Restaurant in Washington DC, United States
OAD-ranked Spanish-Latin worth the splurge.
The Saga is one of Washington D.C.'s most credentialled Spanish-Latin restaurants, ranked #46 on OAD Top Restaurants in North America (2025) and holding a Michelin Plate. Chef Enrique Limardo's ingredient-driven menu — arroz, reimagined tapas, and sharing mains — justifies the $$$$ price point. Book well in advance; this one is hard to get into.
Yes — if Spanish-Latin cooking at the top tier of D.C.'s dining scene matches what you're celebrating. The Saga holds an OAD Leading Restaurants in North America ranking of #46 for 2025 (up from #77 in 2024 and #32 in 2023, suggesting a kitchen that's still climbing), a Michelin Plate, and a 4.5 on Google across nearly 300 reviews. For a $$$$ night out anchored in bold, ingredient-driven cooking, this is one of the clearest yeses on the D.C. map.
Walk into The Saga and the first thing you register is restraint: cream walls, pale wood, glass, and almost no visual noise. The minimalist interior, positioned just beside The Ritz-Carlton on 22nd St NW, signals that the kitchen is the point — not the décor. That calculation pays off. The menu, built by Enrique Limardo (the force behind Imperfecto), takes Spanish classics as its foundation and pulls in Latin American technique and flavour at every turn. It is a combination that sounds familiar on paper but reads with genuine conviction on the plate.
The ingredient choices here are not incidental. Dishes like the arroz morada , pink-hued rice built around a salt-baked beet purée, roasted vegetables, fava beans, and a pine nut vinaigrette , show a kitchen that sources and prepares with specificity. The beet is not a garnish; it is the structural decision that makes the dish. The pan con tomate and patatas bravas, both reimagined from their Catalan and Spanish originals, demonstrate similar care: these are not lifted wholesale from a tapas template. The lamb shoulder, sized for sharing, anchors the meat-forward main section for tables that want something substantial to centre the meal.
The arroz section is worth particular attention. Devoting an entire menu category to rice is a commitment , it signals a kitchen focused on technique over crowd-pleasing breadth, and the arroz morada alone justifies that decision. For the right diner, this is exactly the kind of ingredient-led editorial cooking that warrants a $$$$ price point. For someone who wants a wider survey of Spanish classics without the reinterpretation, [Del Mar](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/del-mar-washington-dc-restaurant) or [Xiquet by Danny Lledo](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/xiquet-by-danny-lledo-washington-dc-restaurant) may be a more comfortable fit.
Saga has moved from #32 to #77 to #46 across three consecutive OAD North America rankings , an uneven climb that nonetheless confirms it belongs in the top tier of the continent's Spanish and contemporary dining rooms. For a special occasion where the credential matters as much as the food itself (a business dinner, an anniversary, a milestone birthday), that ranking provides cover. You are not taking a risk; you are booking a kitchen that reviewers with serious track records have consistently placed at a high level. Comparable benchmark restaurants nationally include [Le Bernardin in New York City](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/le-bernardin), [Alinea in Chicago](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/alinea), and [The French Laundry in Napa](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/the-french-laundry) , The Saga occupies a similar tier of intent and execution in its own category, if a different register entirely. Internationally, [ZURRIOLA in Tokyo](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/zurriola-tokyo-restaurant) and [Arco by Paco Pérez in Gdańsk](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/arco-by-paco-prez-gdask-restaurant) represent the kind of serious Spanish cooking this kitchen is in conversation with.
Against the rest of D.C.'s $$$$ tier, The Saga sits in a distinct lane. [Albi](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/albi) and [Causa](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/causa-washington-dc-restaurant) both operate in the same price band and are comparably hard to book; Albi is the stronger choice if you want Middle Eastern flavour profiles, Causa if Peruvian-Japanese technique is the draw. [Bresca](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/bresca) and [Gravitas](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/gravitas) lean further into New American and contemporary French registers. [Oyster Oyster](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/oyster-oyster-washington-dc-restaurant) is worth noting for plant-forward diners at a lower price point. The Saga is the right call specifically when Spanish-Latin cooking with genuine ingredient focus is the goal , it does not try to be everything, which is part of what makes it work.
If The Saga is fully booked or the Spanish-Latin format is not the right match, [Xiquet by Danny Lledo](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/xiquet-by-danny-lledo-washington-dc-restaurant) is the most direct D.C. alternative for serious Spanish cooking. For broader D.C. options across all price points and cuisines, see our full guides: [Washington, D.C. restaurants](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/washington-dc), [Washington, D.C. bars](https://www.joinpearl.co/bars/washington-dc), [Washington, D.C. hotels](https://www.joinpearl.co/hotels/washington-dc), [Washington, D.C. wineries](https://www.joinpearl.co/wineries/washington-dc), and [Washington, D.C. experiences](https://www.joinpearl.co/experiences/washington-dc). For travellers comparing Spanish cooking across other cities, [Lazy Bear in San Francisco](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/lazy-bear), [Emeril's in New Orleans](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/emerils-new-orleans-restaurant), and [Single Thread Farm in Healdsburg](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/single-thread) illustrate the range of ambition operating at this level nationally.
