Restaurant in Washington DC, United States
Dupont Circle's most considered room for dinner.
The Pembroke is the strongest wine-forward French restaurant in Dupont Circle for a date or business dinner. Set inside the Dupont Circle Hotel, it pairs a Parisian-inflected room with a 2,150-bottle cellar, Michelin Plate 2024 recognition, and a menu that ranges from Dover sole to lamb tagine. Book one to two weeks out for weekends.
The Pembroke is the right call for a date night or business dinner in Dupont Circle where you want a room that feels considered without feeling stiff. The French-leaning menu, the Parisian-inflected dining room, and a wine list deep enough to reward attention make it a strong choice when the occasion calls for something polished. If you are already staying at the Dupont Circle Hotel, this is an easy yes. If you are traveling across town for it, the case is still solid, particularly if you want somewhere with real wine program depth at a $$$ price point.
The Pembroke reportedly took several million dollars to fit out, and the investment is visible. Salmon-hued chairs, tufted banquettes, marble tables facing the patio, and a generous use of greenery give the room a terrarium-like quality: enclosed, warm, decoratively ambitious. The overall effect is Parisian brasserie by way of a design-forward D.C. hotel. It is a good-looking room for a celebration, comfortable for a conversation, and formal enough that care in dressing is rewarded, though a strict dress code is not publicly stated.
Venue holds a 4.6 rating across more than 1,300 Google reviews, which for a hotel restaurant in a competitive dining city is a meaningful signal. Hotel dining in this tier tends to attract a mixed crowd: hotel guests, local regulars, and occasion diners. The Pembroke appears to satisfy all three. The general manager and wine director are the same person, Tom Murphy, which is unusual and worth noting: it means the wine program has direct operational authority at the leading of the house.
Chef Christian Welch runs a kitchen that does not commit to a single lane. The menu reads French in its bones, with Dover sole meunière, lobster bisque, and handmade pastas as anchors, but it pulls in Mediterranean flavors where useful: octopus fricassee with black olives, lamb tagine with couscous. Prawn cocktail sits alongside veal Milanese. The range is wide enough that a table with different appetites can all find something, but the through-line is European comfort cooking done with enough care to justify the price tier.
For dessert, a lemon tart is the house recommendation, and simple in this context means confident rather than minimal. The $$ cuisine pricing (two courses, excluding drinks, in the $40-$65 range) positions The Pembroke as accessible within the $$$ restaurant designation, meaning the room and the experience come at a lower food cost than the overall price signal might suggest. Wine and cocktails will move the final bill.
This is the most substantive part of the case for booking The Pembroke. The wine list runs to 205 selections across an inventory of approximately 2,150 bottles, which is a serious cellar for a hotel restaurant at this tier. The list leans California with pricing at the $$ level: a range of price points, some bottles under $50, and enough $100+ options to satisfy a table that wants to spend. The corkage fee is $50, which is standard to slightly high for D.C. but not a deterrent if you are bringing something specific.
Wine Director and Sommelier Philip Dunne (reporting to General Manager Tom Murphy) oversees a list that pairs logically with the French-Mediterranean menu. California Burgundian varieties and French imports sit well alongside Dover sole or octopus. For a pairing-forward dinner, this is a stronger program than most restaurants at comparable price points in Dupont Circle. If wine is a priority for your meal, The Pembroke earns a strong recommendation on this dimension alone.
For context, if you are comparing wine program depth across D.C. French and European restaurants, La Bise and Apéro are the two closest competitors to benchmark against. The Pembroke's 2,150-bottle inventory is a credible differentiator in this set.
The Pembroke holds a Michelin Plate for 2024. In Michelin's framework, the Plate designates good cooking worth knowing about, one tier below a Bib Gourmand and two below a star. It is a credible signal of consistent kitchen quality without implying destination-level ambition. For practical purposes, it means the kitchen is reliable enough to recommend for a special occasion without the booking anxiety that comes with a starred room.
Book one to two weeks out for weekday dinners; weekends in Dupont Circle fill faster, particularly for tables of four or more. As a hotel restaurant, The Pembroke has a moderate booking difficulty: more accessible than D.C.'s hottest independents, less casual than a neighborhood bistro. If you are planning a group dinner or a celebration and want a specific table configuration, call ahead rather than relying on the online booking flow. The patio-adjacent marble tables are the most atmospheric in the room and worth requesting.
See the full comparison section below for how The Pembroke stacks up against Oyster Oyster, Albi, Causa, and others in Washington, D.C.
Browse our full Washington, D.C. restaurants guide for more options across every price tier. For where to stay, see our Washington, D.C. hotels guide. If cocktails or wine bars are on your agenda, our D.C. bars guide and wineries guide cover the full picture. For things to do around Dupont Circle, check our Washington, D.C. experiences guide.
Yes, though the specifics of private dining arrangements are not publicly listed. For groups of six or more, call directly rather than booking online — a hotel restaurant at this level typically has flexible configurations, and you want to confirm table setup and any minimum spend requirements before the night. The room's banquette seating and general layout make it workable for group occasions.
