Washington’s restaurant industry celebrated its biggest night of the year as the 2026 RAMMY Awards recognized the chefs, restaurants, bars and hospitality professionals shaping the region’s dining scene.
Hosted by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW), the 44th Annual RAMMY Awards honored excellence across nearly two dozen categories, from fine dining and new restaurants to cocktails, bakeries and service.
This year’s ceremony introduced a refreshed format with celebrations held at Arena Stage and The Anthem, while also adding a brand-new Content Creator of the Year category to recognize influential voices in the local food community.
From acclaimed fine dining destinations to neighborhood favorites, here’s a look at the biggest winners from the 2026 RAMMY Awards.
Who won the 2026 RAMMY Awards?
Several of the Washington area’s most celebrated restaurants and hospitality professionals walked away with top honors during the 2026 ceremony, showcasing the diversity and strength of the region’s food scene.
While most categories were selected by a panel of anonymous judges, several fan-favorite awards were decided through public voting.
Some of the night’s biggest winners included:
- Formal Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year: Albi
- New Restaurant of the Year: The Occidental
- Upscale Casual Restaurant of the Year: Perry’s
- Casual Restaurant of the Year: Tsehay Ethiopian
- Fast Casual Restaurant of the Year: Andy’s Pizza
- Chef of the Year: Matt Conroy and Isabel Coss (The Popal Group)
- Restaurateur of the Year: Fernando González (2Fifty Texas BBQ)
- Wine Program of the Year: Fiola
- Cocktail Program of the Year: Amazonia
- Beer Program of the Year: Pizzeria Paradiso
- Pastry Chef or Baker of the Year: Rose Nguyen (Rose Ave Bakery)
- Service Program of the Year: Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab
Among the publicly voted winners:
- Joia Burger earned Hottest Sandwich Spot of the Year
- Old Ebbitt Grill was named Favorite Gathering Place
- Unconventional Diner won Best Brunch
- Service Bar claimed Best Bar
- DCFoodGod (Tessa Alimahmoodi and Jason Fisher) became the inaugural Content Creator of the Year recipient
What are the RAMMY Awards?
The RAMMY Awards are the Washington metropolitan area’s premier restaurant and hospitality awards, organized annually by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW).
Often described as the local equivalent of the James Beard Awards, the event recognizes outstanding restaurants, chefs, bartenders, bakers, managers and hospitality professionals across Washington, DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia.
In addition to honoring restaurants and industry leaders, the RAMMY Awards also celebrate longstanding businesses through milestone recognitions and present special honors for individuals and organizations that have made lasting contributions to the region’s hospitality community.
The 2026 awards also recognized Mayor Muriel Bowser with the Duke Zeibert Capital Achievement Award, while establishments including The Diner, La Chaumière, Giant Food, and The St. Regis Washington, D.C. received milestone honors for serving the community for decades.
As Washington’s dining scene continues to evolve, the RAMMY Awards remain one of the industry’s most prestigious celebrations, highlighting the restaurants and hospitality professionals that continue to make the region one of the country’s top culinary destinations.
