Michael Rafidi’s restaurant Albi in DC’s Navy Yard delights my wife Jun and I whenever we visit (by my count, we have been to the restaurant eight times since we moved down to the DC area in 2021, last with my parents when they visited last year), so I was very happy to hear that the chef won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef in 2024. Coming off of this milestone win, chef Rafidi’s team recently opened a new project in the Union Market area, a more casual bistro style restaurant called La’ Shukran. Compared to the more polished Albi where you could have a fancy, destination-worthy dinner, La’ Shukran felt more like its free-wheeling sibling suited for an after-party revelry with some cocktails and snacks. Jun and I have yet to visit Middle East in our travel itinerary, but I could totally feel the vibe of a hip hangout in, say, Beirut. As for the food, there were some really delicious dishes at the restaurant, but one disappointment somewhat dulled our momentum.

The menu at La’ Shukran consists of snacks, hummus and an assortment of savory dishes, followed by handful of dessert options. Among the snack bites, we liked the falafel with trout caviar and dill on top. We’ve always had outstanding spreads at Albi, so getting at least one hummus dish was a no-brainer here. Despite my plea to Jun to share the escargot spread, she wanted to go in a different direction with BBQ’d maitake mushrooms; no complaint there, the smoky mushroom (lacquered in date molasses on a scallion-ginger relish) was spot-on to go along with the hummus. I only wish we had received the wonderful pita bread we would always get from Albi when ordering spreads instead of the normal-ish (and not quite warm) bread served here. The best dish of the night was a surprise. I don’t normally go for quails on a menu, but Jun, after looking at some reviews of the restaurant before our visit, noted how the quail at La’ Shukran seems to be a standout dish so I went with her suggestion to split it, which turned out to be a very wise call. I couldn’t remember ever having a quail dish this delicious, with perfectly moist, tender meat dunked in Ramallah chili oil. With the quail, the grilled arrowhead cabbage was quite a nice vegetable complement. The one big disappointment at the restaurant was also a surprise, knowing that the lamb kebab at Albi is one of the best dishes we’ve ever had in DC, period. I expected La’ Shukran to pull off a similar feat with its steak kebab prepared ’au Poivre style, but the steak was surprisingly dull, with the meat’s texture somewhat off from my ideal of a filet mignon. Jun was equally puzzled that the steak kebab was underwhelming, especially considering the $58 price tag. Our disappointment was somewhat alleviated later by the pistachio knafeh with naulbi cheese and apple cider sorbet, but we couldn’t shake off the “what if” feeling had the steak been as good as the lamb from Albi.

La’ Shukran is one of the hottest restaurants in DC at the moment, so planning ahead for advance booking (Resy reservations are open up to 21 days in advance) is absolutely critical. As we were checking in, we saw a few desperate visitors trying their luck with walk-in seats at the bar area. Not surprisingly for a sister restaurant to Albi, which has one of the best beverage lists in the DC dining scene, La’ Shukran also has some really interesting beverages, including wines (many of them from the Middle East) under catchy themes as well as cocktails (some using the traditional spirit arak from the Levant). As noted above, the atmosphere at La’ Shukran can get pretty insane with loud music and dark lighting; on our visit, there was a photographer with blinding flashlight on his camera roaming around the kitchen (where chef Rafidi was also on site) and the dining area. If you are looking for a fun dinner and wouldn’t mind the noise and dizzying atmosphere, La’ Shukran is worth checking out. I certainly would like to come back again for the quail. For now, I think we stick with Albi as a regular with a calmer dining experience (and yes, that killer lamb dish).

Address: 417 Morse Street NE, Washington, DC 20002

KenScale: 8.0/10 (Jun’s Score: 8.0/10)

Website: https://www.lashukran.com/

Reservation via Resy