Lutèce

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Roman Name, a Georgetown Address

The name goes back further than Paris. Lutetia was the Roman settlement that eventually became the French capital, and Lutèce — D.C.'s first French neobistro — borrows that layered sense of history deliberately. The space on Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown carries its own story too: for sixteen years it was Café Bonaparte, the Popal family's beloved crêperie, a reminder of the immigrant journey that brought them to this neighborhood more than three decades ago. That continuity matters here. Lutèce is not a concept dropped into a generic room — it grew out of something real.

The Kitchen and the Philosophy

Chef-partner Matt Conroy leads the kitchen, drawing from the Parisian neo-bistro movement: exceptional food in a humble space, with menus that change weekly to follow what the surrounding region is producing. The approach is one of simplicity, resourcefulness, and originality — French technique applied with genuine creative freedom rather than reverence for its own sake. Small plates and large-format mains made for sharing sit alongside thoughtful desserts and a short list of house cocktails built around French apéritif culture.

The team around Conroy includes Chef de Cuisine Bruno Enciso, Pastry Chef Ana Sofia Pino, and General Manager Nate Miller — a tight group that has helped Lutèce earn recognition well beyond Washington. The New York Times listed it among the 50 Most Exciting Restaurants in America; Washingtonian placed it fifth on its 100 Very Best Restaurants list; the Michelin Guide has taken notice; and it was named RAMMY's Upscale Casual Restaurant of the Year. The wine program, rooted in natural, biodynamic, and sustainably farmed bottles, earned a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in 2025 — recognition that reflects how seriously the list is built and maintained.

The Wine at the Center

Wine is not an afterthought at Lutèce. The list is focused and French, weighted toward natural and biodynamic producers, and designed to move alongside the food rather than compete with it. For those who want to go deeper, the Lutèce Wine Club delivers a monthly selection of two curated organic and biodynamic bottles — standout producers, unusual varietals, bottles the team genuinely wants to share. The restaurant has also hosted winemaker dinners and producer evenings that bring the people behind the labels into the dining room.

What to Expect

The room is intimate and candlelit — a small, warm space where the energy of a corner bistro coexists with serious cooking. Menus shift with the seasons, so the plates on the table in October will not be the plates on the table in March. That spontaneity is the point. Lutèce is the kind of place where French cuisine feels alive rather than preserved.