Rose's Luxury

Critics declared this quirky little labor-of-love in Barracks Row one of D.C.’s best restaurants almost as soon as it opened in October 2013. Bon Appetit magazine named Rose’s Luxury the country’s best new restaurant in 2014 and and GQ magazine placed Rose’s at the top of its 2015 listing of America’s 25 most outstanding restaurants. Its success comes down to endearing service, an eclectic décor of antiques and pretty fabrics and china, and a simple menu of unexpected combinations of tastes. Though the menu changes frequently, it almost always includes a pork sausage, habanero and lychee salad among its small plates and the smoked brisket served with white bread and horseradish, one of two dishes served family style. Rose’s does not accept reservations, a policy a lot of people really hate. But the thing to do is to arrive an hour or two in advance of the time you’d like to eat, get on the list and give the receptionist your cell phone number, then head upstairs to the cute bar for a drink, or wander 8th Street until the restaurant calls to say your table is ready. Rose’s does accept reservations for its $125 per person dinner served on the rooftop garden in warm weather. By the time you read this, Rose’s will have a sister right next door that will be a fine dining restaurant---and accept reservations.