Restaurant in Washington DC, United States
37 years of fixed Italian. Still delivering.
Obelisk has run a fixed five-course seasonal Italian menu five nights a week since 1987, holding a Michelin Plate (2024) and a 4.7 Google rating. Book 3–4 weeks ahead for weekends. At $$$$, it delivers honest, ingredient-led cooking in a warm Dupont Circle room — the right pick for a long, unrushed dinner for two, less so if you want à la carte flexibility or a deep wine list.
Obelisk runs five nights a week with a fixed format and a small dining room at 2029 P St NW. Seats go fast. If you want a Friday or Saturday, start looking a month ahead. Midweek reservations are easier to land and the room tends to be quieter — a better environment for a meal that rewards attention. There is no walk-in culture here; this is a planned-evening restaurant, and the two-to-three-hour commitment is the point.
Obelisk has been running a fixed five-course Italian menu five nights a week since 1987 , longer than most of its current diners have been eating out. It holds a Michelin Plate (2024) and a Google rating of 4.7 from 181 reviews, which is a narrow but reliable signal of consistent satisfaction. The format is set: you arrive, you eat what the kitchen is cooking tonight, and you leave roughly three hours later. No à la carte. No substitution game.
For a first-timer, the experience unfolds in a specific rhythm. It opens with antipasti , the database notes burrata imported from Lazio and hot croquettes filled with melting cheese as examples of what lands at the table early. These are not amuse-bouches; they arrive with purpose and set the tone for cooking that is direct, seasonal, and ingredient-led. Entrées run toward precise, unfussy preparations: a dorade with a cracker-crisp sear, romesco, and green chickpeas is the kind of dish that works because of restraint, not complexity. All bread and desserts are made in-house.
The crowd skews younger and more casual than the price point might suggest. Obelisk has a neighborhood feel that other fixed-menu restaurants at this tier often lack. You are not performing at dinner here , you are eating well.
The editorial angle for this page is wine program depth, and it is worth addressing directly: the database does not specify the wine list, but the context matters. A restaurant that has been running a tight, seasonal Italian menu since 1987 and has held Michelin recognition does not survive that long without a wine program that keeps pace. Italian fixed-menu formats at this price tier typically anchor the list to regional producers that mirror the kitchen's philosophy , central and southern Italian bottles that work with the food rather than around it. If wine matters to your decision, call ahead and ask what is being poured by the glass that week. This is the kind of room where that question will be answered thoughtfully.
For comparison: Fiola runs a deeper, more formal Italian wine program with a broader cellar. Masseria brings a more modern Italian sensibility. If a well-resourced Italian wine list is your primary driver, Fiola is the stronger pick. If you want the wine to serve the food rather than lead it, Obelisk's approach is likely the better match.
See the full comparison below, but the short version: Obelisk sits at $$$$ for a fixed five-course format. At the same price tier, Causa offers Peruvian tasting-menu cooking with a very different flavor register, and Albi brings Middle Eastern-inflected cooking with more current energy. If you want a shorter, more flexible evening, Rooster & Owl at $$$ gives you contemporary cooking without the fixed-format commitment. Rose's Luxury at $$$$ is the comparison most people reach for , more celebratory energy, harder to book, different cuisine. Oyster Oyster at $$$ is the right call if you want ingredient-driven cooking at a lower price point with a sustainability focus.
| Detail | Obelisk | Fiola | Masseria |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price tier | $$$$ | $$$$ | $$$$ |
| Format | Fixed 5-course | À la carte / tasting | Tasting menu |
| Booking difficulty | Hard | Hard | Hard |
| Book ahead | 3–4 weeks | 2–3 weeks | 3–4 weeks |
| Duration | 2–3 hours | 2+ hours | 2+ hours |
| Cuisine | Italian (seasonal) | Italian (modern) | Italian (modern) |
| Michelin recognition | Plate (2024) | Starred | Starred |
Book Obelisk if you want a fixed Italian menu with genuine longevity behind it, a room that does not take itself too seriously, and cooking that relies on ingredients rather than technique as spectacle. It is the right call for a special dinner where the conversation matters as much as the food. It is not the right call if you need flexibility, a short evening, or a wine list with serious depth. For those priorities, Fiola or Masseria are better fits.
For more options across the city, see our full Washington, D.C. restaurants guide, our Washington, D.C. hotels guide, our D.C. bars guide, our D.C. wineries guide, and our D.C. experiences guide.
There is no ordering , Obelisk runs a fixed five-course menu that changes based on what the kitchen is cooking that night. The antipasti course arrives first and tends to be the most varied: the database cites burrata from Lazio and cheese-filled croquettes as representative dishes. Bread and desserts are made in-house. You commit to the full menu when you book.
