New Kitchens on the Block 2026

I love New Kitchens on the Block. I've been going since 2024, and it's one of my favorite events of the year. For the unaware: NKOTB brings together the teams at several restaurants set to open in the region in the upcoming year and gives them space for a pop-up kitchen, allowing attendees to preview soon-to-launch concepts, often from established chefs or restaurant groups. Restaurants come and go, and it's interesting to get a sense of where the energy is and what's trendy in the DMV. I usually go with a few friends; after trying all the dishes on offer, we debrief on our favorites and make some casual predictions for how these fledgling restaurants will fare in the year ahead. Here's what I thought about the nine restaurants at this year's showcase, plus some general observations from the event.

Big line up front: if these restaurants are any indication, meat is in right now. NKOTB always tends to be a bit meat-heavy, but the past two years felt like they had a greater selection of meatless dishes (special shoutout to the sweet potato with pecan-chili agrodolce from Kiln in 2024). This year, there were only two meatless items available (aside from the restaurant which only showcased a dessert - more on that later). Maybe the carnivorous bent of this year's participants reflects the growing popularity of meat-heavy diets and the efforts of Health and Human Services secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to promote meat consumption. That said, none of the meat served was beef, with lamb, goat, chicken, and seafood featuring prominently.

In addition, this year's menus included a wide range of rum, gin, tequila, and mezcal-based cocktails. While D.C. has a strong drinking culture, surveys consistently indicate that Gen Z drinks less than older adults. With only one of the restaurants offering a non-alcoholic version of their cocktail, this could be an area where emerging spots are out of step with current trends.

Now, let's get into this year's restaurants. I'm going to go in the order in which I tried them.

Phia

Cuisine: Appalachian

By: Brad Feickert (Soko Butcher, Koma)

Phia was the first stall I where I stopped, and it was a strong start. This was a cohesive offering, with well-developed flavors in the skewer and cocktail. The Appalachian Skewer was tender and smoky, with crunch and a salty sweetness from the garnishes. A few of these served with a vegetable or potato side to complement would be a satisfying meal. The Sophia cocktail was among my favorite drinks of the day. The carrot, turmeric, and ginger gave it an earthiness which paired nicely with the venison, though the size of the herb garnish made it slightly cumbersome to drink.

Alfie's

Cuisine: Thai

By: Alex McCoy (Lucky Buns, Monstera) and Justin Ahn (Incheon)

Southeast Asian sausages are underappreciated. They use herbs and seasonings which bring out strong umami flavors, and the fine grain makes them almost akin to an especially firm pate. (The Sai Oua at Padaek comes to mind here.) This was one of the less-polished plates at NKOTB, but the sausage tasted delicious and was beautifully seasoned with Thai herbs. I was caught off guard by the mouse chili; a small bite was enough to fill my mouth with a strong but pleasant heat. I could imagine a version of this which is served with whole cabbage leaves and a dipping sauce for diners to create wraps or a pairing of the sausage with a papaya salad which would be successful as a composed dish.

Vesper

Cuisine: New American

By: Rachel Bindel (Tail Up Goat, Lutèce, Gravitas)

I tend to favor gin-based cocktails, so I was predisposed to enjoy the Gardener. The cucumber-lime flavor was light and refreshing, and relying on gin for sweetness kept the overall flavor profile balanced. I also enjoyed the dirty martini chips and dip, as did all of my friends. The dip was creamy, with a strong umami flavor and a bit of funk. While the menu didn't specify ingredients, the various flavors of a dirty martini came through in the dip. This drink-snack combination could be the centerpiece of a fantastic summer happy hour.

Ebbitt House

Cuisine: New England/Mid-Atlantic

By: Clyde's Restaurant Group and Stephen Lyons (The Inn at Little Washington, Matchbox Food Group)

Old Ebbitt Grill and Clyde's of Georgetown are D.C. institutions, and Ebbitt House represents an attempt to extend that brand. This was among the most impressive offerings at NKOTB; the crab roll was almost meal-sized and featured a generous amount of crab meat. The whipped avocado added creaminess, and the lemon tobiko and accompanying lemon slice provided some acidity for balance. The chips were Route 11 potato chips. While that's a perfectly serviceable brand of potato chip, the fact that they weren't house-made means that they added little to the plate in terms of demonstrating Ebbitt House's identity as a restaurant. The crab roll was more than enough to stand on its own, so I'm confused as to why this booth elected to add an unneeded side. I didn't care for the bourbon cocktail, but I also don't care for bourbon cocktails (or, indeed, bourbon), so I acknowledge that others may enjoy this more.

Itiyah

Cuisine: Haitian

By: Sebastien Salomon (The White House, Embassy of Haiti)

Of all the restaurants announced for NKOTB 2026, I was most excited for Itiyah. Haitian food tends to be exceptionally flavorful, and chef Sebastien Solomon has an impressive work history. Fortunately, this dish lived up to my expectations. The plantain was fork-tender but still retained a bit of a toothy bite, the goat was crispy on the outside but soft inside, and the crab salad added a welcome brininess which stood out against the richness of the meat. That being said, this dish would work even better at half the size or shared as an appetizer between two people. The rhum punch was sweet with tropical flavors that mediated but didn't mask the sharpness of the rum. Notably, the Kabrit Neg Mason was probably the most "fine dining" dish presented at NKOTB this year. A higher-end Haitian/Caribbean restaurant would be a welcome addition to the D.C. dining scene, and if this is the kind of menu they plan on serving, then Itiyah could easily slot into that niche and perform well in it.

