The Riggsby is interesting before it even opens.
That usually means one of two things. Either a restaurant is over-marketed and living on memory, or the city genuinely wants the comeback to work. In Dupont Circle this spring, it looks like the second one.
Washingtonian's April 6 report makes the case clearly: Michael Schlow is reviving The Riggsby after the original closed in 2019, this time inside the renovated Royal Sonesta on P Street. The old version had admirers. The new version has something better, a sharper story.
Schlow is not simply copying an old room and hoping nostalgia does the rest. He is using the relaunch to reintroduce himself to Washington with a more polished, more plush, more openly continental restaurant. In a city overloaded with concepts that try too hard to sound current, that kind of throwback confidence can hit hard.
What The Riggsby Is in 2026
The new Riggsby is a retro American restaurant in Dupont Circle built to feel like a glamorous Saturday-night place, only with the rough edges cleaned up. Washingtonian describes the room as a cocktail-party setting with a parlor, fireplace, swanky bar, and a design by Edit at Streetsense meant to feel timeless instead of trendy.
That is a strong setup for Dupont. The neighborhood works best when it has restaurants that can handle three different moods at once: a real dinner, a bar-led drop-in, and a polished catch-up that slides accidentally into a full night out.
The Riggsby sounds engineered for exactly that.
The Michael Schlow Comeback Story
A huge part of this restaurant's appeal is the narrative around it.
Schlow was once a much bigger presence in the D.C. area. As Washingtonian notes, the years after 2020 shrank that footprint dramatically, with closures touching not just The Riggsby but also Prima, Casolare, Alta Strada, and Nama Ko. That means this reopening is not just another opening. It is a recovery story from a chef-restaurateur who had to retreat and is now choosing his reentry carefully.
That matters because diners can feel the difference between expansion and recommitment. The new Riggsby is being presented as a deliberate return with a serious buildout, not a half-hearted revival. When a chef comes back to a city with that kind of clarity, the room usually gets more benefit of the doubt.
The Menu: Old Favorites, Smarter Execution
This is where the comeback gets concrete.
Washingtonian reported that Schlow is bringing back key dishes from the original, including Jimmy's chopped salad, steak au poivre, and Ned's Most Favorite Pork Chop. About 70 percent of the menu, though, is new or evolved, which is exactly what you want from a revival. The best comeback restaurants honor memory without becoming tribute acts.
Steak au poivre
If there is one dish that captures the Riggsby pitch, it is this one. Steak au poivre belongs to a style of dining that feels rich, legible, and a little theatrical. It also fits the restaurant's stated desire to feel continental without becoming stuffy.
Jimmy's chopped salad
Any restaurant serious about becoming a repeat-neighborhood favorite needs a few comfort anchors. A famous chopped salad does more work than people admit. It gives regulars something ritualistic to order and makes the room feel like it has a vernacular of its own.
Schnitzel alla Holstein, revised
Washingtonian's preview gets into the kind of detail food people actually care about. Schlow is not just bringing the dish back. He is refining it, tightening the presentation, and turning its anchovy-caper chaos into something more elegant. That is the right instinct. A comeback should not feel trapped by the old plate.
Swedish meatballs and cocktail snacks
This is where the restaurant may become more broadly useful. Swedish meatballs, tuna tartare, caviar crisps, and bar snacks make The Riggsby sound like somewhere you can go without committing to a grand steakhouse evening. That versatility matters in D.C., where a room that works only for expense-account dinners limits its own future.
The Space and Why Dupont Circle Fits
Dupont is one of those neighborhoods that always looks ready for a restaurant revival, even when individual projects come and go.
The new Riggsby seems aware of that history. Rather than trying to out-modern the city, it leans into warmth, plush seating, fireplace energy, polished bar service, and a hotel-adjacent sense of occasion. Washingtonian describes the parlor as feeling like a small European hotel lobby, which is exactly the kind of line that makes people imagine a martini before they have even seen the wine list.
That image matters because hotel restaurants can still struggle in D.C. when they feel too anonymous. The Riggsby avoids that problem by foregrounding personality. It wants to be the hotel restaurant locals actually claim.
