Last night, the greats of DC’s restaurant world—and their allies and fans—came together at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center for the 43rd Annual Rammy Awards & Gala. The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) announced the 2025 Rammy Award winners.
Uniting restaurateurs, chefs, managers, servers, owners, sommeliers, a myriad of other restaurant industry professionals, and loving guests, the awards
The gala began with an opening reception, a seafood-focused portion of the evening featuring a freshly shucked oyster bar, as well as shrimp and tuna, along with tunes from Black Alley Band.
At the top of the Awards Ceremony, RAMW president Shawn Townsend kicked off his remarks stating that DC’s restaurant scene is “innovative, resilient, and full of life.” Townsend mentioned the longstanding fight over I-82, which the City Council addressed just last week, as well as the continued fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.
He continued that, from power-lunch origins, D.C. has “grown into a city with Michelin stars, world-class diversity on every menu, and a reputation as one of the best dining destinations in the world.”
“We’ve built community,” he said.
New this year is the Best Fast Casual award, which was snagged by the relatively new and highly popular taco spot, La Tejana.
New Restaurant of the Year went to La’ Shukran, the Middle Eastern, slightly hidden Levantine restaurant/lounge by Union Market. Chef Michael Rafidi runs La’Shukran; last year, he received the “Outstanding Chef” award as well. Carlos Delgado of Causa/Amazonia was named Chef of the Year for 2025.
After the ceremony, the evening’s highlight: tasting stations from the area’s top chefs, restaurants, and foodservice organizations. Hundreds of guests tasted, sipped, and shimmied to live music. Also on the dance floor: all four Washington Nationals Presidents mascots, who took selfies with adoring foodie/baseball fans. Finally, the floor was lined with activations, including one by Amazon at National Landing, and even a sports arcade complete with air hockey and basketball. Events DC, Wonder (a new food hall) and Downtown BID also had lounges.
Music was provided by DJ Rise, Lost Kings, and Too Much Talent.
For these awards this year, any RAMW member in good standing, who met all category eligibility requirements, was able to be nominated in the restaurant, individual award, and publicly voted categories. An anonymous panel of judges determined all Finalists and winners except for the winners of the four publicly-voted categories, which were decided by public vote earlier this year, and the Joan Hisaoka Allied Member of the Year category, whose finalists were nominated by peers and the winner was selected by RAMW’s Executive Committee.
The Rammy Awards & Gala honors the exceptional ability and accomplishments of the hard-working individuals and organizations of the Washington, DC region’s restaurant and foodservice community.
The 2025 Rammys winners are (*denotes publicly voted category):
- Allied Member of the Year: Keany Produce & Gourmet
- Beer Program of the Year: Atlas Brew Works
- *Best Bar of the Year: Tune Inn Restaurant and Bar
- *Best Brunch of the Year: Le Diplomate
- Casual Restaurant of the Year: 2Fifty Texas BBQ
- Chef of the Year: Carlos Delgado – Causa/Amazonia
- Cocktail Program of the Year: Jane Jane
- Employee of the Year: Juan Sanchez – Cafe du Parc and Willard’s Peacock Alley
- Fast Casual Restaurant of the Year: La Tejana
- *Favorite Gathering Place of the Year: The Dew Drop Inn
- Formal Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year: MITA
- *Hottest Sandwich Spot of the Year: Jetties
- Manager of the Year: Lorena Reyes – Founding Farmers
- New Restaurant of the Year: La’ Shukran
- Pastry Chef or Baker of the Year: Alicia Wang – Yellow/Albi/La’ Shukran
- Restaurateur of the Year: Seng Luangrath – Baan Mae, Padaek, and Thip Khao
- Rising Culinary Star of the Year: Suresh Sundas – Daru
- Service Program of the Year: El Cielo
- Upscale Casual Restaurant of the Year: Tail Up Goat
- Wine Program of the Year: Era Wine Bar
Last month, RAMW presented several awards to commemorate decades of leadership in the restaurant industry, as well as announced the Allied Member of the Year at the Rammys Honors Cocktail Reception on July 1 at the Schuyler at the Hamilton Hotel. Awards were presented to:
- Ruth Gresser, 2025 Duke Zeibert Capital Achievement Award
- Virginia Ali & The Ben’s Chili Bowl Foundation, 2025 John G. Laytham Exceptional Leadership Award
- Linda Roth, 2025 Honorary Rammy Award
RAMW also presented Honorary Milestone Awards to long-standing restaurants in DC, Maryland, and Virginia that have reached significant anniversaries of service:
Washington, D.C. Honorees:
- Bistrot du Coin, celebrating 25 years of service
- Chef Geoff’s, celebrating 25 years of service
- Bobby Van’s Steakhouse, celebrating 25 years of service
Maryland Honoree:
- Caribbean Superior, celebrating 25 years of service
Virginia Honorees:
- Heidelberg Bakery, celebrating 50 years of service
- Celebrity Delly, celebrating 50 years of service
More photos from the evening are below.
