Food

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Feasts From DC-Area Restaurants

Where to find brisket, challah, and more

Sababa in Cleveland Park celebrates Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur with special menu items. Photograph courtesy of Sababa

It’s the start of the Jewish High Holidays. Rosh Hashanah begins the evening of Sunday, September 25—and plenty of restaurants and caterers are celebrating the New Year with challah, apples and honey, matzo ball soup, braised brisket, and more.

Bread Furst 
4434 Connecticut Ave., NW
Mark Furstenberg’s popular bakery offers a special menu for the High Holidays. For Rosh Hashanah, a full dinner spread serves four-to-six people with a brisket centerpiece, appetizers like chopped liver, sides such as kasha varnishkes and tzimmes, and a choice honey-date-walnut or flourless chocolate cake for dessert ($168). For Yom Kippur, a break-fast gravlax platter is accompanied by blintzes and juice ($56). Details: Rosh Hashanah meals available Sunday, September 25 and Monday, September 26; Yom Kippur offered Wednesday, October 5. Call to place orders.

Call Your Mother
Available at  Park View, Capitol Hill, West End, and Pike & Rose locations
The Jew-ish deli’s High Holiday menu stars a brisket dinner for four ($160) with the meaty centerpiece, kugels (brown butter-cherry and pecan), seven vegetable couscous, roasted carrot and pomegranate salad, and homemade challah. The latter is also available a la carte ($10) alongside apple cider-doughnut cakes ($40). Details:  Pre-order to pick-up from 3 to 5 PM on Sunday, September 25 through Monday, September 26. The Yom Kippur menu is available for pick up between 7:30 AM and 1:30 PM on Wednesday, October 5th (available at all locations except the Bethesda Trolley).

Farmers Restaurant Group
Multiple DC, Maryland, and Virginia locations
True to form, the many Founding Farmers restaurants offer a plethora of options for the High Holidays. Dine-in patrons can order from special menus filled with all the classics—plus so new-wave dishes like apricot “sticky chicken”—or order dishes to-go. The latter come in both ready-eat and ready-heat form. Details: Pickup times and offerings vary by location; menus and details available here.

Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab
750 15th St., NW
Downtown DC’s swanky seafood spot is offering a special prix-fixe holiday menu of classics like gefilte fish, chopped liver (plus a vegetarian version), matzo ball soup, brisket, roasted salmon, and more. The set Rosh Hashanah menu—offered dine-in and carryout—is $65 per person, and $30 for those 12 and under. Details: All carryout orders must be placed by Thursday, September 22  at 5 PM and are available for pick-up on Sunday, September 25 and Monday, September 26 from 11:30 AM to 4 PM.

Mon Ami Gabi – Bethesda
7239 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda
Chef Andrew Fleischauer is celebrating the holiday from the French bistro with a multi-course menu. On tap: challah bread, matzo ball soup, brisket, and more ($54.95 per person and $21.95 for children 12 and under). Details: The Rosh Hashanah menu is available for dine-in and carryout (to-go orders must be placed by Thursday, September 22 at 5 PM).

A brisket feast from Call Your Mother. Photograph courtesy of Call Your Mother.

Neighborhood Provisions 
Available  in DC, Maryland, and Virginia
The Neighborhood Restaurant Group’s delivery/pickup service has your holiday covered with its Rosh Hashanah catering menu. Home chefs can round out their tables with challah or matzo ball soup, or order a whole feast of brisket and sides. There’s also Kosher wine, sweets, and more. Details: Order here for delivery and pickup between Saturday, September 24 and Monday, September 26.

Prescription Chicken
1819 Seventh St., NW
The chicken soup delivery service is offering a special “Rosh Package” ($50) filled with two containers of matzo ball soup, a jar of local Petworth Honey, apples, mini challahs, and apple-honey-passionfruit salteñas from Saya Salteña. Details: Pre-orders are available now.

Sababa
3311 Connecticut Ave., NW 
Cleveland Park’s modern Israeli restaurant celebrates Rosh Hashanah with ingredients that symbolize health and prosperity for the coming year. Chef Ryan Moore’s special menu includes dishes like roasted haloumi cheese with honey-apple marmalade ($14) or braised beef brisket with carrot, sweet potato, and date tzimmes ($28). For Yom Kippur, specials like Israeli couscous ($15) and lamb tagine ($28) are available starting at sun down. Regular menus are also available for both celebrations. Details: Rosh Hashanah items available for dinner, Sunday, September 25 through Tuesday, September 27 from 5 to 9 PM. Yom Kippur pre-and-post fast offered Tuesday, October 4 from 4 to 9 PM and Wednesday, October 5 from 5 to 9:30 PM.

Silver & Sons Barbecue
11910 Parklawn Dr., Rockville #O (around the back of the building)
Chef Jarrad Silver’s barbecue truck blends Jewish and Mediterranean cuisines with American smoking traditions. For Rosh Hashanah, a special menu includes dishes like matzo ball soup with smoked chicken ($14) potato latkes with apple compote and lemon butter ($24), smoked brisket with tomato sauce ($32), marinated, pulled lamb shoulder ($34), and a ton of vegetable sides.  All orders will come with reheating instructions, which will also be posted on the website. Details: Available for pickup-only (no truck stops) at the Rockville kitchen space Friday, September 23 from 5 to 7 PM; Saturday from 11 AM to 4 PM; and Sunday from 1 to 3 PM. Pre-order now.

Summer House – North Bethesda
11825 Grand Park Ave, North Bethesda
A traditional menu is offered for dine-in or carryout from the airy restaurant, including challah with sliced apples and honey, matzo ball soup, slow-braised beef short ribs, and more ($54.95 per guest; $24.95 for children aged 12 and under). Note that holiday reservations are required (specify when calling for reservations) and carryout orders must be placed on Tock by Thursday, September 22 at 5 PM. Details: Sunday, September 25 through Monday, September 26 from 4:30 to 9 PM.

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.