Restaurant in Washington DC, United States
Precise French cooking, easy to book.
Georgetown's most consistently decorated French bistro, Lutèce earns OAD Top 300 placement two years running and a Michelin Plate with a short, rotating menu built around seasonal ingredient choices. At $$ wine pricing and $$$+ cuisine, it delivers serious French cooking without the tasting-menu commitment — and books easier than almost anything at its quality level in Washington, D.C.
Yes, and fairly decisively. Lutèce is the kind of French bistro Georgetown has needed for years: a tight, seasonal menu driven by considered ingredient choices, a wine list with real depth, and a room that earns its date-night reputation without trying too hard. Ranked #290 in Opinionated About Dining's Leading Restaurants in North America (2025) and holding a Michelin Plate (2024), it competes comfortably above its $$ price point. If you want contemporary French cooking at this level in Washington, D.C., Lutèce is the most accessible option on the board.
The case for Lutèce starts with how Chef Matt Conroy approaches the menu. Rather than offering range, he offers precision: a small number of appetizers and mains that rotate with the season, built around ingredients chosen for specificity rather than spectacle. Scallop crudo finished with blood orange and yuzu koshō, or cod plated alongside razor clam-studded farro — these are dishes where the sourcing decision is visible on the plate. The blood orange brings acid and colour that a generic citrus squeeze would not. The razor clams in the farro add brine and texture that reframes what could have been a pedestrian grain base. This is cooking where ingredient logic drives the outcome, and that philosophy keeps the menu coherent even when it rotates.
That rotation is worth flagging directly: the menu can change on short notice, which means the dish you read about may not be available when you arrive. For food-focused diners, that is a feature rather than a flaw — it signals that Conroy and his team are working with what is actually good right now rather than locking in a seasonal set for months. Plan to order with curiosity rather than a fixed agenda.
Dessert at Lutèce has received specific attention in OAD's write-up: the passion-fruit baba au rhum is called out by name, which is unusual for a short notice. Skip it at your own risk.
The dining room at 1522 Wisconsin Ave NW works well for what Lutèce is trying to be. Exposed brick, hardwood floors, and a pressed-tin ceiling give it texture without tipping into self-conscious rusticity. Wine bottles lining the shelves above the dining room add to the atmosphere while also signalling what to expect from the list. Sommelier Chris Ray oversees a cellar of around 650 bottles from 185 selections, with France as the acknowledged strength. Pricing sits at $$, meaning you will find a range of entry points rather than a list built primarily around three-figure bottles. Corkage is $35 if you bring your own. For a Georgetown neighbourhood bistro, the wine program punches considerably above its weight.
The cocktail program is described as thoughtfully crafted and consistent with the room's energy. If you are arriving for an early dinner and want to settle in before ordering, the bar provides a genuine reason to do so.
Lutèce is rated Easy to book relative to its OAD ranking, which makes it an accessible target even for last-minute trip planning. That said, Georgetown is a high-demand dining neighbourhood, and the bistro format means the room is not large. Booking a week or two out is sensible for weekend dinners; weeknight availability tends to be more forgiving. The Popal Group operates the venue, with General Manager David Sales running the front of house.
Reservations: Book in advance for weekends; weeknight availability is generally more accessible. Budget: Cuisine pricing at $$$+ per head for a two-course meal (over $66, excluding beverages and tip); wine list at $$. Corkage: $35. Meals: Lunch and Dinner. Address: 1522 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20007.
Washington's top-end French dining is dominated by tasting-menu formats. Jônt and minibar both operate at higher price tiers with multi-course commitment required. Lutèce sits below that tier in both price and formality, which is not a criticism , it is a meaningful distinction for diners who want serious French cooking without a three-hour commitment or a $200+ per head outlay. For that positioning, it has almost no direct competition in D.C. right now.
Compared to French contemporaries elsewhere in the country, Lutèce is not trying to be Le Bernardin or Per Se. It is not building toward the kind of tasting-format ambition you find at The French Laundry or Addison. What it is doing, in a compact Georgetown room, is delivering ingredient-focused bistro cooking with enough consistency and care to earn two consecutive OAD Top 300 rankings and a Michelin Plate. That is a defensible position and a genuinely useful one for the neighbourhood.
If your Washington visit extends beyond dinner, our full Washington, D.C. restaurants guide covers the wider picture, and our guides to D.C. bars, hotels, wineries, and experiences are worth consulting alongside.
Lutèce runs a short, rotating menu , expect four to six options per course rather than an extensive list. That brevity is intentional: every dish is built around what is in season and genuinely good at that moment. Come without fixed expectations about specific dishes. The room suits couples and small groups well; it is a proper bistro in scale and feel, not a sprawling brasserie. Cuisine pricing comes in above $66 for a two-course meal before drinks, so budget accordingly. First-timers should not skip dessert: the passion-fruit baba au rhum has been singled out in OAD's coverage.
