Food

Where to Get Thanksgiving Takeout for One or Two People Around DC

There's no reason to shell out for a massive bird.

Le Diplomate's Thanksgiving lineup. Photograph by Rachel Pruett.

*All of these restaurants are serving Thanksgiving for two; an asterisk denotes places where you can also get portions for one. 

Bammy’s
301 Water St., SE
Ex-Maydan chefs Chris Morgan and Gerald Addison are taking a break from their Caribbean restaurant’s regular menu to offer a simple take on Thanksgiving to-go: brined turkey dinner packages with sides like creamed spinach, stuffing, and homemade rolls for two ($140) or four ($240). Pies and mulled wine are extra. Details: To-go only. Pre-order for pickup on Wednesday, November 25 from 12:30 to 5:30 PM.

Bastille
606 N. Fayette St., Alexandria
Not into a million sides? The Old Town French spot is offering a to-go dinner for two ($89) or four ($169) with a relatively concise menu. Choices include Caesar salad, pumpkin bisque, turkey, beef rib roast, and pumpkin or apple pie. Details: Pre-order takeout by 3 PM on November 22 for pickup on Thanksgiving day between noon and 3 PM. There’s also a three-course dine-in menu ($65 per person).

*Bistro Bis
15 E St., NW
Jeff Buben’s French dining room has been killing it at the carryout game lately. His Thanksgiving spread ($54.95 per person) adds a few French tweaks to the classics: roast turkey breast is served with leg ballotine, and there’s a charcuterie and canape selection to start. Green-bean casserole, curried butternut-squash soup, roasted root vegetables, parker house rolls, and pumpkin pie round out the meal. You can add on a number of extras, including deviled eggs, sweet potatoes with marshmallow, and lobster bisque. Three pies (pumpkin, lemon chess, and pecan) are sold a la carte. Details: Pre-order by 4 PM on Wednesday, November 25 for pickup or delivery on Thanksgiving day. There’s a separate a la carte menu for dining at the restaurant.

Bresca
1906 14th St., NW
Ryan Ratino is keeping things traditional at his mod-American dining room. His Thanksgiving for two ($125) or four ($225) is centered around heritage turkey with turkey jus, maple, and herbs. On the side: brioche stuffing with sage and celery; winter greens with candied walnuts, beets, and brown butter; sweet-potato casserole; green-bean casserole; cranberry jam made with port wine; and apple galette. He’s throwing in loaves of milk bread with whipped-honey butter, for either dinner or the leftover sandwich the next day. Details: To-go only. Pre-order for pickup on Wednesday, November 25 or Thanksgiving day.

Convivial’s Thanksgiving spread. Photograph by Holly Barzyk.

*Convivial
801 O St., NW
Few chefs in the city do upgraded comfort food as well as Cedric Maupillier, who is offering a three-course menu ($58 per person) at his French restaurant in Shaw. Besides turkey or ham and traditional sides, there’s onion soup, country pate, and smoked-pumpkin soup. Details: Available for dine-in or to-go. Pre-order for pickup on Thanksgiving day.

Elle
3221 Mount Pleasant St., NW
Turkeys from Earth n’ Eats farm are brined, roasted in Duke’s mayo, and served by the pound (one pound feeds two). Sides—glazed sweet potatoes, green-bean casserole, mac and cheese, sourdough stuffing—are all vegetarian and also portioned for two. You can also grab loaves of bread, housemade potato rolls for next-day sandwiches, and whole pies or honey-goat-cheesecake. Details: Pre-order via email (orders@eatatelle.com) by noon on Friday, November 20 for pickup on Wednesday, November 25 between 10 AM and 4 PM.

Feast by Nina May
1337 11th St., NW
The meal-delivery arm of Shaw’s seasonal new-American restaurant has created an a la carte menu of dishes sized for two. Options go beyond roast turkey—think oysters Rockefeller, rosemary-rubbed tenderloin, and chestnut/squash stuffing. Details: Delivery only—pre-order by noon on Tuesday, November 24 for delivery on Wednesday, November 25.

