The Dabney

Reviews

• Kirsten G.

  star star star star star 9 June 2026

  Thoroughly enjoyed the experience at The Dabney! The food was delicious. Flavorful and unique with well thought out combinations. Everyone was very welcoming and attentive during our visit.
  
  My favorite dish was the heirloom tomato toast, closely followed by the quail! Also you can't go wrong with the butterscotch pie!

• Meredith G.

  star star star star star 7 June 2026

  Been waiting a little over a year to get a reservation here and finally was able to last week with a friend.  Safe to say it did not disappoint.  We started with the dragonfly cheese which was a nice way to start the meal, with some of the house made ciabatta.  Next up we had the Maryland crab, which was an interesting flavor combination and would definitely order again.  After that, we had the figs which were okay but not super memorable.  Then we had the cornbread, which the photos did not do justice.  And finally, we had quail which was probably my favorite thing of the night except for the incredibly small portion size.  Of course, we had to end the meal with dessert so we had a baked Virginia.  It was okay, not my favorite thing of the night, but definitely a good dessert.  
  
  The service was impeccable as was the restaurant space.  Amazing experience and can't wait to go back!!

• Julien S.

  star star star star star 29 May 2026

  Came in last week for my girlfriend's birthday, Megan was our bartender and was so amazing. Will continue to be our favorite restaurant in DC.
  
  Her and the chef created a custom menu entirely for my girlfriend, who can't eat dairy wheat or eggs. Most places make her self conscious about it, but The Dabne goes above and beyond.
  
  Also 5 star food and cocktails.

• Lindsay F.

  star star star star star 20 May 2026

  5 stars for a restaurant with a great atmosphere, amazing chefs, and even better food.
  
  To start we got the charred eggplant dip which was delicious, and I don't normally like eggplant. We also ordered the dragonfly cheese, which had a great mix of flavors.
  
  For dinner, we got a variety of small plates including:  
  - chared bok choy, loved this dish the smoked honey made it
  - maryland blue crab, deciduous
  - cat fish slidders, probably the table favorite
  - roasted spring vegetables, yum
  - heritage chicken, the mix of flavors was good, needed something else flavor-wise, but regardless still good
  - pork belly, also a hit
  
  For dessert, we got the sweet brown butter corn cake which was unreal. I loved the combination of flavors. We also got the baked virginia which was made with chocolate chess & roasted peanut ice cream. As a chocolate lover, this was my favorite!
  
  I also recommend the practice what you peach cocktail, which was made with el velo blanco tequila, grilled peach, lime, & basil. I don't typically like sweet drinks but this one was the perfect amount of sweet and tangy.
  
  All around loved our visit. The atmosphere was lovely, the open kitchen beautiful, and the food delicious. We will be back!

• Brent B.

  star star star star star_border 15 May 2026

  4 stars for a solid restaurant that knows how to execute.
  
  My wife and I had been looking to check out The Dabney, located in Blagden Alley via an entrance that isn't the most obvious, for quite some time now. When we had a couple friends who were celebrating a new job, we decided to grab some reservations (9pm was the earliest it had) and check out one of the top ranked restaurants in the city.
  
  We arrived at the venue and were guided over to our table. The restaurant has a large open concept setup with a look that screams cozy farm to table. Our waitress brought us over the menus, asked if we had been here before, and then proceeded to tell us how everything would work. She was very friendly and informative and generally provided pretty solid service (although we didn't see her as much near the end of the meal).
  
  We started off our meal with some of the famous $5 catfish sliders. The sliders were pretty solid, but the insane hype associated with them (our waitress called them the best sliders in the country) may have built up my expectations a little too much. As we were eating our sliders, the staff brought out some tasty bread and our drinks. I decided to try the Mr. Peanut drink, which was super fun and worked well with the rest of our dishes.
  
  As this venue generally follows what I call the "American tapa" style approach, we put in our order for a variety of options. Most of the options, except for the lamb dish, were actually pretty moderately priced. Items such as the veggies, tomatoes and quail all came out in short order. I could tell that each item was wonderfully crafted with the utmost attention to detail. While none of the items blew me away in terms of taste, I appreciated eating such quality food.
  
  After finishing what I would term our appetizers, our lamb trey soon made its way out. While the lamb is pricey, it is still pretty reasonable for a Michelin star restaurant and lives up to the price in terms of presentation and taste. This was my favorite part of the meal as we tried several different cuts and styles of lamb that were all wonderful and delicious. We then finished our meal with some complimentary cookies and headed on our way.
  
  Overall, The Dabney provided us with a quality American dining experience. While I think the rankings and hype kept me from feeling blown away by the meal, the venue, service and food (especially at the price point) delivered a solid meal and a memorable evening.