Summer restaurant week starts Monday, August 19, with most restaurants serving three-course
$20.13 lunches and $35.13 dinners through the 25th. (On the list below, an asterisk
indicates an establishment extending the deals beyond that date.) Even if August is
a slower time in Washington, it’s best to book as soon as possible. Not a fan of the
official Restaurant Week, even at the best spots? Check out these 24 restaurants offering
inexpensive tasting menus around town (note that some will suspend specials during Restaurant Week).
Chef
Roberto Donna’s Foxhall eatery is one of many Washington restaurants to gain national accolades of late, and you can enjoy the Italian fare at a discount.
Available: Lunch and dinner
Ashok Bajaj’s Cleveland Park eatery offers a generous Restaurant Week deal: three courses from
the regular menu and the offer of the $35.13 special for an extra week.
Available: Dinner (menu)
Plenty of our favorites from
Nick Stefanelli’s kitchen are represented on the two restaurant week menus, including tender braised
meatballs, Bolognese, and semifreddo for dessert. The offer lasts through September
1.
Available: Lunch and dinner (menus)
Look for a seasonal lineup from chef
Kyle Bailey’s kitchen—and if it’s offered, don’t pass up
Tiffany MacIsaac’s bread basket, even for an upcharge.
Available: Dinner
Expect old-school sophistication without the stuffiness at
Jeffrey Buben’s Capitol Hill bistro, with many classic French dishes on offer, such as French onion
soup, frisée salad with poached egg and lardons, and beef bourguignon. Brunch is also
included in the promotion.
Available: Brunch, lunch, and dinner (menus)
It’s like Restaurant Week almost every afternoon at this Palisades seafood market/restaurant,
which typically offers a three-course “lunch break” menu with a glass of wine for $19.
Available: Lunch
A meat-free
thali (tasting of several dishes) makes this refined Indian restaurant a good spot for
vegetarians, though there are also plenty of choices for meat and seafood lovers.
Dine at Restaurant Week prices through September 1.
Available: Lunch and dinner (menus)
It may not feel like the most summery dish, but we’re fans of the beef carbonnade—on
the regular and Restaurant Week menus—at
Robert Wiedmaier’s Belgian spot.
Available: Lunch (menu)
A picturesque patio only sweetens the Restaurant Week deal at this Pennsylvania Avenue
French spot.
Available: Dinner
Chances are you’ll have to pay more for the likes of New York strip and lobster, but
you don’t have to go over the top for a good meal here (we’re fans of the mini burgers).
Available: Lunch and dinner
Pick entrées from the regular lunch and dinner menus—with an upcharge
for premium plates like lobster and crabcakes—to go with appetizers and desserts on
the Restaurant Week menu at this airy seafood spot.
Available: Lunch and dinner (menus)
The regular all-day menu is offered at this new-wave deli, with an option of appetizer,
soup, or salad followed by breakfast plates, tasting boards, entrées, or sandwiches,
and dessert. Another perk: The deal includes a glass of vino.
Available: Dinner (menu)
Love Restaurant Week but hate the crowds? This Palisades spot is a little more out-of-the-way
than many, making it a good candidate for hassle-free dining.
Available: Dinner
The famous fried-calamari-topped Jersey Shore pie is among the many options on
Mike Isabella’s special menus (extended through September 1).
Available: Lunch and dinner (menus)
Vegetarians, take note: This Cleveland Park Indian spot has a whole vegetarian Restaurant
Week menu (though for omnivores, those tandoori lamb chops are pretty tasty).
Available: Dinner (menu)
Looking for a funkier, livelier spot to enjoy your $35.13 meal? This Silver Spring
favorite is a good choice.
Available: Dinner
While all three area Jaleos are participating in Restaurant Week, the District flagship
has been the strongest of late, and the only location to land on our 100 Best list.
Available: Lunch and dinner (menus)
We like the classic dishes at
Ann Cashion’s Capitol Hill eatery, such as barbecue shrimp, oyster stew, and lemon chess pie.