Little Birdie

Cuisine: Southern

By: Eric Brannon (Matt & Tony's)

Setting aside my distate for anything called a "sammy" (just call it a sandwich), Little Birdie was solid. I'm not sure I fully understand the inclusion of the ahi tuna over crispy rice on the menu; it seems out-of-place in a way which calls into question the cohesive vision for the restaurant. That being said, it tasted good, and the tuna was well-seasoned. The horseradish mayo on top was perhaps gilding the lily a bit, but on the whole this was an enjoyable dish.

As for the chicken sandwiches, they were...chicken sandwiches. Past a certain level of basic competence, fried chicken is fried chicken. You can add spices and seasonings to give it a unique character (see Hot Lola's in Arlington for an excellent example), but fried chicken has such a high floor that it's hard to demarcate "very good" from "exceptional". I appreciated that the sandwiches had a pickle slaw; whether salty or sweet, pickles are an essential element of a fried chicken sandwich, and the textural contrast did enhance the eating experience. Of note: I attended NKOTB with a group of friends who all enjoy spicy food, and we uniformly agreed that the classic sandwich was superior to the Nashville hot version.

I have to give Little Birdie credit for having the event's only non-alcoholic cocktail. While NKOTB always provides canned and bottled beverages, having non-alcoholic options invites a wider array of participants to experience your full menu. The Silkie cocktail was rather herb-forward between the lavender and the gin. I think I enjoyed the idea of it more than the drink itself; adjusting the ingredient ratio to favor honey or lemon slightly more could really make this sing.

Maurizio's

Cuisine: Italian

By: The Cava team and Aris Tsekouras (Melina, Bouboulina Steak)

Maurizio's must be praised for bringing the only clearly vegetarian option this year (the Dirty Martini dip from Vesper is likely vegetarian but without ingredients listed I can't say for sure). As a plate of pasta, the chiocciole alla vodka is satisfying: the vodka sauce is creamy and sticks to the pasta well, and the stracciatella gives it body and richness. Much like Little Birdie, this signature item isn't groundbreaking, but it's well-executed. Using espelette is interesting; when everything else about this plate is Italian, it's a left-field choice to go French for the finish. The pompelmo margarita was a bit too bitter to be enjoyable. Grapefruit, even in cordial form, is bitter, and aperol and tequila elevate that bitterness rather than balancing it.

District Larder Co.

Cuisine: Cured meats/charcuterie

By: Matt Sperber (Any Day Now, The Salt Line, Husk)

If meat is where the energy is in the culinary scene, then District Larder Co. should thrive. They presented a table with a wide array of meats cured and prepared in house and encouraged attendees to compose a charcuterie plate. The capicola, salami, prosciutto, and other hams were all salty and savory, and items like the mortadella had a welcome nuttiness from the pistachios. I did not care for the two pâtés en croûte. Others might enjoy those more than I did, but I only made it one forkful into each. I also won't opine on the old fashioned due to my aforementioned dislike of bourbon cocktails, but one of my dining companions drank it and said it was smooth and had a pleasant flavor.

Unnamed Cafe Concept

Cuisine: Italian

By: Fabio Trabocchi (Fiola, Fiola Mare, Del Mar)

This unnamed cafe served the only dessert of the event, and it was sublime. I can't say enough positive things about these maritozzi. They were light and fluffy, and the dough itself wasn't overly sweet, which allowed the fillings to take center stage. The chocolate hazelnut bun was fine (after all, Nutella is Nutella), but the pistachio cream bun was one of the best things I ate all day. Pistachio may feel a bit played-out right now thanks to the continued prominence of Dubai chocolate, but sometimes things are just popular because they're good. The espresso martini was sweet and paired well with the buns (hardly a surprise, but worth a mention). I can imagine spending a lazy Sunday morning with a cappuccino and a pistachio cream bun, and I eagerly await the day I'll be able to enjoy that at this cafe.

Overall, I enjoyed almost everything I ate at NKOTB this year. Many of the dishes were either successful as-is or could be improved with only slight tweaks (and of course, these teams were presenting their food in pop-up kitchens rather than full restaurant kitchens). When I go to NKOTB, my friends and I like to debrief afterward with a few superlative categories. I'll close with some of those.

Best Bite: Appalachian skewer from Phia, with the pistachio cream maritozzo from Fabio Trabocchi a close second

Best Overall: Itiyah

Most Likely to Become a Critical Darling/Land on the Washingtonian Hot 100: Itiyah

Most Likely to Become a Neighborhood Favorite: Alfie's

Best for Out-of-town Family: Little Birdie

Thank you for reading this write-up. I'm excited to write more about food and restaurants. The DMV food scene is rich and varied, and there's so much to discover and discuss.