Cranes — Restaurant in Washington

If you're looking to dip your toe into the D.C. Michelin dining scene, then Cranes is a great place to start! They're cheaper than most other Michelin restaurants in the city (although, absolutely not "cheap" by any means) with tasty food, a gorgeous and relaxing vibe, and the friendliest, most attentive service. We visited for a Friday dinner, and the restaurant was bustling! Even so, we were warmly greeted within seconds of our arrival before taking a seat at their indoor terrace and starting on their omakase. Every one of their eleven-course meal was executed with incredible attention to detail, capturing both authentic Spanish / Japanese flavors with a unique flair.

I started the meal with their faux-jito, a zero-proof "cocktail" with all my favorite things -- yuzu, lemon, and mint. It was a super refreshing way to ease into the meal and wasn't overwhelmingly sweet. The twang from the yuzu / lemon was also the perfect transition into the first course; each of the appetizers had a phenomenal blend of textures, breaking up a soft base with a perfectly crisp, crunchy side. We started with soft tofu in a pool of cherry kombucha topped with a crunchy lotus root -- it was definitely a non-traditional flavor combination, but the textures worked together well and the lightly sweet, sour, tangy, and sparkling kombucha was a great way to get us ready for the meal. This was followed by a salmon tartare topped with avocado and a crispy piece of nori, then some sort of savory mousse with tomato jam and a giant rice cracker.

We followed up these starters with four mains. Cranes did a great job of accommodating my dietary restrictions, so my menu started to diverge from the rest of my group's at this point; all of our meals were fantastic, and it was especially interesting to get to see more of the potential options by glancing over at their plates. Our mains started off with somen noodles in a luxurious, deeply flavorful broth, and perfectly seared scallops. We followed this up with a crispy fish fillet coated in a wonderful white sauce made of corn, and paired with a side of beans. This dish absolutely deserved it's title as our server's favorite -- the sauce had a subtle sweetness, and yet was amazingly rich (despite not having any cream, etc. in it). The fish was perfectly tender and flaky, and the tempura coating remained perfectly crispy despite being doused in the sauce. Our next dish also incorporated a perfectly crisp piece of tempura, although it was much lighter and a great break between two heavier mains / proteins. We had blanched white asparagus in a light, citrusy broth topped with tempura green asparagus. Not only were the asparagus flavorful in a way I never thought possible for asparagus, but it was a texture explosion. I also appreciated how light it was in preparation for our next protein, a fillet of seared monkfish with fava beans and two different sauces -- both fantastically savory with fancy names that I can't remember for the life of me.

Next came our dessert course, which started with my favorite plate -- a strawberry sorbet with a warm matcha foam, and topped with fresh strawberries and strawberry salt. It was a bit of an odd combo, but I loved the way it combined textures, temperatures, and sweet / savory flavor profiles. It was a great transition into the full-blown desserts and was just absolutely stunning. Our main dessert was a gorgeous yuzu cheesecake, served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a pool of passion fruit juice whose acidity helped to break up the rich, sugary goodness. Our final dish was an assortment of tiny, tiny cookies, including guava jelly, mango mochi, and some other type of jam on a mini sugar cookie.

All in all, absolutely recommend a stop to Cranes if you're looking to foray into the D.C. Michelin or fine dining scene. It's a great representation of what the rest of the city has to offer at relatively lower prices (again, emphasis on the...

