Food

Restaurants and Bars Celebrating Passover Around DC

Get Passover dishes delivered to your doorstep. Photograph by Andrew Propp

If you’ve never tried matzo ball soup with bone marrow or truffles, homemade gefilte fish, or something even more novel (chocolate matzo crack ice cream, anyone?) options abound. Washington restaurants and bars celebrate Passover with creative feasts.

Bread Furst Bakery

4434 Connecticut Ave., NW

You can get more than unleavened goods at Bread Furst, though their hand-pulled matzo is a must. Gefilte fish, cauliflower kugel, matzo balls, and haroset are all on the menu, along with desserts like orange-almond cake, flourless chocolate cake, and a newly-debuted mat-zel toffee.

When: Starting April 20

Centrolina

974 Palmer Alley, NW

Chef Amy Brandwein’s four-course Passover menu includes Italian-inspired dishes like gefilte fish terrine and matzo balls in chicken brodo, which can be ordered a la carte or as a tasting ($45 per person) with optional wine pairings.

When: April 22 through April 30, 5 pm to 10 pm

DGS Delicatessen

1317 Connecticut Ave., NW; 2985 District Ave., Fairfax (Mosaic District)

Both the Dupont and Fairfax locations of this modern-Jewish deli offers a four-course Passover menu with dishes like pan-roasted cod with asparagus, horseradish, and preserved lemon, or matzo ball soup infused with bone marrow ($30 to 45 per person; $45 to $65 with wine pairings). And in the case that your Passover week is riddled with family obligations, the menu is available all week long.

When: All week long

Dino’s Grotto

1914 Ninth St., NW

Dino’s Grotto pays homage to Italian-Jewish history with Passover dishes inspired by Pitigliano, Livorno, and southern Tuscany, while keeping annual favorites like their duck schmaltz matzo ball soup on hand for return devotees. The full feast is available Friday, April 22, while a la carte dishes and a Passover brunch run through April 29.

When: April 22 through April 29

Equinox Restaurant

818 Connecticut Ave., NW

Chef Todd Gray takes a Mediterranean and Middle Eastern twist on the Seder meal, with a four-course menu that includes dishes like crispy falafel hors d’oeuvres and saffron-spiced lamb saddle, all available with optional boutique Israeli wine pairings ($55 per person; $80 with wine pairings). Less traditional but no less celebratory: a vegan Passover brunch on Sunday.  

When: Seder starts at 7:15 pm on Friday, April 22; vegan Passover brunch on Sunday, April 24 from 11 to 1 pm

Fiola

601 Pennsylvania Ave., NW

Anyone looking to splurge for the holiday and try chef Fabio Trabocchi’s Italian Passover menu, inspired by the regions of Marche and Lazio. The five-course feast ($95 per person) includes fine dining riffs on the classics, like matzo ball soup with truffles, morels, and capon consommé. Buona pesach!

When: April 23 to 29

Heckman’s Delicatessen and Bar

4914 Cordell Ave., Bethesda, MD

Passover staples are available for pick-up and dine-in at this Bethesda delicatessen, alongside a vast collection of cakes and tarts. Try the raspberry linzer cake, an Austrian special which Heckman’s prepares slathered in butter and topped with sliced almonds.

When: April 22 to 30

Ice Cream Jubilee

301 Water St., SE

Looking for an informal celebration? Try the chocolate matzo crack at this Navy Yard ice cream shop, which scoops vanilla ice cream studded with chocolate-covered matzo crackers, smothered in chocolate and caramel brittle.

When: Available through the end of April

Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab

750 15th St., NW

The DC location of this Florida icon offers their three-course Passover menu to dine-in and takeout, with options like wild Alaskan halibut en papillote. In lieu of traditional coconut or almond macaroons, Joe’s bakes up a chocolate macaroon pie.

When: April 22 and 23

Teddy & the Bully Bar

1200 19th St., NW

Reservations are required for seats at this Seder dinner with a contemporary spin. Herring-matzo pancakes and shiraz-braised brisket are among the playful offerings, though Haggadahs are also available for those craving a more orthodox experience.

When: April 22 and 23

Star & Shamrock

1341 H St., NE

Matzo ball soup, honey cakes, and other Passover specials are added to the menu for Friday and Saturday night rowdiness at this Jewish-deli/Irish pub, where you are as liable to end your night slamming a pastrami sandwich as you are a shot of Jameson.

When: April 22 and 23, after 6 pm

 

Assistant Editor

Hayley is an Associate Editor at Washingtonian Weddings. Previously she was the the Style Editor at The Local Palate, a Southern food culture magazine based out of Charleston, South Carolina. You can follow her on instagram @wandertaste.