Hanukkah already brings tasty dishes to the table, but combine Jewish tradition with American indulgence on November 28 and you really have a meal worth celebrating. Typically the eight-day holiday competes with Christmas for the limelight, but once every 70,000-odd years the Festival of Lights and Thanksgiving unite. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that some chef is crazy enough to tackle a brisketducken (best eaten over mashed latkes, of course).
1317 Connecticut Ave., NW; 202-293-4400
The deli is closed on Thanksgiving Day/Night One but is still getting into the spirit on Wednesday, November 27, with a Thanksgivukkah sweet potato latke piled with roast turkey, gravy, and cranberry sauce. You can also celebrate seven nights of Hanukkah with takeout latkes and doughnuts. Grab to-go beet-horseradish and carrot-cumin latkes with apple preserves and sour cream, or satisfy a sweet tooth with Nutella doughnuts.
Price: Both latkes and doughnuts are $6 for a three-item order.
3435 Connecticut Ave., NW; 202-686-2966
Head to this Cleveland Park neighborhood spot for Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, or a mix of both. The 28th brings a melting pot of Puritan, Italian, and Jewish traditions (turkey! cioppino! latkes!). You’ll find more classic dishes from the Festival of Lights through December 4, including Roseda Farms brisket.
Price: $45 for three courses on Thanksgiving Day; Hanukkah à la carte.
818 Connecticut Ave., NW; 202-331-8118
Chef Todd Gray and Ellen Kassoff Gray recently authored The New Jewish Table, so it makes sense they’re celebrating both holidays. Guests can pick from two separate menus, and can snag a copy of the book with the Hanukkah option.
Price: Hanukkah starts at $60 for adults ($25 kids) for four courses; Thanksgiving is three courses for $65 ($35 kids).
Menu/details: Hanukkah/Thanksgiving
2275 L St., NW; 202-730-2500
You don’t have to wait for November 28 to celebrate Thanksgivukkah at Ris Lacoste’s restaurant. The November “lunch club” menu embraces the holiday throughout the month, with dishes such as slow-cooked beef brisket with cranberry sauce and roast turkey atop challah bread. Over at Union Market, Lacoste runs a holiday stall with cooking items like chicken stock (a matzo-ball-soup-making necessity) as well as cranberry-orange bread and other baked goods.
Price: $25 for a three-course meal or à la carte.
Menu/details: Holiday stall only
2020 O St., NW; 202-496-2020
This funky Dupont Circle spot says “gobble tov!” to the holiday with an eclectic spread, including an appetizer buffet with everything from gefilte fish to a peanut butter “station” (not to be combined), and seated entrées like fried turkey and barbecue brisket. Most everything is for sale here, so you could pick up your Hanukkah presents, too.
Price: $70 for an appetizer and dessert buffet plus seated entrées/sides.
Star and Shamrock Tavern & Deli
1341 H St., NE; 202-388-3833
This Jewish-Irish H Street spot is a year-round cultural mashup, so obviously there’s plenty of Thanksgivukkah spirit. The tavern is closed November 28 but offers a variety of specials from November 27 through December 4 like apple-cinnamon- or pickle-infused bourbon, Manischewitz-glazed wings, and pulled-brisket sliders. Celebrate the last night of Hanukkah with a Shmaltz tap takeover.
Price: À la carte.
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.
