Rooster & Owl takes its name from husband-and-wife co-founders Yuan and Carey Tang, whose mismatched schedules always found their way back to food together. Chef and owner Yuan Tang runs the kitchen with that same idea of togetherness built into the format: guests assemble their own four-course meal at the table, designed to be passed around and shared rather than eaten solo.
The cooking follows the market, with a seasonal, locally sourced menu that rotates on a rolling basis — the kitchen sets aside one day a week purely for recipe testing and development. Regulars point to a cheese pie, chocolate panna cotta, scallops, and sea bass among the dishes that keep them coming back, alongside a bread service that gets its own mentions.
Rooster & Owl has held a Michelin star every year from 2021 through 2025, and picked up James Beard Foundation semifinalist nods for Best New Restaurant in 2020, Best Chef in 2022, and Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic in 2024. Washingtonian named it to its Best of 2025 list, and The Infatuation scored it a 9/10.
The cooking follows the market, with a seasonal, locally sourced menu that rotates on a rolling basis — the kitchen sets aside one day a week purely for recipe testing and development. Regulars point to a cheese pie, chocolate panna cotta, scallops, and sea bass among the dishes that keep them coming back, alongside a bread service that gets its own mentions.
Rooster & Owl has held a Michelin star every year from 2021 through 2025, and picked up James Beard Foundation semifinalist nods for Best New Restaurant in 2020, Best Chef in 2022, and Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic in 2024. Washingtonian named it to its Best of 2025 list, and The Infatuation scored it a 9/10.