At the same $$$$ tier with Italian cooking, Fiola is the closest comparison , more formal, broader wine list, à la carte option available. Masseria runs a tasting menu with more contemporary Italian sensibility. If you want to step outside Italian cooking at the same price, Albi (Middle Eastern) and Causa (Peruvian) are both strong. For a lower price point with serious cooking, Rooster & Owl at $$$ is worth considering.
No dress code is listed in the database, but at $$$$ with Michelin recognition, smart casual is the baseline expectation. The room skews younger and less formal than the price tier might suggest, so you do not need to overdress , but this is not a jeans-and-sneakers dinner either. Think of it as a serious neighborhood restaurant where the food gets your full attention.
Yes, if you are committed to the format. A fixed five-course Italian menu that has been running since 1987, holds a Michelin Plate, and draws a 4.7 Google rating is a proven quantity. The value question is whether you want a set menu or flexibility. If you prefer to order à la carte or pick and choose, book Fiola instead. If the fixed format suits your evening, Obelisk delivers consistent quality at a price that is in line with comparable Washington tasting experiences.
Yes , it is a strong special-occasion pick, particularly for two people. The two-to-three-hour fixed menu format creates a proper evening rather than a rushed dinner. The room has a warm, neighborhood feel that makes it less intimidating than similarly priced restaurants. For a larger group celebration with more energy in the room, Rose's Luxury may be a better fit. For a quiet, intimate dinner for two, Obelisk is the cleaner choice.
Plan on 3–4 weeks for a weekend reservation. Midweek tables open up faster, and Tuesday through Thursday is your leading window if flexibility allows. Obelisk runs five nights a week with a small dining room , this is not a walk-in restaurant. Book as soon as you have a date confirmed. If you find nothing available, check back regularly: cancellations do come up.
At $$$$, you are paying for a fixed five-course format with 37 years of consistent operation behind it, Michelin Plate recognition, and seasonal Italian cooking that does not over-engineer its dishes. It is not the most technically ambitious Italian restaurant in D.C. , Masseria and Fiola push harder on that front. But if you want honest, ingredient-led cooking in a room with genuine warmth, the price is justified.
Bar seating details are not confirmed in the available data. Given the fixed five-course format and small dining room size, the experience is almost certainly table-based. Do not plan around bar seating , book a table. If bar dining is a priority, L'Ardente or Officina offer Italian cooking in formats more suited to counter or bar dining.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obelisk | Italian | $$$$ | Hard |
| Oyster Oyster | New American, Vegetarian, Vegetarian (Sustainable) | $$$ | Unknown |
| Albi | United States, Middle Eastern | $$$$ | Unknown |
| Causa | Peruvian | $$$$ | Unknown |
| Rooster & Owl | Contemporary | $$$ | Unknown |
| Rose’s Luxury | New American, Contemporary | $$$$ | Unknown |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
There is no ordering at Obelisk — the format is a fixed five-course menu, so the kitchen decides. The antipasti course is where the meal typically makes its first impression, with seasonal Italian ingredients and in-house bread. Desserts are also made on-site. If you want choice over your plate, this is the wrong room.
For a fixed-format experience at a similar price point, Rooster & Owl runs a similarly committed tasting menu format with more creative flexibility. If you want Italian without the locked-in structure, there are broader options in DC, but Obelisk's longevity since 1987 and Michelin Plate recognition in 2024 make it a different proposition. Causa is worth considering if you want $$$$ tasting-menu energy in a different cuisine direction entirely.
Obelisk draws a younger, more casual crowd than its $$$$ price point and 1987 pedigree might suggest — the room has a neighbourhood feel, not a white-tablecloth formality. Come dressed neatly but do not feel compelled to arrive in black tie. Think dinner-with-friends rather than corporate event.
At $$$$ for five courses of seasonal Italian cooking with a Michelin Plate (2024), the value case depends on whether fixed-format dining works for your group. The kitchen sources purposefully — burrata imported from Lazio, produce that shifts with the season — and every bread and dessert is made in-house. If you want à la carte flexibility, it is not worth it. If you want a complete, unhurried Italian meal with genuine history behind it, yes.
Yes, with caveats. The five-course fixed format, two-to-three hour pacing, and Michelin Plate recognition give it the weight a special occasion needs. The room skews warmer and more neighbourhood-casual than ceremonial, which works well for birthdays or anniversaries where you want substance over spectacle. If you need a private dining room or a loud celebratory atmosphere, look elsewhere.
Book three to four weeks out as a baseline — Obelisk runs only five nights a week with a small dining room at 2029 P St NW, and weekend seats go fastest. Mid-week reservations are more accessible but still worth securing early. Do not plan to walk in.
At $$$$ for a fixed five-course Italian menu, Obelisk earns its price if you go in knowing the format and pacing. The Michelin Plate (2024) and an unbroken run since 1987 are meaningful signals that the kitchen has not coasted. Compared to DC peers at the same price tier, Obelisk offers more cooking history and less theatre — that trade-off is the whole decision.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