*Field & Main
8369 W. Main St., Marshall
This pretty Fauquier County dining room recognizes that not everyone has a thing for turkey. So, it’s offering both a roast bird and a tenderloin with black-garlic sauce on its prix-fixe menu ($75 per person). Sides include roasted sweet potatoes with marshmallow; mushroom stuffing; and garlic mashed potatoes. For dessert, choose between pumpkin cheesecake and chocolate trifle. Details: Available for pick-up (there’s a slightly different dine-in menu for the same price). Pre-order for pick-up Wednesday, November 25 between 2 and 5 PM.

Fiola
678 Indiana Ave., NW
At his Penn Quarter flagship, Fabio Trabocchi is putting on a lavish dinner for two ($240). Besides turkey, it includes his lovely chestnut cappuccino; pappardelle Bolognese; and an array of sides. For dessert, there’s apple-cider budino and gingerbread cake with caramelized chocolate and truffle cream. Add on extras like cider coffeecake and cider with mulling spices. DetailsPre-order for pickup on Wednesday, November 25.

Hank’s Oyster Bar
1026 King St., Alexandria; 1624 Q St., NW
Thanksgiving packages are sized for two to three ($120) or six ($240) and include smoky citrus-and-herb-brined turkey with cranberry sauce and peppercorn gravy, plus a choice of sides. Options include two kinds of stuffing (Chesapeake oyster and sage-cornbread), vegan collards, mac and cheese, potato gratin with pecorino, and more. Dessert is a pumpkin streusel pie. Details: Pre-order by Thursday, November 19 for delivery from or pick-up at either the Dupont Circle or Old Town location.

Le Diplomate
1601 14th St., NW
The French brasserie is going all-American with roast turkey breast, roast Brussels sprouts, candied yams, stuffing, and pumpkin or apple pie. The packages are portioned for two ($120) or four ($240). Details: Preorder by calling the restaurant (202-332-3333) for pick-up Wednesday, November 25 or Thanksgiving day. There’s a separate prix fixe menu ($60 per person) for dining at the restaurant.

Masseria
1340 Fourth St., NE
The Thanksgiving feast ($130 for two) from Nicholas Stefanelli’s Italian tasting room near Union Market offers a selection of antipasti plus heritage turkey breast and leg with foie gras and Madeira, brown-butter/sweet-potato gnudi, and a few sides (pureed potatoes with chives; braised cabbage). Vegetarians can opt for roasted mushrooms instead of the bird, and there are luxe supplements like vintage wine pairings, Alba truffles, and caviar.  Details: Pre-order for delivery and pickup on Thanksgiving day; order by Saturday, November 21 at 10 PM.

Maydan
1346 Florida Ave., NW
Turkey is off the menu entirely at this flame-fueled Middle Eastern/North African restaurant. Instead, rack of lamb takes center stage, along with roast Brussels sprouts on the stalk, an autumnal freekeh with winter truffles, a variety of snacks and condiments, and, for dessert, honey pie with orange-blossom whipped cream. A vegetarian menu swaps in pumpkin kibbeh for the main course. Add wine pairings, seasonal cocktails, and non-alcoholic drinks for extra. Details: Regular menu ($115 per person) and vegetarian menu ($95 per person) is available for pickup and delivery with a two-person minimum. A cocktail pairing for two is $75. There are indoor and outdoor dining options, too.

Neighborhood Provisions
Multiple locations in DC, Maryland, and Virginia
Neighborhood Restaurant Group’s pickup/delivery service—which pulls from the groups wine shop, butcher, brewery, and many restaurants—is offering a dinner for two ($95) with herb-rubbed turkey breast, buttermilk mashed potatoes, broccoli with cheddar sauce, and more. Pies cost extra, and there are several cocktails and a la carte options. Details: Pre-order for delivery or pick-up Monday, November 23 through Wednesday, November 25.

