The Palm Washington DC

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Century of Tradition on 19th Street

The Palm Washington DC carries the full weight of an American dining institution. The original Palm opened in New York City in 1926, founded by Pio Bozzi and John Ganzi — two men who had arrived from Parma, Italy with thick accents and a clear philosophy: treat guests like family, serve great food, and always exceed expectations. The name itself is an accident of history: "Parma" was misheard and misregistered as "Palm," and the name stuck. The Washington DC location came at the personal request of then-UN Ambassador George Bush Sr., a detail that tells you something about the kind of room The Palm has always attracted.

Four Generations, One Standard

What makes The Palm's story compelling is its continuity. The first generation gave way to Walter Ganzi and Bruno Bozzi, who introduced the two-pound lobster and kept prime beef on the table through wartime shortages. The third generation — Bruce Bozzi Sr. and Wally Ganzi Jr. — relaxed the atmosphere, brought in a younger crowd, and scaled the lobster up to four pounds whole. Each transition preserved the core of what the restaurant had always been: a place for journalists, artists, business figures, and families to sit down together and mean it.

The Room and What It Represents

The Palm's walls are famously covered in caricatures of regulars and celebrities — a tradition that turns the dining room into a living record of everyone who has passed through. It's an atmosphere that is, in the restaurant's own words, "authentic, intimate, a little quirky." The Italian roots of its founders give the menu its character: the Italian-American steakhouse format — prime cuts, oversized lobsters, the classic Surf 'n' Turf — remains the backbone of the experience across all locations, including Washington.

Recognition and Reach

Wine Spectator has recognized The Palm with its Award of Excellence, a reflection of the serious attention paid to the wine list alongside the kitchen. For a restaurant that serves the kind of Italian-American food The Palm is known for — big flavors, generous portions, unfussy execution — a well-considered cellar matters. The DC location on 19th Street NW sits in the Dupont Circle corridor, well-positioned for the power lunches and celebratory dinners the brand has always drawn. Private events, catering, and full table service round out what remains, after nearly a hundred years, a remarkably consistent proposition.