On Sunday night in D.C., chefs, restaurant workers, bloggers, journalists, and more gathered at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center for the 2025 RAMMY Awards, a black-tie ‘do to celebrate the best of D.C.’s culinary scene.
The event, organized by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington, seeks to recognize the accomplishments of the people and organizations that contributed to the D.C. region’s restaurant and food service industry. The winners are chosen by an anonymous panel, with the exception of a few publicly voted categories.
Shawn Townsend, President and CEO of the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington, kicked off the event by thanking Mayor Bowser and the D.C. Council for recently rolling back the phasing out of the tipped minimum wage.
Chef of the Year went to Carlos Delgado of Causa | Amazonia, who brought his five-year-old son on stage with him. Suresh Dundas at Daru was named Rising Culinary Star of the Year to big cheers. (Have you had Daru’s black daal burrata? It’s a must.) And Restauranteur of the Year, the night’s biggest prize, went to Laotian chef Seng Luangrath of Baan Mae, Thip Khao and Padaek. Accepting the award through tears, she said she was a self-taught chef and was especially proud that D.C. is home to the Lao Food Movement.
The restaurant industry is always known for being a tough business but a theme running throughout the awards this year was that it’s harder than ever. When the folks at Tail Up Goat won a RAMMY for best Upscale Casual Restaurant of the Year, they noted the irony that they weren’t the only restaurant in their category that’s preparing to close. “There’s never been a harder time to do what we do,” they said.
Full list of 2025 RAMMY Award winners
(*publicly voted category)
New Restaurant of the Year: La’ Shrukan (Union Market)
Cocktail Program of the Year: Jane Jane (14th Street Corridor)
Beer Program of the Year: Atlas Brew Works (Ivy City, Navy Yard, Alexandria)
Wine Program of the Year: Era Wine Bar (Mount Rainier, Md.)
Service Program of the Year: Elcielo (Union Market)
Casual Restaurant of the Year: 2Fifty Texas BBQ (Mount Vernon Triangle and Riverdale Park, Md.)
Fast Casual Restaurant of the Year: La Tejana (Mount Pleasant)
Upscale Casual Restaurant of the Year: Tail Up Goat (Adams Morgan)
Formal Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year: Mita (Shaw)
Rising Culinary Star of the Year: Suresh Sundas, Daru (H Street Corridor)
Restaurant Employee of the Year: Juan Sanchez, Café du Parc and Willard’s Peacock Alley (Downtown)
Restaurant Manager of the Year: Lorena Reyes, Founding Farmers (Downtown and Rockville, Md.)
Pastry Chef or Baker of the Year: Alicia Wang, YELLOW/Albi/La’ Shukran (Navy Yard, Georgetown, Union Market)
Chef of the Year: Carlos Delgado, Causa | Amazonia (Blagden Alley)
Restaurateur of the Year: Seng Luangrath, Baan Mae/Thip Khao/Padaek (Shaw, Columbia Heights, Falls Church, Arlington)
*Favorite Gathering Place of the Year: Dew Drop Inn (Brookland)
*Best Brunch of the Year: Le Diplomate (14th Street Corridor)
*Hottest Sandwich Spot of the Year: Jetties (Multiple locations)
*Best Bar of the Year: Tune Inn (Capitol Hill)
