If I could give 6 stars, I would! Impeccable service, flawless Italian food made with the finest ingredients, an immensely talented chef, and great hospitality make Obelisk a gem in DC.
December 2023
Amazing food! Excellent service! Wonderfully quiet and unhurried! Highest recommendation!
October 2023
Very good! Great service and nice quiet place. Loved the appetizers and breadsticks! Delicious burrata too. Not many choices but pasta is delicious!
Best for Italian Because: A well-curated, Italian-influenced menu and intimate setting have helped make Obelisk a longtime D.C. favorite.
This top DC Italian restaurant is run by a modest chef who sails below the radar and does not seek the limelight or TV cameras to confirm his skills. Peter Pastan's slightly bohemian demeanor belies his sound technical cooking skills. The menu changes regularly to reflect what Pastan finds fresh at the market---and what piques his interest. That means that what's there today won't be there tomorrow, most likely. But surely, his rugged, chewy-dense Italian bread with a slightly sourdough taste will be, and it's a good pairing for the sweet butter and small dabs of Italian cheese that come with the cheese course, as well as for mopping up cooking juices. His roast lamb loin, should you be so lucky to find it on the menu, is virtually fork tender with enough flavor to make your heart sing. Other entrée choices: a wedge of sockeye salmon on vegetables and roast quail with chanterelles. You better save your appetite: Pastan's meal comes as five-courses, period, and you really don't want to skip a mouthful. Expensive? Well, yes, but worth every single penny.
