlic and chilies) has appeared on the seasonal menu and is worth ordering if available. Round out the meal with selections from the Spanish meats and cheeses program, and lean on the 1,005-selection wine list, which is strongest in Spanish bottles.
Lunch is the smarter first visit — the kitchen opens at noon Tuesday through Sunday, the room is easier to book, and you get the full menu without the full evening cost commitment at a $$$$ price point. Dinner earns its place if you want the Potomac window seat at dusk or are already familiar with the format; Friday and Saturday nights run latest at 10:30 pm if you want the full evening experience.
Bresca and Gravitas are the closest comparisons if you want refined, ingredient-driven cooking at a similar price tier. For seafood specifically, Oyster Oyster offers a more produce-forward, lower-cost alternative. Causa covers Latin American territory if you want to stay near coastal flavors without the Spanish focus. Albi is the call if you prefer Eastern Mediterranean over Spanish.
The venue database does not confirm a dedicated tasting menu format at Del Mar — the kitchen operates across lunch and dinner with seasonal tapas, fish, and Spanish meats rather than a fixed omakase-style progression. At $$$$ pricing, the à la carte route lets you focus on the seafood and seasonal tapas that represent the kitchen's strongest work, so there is no structural reason to hold out for a tasting format here.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
