Restaurant in Washington DC, United States
Book early. Dress up. Worth the effort.
Pineapple and Pearls holds a Michelin star and ranks #80 in North America on OAD (2025), making it one of Washington D.C.'s most credentialed tasting menu experiences. Chef Aaron Silverman's deliberately celebratory format — tableside theatre, warm storytelling service — earns the $$$$ price point for guests who want fine dining to feel like an occasion. Book six to eight weeks out for weekends.
If you've already been to Pineapple and Pearls once and are weighing a return, the answer is almost certainly yes. Chef Aaron Silverman has built something rare at 715 8th St SE: a $$$$ tasting menu that earns its price through service depth and theatrical precision rather than just ingredient cost. It holds a Michelin star (2024), scores 90.5 points on La Liste (2025), and ranks #80 on Opinionated About Dining's North America list (2025). That's a credential set that holds up against peers nationally, including Lazy Bear in San Francisco and Alinea in Chicago.
The room operates with the energy of a New Year's Eve party: oversized Champagne bottles, velvet dinner jackets, balloons. This is not a hushed reverence-for-cuisine tasting menu. Silverman has made a deliberate choice to make fine dining feel like a genuine occasion, and the staff carry that tone with fluency rather than forced cheerfulness. Tableside absinthe cocktails and truffle-infused amaretto warmed over candlelight are the kinds of details that read as gimmicky on paper but land differently when the room is already pitched at celebration frequency. The format is condensed — dinner moves with purpose rather than sprawling across four hours — which makes it a stronger choice for guests who find ultra-long tasting menus fatiguing.
Service is the real differentiator here. Every dish arrives with a story, and the team is trained to deliver those narratives without making them feel like a scripted performance. The sommelier works the room with genuine engagement, and pairing suggestions are offered as actual recommendations rather than upsells. For a $$$$ price point, this is what earned service looks like. Compare it to the more formal register at The French Laundry in Napa or Single Thread Farm in Healdsburg: Pineapple and Pearls trades polish-for-its-own-sake for warmth, and for most guests that's the right trade.
The restaurant is open Wednesday through Saturday only, with Friday and Saturday service starting at 5:45 PM and Wednesday and Thursday at 6 PM. Sunday through Tuesday it is closed. For a return visit, Friday or Saturday is the better call: the slightly earlier start gives the room time to reach its full energy before the evening peaks. Wednesday and Thursday seatings are quieter and worth considering if the celebratory atmosphere is less of a draw for you than the food itself.
Booking difficulty is hard. With a Michelin star, a strong OAD ranking, and a four-night-per-week schedule, demand consistently exceeds availability. Book at least four to six weeks out as a baseline; for weekend dates or special occasions, push that to eight weeks. There is no walk-in option that makes practical sense at this level.
Guests are explicitly encouraged to dress to impress. The venue's own positioning around velvet dinner jackets and celebratory attire signals that smart-formal is the floor, not the ceiling. This is one of the few D.C. restaurants where overdressing is not a risk.
| Detail | Pineapple and Pearls | Bresca | Gravitas |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price Range | $$$$ | $$$$ | $$$$ |
| Cuisine | Contemporary | Modern French / Contemporary | New American / Contemporary |
| Booking Difficulty | Hard | Moderate-Hard | Moderate |
| Michelin Star | Yes (2024) | Check current | Check current |
| OAD Ranking (2025) | #80 North America | N/A listed | N/A listed |
| Open Days | Wed-Sat | Varies | Varies |
| Google Rating | 4.7 (507 reviews) | N/A listed | N/A listed |
For a broader view of where to eat and stay while in the city, see our full Washington, D.C. restaurants guide, our full Washington, D.C. hotels guide, and our full Washington, D.C. bars guide. If you're planning around a broader trip, our full Washington, D.C. experiences guide and our full Washington, D.C. wineries guide are also worth checking.
Other D.C. options worth considering alongside Pineapple and Pearls: Rooster & Owl, Annabelle, Café Riggs, Residents Cafe & Bar, and Reveler's Hour.
For international context at a similar level, Le Bernardin in New York City, César in New York City, Jungsik in Seoul, and Emeril's in New Orleans give a useful frame for what this tier of contemporary tasting menu looks like across markets.
Book four to six weeks out at minimum for a weeknight, and six to eight weeks for Friday or Saturday. The restaurant is only open four nights a week, which compresses availability significantly. At this booking difficulty level, last-minute options are unlikely to exist.
