Check out what to expect from Albi Menu With Prices, last verified in September 2026, before booking a table at one of Washington, DC’s most acclaimed restaurants. Albi, chef Michael Rafidi’s Michelin-starred restaurant in the Navy Yard neighborhood, has been reimagining Palestinian cuisine over a live wood-burning hearth since it opened in February 2020, and has since become one of the most decorated restaurants in the city.
Albi offers two ways to eat: an à la carte menu of individual dishes, and the “Sofra” tasting menu, an Arabic word meaning roughly “a table set for you,” which most reviewers and the Michelin Guide recommend for the fullest experience. This guide covers what’s on the menu, what it costs, and what to know before booking.
Albi Menu With Prices
| Sofra Tasting Menu (5 courses, plus snacks) | $165 per person |
| Optional drink pairing | Roughly $55-$95 per person |
| À la carte dishes | Individually priced, roughly $15-$85 per dish |
| Realistic total per person (Sofra + wine) | $220-350+ |
Note: Albi’s pricing has changed periodically (the Sofra menu was $95 in 2022, then $145, and is $165 as of its 2025 renovation), so confirm the current price directly with Albi before booking.
Dishes That Have Appeared on the Menu
Since both the à la carte and Sofra menus rotate with the seasons, exact dishes change, but recent menus have featured items like:
Hummus with smoked chanterelles and confit egg yolk.
Wood-fired lamb pies (meat pies).Crab dolmas.Ember-roasted mussels with arak butter and trout roe.Yellowfin tuna.
Crab rice maqluba (a Palestinian upside-down rice dish made with Maryland blue crab).Local fish wrapped in grape leaves.
Lamb loin-and-belly kebab with fermented-chili honey.
Barbecued lamb kebabs.Brown butter knafeh with yogurt ice cream
Disclaimer: Specific dishes and pricing change frequently and are not fixed. Confirm current offerings and pricing through Albi’s official website or reservation team before booking.
What to Know Before You Go
If you’re planning a visit, here’s what’s worth keeping in mind:
Reservations are hard to get, especially on weekends. Albi has been one of DC’s most in-demand tables since opening, so book as early as your plans allow.
The Sofra menu is semi-spontaneous. Rather than a fixed tasting menu, the kitchen customizes courses based on what’s in season and what you’d like more or less of, so two tables can end up with different meals on the same night.
The menu uses some unfamiliar terminology. Some diners note the dish names can be tricky if you’re not familiar with Levantine cuisine; ask your server for guidance if needed.
The wine and cocktail program is a highlight in its own right. Expect a Mediterranean and Middle Eastern-leaning wine list alongside arak-based cocktails.
How Albi Compares
Albi’s Sofra tasting menu, at $165 per person, sits below what you’d pay at a three-Michelin-star restaurant like The French Laundry or Addison, positioning it more in line with other one-star Michelin restaurants in major US cities. What sets it apart from most fine-dining competitors is its focus on Palestinian cuisine built around a live-fire hearth, a combination that’s uncommon at this level of dining in the US.
About Albi
Albi was opened in February 2020 by chef Michael Rafidi, a Maryland native who spent years working in some of the country’s top kitchens, including six years as Executive Chef of RN74 under Michael Mina in San Francisco, before returning to DC to develop his own restaurant. Rafidi spent more than a year researching family recipes, traveling to Palestine, and running pop-up dinners to refine his approach before opening Albi, which draws on his grandparents’ Palestinian roots in Ramallah.
The restaurant’s name means “my heart” in Arabic, reflecting Rafidi’s approach to food as something deeply personal and tied to family. Albi earned its first Michelin star in May 2022 and has kept it every year since. In June 2024, Rafidi was named the James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Chef of the Year, and the restaurant underwent a full renovation in 2025 to reflect its continued evolution. By 2026, Albi had risen to the Washingtonian’s Best Restaurant in DC for a second year running and reached the top ten of North America’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Why Albi Is Famous
Live-fire cooking. Nearly every dish connects to the wood-burning hearth at the center of the open kitchen.
A personal take on Palestinian cuisine. Rafidi’s menu draws directly from his family’s recipes and heritage in Ramallah, filtered through seasonal Mid-Atlantic ingredients.
The Sofra experience. A semi-improvised, family-style tasting menu that changes based on the season and the table, rather than a fixed set of courses.
Rapid critical acclaim. In under six years, Albi has earned a Michelin star, a James Beard Award for its chef, and a top-ten spot on North America’s 50 Best Restaurants list.
FAQs
The Sofra tasting menu runs $165 per person before drinks, tax, and tip, while à la carte dishes are individually priced, generally in the $15-$85 range depending on the item.
Sofra is a five-course, chef’s-choice tasting menu (plus additional snacks) that changes based on the season and adjusts somewhat to each table’s preferences, rather than being a completely fixed set menu.
Yes, reservations are strongly recommended and can be difficult to secure, especially for weekend dinners, so it’s best to book as far ahead as possible.
Yes, the restaurant can generally accommodate pescatarian, vegetarian, and vegan diners with advance notice, particularly for the Sofra tasting menu.
Albi is located at 1346 4th Street SE in Washington, DC’s Navy Yard neighborhood.
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Official Links
- Albi Official Website
- Address: 1346 4th Street SE, Washington, DC 20003
- Phone: (202) 921-9592
Have you dined at Albi recently? Menus and pricing can change seasonally, so let us know in the comments if you spotted something different, and we’ll update this page.
My name is Lucky Sharma, a B.A. graduate with a strong passion for food, travel, and discovering new experiences. I enjoy exploring unique dishes, street food, and culinary traditions from around the world. Sharing these adventures through writing allows me to connect with fellow food enthusiasts and inspire others to try new flavors and destinations. Whether I’m tasting something new or traveling to a different corner of the globe, I’m always on the lookout for exciting stories to share. Join me on this flavorful journey and let’s explore the world one dish at a time.