{"id":45232,"date":"2026-10-06T23:23:22","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T23:23:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/45232\/"},"modified":"2026-10-06T23:23:22","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T23:23:22","slug":"these-northern-virginia-restaurants-are-prestigious-2026-rammys-award-finalists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/45232\/","title":{"rendered":"These Northern Virginia Restaurants Are Prestigious 2026 RAMMYS Award Finalists"},"content":{"rendered":"

The RAMMYS recognize excellence across the DC metro area\u2019s restaurant community.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tBy Debbie Williams\t\t\t\t\t\u2022<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tPosted April 7, 2026 at 10:00 a.m.\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Joon\"
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJoon (Photo by Michael Butcher)<\/p>\n

Several Northern Virginia restaurants have been named RAMMYS award finalists. The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW)\u2019s program recognizes excellence across DC\u2019s restaurant and food service community.<\/p>\n

\"Elyse\"\"Elyse\"Elyse (Photo by Michael Butcher)<\/p>\n

Fairfax\u2019s modern American restaurant Elyse is a contender for Formal Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year. Helmed by chef Jonathan Krinn, Elyse is one of Northern Virginia Magazine\u2018s 50 Best Restaurants of 2025. Our food critics said Krinn\u2019s monthly tasting menu \u201cunfolds like a garden poem \u2026 This meal is a masterclass in storytelling, told one plated chapter at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vienna Persian eatery Joon, also a 2025 Best Restaurant, is in the running for Upscale Casual Restaurant of the Year.<\/p>\n

Alexandria\u2019s Matt & Tony\u2019s and Arlington\u2019s Ruthie\u2019s All Day are finalists for Best Brunch of the Year. Ruthie\u2019s chef Matt Hill is opening a second location in Fairfax Corner this spring. Ruthie\u2019s is also on our Best Restaurants list, and Hill and Krinn were both part of our April \u201cWhere Chefs Eat\u201d cover story.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"Matt Hill at Ruthie\u2019s All-Day (Photo by Michael Butcher)<\/p>\n

Three more restaurants with NoVA locations \u2014 Andy\u2019s Pizza, Call Your Mother, and Queen Mother\u2019s Kitchen \u2014 are candidates for Fast Casual Restaurant of the Year. Taquer\u00eda Xochi, which has an Arlington location, is in the running for Casual Restaurant of the Year. And Arlington\u2019s Celebrity Delly is a finalist for Hottest Sandwich Spot of the Year. <\/p>\n

\u201cAt The RAMMYS, you\u2019re immersed in the full experience of what makes the DC region such a powerhouse for dining,\u201d Shawn Townsend, president and CEO of RAMW, said in a release. \u201cThese Finalists aren\u2019t just doing exceptional work, they\u2019re also elevating the standard and creating the kind of special moments that keep people coming back and talking about the Washington region as a world-class dining destination. That momentum is real, and it keeps on growing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Winners will be announced at The RAMMYS awards ceremony on June 29 at DC\u2019s Arena Stage.<\/p>\n

Feature photo of Joon by Michael Butcher<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tGet the latest food and drink news and restaurant reviews in our weekly Food & Drink newsletter.\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The RAMMYS recognize excellence across the DC metro area\u2019s restaurant community. By Debbie Williams \u2022 Posted April 7, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. Joon (Photo by Michael Butcher) Several Northern Virginia restaurants have been named RAMMYS award finalists. The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW)\u2019s program recognizes excellence across DC\u2019s restaurant and food service community. Elyse<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":45233,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[3175,3173,3171,3174,3172],"class_list":["post-45232","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-virginia","tag-virginia","tag-virginia-dining","tag-virginia-food","tag-virginia-grocery-stores","tag-virginia-restaurants"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/vive.im\/@dc\/117396544176170236","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45232","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45232"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45232\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45233"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45232"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45232"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45232"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}