Here's where our food editors would go.
Kaliwa’s waterfront dining room at the Wharf. Photograph by Scott Suchman
Winter Restaurant Week runs January 14 through 20, with hundreds of restaurants across Washington serving special menus for brunch ($22), lunch ($22), and/or dinner ($35). Here are the new spots we want to try.
All-Purpose Capitol Riverfront
79 Potomac Ave., SE
This is the popular pizzeria’s first Restaurant Week (at the newer waterfront location only, sorry Shaw regulars). There’re plenty of choices for antipasti and pizza; we’re big fans of the garlic knots, pepperoni-honey pie, and Buffalo wing-themed Upstate (if you’re not on a diet, of course). Dessert is simple: brownie or gelato. Brunch and dinner
American Son
1201 K St., NW
Chef Tim Ma’s modern American spot in the liberal-chic Eaton Workshop hotel is dishing up Restaurant Week meals around the clock. Expect eclectic pairings on the plate, like wood-grilled shishito peppers with anchovy aioli or a fried chicken sandwich with papaya slaw. Brunch, lunch, and dinner
El Sapo
8455-1 Fenton St., Silver Spring
Havana native Raynold Mendizábal serves a traditional Cuban dinner for Restaurant Week at his lively new Silver Spring restaurant, which hosts live music most nights. For food, think classics like picadillo-stuffed empanadas and ropa vieja, and guava pastries. Dinner only
Fuyu
301 Water St., SE
Whaley’s winter replacement—a hot pot pop-up—isn’t actually serving hot pot for Restaurant Week (it’s a little too involved). But! You will find other Japanese specialties from chef Daniel Perron’s new menu, including arctic char sashimi with winter citrus; tempura maitake mushrooms; and a crispy monkfish katsu sando. Dinner only
Gravitas
1401 Okie St., NE
Dinner at Matt Baker’s Ivy City tasting room typically starts at $78 for four courses, so the Restaurant Week option ($35 for three) looks like a good deal. Per usual, guests can build their own tasting by mixing and matching dishes, and there’ll be plenty of vegetarian items along with meats/seafood. Dinner only
Kaliwa
751 Wharf St., SW
Chef Cathal Armstrong’s vibrant Filipino/Thai/Korean restaurant at the Wharf is participating in Restaurant Week for the first time since opening last year. Menus haven’t been posted yet, but if you see lumpia (spring rolls), chicken adobo, or Korean fried chicken sandwich, go for them. Lunch and dinner
Officina
1120 Maine Ave., SW
Chef Nick Stefanelli’s gorgeous Italian emporium at the Wharf isn’t easy on the wallet—all the more reason to visit for Restaurant Week lunch (served in the first-floor cafe) or dinner in the second-floor dining room. Menus are coming soon; generally, pastas are a delicious bet, dainty portions aside. Lunch and dinner
Olivia
800 F St., NW
Restaurateur Ashok Bajaj’s Penn Quarter restaurant is so new, it isn’t even open yet at the time of this post. The modern Mediterranean restaurant, which will replace Nopa, is slated to debut on January 10. Restaurant Week menus are’t online yet, but many of chef Matt Kuhn’s dishes are given a creative twist, such as tzatziki with dill and trout roe, or warm burrata smothered in zhug and crispy crumbs. Lunch and dinner
Napoli Pasta Bar
2737 Sherman Ave., NW
Alcohol can turn a Restaurant Week deal into just another expensive dinner out—which is why the offering at this new-ish pasta house sounds like a good bet. The $35 menu includes an antipasti, pasta, dessert, and glass of wine/beer, or you can forgo the sweets for two drinks.
Pisco y Nazca
1823 L St., NW
Lunch tends to be the better deal of Restaurant Week, and the $22 offering at this new Peruvian spot near Dupont looks promising. The lineup includes seafood ceviche, a lomo saltado steak sandwich, and Peru’s version of creme caramel (sadly if you want to sample the house pisco that’ll be extra). Lunch and dinner
Scotts DC
927 F St., NW
Penn Quarter’s polished new British restaurant is serving special dishes and drinks for two weeks (January 14 through 27). The kitchen turns out classics like fish and chips with mushy peas or sticky toffee pudding. Make it a two cocktail meal for an additional $22, with options from the “heritage” menu such as planter’s punch or a sidecar. Brunch, lunch, and dinner
Food Editor
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
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