Food

11 Fun Food Events Around DC This Weekend

On the menu: a Bolivian-inspired pop-up, piña coladas, and a cookbook swap.

The Colada Shop kicks off its annual Piña Colada Festival. Photo courtesy of the Colada Shop.

Find some new inspiration in the kitchen at a cookbook swap tonight, July 8. Bring old cookbooks, cocktail books, or food-related memoirs to ANXO Cidery & Tasting Room (711 Kennedy St., NW) and trade from 6 to 8 PM.

Think you know the MCU? Mess Hall (703 Edgewood St., NE) is hosting Marvel Trivia tonight, July 8, at 7 PM. Sip on Port City brews and wines by the glass and get a Detroit-style pie from Motown Square Pizza. Assemble your team of 10 or less, snag a $15 ticket, and prove your knowledge.

Bolivian-inspired pop-up Casa Kantuta opens tonight, July 8, in the lower level of Adams Morgan’s sPACEYcLOUD (2309 18th St., NW). The space will operate as a modern speakeasy Thursday-Sunday from 7 PM to 2 AM and a marketplace Saturday-Sunday from 11 AM to 3 PM. The drink menu includes Bolivian-style cocktails made with small-batched brandy Rujero , serving authentic handmade Bolivian street food.

Bethesda Restaurant Week starts today, July 8 with prix fixe lunch, dinner, and dessert menus for $10, $20, and $35. The promotion runs through next Sunday, July 18.

Do you like piña coladas? Local Cuban chain Colada Shop kicks off its annual Piña Colada Festival today, July 8, at all three locations. There are five different versions of the tropical rum drink to try, each priced at $9: the Classic Piña Colada, Horchata Colada, Matcha Colada, Piña and Fernet, and the Guava Vice. The official kickoff party is today at the 14th Street location (1405 T St., NW) from 2 to 8 PM with a live DJ, and the National Pina Colada Day party is happening on Saturday, July 10 at all three locations with $3.50 food specials. The drinks are available at all three locations through Sunday, July 18.

After Hours kicks off at mixed-use development The Station (6621-B Baltimore Ave., Riverdale Park) on Friday, July 9. On summer Fridays from 6 to 9 PM, it will feature outdoor games, a live DJ, a scavenger hunt, and nine holes of mini golf. Grab dinner from one of the many restaurants.

Capitol Hill taqueria Paraiso (1101 Pennsylvania Ave., SE) is opening its mezcaleria on Friday, July 9 with a live tasting from 5 to 9 PM. Sip on one-ounce pours of Gracias A Dios Mezcal, Mezcal Institute Sombra Espadin, and Mezcal Yuu Baal. Or, try mezcal in cocktails like the  Mezcalita Al Pastor with pineapple juice and agave syrup, or the Remedios with agave syrup and chamomile. All pours and cocktails will be complimentary, as will chips and salsa. The happy hour menu will also be available.

Sandlot Tysons (8350 Broad St., Tysons), an outdoor pop-up located within The Boro development, opens this weekend with a variety of programming from Friday, July 9 through Sunday, July 11. Friday’s docket includes Car Wash & Cocktails from 4 to 7 PM, while you can swing by for Cars & Coffee from 9 AM to noon on Sunday.

Baker Hannah Wolfman-Arent is teaching the art of making the perfect summer berry pie. The Zoom class is on Sunday, July 11 at 11 AM, and registered participants will receive a list of ingredients, the full recipe, and a step-by-step photo guide. You can bake in real time over Zoom. Registration is $25.

Two big international soccer matches are happening this weekend, and there are plenty of places to watch with fellow fans around DC. Argentina and Brazil face off in the Copa America final at 8 PM on Saturday, July 10, and it’s down to England vs. Italy in the Euro Cup final at 3 PM on Sunday, July 11.

Pogiboy chef Paolo Dungca is taking over the kitchen at Ivy City fine-dining spot Gravitas (1401 Okie St., NE) with a five-course tasting menu inspired by the flavors of the Philippines. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Helping Women and Others, a foundation that provides accessible and affordable health care to women in the Philippines. Seatings start at 5 PM on Sunday, July 11, and reservations are $125 per ticket.