2025 was a bad year for restaurants in DC, as a record number of restaurants closed. Here are the places that I will miss.

Tabla

Tabla was a Georgian restaurant located on Georgia Avenue (“Georgian on Georgia”). It was a spin off of one of my favorite restaurants, Supra. It was designed to be less formal than Supra; a fun place to hang out after work. Opening during the height of the COVID pandemic, it survived for 5 tumultuous years. Thankfully, Supra is still open.

Terrapin Station

Terrapin Station has been a favorite of mine ever since it opened in the site of the former Hard Times Cafe in College Park, Maryland.

It was a bar and grill with a menu consisting of pub food. The highlight, at least for me, was their burgers. At $20 each, they were expensive. But worth it. They were big, juicy, and delicious. But even better was the sides. You could upgrade from fries to a “side” salad. Side is in quotes because these sides were big enough to be a meal. You could choose any of their entree salads as a side: Caesar, Wedge, Greek Cobb, and Kale (an Asian style salad with Napa cabbage and Kale). They were all fantastic.

Terrapin Station closed in late 2025, with a promise to reopen with “a new experience”. Hopefully that will happen soon. Their original location, Olney Station, is still open.

Uno Mas

Uno Mas was a Mexican restaurant near the Petworth metro station. I liked to go there for Saturday brunch, but I’ve been all times of the day.

One of the highlights of the menu was their freshly made guacamole. The guacamole was made right at the table, in a stone bowl. This is common in the southwest; less so in DC.

I’ve also had their tacos and moles. But a dish I want to highlight is not Mexican but Tex-Mex. I had a Steak Fajita one evening and I was astounded that it was mostly steak! Juicy and delicious!

Petite Cerise

Petite Cerise was a French restaurant in the Shaw neighborhood, not far from the Convention Center.

I first encountered them at a “Taste of Shaw” event, and later went there during Restaurant Week. It was not my favorite French restaurant (which closed last year), but I still enjoyed Petite Cerise.

For restaurant week, they had a prefix menu, where you picked an appetizer, entree, and dessert from a small list. My favorite was the Cream of Cauliflower Soup. It was very creamy, and had good texture, provided by croutons. A dollop of lobster gave it some protein. I also tried their cocktails. My favorite was the Pomme Sour.

Petite Cerise closed on August 24.

Haikan

Haikan was a ramen bar in the Shaw neighborhood. It had been there 10 years, but I only recently discovered it and was amazed by the quality of their ramen. It closed 2 months later.

Hill Country Barbecue Market

Hill Country Barbecue Market was a central Texas style barbecue restaurant on 7th Street in DC, near the Archives metro station. I went there a lot during the COVID pandemic, when I needed a place to eat after an evening run. It was a great place to take out of town guests. Most people loved it, except for a few purists from Texas. The DC location closed in March. The original, New York location is still open.

Shilling Canning Company

Located in the Navy Yard area, Shilling Canning Company was a favorite place of mine. I discovered it when they hosted an ice cream social. After that, I regularly went there. Often this was after seeing a play nearby.

Shilling was a farm to table restaurant. The owner’s family owned a farm in rural Maryland, and I loved that connection. Partner farms were listed on the menu. Food was sourced from about a dozen farms, mostly from Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. The farthest was in Columbia, South Carolina.

Main courses included Rib Eye, Braised Short Rib, and Buttermilk Fried Amish Chicken. My favorite was the Wood Fired Bluefin Tuna. Shilling closed in October. The owners have a new restaurant in Union Market, Cowbell Seafood & Oyster

Rock Bottom Brewery

Rock Bottom Brewery is a nationwide chain, headquartered in Denver. Until this year, they had a location in Bethesda, right on Norfolk Avenue.

I was there once, in mid-2024. My recollection was that while the service was a little slow, the food was pretty good. I loved the beer selection, all of which were made in house. I ordered a flight: one sour, two Hefeweizen, one seltzer, and one stout. I liked them all, but my favorite was a peach flavored Hefeweizen.

For my meal, I ordered the Jalapeno burger with a side of crispy Brussels sprouts. Both were very good, but my favorite part of the meal was the carrot cake I had for dessert. It was made with once of the house beers. It was moist and delicious. And filling. I saved half of it for another meal.

The Rock Bottom Brewery location in Bethesda closed in April. According to Bethesda Magazine, they had been there for 30 years. Rock Bottom’s web site lists 17 other locations. Most are in Colorado, but there is one on Illinois and one in Boston.

Your favorite?

Do you have a favorite restaurant that closed in 2025? If so, please share.