The database does not confirm a private dining room or group maximum. For groups larger than four, contact the restaurant directly well in advance , the tasting menu format and limited seating nights mean group bookings require coordination that walk-in or standard online booking will not cover.
Yes, with caveats. The celebratory atmosphere is built around shared experience, but the engaged service style and storytelling format work well for a solo diner seated at the counter if available. At $$$$ it is a considered solo spend, but the OAD and Michelin credentials make the experience worth it if tasting menus are your format.
It is one of the stronger special-occasion choices in Washington D.C. The room is explicitly designed around celebration , balloons, Champagne, velvet jackets , and the service team is trained to carry that energy without it feeling forced. For anniversaries, milestone birthdays, or any occasion where atmosphere matters as much as the food, this is a good call at the $$$$ tier.
Bresca is the closest stylistic peer at the same price tier and offers Modern French-Contemporary cooking with slightly easier booking. Gravitas is a New American alternative at $$$$ with more accessible reservations. Albi offers a distinct Middle Eastern profile at $$$$ for guests who want something with a different culinary register. Oyster Oyster drops to $$$ and covers vegetarian and sustainable New American ground if budget or dietary preference shifts the decision.
Yes, if tasting menus are your format and service depth matters to you. The Michelin star, La Liste 90.5-point score, and OAD #80 North America ranking together confirm this is not a $$$$ price point propped up by hype alone. The service philosophy specifically , every dish with a story, an attentive sommelier, a room engineered for genuine celebration , is what separates it from contemporaries where the price buys technique but not warmth.
Smart formal at minimum. The venue actively encourages guests to dress to impress, and the room's aesthetic (velvet dinner jackets, oversized Champagne bottles) sets a tone where business casual will feel underdressed. For a return visit, treat it as an occasion to dress up rather than down.
No specific dietary accommodation policy is available in the venue database. Contact the restaurant directly when booking , tasting menu formats at this level typically allow for dietary adjustments with advance notice, but confirm specifics rather than assuming.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pineapple and Pearls | $$$$ | Hard | — |
| Albi | $$$$ | Unknown | — |
| Causa | $$$$ | Unknown | — |
| Oyster Oyster | $$$ | Unknown | — |
| Bresca | $$$$ | Unknown | — |
| Gravitas | $$$$ | Unknown | — |
How Pineapple and Pearls stacks up against the competition.
Book at least 4 to 6 weeks out, and check availability the moment reservations open. With a Michelin star, consistent OAD top-100 rankings, and service only four nights a week, seats go fast. Friday and Saturday at 5:45 PM are the tightest; Wednesday and Thursday at 6 PM offer a slightly better shot.
Small groups of 2 to 4 are the standard format for a tasting-menu counter like this. Larger parties should check the venue's official channels to ask about private or semi-private arrangements, but the four-night schedule and high demand make large-group bookings complicated. Plan well in advance if you are bringing more than four guests.
It works for solo diners who are comfortable with a tasting-menu format and the celebratory room energy. The staff are described as approachable and the sommelier actively engages guests, so you will not feel ignored at the counter. That said, the party-atmosphere staging at $$$$ per head is a stronger fit for a shared occasion than a quiet solo dinner.
Yes, and it may be the strongest special-occasion pick in DC at this price point. The room leans into celebration deliberately: oversized Champagne bottles, balloons, tableside absinthe cocktails, and staff who know how to tell a story. A Michelin star and back-to-back OAD top-100 finishes confirm the cooking matches the theatre.
Bresca offers a similarly creative contemporary format at $$$$ but with a quieter, more restrained room if the party atmosphere is not your thing. Gravitas is a strong alternative for serious tasting-menu dining with less theatrics. Oyster Oyster is worth considering if you want something more casual and vegetable-forward at a lower price point. Albi and Causa operate in different cuisines entirely but represent the best of DC's non-European fine dining.
At $$$$ and with a Michelin star, a 2025 La Liste score of 90.5, and OAD recognition across three consecutive years, the credentials are there. The value case is strongest if you want a full theatrical experience alongside serious cooking. If you prefer a stripped-back tasting menu focused purely on the food, Gravitas or Bresca may return more value at a similar spend.
Dress up. The restaurant explicitly encourages guests to dress to impress, and the room itself is styled around velvet dinner jackets and celebratory attire. Smart casual will feel underdressed here. Think cocktail or evening wear rather than business casual.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
