Food

Dinner for Two or More? DC-Area Restaurants Serve Family-Style Takeout and Delivery

Great options for date night or feeding a group at home.

A "chef's choice" spread from Nina May. Photograph by Rey Lopez
Coronavirus 2020

About Coronavirus 2020

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More DC-area restaurants are jumping in the takeout game with date night dinners for two, family-style meals that feed a crowd, or spreads that are generous enough to stretch a few meals.

Albi
1346 4th St., SE
Chef Michael Rafidi’s highly anticipated Mediterranean restaurant opened just before the health crisis, but you can still get a taste of the wood-fired fare with carryout family meals ($70). The spread feed two-to-three and includes hummus and dips, fresh breads, small plates, and entrees like wood-roasted cauliflower or barbecue lamb. Order online for pickup, Wednesday through Sunday.

Ambar Clarendon
2901 Wilson Blvd., Arlington
Ivan Iricanin (a.k.a. DC’s all-you-can-eat king) is serving customizable feasts to-go starting Thursday, March 26. There’s a six-course option for three-to-four people ($60) with a choice of soup and salad, spreads, vegetables, charcoal-grilled meats, and dessert. There’s also a larger $110 set for six-to-eight. Pickup or delivery.

Chaia
3207 Grace St., NW; 615 Eye St., NW
The vegetarian taqueria has launched a twice-weekly “enchilada supper club.” Pans of mushroom or black bean enchiladas serving two ($16) or six ($48) can be picked up warm and ready to eat from the Georgetown or Chinatown locations. To drink: mason jar margaritas. A marketplace menu includes more options like a 12-taco takeout box, quarts of black beans or green rice, and homemade tortillas. Order online for pickup on Tuesdays or Thursdays.

Chez Billy Sud
1039 31st St., NW
Dinner à deux is available to-go from Georgetown’s lovey French bistro, which pairs meals with drinks on the new takeout menu. Go casual with two bistro burgers and a six-pack of Kronenburg ($40) or splurge on lamb stew with a bottle of Château Gueyrosse, St-Emilion Grand Cru ‘12 ($80). There are also quarts of ready-heat soup du jour. Call 202-965-2606 for pickup.

Compass Rose and Maydan
1346 T St., NW; 1346 Florida Ave., NW
Both of restaurateur Rose Previte‘s globetrotting restaurants are serving family meals to-go. At Maydan, diners can opt for platters like fire-roasted kebabs ($55) or a whole chicken ($65) and round the meal out with spreads, vegetables, and batched cocktails that serve four-to-six. For Compass Rose, a la carte plates are joined by a “tour of the world” option for two ($80) with dishes like Georgian cheese bread, Spanish potatoes, and Korean ssam. Maydan order online for pickup; Compass Rose order online for pickup.

The whole chicken at Maydan, now available to go. Photograph by Scott Suchman

El Techo
606 Florida Ave., NW
Shaw’s “adult treehouse” is delivering group taco and cocktail packages with sundries as perks. Get six mix-and-match tacos and a 24-ounce cocktail such as spicy mezcal or passion fruit margaritas—plus a candle and incense for recreating the rooftop vibe, and a roll of toilet paper for you know what. Pickup or delivery; call 202-836-4270.

Estadio
1520 14th St., NW
“Paella for the people” is now available from the popular Spanish spot. Pick between full or half pans of seafood or vegetable paella ($20 to $50) and round out a meal with tapas, bottles of wine, or pitchers of sangria. Order online for pickup.

Little Pearl
921 Pennsylvania Ave., SE
Rose’s Luxury chef Aaron Silverman is dishing up dinner packages for two out of the Capitol Hill cafe and wine bar. Pick between carnivore and herbivore options—both come with two appetizers, a family-style entree like crispy porchetta or eggplant parm, and a dessert ($45 a person). Add on wines, cocktails, or if you’re really hungry, burgers. Sister catering arm Rose’s at Home is also creating meals for two nights or more ($75 per person) with Silverman classics like lychee salad and brisket. For Little Pearl, order online for pickup (5 to 7:45 PM) or delivery 

Masala Art Tenleytown
4441 Wisconsin Ave., NW
Necessities—toilet paper and eggs—are part of the “community package” from this Indian restaurant. Patrons get four rolls, 30 eggs, and a meal for four that includes their choice of four mains, four breads, and two accompaniments ($110 total). Order online for pickup and delivery.

Nina May
1337 11th St., NW
Colin McClimans‘  “chef’s choice” menu is another good date night option. The $60 spread for two will change frequently at the hyper-seasonal New American restaurant with dishes like mushroom panzanella, foie gras torchon, and bison hanger steak au poivre. Order online for pickup and delivery.

Neighborhood Provisions
The Neighborhood Restaurant Group, which operates 20 restaurants, bars, and shops in the DC-area, is opening an online marketplace this week full of items from its many chefs and venues. For family-style dining, you might find quarts of chicken soup from Iron Gate chef Tony Chittum, large trays of Red Apron pimento mac n’ cheese, or Evening Star’s chicken enchiladas—plus Bluejacket beers, wines, pantry items, Red Apron meats, and more. Order online.

Reverie
3201 Cherry Hill Ln., NW
If you’re looking to splurge at home, chef Johnny Spero‘s dinner for two (plus leftovers) is a kingly way to go. The $150 spread includes a half roasted duck, duck katsu sandos, a duck fat Caesar, Carolina gold rice, homemade bread, and (why not) two dry-aged ribeye burgers. You can also get the latter in single orders. Order online for pickup.

Fondue at Stable. Photograph courtesy of Stable.

Stable
1324 H St., NE
A meal of melty cheese sounds just right. DC’s only Swiss restaurant is dishing up fondue ($42) and raclette ($30) for two or more, Thursday through Saturday, plus the necessary equipment to make each at home. (There’s no rental fee but a $75 deposit is taken.) Complete the meal with Swiss wines, fresh breads, appetizers, and desserts. Menu online, call  for pickup.

Unconventional Diner
1207 9th St., NW
Comfort fare for two (or more) is on tap at chef David Deshaies’s new-wave diner, which serves a “stay at home supper club” menu. Pick between homey options like “not your mama’s meatloaf” with mashed potatoes, veggies, and morel gravy; fried chicken buckets with all the fixings; or vegetarian curry chickpea stew with rice, veggies, and naan. Pickup or delivery.

Xiquet
2404 Wisconsin Ave., NW
Valencian chef Danny Lledó has a variety of family-style packages at his new wood-fired Spanish restaurant in Glover Park. Options range from a vegetarian feast for two ($45) to a spit-roasted duck meal for four ($220) to a huge Iberian feast for eight ($600) that includes specialty Spanish hams, a suckling pig, sides, and dessert. Order online for pickup and delivery.

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.