St. Anselm

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

An American Tavern with a Brooklyn Soul

St. Anselm plants itself firmly in Washington DC's Union Market with a clear point of view: honest American cooking, fire-driven technique, and ingredients worth caring about. The concept draws its character from Brooklyn, translated into a tavern setting that feels both casual and considered. Chef Victor Bonano leads the kitchen with a focus on grilled meats and simply cooked dishes that let quality speak for itself.

The wine program earned a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence — recognition that reflects the same eclecticism you find on the plate. The list pairs naturally with a menu that ranges from raw bar to whole animals off the grill, without ever feeling like it's trying too hard.

Fire, Meat, and Great Ingredients

The grill is the heart of the kitchen. All meats are naturally raised — hormone, antibiotic, and steroid free — and the cuts run from a Butcher's Steak with garlic butter to a 32oz Prime T-Bone, a Wagyu Skirt Steak, and the theatrical Ax Handle Ribeye priced by the ounce and ranging from 45 to 65 oz. Lamb Leg Steak with pepper relish and a Pork Porterhouse with pickles round out the range, while a Whole Branzino and Steelhead Trout with spring pea succotash give the grill a lighter register.

Starters set the tone without fuss: Blue Crab Deviled Eggs, Fluke Crudo with white soy and aleppo, Beef Tartare with Calabrian chili, and Crispy Pig Head Croquette signal a kitchen that's playful but precise. Buttermilk Biscuits with pimento cheese have become a signature presence across every service.

From Brunch to Late Night

The American tavern format stretches across the day. Brunch brings Huevos Rancheros, Smoked Salmon with hash browns and salmon roe, French Toast with gooseberry rum sauce, and the full grill menu with the option to add eggs and béarnaise. Lunch sandwiches — Pit Beef on a kaiser roll, Fried Bologna with dijonnaise, a Cheeseburger — all arrive with steak fries and read like a love letter to unpretentious American eating.

Classic cocktails anchor the bar: a Gold Rush with Buffalo Trace bourbon, a Sherry Cobbler, an Iced Irish Coffee with Tullamore Dew and La Colombe cold brew. The Bloody Mary uses St. Anselm's own mix. It's the kind of drinks list that makes sense next to a ribeye or a plate of deviled eggs, which is exactly the point.