Come prepared to share. The format is tapas and small plates alongside larger mains, so the table is the unit , not the individual plate. Order across sections: the reimagined tapas (pan con tomate, patatas bravas), at least one arroz dish, and a main to share. The room is quiet and spare, which suits conversation. At $$$$ in D.C., you should expect to spend accordingly on drinks as well as food.
The sharing format is well-suited to groups of four to six; the small plates structure means the table builds naturally around multiple dishes. For larger groups or private dining, contact the restaurant directly , no booking details are confirmed in Pearl's database, so call or check availability online when you reserve.
The menu includes vegetable-forward dishes (the arroz morada with beet purée, fava beans, and roasted vegetables is one example), but the kitchen skews meat-forward overall and the concept is not built around dietary alternatives. If restrictions are significant, contact the restaurant before booking , Pearl does not have confirmed dietary policy details on file.
Yes, clearly. OAD Top 50 in North America, a Michelin Plate, and a minimalist room next to The Ritz-Carlton all position this as a credentialled, occasion-appropriate dinner. It is a better fit than most D.C. $$$$ options if you want something that reads as serious without being stiff. For a louder, more atmospheric celebration, [Albi](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/albi) may suit better; for a quieter, more intimate setting, The Saga is the stronger choice.
For Spanish cooking specifically, [Xiquet by Danny Lledo](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/xiquet-by-danny-lledo-washington-dc-restaurant) and [Del Mar](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/del-mar-washington-dc-restaurant) are the closest comparisons. For $$$$ dining in other cuisines: [Bresca](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/bresca) for modern French, [Causa](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/causa-washington-dc-restaurant) for Peruvian-Japanese, and [Albi](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/albi) for Middle Eastern. If budget flexibility matters, [Oyster Oyster](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/oyster-oyster-washington-dc-restaurant) at $$$ delivers serious cooking at a lower price point.
Pearl does not have confirmed tasting menu details on file for The Saga. What the awards record and menu structure do confirm is that the kitchen operates at a level where a structured, multi-course format would be consistent with the concept. If a tasting menu is available when you book, the OAD #46 ranking gives reasonable grounds to trust the kitchen's editorial choices across courses. Verify directly when reserving.
Go in with a plan: the menu rewards navigation. Tapas and small plates anchor the early meal, the arroz section is a genuine highlight, and mains are sized for sharing rather than solo plates. The room at 1190 22nd St NW is deliberately understated — cream, pale wood, glass — so the food carries the show. At $$$$, expect to order several courses to get the full picture, and note that The Saga has held OAD Top Restaurants in North America placement across three consecutive years, which is the clearest external benchmark for what you're paying for.
The sharing-format menu makes The Saga a reasonable choice for small groups of 4 to 6, since mains and large plates are explicitly sized for the table. For larger parties, check the venue's official channels — no private dining details are confirmed in current records. Parties looking for a guaranteed private-room option may want to call ahead before committing, given the $$$$ spend per head.
The menu skews meat-forward on main courses, but the arroz and vegetable sections offer real options — the arroz morada, for instance, is built around beet purée, roasted vegetables, fava beans, and pine nut vinaigrette. No specific allergy or dietary accommodation policy is documented publicly, so flag any restrictions when booking rather than assuming the kitchen will surface options unprompted.
Yes, with the right expectations. The Saga holds a Michelin Plate and an OAD #46 North America ranking for 2025, which puts it at the credentialed end of D.C.'s $$$$ tier. The minimalist room is stylish without being loud, which works for dinners where conversation matters. If you want theatrical tableside production or a set tasting-menu format, this is not that restaurant — the Spanish-Latin sharing format is the occasion itself.
Xiquet by Danny Lledo is the closest direct comparison for Spanish cooking in D.C. and worth checking if The Saga is fully booked. For a different angle on ambitious, ingredient-driven cooking at the $$$$ tier, Bresca and Gravitas are both credentialed alternatives. Albi and Causa occupy the same upper range but with Middle Eastern and Peruvian focuses respectively, so they serve a different brief rather than a substitute one.
No tasting menu format is confirmed in current records for The Saga — the documented structure is à la carte small plates, arroz courses, and shared mains. At $$$$, the spend adds up through ordering rather than through a set sequence. That format suits tables that want to control pacing and focus on specific sections like the arroz dishes, but it means the value calculation depends on how deliberately you order rather than on a fixed menu price.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