The database does not confirm a dedicated bar counter with full dining service. The venue has an active cocktail program and a wine-forward room, so bar seating may exist, but we cannot confirm that bar dining operates the same way as table service. Contact the restaurant directly before building a plan around bar seating.
Lutèce does not appear to operate a formal tasting menu format. Its appeal is the à la carte bistro experience , a small number of seasonal dishes ordered freely rather than a set progression. If you want a committed multi-course tasting format in D.C., Jônt or minibar are the appropriate alternatives. Lutèce's strength is the flexibility and price accessibility of its format, not tasting-menu depth.
Booking difficulty is rated Easy, which means last-minute reservations are more realistic here than at D.C.'s harder-to-book tasting-menu spots. For weekend dinners, booking one to two weeks out is a safe approach. Weeknights are generally more open. Given its OAD Top 300 ranking and Georgetown location, do not assume walk-in availability on busy evenings , confirm before you go without a reservation.
Yes, with a caveat on expectations. The room , exposed brick, pressed-tin ceiling, wine bottles lining the walls , works well for anniversaries and date nights. The cooking is precise enough to feel like a real occasion. What Lutèce does not offer is the multi-course ceremony of a formal tasting-menu restaurant; if that theatrical pacing matters for your occasion, look at Jônt instead. For a special dinner that feels considered without being rigid, Lutèce is a strong call at its price point.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lutèce | French, Contemporary | $$ | Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in North America Ranked #290 (2025); Lucky are the denizens of Georgetown to have this delightful bistro in their backyard. With bottles of wine lining the shelves above, the dining room is a charming, date-night oasis, thanks to exposed brick, hardwood floors and a pressed-tin ceiling. Not far behind the décor, the seasonal menu is tight-knit, offering only a handful of appetizers and mains that could change on a moment’s notice. Chef Matt Conroy and his team are turning out an impressive array of cleverly rendered hits, like scallop crudo sauced with blood orange and yuzu koshō and gently cooked cod plated with razor clam-studded farro. Don't skip dessert, or you'll miss out on the passion-fruit sparked baba au rhum.Cocktails are thoughtfully crafted and accentuate the ebullient vibe here.; WINE: Wine Strengths: France Pricing: $$ i Wine pricing: Based on the list\'s general markup and high and low price points:$ has many bottles < $50;$$ has a range of pricing;$$$ has many $100+ bottles Corkage Fee: $35 Selections: 185 Inventory: 650 CUISINE: Cuisine Types: French Pricing: $$$ i Cuisine pricing: The cost of a typical two-course meal, not including tip or beverages.$ is < $40;$$ is $40–$65;$$$ is $66+. Meals: Lunch and Dinner STAFF: People Sommelier: Chris Ray Chef: Matt Conroy General Manager: David Sales Owner: The Popal Group; Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in North America Ranked #293 (2024); Michelin Plate (2024); Opinionated About Dining Top Restaurants in North America Highly Recommended (2023) | Easy | — |
| Albi | United States, Middle Eastern | $$$$ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Causa | Peruvian | $$$$ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Oyster Oyster | New American, Vegetarian, Vegetarian (Sustainable) | $$$ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Bresca | Modern French, Contemporary | $$$$ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Gravitas | New American, Contemporary | $$$$ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
A quick look at how Lutèce measures up.
Go in expecting a short, focused menu that changes with the season — Chef Matt Conroy runs a tight kitchen with only a handful of appetizers and mains at any given time. The room at 1522 Wisconsin Ave NW is relaxed but considered: exposed brick, hardwood floors, pressed-tin ceiling. At $$$ for a two-course meal, this is a step above casual Georgetown dining without the tasting-menu commitment that defines most of D.C.'s top French rooms. Don't skip dessert; the baba au rhum is specifically called out by OAD's reviewers.
Bar seating is not confirmed in available venue data, but the room's layout and bistro format suggest counter or bar access is plausible. The cocktail program is noted as a deliberate part of the experience, so if bar seating exists, it's worth using. Call ahead to confirm before planning a walk-in bar visit.
Lutèce does not operate a tasting-menu format — that's intentional and part of its appeal. The menu is à la carte with a small selection of appetizers and mains, priced at $$$ for a typical two-course meal. If you want a multi-course tasting format in D.C., Jônt or minibar are the relevant alternatives; Lutèce is the better call if you want French bistro cooking without a structured, multi-hour commitment.
Pearl rates Lutèce as easy to book relative to its OAD ranking (#290 in North America for 2025), which makes it realistic for last-minute planning in a city where comparable rooms book out weeks ahead. That said, Georgetown dinner slots on weekends move faster than the overall rating implies — a few days' notice is safer than day-of. No online booking link is currently listed, so check directly with the restaurant.
Yes, particularly for two people. The room reads as a date-night space — OAD's own write-up calls it a 'charming, date-night oasis' — and the combination of a considered wine list (185 selections, sommelier Chris Ray on staff) and precise seasonal cooking gives a special-occasion dinner real substance. For larger groups or celebrations needing a private room, confirm availability in advance; the bistro format typically skews intimate rather than event-scaled.
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