Drinks, Wine, and the Kind of Night This Place Wants
The beverage strategy sounds refreshingly un-neurotic.
According to Washingtonian, the cocktail list will include standards like martinis and Manhattans along with a Martinez and a vesper, some with sidecars. The by-the-glass wine list is supposed to be concise and easy to trust. That is smart. Too many opening menus perform sophistication by making ordering feel like homework.
The Riggsby sounds like it wants the opposite. It wants guests to settle in quickly and feel taken care of.
That may end up being one of its biggest competitive advantages. In a city now full of places trying to project cool, straightforward confidence can feel luxurious.
Who The Riggsby Is Best For
The obvious audience is the classic-special-occasion crowd: birthdays, anniversaries, theater-adjacent dinners, and cocktail-forward dates.
But the broader audience may matter more. The Riggsby sounds good for:
- Dupont and West End locals who want a polished regular spot
- business dinners that need some warmth
- bar-first diners who want serious snacks
- nostalgic fans of the original room
- diners tired of restaurants that confuse minimalism with personality
If the service lands, it could become one of those places that feels flexible enough for both a quick martini and a full steak dinner.
Reservation Strategy
This part is speculative because the restaurant was reported as targeting mid-May at the time of Washingtonian's preview. But the strategy is still clear.
First, opening windows matter. Comeback restaurants almost always get an early burst of sentimental demand, plus the usual local-media curiosity. If you want to be among the first in, you should be ready to book the moment the reservation system goes live.
Second, prioritize early and midweek visits once reservations appear. Thursday and Friday will likely draw both nostalgia diners and first-wave food people.
Third, decide what kind of Riggsby experience you want. If your real goal is cocktails, snacks, and a first look at the room, the bar may be the smartest path. If you want the full comeback-dinner narrative, book a proper table and lean into the classics.
Practical Details
Address: 2121 P Street NW, Washington, D.C.
Neighborhood: Dupont Circle
Cuisine: retro American / continental-leaning brasserie cooking
Best for: date night, polished hotel-dining energy, steak-and-martini cravings, neighborhood comeback curiosity
Price range: likely upper-mid to splurge, with a mix of mains, snacks, and cocktails supporting different budgets
Dress code: smart casual to dressed-up. Nobody should need a jacket, but the room sounds like one people will want to dress for.
Reservations: watch closely around opening. Early inventory should move faster than a normal hotel-restaurant launch.
What Critics and Diners Will Be Watching
The food matters, obviously, but comeback restaurants are judged on more than food.
People will be watching whether the room feels alive. Whether the bar develops regulars. Whether the classics justify their return. Whether Schlow's version of old-school warmth feels restorative instead of retro for retro's sake.
That is the challenge and the opportunity. If The Riggsby can deliver hospitality with memory, not just design with memory, it has a chance to become more than a nostalgia headline.
Final Take
The smartest reason to care about The Riggsby is not nostalgia. It is utility.
D.C. always needs more restaurants that make adults want to go out. Not just food obsessives chasing the newest counter. Not just tourists eating by accident. Adults. People who want a good martini, a comfortable banquette, a steak done right, and a room that feels like someone cared how the evening would unfold.
The Riggsby sounds built for that need.
If the kitchen executes and the room hits the tone Washingtonian previewed, this comeback could land as one of spring's more meaningful openings, not because it is radically new, but because it understands how much value there still is in being classically appealing.
FAQ
Is The Riggsby open now?
As of Washingtonian's April 6, 2026 report, the restaurant was targeting a mid-May opening.
Who is opening The Riggsby in D.C.?
Chef-restaurateur Michael Schlow is bringing it back in Dupont Circle.
Where is The Riggsby located?
Inside the Royal Sonesta area at 2121 P Street NW in Dupont Circle.
What kind of food will The Riggsby serve?
Retro American and continental-leaning dishes like steak au poivre, chopped salad, schnitzel alla Holstein, pork chop, and cocktail snacks.
Will The Riggsby be hard to reserve?
Early on, probably yes. Comeback openings with local history tend to get a fast first-wave rush.
Is The Riggsby more of a steakhouse or a brasserie?
It sounds closer to a plush retro American brasserie with steakhouse energy than a pure steakhouse.
