Reverie, Georgetown's Only Michelin-Starred Restaurant, Is Closing
Reverie, tenured chef Johnny Spero's treasured tasting room hidden in a cobblestone alleyway since 2018, will serve its final course on Sunday, October 4.
Reverie's seven-year lifespan can be summed up as nothing short of resilient. It arrived during Georgetown's sluggish dining era, managed to make it work through the pandemic, and went on to earn a Michelin star — only to close due to a fire, renovate, and reopen (3201 Cherry Hill Lane). Spero's modernist meals stretching 16-courses long draw culinary influences and boundary-pushing techniques from Nordic countries, Japan, and Spero's native Maryland.
Spero, who's expected to post a video on Instagram today announcing the closure, exclusively told Eater the news first on Wednesday. 'We are choosing where the story ends,' says Spero, in a statement. 'This was never meant to last forever, but it was meant to mean something, and it did.'
It's been quite the journey. Reverie got its first Michelin star in spring 2022, only to close three months later due to that fire. Reverie took an 18-month hiatus to completely rebuild, all while maintaining its one-starred status, and made a triumphant comeback in early 2024.
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Reverie 2.0's revised look took a dramatic turn, swapping slick white-and-blue subway tiles for a completely recalibrated palate full of pitch-black finishes and a fancier white-tableclothed approach, with half as many seats (36).
The closure comes just a year after Spero's other D.C. restaurant closed across town. Bar Spero – his sprawling tribute to Spain's Basque country – lasted just two years in downtown's Capitol Crossing complex. ('It became really financially unstable to keep doors open,' Spero told Eater at the time.) The stunning, 120-seat space remains empty.
Spero declined to comment on the cause of Reverie's ultimate demise. While its Georgetown neighborhood is undoubtedly experiencing a renaissance of sorts, with well-received arrivals from Osteria Mozza, Yellow, and River Club, Reverie's hidden location and pricey, prix fixe-only model likely didn't help business. In July, Spero pressed pause on its seafood-centric, $255-per-person dinner menu in lieu of a vegetable-heavy tasting format full of summer fruits, celeriac, tempura maitake, and more-affordable price tag ($190). Reservations for Reverie's remaining weeks of service go live on Friday, August 1 at noon.
Reverie's closure will leave Spero without a restaurant to call his own, and it's unclear what's next for the well-traveled chef. His lengthy culinary resume includes stints in Copenhagen (Noma), Spain (Mugaritz), and iconic D.C. places like Komi, Columbia Room, and Minibar by José Andrés, where Spero led the kitchen a decade ago. When Reverie was destroyed by flames and went dark, Andrés welcomed many of Spero's staff to come cook at his now-two-Michelin-starred Minibar.
The D.C. area is currently home to 26 starred restaurants, and Reverie is now the second one to exit its dining scene this year. This spring, Adams Morgan's Tail Up Goat announced plans to close in December after a decade.
Like Tail Up Goat, Reverie wants its remaining months to be a celebratory affair; Spero plans to bring back longtime hits (hopefully his famed smash burger) and has other surprises in store. A drawn-out closure date also gives employees time to find new work and take a final season of service across the finish line.
Spero is currently working with the landlord to help find a future restaurant tenant. 'I hope the next person who walks down this alley brings their own vision to life, just as we did,' he says.
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