Rare
1595 Eye St., NW
The Wisconsin-born steakhouse is doing a three-course menu for two ($150) or four ($250). It includes butternut-squash soup, roast turkey breast and leg confit with gravy, cranberry compote, and chestnut/sage stuffing, sweet-potato mousseline, roasted mushrooms, and pecan and pumpkin pie. Details: Pre-order for curbside pick-up and delivery on Wednesday, November 25 and Thanksgiving day. There are separate a la carte and prix fixe menus for dining at the restaurant.

Rasika
633 D St., NW; 1190 New Hampshire Ave, NW
Tandoori turkey, spiced turkey kebabs, masala cornbread stuffing, and green bean bezule are a few of the dishes at this Indian destination. The menu for two ($90) is capped off by a pumpkin-halwa tart and maple-pecan baklava. Details: Available for dine-in, delivery, and pick-up from both the West End and Penn Quarter locations.

Rose’s Luxury and Little Pearl
717 Eighth St., SE; 921 Pennsylvania Ave., SE
You’ll get a can of Ocean Spray cranberry sauce with Michelin-starred chef Aaron Silverman’s holiday feasts, which are sized for either two to four ($240) or six to eight ($480). The rest of the spread is housemade, including lemon-pepper-brined turkey, mushroom stuffing, and a Brussels-sprout Caesar salad. Nice touch: it also includes a donation to the DC Food Project. Details: Pre-order for delivery and pickup.

Butternut-squash agnolotti, on the dine-in menu at Sfoglina. Photograph courtesy of the restaurant.

Sfoglina
4445 Connecticut Ave, NW; 1100 Wilson Blvd., Arlington
Fabio Trabocchi’s pasta houses in Rosslyn and Van Ness will serve a package for two ($180). There’s roast turkey with bread stuffing and other traditional sides, plus individual pumpkin and pecan pies. But also pappardelle with Bolognese ragu, stracciatella egg-drop soup, and an arugula-and-bibb-lettuce salad with apples and yogurt. A half-gallon of honeycrisp apple cider from Earth n’ Eats farm is in there, too. Details: Pre-order from Van Ness or Rosslyn for pickup Wednesday, November 25. There are also indoor and outdoor dining options on Thanksgiving day.

St. Anselm’s axe-handle ribeye. Photograph by Jennifer Chase.

*St. Anselm
1250 Fifth St., NE
The Union Market steakhouse—which does an excellent job with takeout—has two options. There’s a turkey dinner ($60 a person), or you can skip the bird in favor of the restaurant’s axe-handle ribeye ($85 per person). Both meals will include the kitchen’s buttermilk biscuits, plus a baby-gem lettuce salad, roasted-mushroom soup, and a choice of five sides (such as mashed potatoes, candied yams with marshmallows, and brioche stuffing).  Pumpkin or pecan pie can be added on whole ($50) or by the slice ($9). And other add-ons include mulled cider, punch bowls, and even vintage platters and steak knives. Details: Pre-order by calling the restaurant (202-864-2199) for pick-up. Order by Monday, November 23 for pick-up on Tuesday, November 24 or by Tuesday for pick-up on Wednesday, November 25.

Unconventional Diner
1207 Ninth St., NW
The Shaw dining room is doing well-priced to-go packages for two ($60), four ($110), or six ($160). On the French/American menu: cornbread muffins, chestnut veloute, mushroom-sage stuffing, mashed potatoes, roast turkey with garlic, orange, and rosemary, and pumpkin pie. There are pairing-friendly wine specials, too. Details: Pre-order by Monday, November 23 for pick-up Wednesday, November 25 between 11 AM and 6 PM or Thanksgiving day. A separate dine-in menu is also available.

Ann Limpert
Executive Food Editor/Critic

Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.