The Room
Fabio Trabocchi opened Del Mar at 791 Wharf St SW in 2017, and the room still reads like a stretch of Spanish coast set down on the Southwest Waterfront. Andalusian tiles run underfoot, hand-painted folk art climbs the walls, a long bar anchors the front, and the wraparound patio puts the Potomac at your shoulder. The light is warm, the tables sit generously apart, and the wood-and-tile surfaces keep the sound from going sharp even when the room fills.
Trabocchi — James Beard Best Chef Mid-Atlantic in 2006 — has kept Del Mar among the Wharf's senior tables, and Washingtonian named it to the 100 Very Best Restaurants in 2025. The Spanish wine and sherry lists run among the deepest in the city, and a sommelier will steer you through them without theatre.
The Food
The paella is the reason to come. The signature seafood version, built on bomba rice with half-Maine lobster, tiger prawns, monkfish and mussels, runs about $175 for two; a vegetable paella starts around $65. The tapas list reads like a Spanish greatest hits — gilda, pulpo a la plancha, jamón ibérico, the classic tortilla — and the whole wood-fired fish is the showpiece for a table sharing one thing.
The sherry program is one of the deepest in America, the wine list leans hard Spanish, and the cocktails stay classic. Service moves in a brigade rhythm — attentive, quick to clear, never hovering.
Best Occasion Fit
Close a Deal: Book Del Mar to close a deal when you want a room that signals seriousness without shouting. The back banquette seats a working dinner, the paella gives the table a shared centrepiece, and the noise stays low enough to hear a counter-offer across the cloth.
Impress Clients: Out-of-town clients read the Trabocchi name and the waterfront setting at a glance. The Spanish fine-dining language travels, and the patio at dusk closes the argument.
Birthday: A birthday here runs warm and paella-led. Ask for a window table or the patio when you book, and let the kitchen send out the whole wood-fired fish as the centrepiece.
Not For
Not for a cheap, casual tapas night. Del Mar is full Trabocchi fine dining, and a paella dinner for two clears $175 before wine. For quick Spanish small plates near the water on a smaller budget, José Andrés' Jaleo is the better-value call.
