Zorba's Cafe

Address: 1612 20th St., NW, Washington, DC 20009

Phone: 202-387-8555

Neighborhood: Dupont Circle, Downtown

Cuisines: Greek/Mediterranean

Opening Hours: Open Monday through Saturday 11 AM to 11:30 PM, Sunday 11 AM to 10:30 PM.

Wheelchair Accessible: Yes

Kid Friendly: Yes

Nearby Metro Stops: Dupont Circle

Price Range: Inexpensive

Dress: Informal

Noise Level: Chatty

Reservations: Not Needed

Website: Click here to open in new window.

Best Dishes Tzatziki; taramasalata; loukaniko; fasolatha; gyro; moussaka; keftethes; yogurt with honey, walnuts, and cinnamon; grilled Greek sausages; fasólia; feta-cheese rolls; galaktoboureko.

Price Details: Appetizers, $2.25 to $4.75; entrees, $5.95 to $10.50.

Special Features:
Kid Friendly

A bustling cafe in one of DC’s most fashionable neighborhoods, with outdoor seating under umbrellas, excellent people-watching, and well-prepared food? You might assume we were talking about some slick new bistro where dinner for two runs $150. Well, you can eat for a third of that at this Greek charmer in Dupont Circle, which makes it an ideal pre-theater destination—some of the money you save on dinner can be spent on post-theater dessert somewhere else.

The dishes we order most often are the ones that made us fall in love with the place nearly 30 years ago: the salty salmon-roe mousse known as taramasalata;tender chickpeas dressed with garlic and lemon; light and crunchy spanakopita; and the meatballs called keftethes, zesty with parsley and onion and lightly charred on the grill.

Also good: Lamb-and-beef gyro; hummus; skordalia, a dip of potato, garlic, and olive oil.