Ris sits in Washington's West End, close enough to the Kennedy Center, Dupont Circle, Georgetown, and the K Street corridor to draw from all of them. Chef/Owner Ris Lacoste runs a kitchen built around menus that shift with the farmers market, pulling together her New England seafood background, classical training in Paris, and a lasting fondness for American diner cooking.
Regulars keep returning for the crab cakes, mussels, and Brussels sprouts finished in a Thai peanut-bacon sauce, along with a scallop appetizer that comes up often in guest praise. The wine list and cocktail program are curated by John Herbert. The restaurant also operates private event space for weddings and other celebrations, and has built a reputation as a go-to spot for special occasions, backed by attentive, chef-owner-engaged service.
Ris has been included in the Michelin Guide for Washington, DC in multiple years running, from 2019 through 2025, and was a James Beard Foundation semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurant in 2023.
Regulars keep returning for the crab cakes, mussels, and Brussels sprouts finished in a Thai peanut-bacon sauce, along with a scallop appetizer that comes up often in guest praise. The wine list and cocktail program are curated by John Herbert. The restaurant also operates private event space for weddings and other celebrations, and has built a reputation as a go-to spot for special occasions, backed by attentive, chef-owner-engaged service.
Ris has been included in the Michelin Guide for Washington, DC in multiple years running, from 2019 through 2025, and was a James Beard Foundation semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurant in 2023.