Available: Lunch and dinner
Sushi and rolls are the focus of both the lunch and dinner menus. Evening seafood
appetizers include salmon carpaccio and ceviche.
Available: Lunch and dinner (menus)
Diners get free rein of the regular menu during the extended Restaurant Week promo
(until September 1), with your choice of any appetizer, entrée, and dessert.
Available: Lunch and dinner
As at sister restaurant Liberty Tavern (see above), you’ll pick from the normal menus
through September 1 (even though it’s not particularly summery, that pork schnitzel
is hard to pass up).
Available: Lunch and dinner
It’s hard to go wrong with chef
Cedric Maupillier’s French-American menu—and even easier to go right if you start with the escargot
hushpuppies.
Available: Dinner
The only Puerto Rican eatery to land on the 100 Best List is as interesting as it
is welcoming. If you’ve never tried
mofongo, a classic plantain dish, this could be the place.
Available: Lunch (menu)
and dinner (menu)
As at sister restaurant DC Coast (see above), you can pick an entrée from the regular
lunch and dinner menus
(with an upcharge for the priciest items) to go with selected apps and desserts.
Available: Lunch and dinner (menus)
Classic favorites such as the crispy spinach
palak chaat and black cod join new dishes on the diverse lunch and dinner menus at these near-twin
modern-Indian eateries.
Available: Lunch and dinner (Penn Quarter menus and West End menus)
Restaurant Week follows a summery theme at
Ris Lacoste’s West End eatery, with locally sourced dishes like gazpacho, heirloom tomato salad,
and basil tagliatelle with summer squash.
Available: Lunch and dinner (menus)
Modern American cuisine dominates at this downtown restaurant, with Restaurant Week
dishes like poached sweet-water shrimp and braised pork cheeks with cornbread gnocchi.
Available: Lunch and dinner (menus)
Save room for the 15-layer carrot cake—one of our favorites—on chef
Scott Drewno’s special menu.
Available: Lunch (menu)
The evening lineup includes an optional beverage pairing (for a total of $50) of sakes
and beer with a mix of hot, cold, and raw dishes.
Available: Lunch (menu) and dinner (menu)
In addition to the regular $35.13 three-course lineup, you can go in for a four-course
tasting with dishes such as seared scallops with smoked oysters and a pork duo for
$49.13. Dine at a discount through August 31.
Available: Dinner (menu)
Fans of cheese and charcuterie can pick two for a starter, plus your choice of two
small plates or a double portion of dishes like boneless-short-rib pasta for an entrée-size
serving.
Available: Dinner (menu)
The Obama-approved Alexandria restaurant dishes up locally sourced American dishes
from newish chef
William Morris.
Available: Lunch and dinner
One of the longest-standing regulars on our Best Restaurants list serves up refined
Southern fare in a white-tablecloth setting. If you miss Restaurant Week, try the
regular $19.90 lunch menu.
Available: Lunch (menu) and dinner (menu)
Chef
Devin Bozkaya brought new life to the Ritz-Carlton bistro after the split between the hotel and
chef-lebrity
Eric Ripert (and all for the better).
Available: Lunch and dinner
The only restaurant in our Top 10 section participating in Restaurant Week extends its deal through September 2. Another perk:
a discount wine list with 20 bottles for $35 and under.
Available: Lunch and dinner (menus)
From this year’s 5 Places to Watch list:
Like the diverse regular menu, options on
Bryan Voltaggio’s Restaurant Week lineup vary from goat cheese ravioli to chimichurri-sauced steak
and porky pizza.
Available: Lunch and dinner (menus)
Unlike most spots,
Jeffrey Buben’s newest restaurant extends the dining deal to brunch with dishes such as shrimp
and grits and fried chicken and waffles.
Available: Brunch, lunch, and dinner (menus)
*Denotes Restaurant Week deals extending beyond August 25.
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.
