Restaurant in Washington DC, United States
Serious wine, wood-fired meat, no fuss.
St. Anselm is a fire-driven American grill in D.C.'s NoMa neighborhood, ranked #248 on Opinionated About Dining's Casual North America list (2025). At the $40–$65 two-course price point, it offers one of the city's more serious wine programs — 1,100 selections, deep in California, Italy, and France — without the $$$$ price tag of comparable D.C. destinations. Book it for groups who want to eat and drink well without ceremony.
If you're weighing St. Anselm against BLT Steak or RPM Italian for a meat-focused dinner in D.C., St. Anselm wins on character and wine program depth. This is a fire-driven American grill in the NoMa neighborhood, ranked #248 on Opinionated About Dining's Casual North America list for 2025 — a credible signal that it punches well above its price point. Two-course meals land in the $40–$65 range, which makes it one of the more defensible value propositions in the city's mid-to-upper-casual tier.
The atmosphere here is energetic rather than quiet. Expect a lively, wood-smoke-tinged room that feels more neighborhood grill than white-tablecloth steakhouse. That energy works in your favor on a Friday or Saturday evening when the room is full and the kitchen is firing hard — but if you're after a conversation-first dinner, come at lunch on Friday or Sunday brunch, when the pace slows and the room breathes.
The kitchen is led by Chef Ryan Payne under a program associated with Chef Marjorie Meek-Bradley, operating within Stephen Starr and Joe Carroll's ownership group. The food is American in the most direct sense: grilled proteins, honest technique, and ingredients that don't need much explanation. The wine program, overseen by Wine Director Ian Cruz and Sommelier Jonathan Stow, is where St. Anselm separates itself from comparable grill-format restaurants. With 1,100 selections and an inventory of nearly 4,000 bottles , strong across California, Italy, France, and Madeira , this is a serious list for a $$ cuisine-priced restaurant. The corkage fee is $45 if you want to bring your own.
For groups considering a private or semi-private experience, it's worth noting that St. Anselm's format rewards table-sharing and communal ordering more than formal private dining rooms. The main room dynamic , open, communal, grill-forward , is the experience. Groups of four to six will get the leading of it; larger parties should contact the restaurant directly about options, since no formal private dining details are published. For a special-occasion group dinner where privacy and ceremony are the priority, Jônt or minibar offer a more structured format. But for groups who want to eat well, drink from a deep list, and not spend $$$$, St. Anselm is the practical answer.
Timing matters here. Friday lunch (noon–3 pm) is the least-known entry point , the kitchen is open, the room is calmer, and the $$ price band applies. Saturday and Sunday brunch from 10:30 am are solid options for a more relaxed setting. Weeknight dinners from 5 pm are the default, but Thursday through Saturday evenings fill faster given its OAD ranking and local following. Booking is generally easy compared to the city's tasting-menu tier, but don't show up walk-in on a Saturday night expecting a quick seat.
The Google rating of 4.6 across 2,101 reviews reinforces what OAD's casual ranking implies: this is a crowd-pleaser that also earns respect from more serious diners. That combination is harder to pull off than it sounds, and St. Anselm does it consistently enough to warrant the recommendation.
For broader context on where St. Anselm sits in the city's dining options, see our full Washington, D.C. restaurants guide. If you're planning a full trip, our D.C. hotels guide, bars guide, and experiences guide cover the rest.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Anselm | Easy | — | |
| Albi | $$$$ | Unknown | — |
| Causa | $$$$ | Unknown | — |
| Oyster Oyster | $$$ | Unknown | — |
| Bresca | $$$$ | Unknown | — |
| Gravitas | $$$$ | Unknown | — |
A quick look at how St. Anselm measures up.
Yes, St. Anselm works well for solo diners. The bar is a viable option for eating alone, and the neighborhood-grill format is less formal than white-tablecloth steakhouses, so you won't feel out of place without a group. The $$ price point for a two-course meal keeps it a low-stakes solo visit.
Dinner gives you the full picture: longer hours, the complete wine list, and the lively room that earned St. Anselm its OAD Casual North America ranking. Friday lunch is the only weekday midday option, so it's a useful flex if you're downtown — but the kitchen's full expression comes after 5 pm.
The venue database doesn't specify menu items, so ordering guidance beyond the format isn't something Pearl can confirm here. What the record does confirm: this is an American steakhouse with wood-fire cooking at the core, so meat-focused ordering is the right approach. Ask your server what's running off the grill.
The OAD 'Casual' classification and the neighborhood-grill atmosphere point toward relaxed, put-together clothes — think jeans and a clean shirt rather than a blazer. This is not a white-tablecloth room, and arriving overdressed will feel out of step with the space.
Book at least one to two weeks out for weeknight dinner; weekend slots, especially Saturday, move faster given the extended hours from brunch through late evening. St. Anselm's OAD ranking — currently #248 in Casual North America for 2025 — keeps demand steady, so last-minute availability is not reliable.
The venue data doesn't confirm private dining or group-booking specifics, so check the venue's official channels before assuming large-party availability. For groups of four to six at the $$ price range, the format works well — it's a communal, food-sharing-friendly room rather than an intimate tasting-menu setup.
Bar dining is part of the experience here, and with sommelier Ian Cruz overseeing a 1,100-bottle list priced at $$, the bar is a legitimate destination for a solo meal or a quick dinner without a reservation. It's one of the better bar-eating setups among D.C. steakhouses at this price tier.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
