Elcielo Washington DC
+1 (202) 569-9855
1280 4th Street Northeast
Washington, DC 20002

Elcielo Washington, D.C. is located in La Cosecha in the Union Market District of NOMA.

At Elcielo Washington, D.C. we offer various tasting menus and an a la carte menu that are a tribute to Colombian cuisine. Our team strives to create a unique and carefully crafted experience that taps into all your senses. The food and ambiance will transport you to the beautiful beaches of Cartagena and the mysterious corners of the Amazon jungle. All menus include dishes of varying size and composition as well as surprising sensory moments.

Our tasting menus, The Experience and The Journey are served in a reserved room next to our open kitchen where the staff will carefully explain each course. You can expect more than 22 moments in The Experience menu, and about 15 moments in The Journey menu.

The a la carte menu, served in the restaurant's great hall section, features many of our signature dishes and innovative Colombian cocktails.

You should expect whimsical experiences like our Chocola-therapy where you wash your hands with chocolate and enjoy it through all 5 senses, and signature dishes like The Tree of Life, a Yucca bread served fresh from the oven on a wire bonsai tree representing the lung of the world, the Amazon rainforest.

Fine Dining

Wednesday through Saturday
4pm to 11pm

A La Carte

Wednesday through Thursday
4pm to 11pm

Friday through Saturday
12pm to 11pm

Sunday
12pm to 5pm

Juan Manuel Barrientos Valencia, known in the gastronomic world as ´Juanma´ and in social media as @juanmaelcielo, was born in Medellín on June 16, 1983. He is a chef, businessman, entrepreneur, lecturer and peace leader at the helm of more than ten restaurants and bars. He is the creator and founder of the Elcielo restaurant chain (Medellín, Bogotá, Miami and Washington DC), La Serenissima, Cuon and AO, Kai, Shibari, Aguafresca and Cerdología.. Juanma has captured the attention of his many followers both through his work and on social media.

Juanma's career began alongside renowned chefs such as Iwao Komiyama (Argentina) and Juan Mari Arzak (Spain). He currently has a creative workshop in Medellín, made up of 30 people, where he prepares more than three hundred dishes each year and develops all the gastronomic and service processes that are part of Elcielo Hospitality Group.

In addition, Juanma leads the Glocal Food Festival, a gastronomic and cultural event in Medellín. He started his Foundation eleven years ago, based on non-violence, where he trains wounded soldiers, former guerrillas, indigenous people and victims, how to cook, reconcile, and readjust to civilian life.

He has been recognized as the youngest chef in the 50 Best of Latin America three consecutive times and in 2016 he was part of the exclusive The World's Best Chef list.

In 2018 he published his first book called "The Recipe for Success'', a book where he exposes experiences - and the resulting knowledge - that led him to his business and personal success.

In 2019 he won the award for Ibero-American businessman of the year by CEAJE in Spain.

In 2020 Juanma opened Elcielo Washington D.C. with a more dynamic service -- both tasting as is tradition in Elcielo and à la carte offering.

Most recently, in March 2021 he opened Elcielo hotel in Medellín, the first foray for Juanma and the Elcielo Organization into the hotel sector. This project seeks to weave the sensory and memorable experience of Elcielo Restaurant into a unique hotel setting.

In April 2021, Elcielo won it's first Michelin Star.