After Tail Up Goat, Rye Bunny brings relaxed dining to Adams Morgan

Jon Sybert and Jill Tyler turned the end of Tail Up Goat into a reset for one of Adams Morgan’s best-known restaurant rooms. After their Michelin-starred restaurant closed in December when its lease ended, the couple reopened the space at 1827 Adams Mill Road NW as Rye Bunny, a more casual counter-service restaurant with room for 84 guests.

The move reflects a broader shift in what accomplished chefs are offering diners now: less ceremony, less pressure and a setting that feels closer to a dinner party than a performance. Sybert and Tyler said they did not want to keep raising prices at Tail Up Goat just to keep pace with costs, because they did not want the restaurant to become inaccessible. Instead of pushing the old model further, they started over with a concept inspired by Birdie’s in Austin, Texas, and built it around a relaxed experience in the same tucked-away Adams Morgan space.

Tail Up Goat had been a decade-long fixture in the neighborhood, opening in 2016 and earning its Michelin star when the D.C. Michelin Guide was first announced in 2017. Over time, Washingtonian reported, it shifted to a tasting-menu format, which made it even more of a special-occasion destination. Rye Bunny moves in the opposite direction, trading fine-dining formality for a counter-service setup that lowers the barrier to entry while keeping the same ownership and the same address.

The new restaurant also carries a personal marker. Rye Bunny was named for the couple’s two adopted dogs, a detail that fits the room’s warmer, more intimate pitch. The result is a case study in how urban hospitality is adapting after years of rising costs and changing expectations: diners still want craft and polish, but they increasingly expect a room that feels welcoming enough for a weeknight return, not just a once-a-year reservation.