Coming from a smaller town in Wisconsin this was my first experience at a restraunt of this caliber and first time with a "tasting menu" style meal. Being someone passionate about food, I didn't feel I was going into something out of my element, but I was excited to try food I hoped would be out of my norm/expectations. My wife and I spent hours researching DC restraunts to decide on one spendier place to visit during our trip and Cranes was our final decision. After going, I can say it was an exceptional, lifetime experience and I would highly recommend checking it out. I also hope to answer some of the questions we had going in, here in this review, so anyone who may be as inexperienced as us with bigger city fine dining can get a better idea of what to expect. Do you need a reservation? We made one weeks in advance for 6:30pm so not sure what it looked like as we got closer, but most tables were open for awhile after we got there. Around 7:20pm it really started to pick up and was full by the time we left at a bit after 8 on a Saturday. Is it expensive? Of course. We got the spendier Omakase 8 course tasting menu, which is a solo or shared experience and was a bit over $120 a person. Is it worth it? Absolutely. It was the most interesting and tasty food and most exciting eating experience I have ever been a part of. I love to enjoy food I don't feel like I could create myself and every course was miles above what the average, even experienced chef, could put on a plate for one course. Is it enough food? Yes, I eat in large portions normally, and after 3 courses I was thinking, this may be enough but we'll see, and it for sure was. It comes out of nowhere and we left very full. Is it snooty/how to dress? We weren't quite sure of the vibe before going in, and it is on the higher class end, but in a good way. It's more upscale than expected, but it was absolutely not snooty and it was exactly what you would hope for in a high class dining experience without feeling out of place if you're not in a suit coat and slacks. I maybe wouldn't have felt the most comfortable in shorts/jeans, but no one would've made me feel out of place if I did wear them I don't think. I would say dress casual is the norm and felt comfortable in khakis and a short sleeve button down shirt. I'm not a picky eater, but I am worried about something weird coming out that I might not like on the tasting menu. I'm not picky at all, but I dont love raw fish or oysters due to texture. Even considering those things the Omakase menu has nothing even the pickiest eaters wouldn't like. The "weirdest" thing on the menu was probably a smaller bite of sashimi, but even being someone who doesn't love raw fish it was one of the most delicious bites. Nothing else on the menu is something to worry about at all and it was all delicious. All-in-all it is a highly recommended dining experience and is well worth the price. Take the jump and splurge on a meal at Cranes and you won't regret it. It is an excursion not just a meal and I doubt I will experience anything quite like it again in my life. Unless I make the trip back to DC just to go here. Also the servers/service were/was amazing so huge shoutout to the staff and chefs. We were lucky enough to get to sit next to the open kitchen and watching them work on our amazing plates was a...

I've heard so much about Cranes that I HAD to finally try it. I was intrigued with its Spanish and Japanese cuisine fusion. The first time I went, I took my friend there for his birthday & we both did the chef's tasting (Omakase). My second time was a foodie outing with my fellow foodie friends. They tried the Omakase, and I decided to do the Tapas/ À La Carte.

The dishes I ordered via Tapas & À La Carte:

Tapas: I ordered two oysters & they were incredibly delicious, bursting with flavors. Highly recommend, though a bit pricey.

Tapas: I ordered the Wagyu Short Rib Aburi. It was quite delightful, light, and flavorful. An awesome Tapas dish choice before shifting to À La Carte.

À La Carte: The Octopus (grilled octopus with edamame hummus) was also a knockout 👌🏾 as someone who's not a fan of edamame, I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious the edamame hummus was & how it complemented the entire dish. The octopus was cooked and seasoned to perfection. I certainly recommend ordering this dish. It was my personal favorite on the À La Carte menu.

À La Carte: The Mushroom Rice, a dish one of my friends who frequent Cranes recommended, is also delicious. My only issue was the cheese that came with it (scamorsa). I did not mind it, but it felt unnecessary and did not add much to the dish. The dish overall was very flavorful & filling.

Drinks: I ordered the Spanish G&T and the Tierra Al Sure. They were both delicious, but some of the ice certainly could have been held back.

Overall, I rate this place 4.8 out of 5 stars. It is worth the visit, and I see why it's been Michelin starred. The ambiance is semi-intimate, modern, and intriguing. The wait staff is very polite, accommodating, and informative on each dish/drink, something I greatly appreciate. Perfect for a date night or business meeting. I will highly likely visit again and see about their Happy Hour and lunch.

If you have not been to Cranes before, I would suggest checking out their Happy Hour first before committing to a dinner reservation, especially to consider the price points. Then, eventually shift over to the Omakase and or tapas/à la carte.

Dinner Tapas & À La Carte Suggestion: Carefully review each menu item & order in accordance with your appetite. I think I ordered too much food and had to take some home with me. If I do dinner again, I'll likely order two Tapas dishes & one or two À La...