The Henri — Restaurant in Washington

Wow! An outstanding meal at this new spot just off Pennsylvania Ave, entrance on 13th Street.

Th restaurant is on the ground floor of an office building, windows facing the street. There's a full bar on the left with bar and hightop seating. The dining room is on the right, with the open rotisserie kitchen along the wall. There are a few barstool seats available to watch the action plus 15 or so tables.

Reservations were honored to the minute. Our server, Andres, did a great job explaining the menu and kept the meal moving at an efficient yet leisurely pace. Thank you! Food is served platoon style and everything was delivered as ordered.

We started with a charcuterie board. Choices are made from a variety of meats and soft or hard cheeses. The board is decked out with a few slices of crusty bread, olive oil, pear compote and 2 types of mustard. The prosciutto was earthy and moist, freshly sliced. Cheeses were excellent, though can't remember which I chose. A great start.

Next, a pair of appetizers. 4 head-on prawns are broiled to perfection and plated with sabayon (egg based sauce, infused here with saffron). The shrimp are perfect. Crisp to the bite and well seasoned. The saffron adds a unique taste that really complements the shrimp. Outstanding!

Next, cauliflower couscous. The cauliflower is riced, seasoned and roasted till it has the light, crunchy consistency of couscous. It's enhanced with chopped cranberries and parsnip, a little pistachio butter, topped with wonton crisps and plated with a dollop of yogurt. Super tasty, it's light and airy, crunchy and flavorful.

Also tried wild boar lasagna. Possibly the best lasagna I've ever eaten. Egg noodles are layered with crumbles of wild boar and comte cheese, then topped with black trumpet mushrooms. No tomato sauce is used, but there are shards of stewed tomatoes with the meat. Much lighter than the usual lasagna. This is just sublime. The gamey boar melds with the egg noodles and are set off by the earthy mushrooms and a hint of tomato.

Last but not least, dessert. Tried a quartet of freshly made, still-warm beignets, dredged in cinnamon sugar, served with a cup of ricotta custard topped with pumpkin syrup. Dunk those beignets in the custard... Yaaaaas.

Shout out to one cool feature that I've never seen before... The restrooms have an air hand dryer available as a faucet in the sink. Love me a gadget!

The tab was $129 including 2 glasses of wine. A reasonable price for this delicious food in a sleek new spot....

Belgium (former owner) and French (executive chef) influence can be easily felt throughout the dishes. Each dish, is refined, flavorful and well prepared. The cocktails were original and delicious. As a Frenchman, I was most impressed by the snail croissant. I would have never expected this dish to work, but it did, it was incredible and would return to this establishment just for this particular appetizer. The other dishes were delicious. Although the lamb shank was good, it was on the verge of being dry. However, the polenta and jus that came with it totally made up for it. If you order that dish, ask for a little extra jus, as it was incredibly flavorful and elevated the whole dish.

The service was impeccable, our waiter was attentive and made sure that we would not miss our show time at the theater across the street.

The reason I took two stars away was partly due to the chairs. They were quite uncomfortable, and if you have a coat, you cannot put it on the back of the chair due to their roundness and design. I also wish the tables were a tad larger as it was a bit tight to share dishes. Finally, a quirky thing happened: I ordered an Armagnac as an after dinner drink. What came out was an Italian, clear colored grappa. I had to argue and request to see the bottle just to confirm that I was indeed, right… Our waiter did not charge us for the...

As a wedding / event photographer, I have the opportunity to work at many venues across the city, but my experience at Tjhe Henri was truly outstanding. From the moment I arrived, the staff was incredibly professional, kind, and accommodating—not just to the couple and guests, but also to vendors like myself. Their seamless coordination and attention to detail made the day flow beautifully.

The rooftop event space was stunning, offering fantastic view of the landmarks of the national capital and an elegant city backdrop for portraits and candid moments. It was the perfect balance of modern charm and sophistication.

During the dinner portion of the evening, I was especially impressed by the ambiance and layout of the private dining space. The service team moved effortlessly and made sure every guest felt taken care of, while allowing me the freedom and access to document the moments authentically. On our way out after the coverage, they generously prepared to-go dinner packages for us. This was an unexpected and thoughtful gesture that allowed us to experience firsthand the incredible cuisine The Henri is known for. It was a delicious way to end a fantastic evening.

Henri is not only a culinary gem but also a photographer’s dream venue in the heart of DC. I’m genuinely looking forward to returning for...