At $$ food pricing (two courses in the $40–$65 range) inside a $$$ venue, the food itself is priced accessibly. The room, wine program, and Michelin Plate recognition justify the overall spend for a date or business dinner. Where costs climb is on wine: a 205-selection list with California depth and a $50 corkage fee means a table that orders well can spend significantly. If you are budget-conscious, lunch is the better entry point.
The venue is set inside the Dupont Circle Hotel and the database does not confirm a dedicated bar counter for dining. As a hotel restaurant in this format, bar seating is possible but not guaranteed to offer the full food menu. Call ahead if bar dining is your preference.
Workable, but not the strongest solo option in D.C. The room is designed for tables of two and up, and the banquette-heavy layout suits pairs and groups better than single diners. If solo dining with serious wine is the goal, the wine program and sommelier presence make it worthwhile. For a more comfortable solo experience, a counter-style restaurant in D.C. would serve you better.
For French and European cooking at a similar price: La Bise and Apéro are the closest direct competitors. For a step up in ambition at a higher price: Albi (Middle Eastern, $$$$) or Causa (Peruvian, $$$$) offer more distinctive cooking profiles. For sustainable American at the same price tier: Oyster Oyster is the value call.
Yes , this is one of the stronger arguments for booking it. The room is visually substantial, the Michelin Plate 2024 recognition means kitchen quality is consistent, and the wine program gives you the tools to make a meal feel celebratory. For anniversaries, milestone birthdays, or a high-stakes dinner, it delivers on atmosphere and food without the booking pressure of D.C.'s most competitive starred rooms.
A dedicated tasting menu is not confirmed in the available data. The kitchen runs an à la carte format spanning French and Mediterranean dishes. If a tasting format is important to your occasion, verify directly with the restaurant before booking, as hotel restaurants at this tier sometimes offer chef's menu options on request.
One to two weeks for weekday dinners; two to three weeks for Friday and Saturday evenings, particularly if you want specific table placement (the patio-facing marble tables fill first). As a hotel restaurant with moderate booking demand, it is more accessible than D.C.'s hardest-to-book independents, but weekend prime time still requires planning ahead. Lunch slots are generally easier to secure with shorter notice.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Pembroke | $$$ | Moderate | — |
| Oyster Oyster | $$$ | Unknown | — |
| Albi | $$$$ | Unknown | — |
| Causa | $$$$ | Unknown | — |
| Rooster & Owl | $$$ | Unknown | — |
| Rose’s Luxury | $$$$ | Unknown | — |
What to weigh when choosing between The Pembroke and alternatives.
The Pembroke can handle groups in its tufted banquette seating, though tables of four or more should book at least two weeks out, especially on weekends. As a hotel restaurant inside the Dupont Circle Hotel, it has more flexibility for larger parties than many independent spots in the neighbourhood. check the venue's official channels at 1500 New Hampshire Ave NW to confirm private dining or group arrangements, since those details aren't published online.
At $$$, The Pembroke justifies the spend primarily through its wine program: 205 selections across roughly 2,150 bottles, with a list priced in the mid-tier ($$ wine pricing) and a $50 corkage fee if you bring your own. The food, holding a Michelin Plate in 2024, is solidly executed French with Mediterranean range. If you're coming primarily to eat and drink well in a room that feels considered, yes — it's worth it. If you're price-sensitive, the cuisine pricing sits at $$ for a two-course meal, which is reasonable for this category in DC.
Bar seating isn't confirmed in available venue details, but as a full hotel restaurant with a serious wine program run by Wine Director Tom Murphy and Sommelier Philip Dunne, counter or bar access is plausible. To confirm bar dining, reach out directly — it's worth asking, since the wine list alone makes a solo seat at the bar a reasonable proposition.
The room, with its marble tables and tufted banquettes, skews toward couples and small groups, but the wine program gives solo diners a genuine reason to be there. A two-course meal at $$ cuisine pricing keeps the solo spend manageable at the $$$ venue level. If solo dining atmosphere is your priority, a seat closer to the patio-facing tables would be the call.
For a more produce-driven, vegetable-forward experience, Oyster Oyster is the contrast to consider. Albi is the pick if you want wood-fired Eastern Mediterranean cooking with stronger cocktail credentials. Causa brings Peruvian-Japanese precision if you want something tighter in format. Rooster & Owl runs a more experimental prix-fixe if you want a set-menu format rather than à la carte. Rose's Luxury is the choice for a looser, more exuberant room without The Pembroke's French structure.
Yes, with a specific caveat: the room earns it. The multi-million-dollar fit-out — salmon chairs, tufted banquettes, marble tables, greenery — reads as occasion-appropriate without being stiff. The Michelin Plate (2024) and a 2,150-bottle wine inventory give you the credibility to mark something properly. For a milestone dinner where the room matters as much as the plate, The Pembroke works. For a birthday where you want something louder and more social, Rose's Luxury is the better call.
A dedicated tasting menu isn't confirmed in the available venue data for The Pembroke. The kitchen runs an à la carte format spanning French classics like Dover sole meunière and lobster bisque through to Mediterranean dishes like octopus fricassee and lamb tagine. If a set tasting format is important to you, Rooster & Owl in DC is built around that structure.
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